July 19, 2016
We stayed in the campground updating our blog. Roger fixed a leak we discovered in the water
connection on the outside shower compartment.
Then we cleaned up our campsite, as there had been a big storm last
Thursday evening and there were small pine cones and sticks everywhere. There were trees downed all over the
park.
July 20, 2016
We had a lovely morning, as the sky was overcast and there
was a pleasant breeze. That kept the air
quite comfortable. So we sat outside and
absorbed the peacefulness of the water flowing in the lake.
Roger really needed this break from driving. I can’t believe we have covered over 7,000
miles. The number of places we have seen
and the things we have done even amazes me.
But we still have a few sites on our “to do” list before we get home.
We took a long walk around the campground, checking out the
other sites and decided
Roger picked the best one. It gets better breezes, being on the end of the peninsula and at a higher elevation.
Roger picked the best one. It gets better breezes, being on the end of the peninsula and at a higher elevation.
July 21, 2016
We have developed a habit of sleeping late in the morning,
so it was 1 pm before we left Lake
Ouachita. (Hope we can break this habit when we get
home.)
The 25 mile drive through the Caddo Mountains
was very pretty. When we arrived in Hot Springs, Roger bought
a hand mitt from the official National Park Store. He still remembers how much he enjoyed the
one we got several years ago when we were fortunate to have our original visit
to Hot Springs. The National Park tour of the Fordyce Bath
House was so very interesting. What I
remember most are the beautiful stain glass windows in several parts of the
building. I still enjoy seeing them
rotate on our computer screen at home.
We drove up the mountain road above the city, which we did
not do on our previous visit. It is a
one way loop which has such sharp curves that vehicles over 30 feet long are
restricted from using it. We pulled into
a parking lot just shy of the top of the mountain, where Roger
transmitted. A substantial portion of
the city is National Park property. This area had the highest elevation, hence
a better chance for favorable reception by other ham radio operators.
After making 60 contacts fairly rapidly, the band “went
dead”, meaning Roger stopped receiving calls.
So we drove back down the mountain and found one of the many “filling
stations” where people can fill up containers of fresh spring water. We filled all of our bottles, then proceeded
on our route to the capital of Little
Rock, Arkansas.
Arkansas
is a really well rounded state. They
have lakes, rivers, mountains, forests and national parks. There is just about anything you might
want. We have enjoyed our previous trips
to the state and are glad to see something new in Little Rock.
We found a city RV park right on the Arkansas
River. It was basically
just a parking spot with electricity.
There was very little shade but it was adjacent to the
bicycle/pedestrian walking loop that goes along both sides of the river.
Our first site was only visible after dark. We sat on a bench right along the river bank and
watched as one of the bridges lights came on.
The entire length of the bridge first showed blue, then red, then
white. Next all three colors came on
together. Then the red and white had
stripes. When you looked at the
reflection on the water, it looks just like our American Flag. It was so exciting to see this great symbol
of our country. What a grand display!
July 22, 2016
We left on our bikes and rode across the pedestrian
bridge. It was so hot that we had to
stop occasionally to rest. After searching for the visitor’s center for about a
half an hour, we finally found it. We
cooled off in their air conditioning and gratefully accepted a cold bottle of
water from their refrigerator. After
getting a map, we rode to the Capitol
Building and waited for
the tour.
There is a great deal of marble in the central section of
the building. Walls, floors, stairs and
columns are various types of white marble.
Some came from Colorado and some from Alabama. The House and Senate Chambers are relatively
simple, except for the ceiling, which is stained glass. The most impressive parts of the building are
the six bronze doors at the front. They
were made by Tiffany Jewelers and cost a total of $10,000.
The state seal is on display on the first floor, made in
colored glass in a large frame in one corner.
It has “16 elements” (which seemed way too many to me.) The goddess of Liberty, an angel of mercy, a sword of
justice, and an eagle “holding emblems of both peace and war in its talons” are
a few. There is also a shield with
“emblems of the state’s 19th century economy such as steamboat
transportation, agriculture and industry.”
We drove back along the riverfront on our bike ride back toward
the RV. At the beginning of the route
there is a small public water park.
There were several adults and children playing in the fountains of spray
shooting up from the circular concrete floor.
Roger and I were so hot, we let some of the water spray on us, as well.
It felt great and definitely helped cool us off. After getting back on our bikes, we drove
past several different sculptures spread through out the waterfront park.
Little Rock
is doing such a wonderful job of making their waterfront a place for, not only
there citizens to enjoy, but visitors as well.
The pedestrian/bicycle route reminds me of the Louisville waterfront park. Having it extend to both sides of the river
makes it even more enjoyable. With the
sculpture garden, it adds a social beauty to the natural beauty of the living
gardens along the river. People are
encouraged to exercise, thus gaining a more healthy body, as they also receive
the benefits of a healthier mind and spirit.
When we got back to the RV park, we each took a shower. Then Roger tried to rest while I did laundry. After eating dinner, I was shocked when Roger
suggested we walk back into town. Since
the sun was down by them, it was not as hot and there was a little breeze. There really was not that much going on
downtown. But Roger found a fried
chicken restaurant and ordered one piece of chicken. Then on the way back, we went in an ice cream
shop that also had baked sweets. Boy,
did we ever mess up our calorie count tonight.
July 23, 2016
This morning we returned to the Central High National
Historic Site and followed the self guided tour. It was painful to see this frightening part
of our country’s history. Integration
began when Roger and I we 10 and 9 years old, with the worse part passing us
with little understanding, due to our youth.
Change has been very long in coming and still has so far to go. So many died and so much sorrow accompanied
those losses of life. We must continue
to pray for love to prevail over all our prejudices.
One totally unexpected site was across the street from the
visitor’s center. It was a restored
Mobil Oil gas station. When we asked the
Park Ranger about its significance, he said that was where all the radio and TV
reporters had to go to send in their stories, as it had the closest phone. But they could not use it without paying the
owner first. That was a great side
story. At least someone in the local community benefited during this historic
crisis.
After Roger transmitted for about an hour, we left Little Rock and drove to Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
There was a lovely lake there with a big pavilion and picnic table. We waited there and started our dinner
preparation. Then we went to Mass at 5
pm at St. Joseph’s
Catholic Church. Right as we pulled into
the parking lot, there was a big storm and lots of rain. We were soaked by the time we got
inside.
Right before church, Roger had checked the temperature in Pine Bluff. It was 95 with a heat index of 109
degrees. So we have definitely reached
the southern humidity we know and hate, but can’t do anything about it. The rain did help cool it off a lot. We continued south east to a corp of engineer
campground right on the Arkansas River. We could not believe there was one site
left. Roger angled the RV so we had almost
270 degree view of the water. Before we
went to bed, saw two different barges pass right in front of us.
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