A Hot Weekend in Arkansas

Heading south into Arkansas again, the weather was clear and extremely hot, with a level of humidity that left things a bit disgusting.  Rain was promised for the entire weekend.  We knew better though.  At this time of the year, it was just as much of a lie and guess as it is in Kansas City.

Crossing Bull Shoals Lake on the Ferry, temperatures hovered around 34°C.  There was not a breath of wind to be found for a little relief, even in the crossing itself, causing us to finally give in to air conditioning for the remainder of the trip.  Pausing in Yellville for an bit of art, we decided to pursue a coarse towards US-65 so that we might intercept sustenance at one of our favorite locations.

Saturday temperatures and humidity were not much different from the day before, encouraging the world to seek shelter indoors or in the lake. A morning hike at Mossy Bluff left me soaked enough that I decided I might as well be in the lake, and subsequently threw myself in as much.  A follow-up detour down to Cabot left everyone in Heber dealing with the promised rain in a fierce little storm we did not have the opportunity to make as much as a passing acquaintance with, beyond the backwash.

It did cool things down, making Sunday a bit more presentable, though only for a little while.  A relatively early jaunt down to wander the perimeter of Woolly Hollow Lake ended in disappointment.  Usually, that hike ends with a dip in the lake to cool things down.  Said water body lacked in the usual depth, showcasing bathtub temperatures, and weird green things floating in the unusually murky depths.  It stood in stark contrast with the previous day at Greers Ferry, where one could easily 2 meters down, and so that is where I returned to quench my thirst for floating about.

Satisfied with good company and good food, we turned our thoughts and vehicle homeward on Monday.  We diverted through the Bluffton Preserve on the Archey Fork on whim, as a previous visit to the location found it partially closed for hunting.  Suspecting that nobody was much interested in chasing beasts through the burning rainforest, we found it perfect for a little off road adventuring, puddle-jumping and rock-skipping.  

Very likely the most satisfying part of the journey turned out to be discovery that a local community had joined forces to take over the land and maintenance of South Mountain Scenic Overlook, thereby thwarting future commercial development next to our favorite little coffee shop and scenic overlook.