So, as you can see, I never got the chance to post any pictures while we were in Arkansas. We were pretty much on-the-go 90% of the time, the other 10% we were sleeping. We traveled just under 2000 miles in 6 days. I suppose that was my first “official” road trip and it was amazing. We saw a lot of interesting things and beautiful places (7 states) and made some great memories.
Rather than post 50 pictures and completely over take the post, I made a few collages to share. If you’re reading this… I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Day 1:
We started the journey by leaving Georgia (state 1) and heading north into Tennessee (state 2) and then west. Destination: Eureka Falls, Arkansas (It took us about 12 hours to drive there!)
Day 2
Arkansas (state 3)
Hawksbill Crag is a must-see. If you’re physically able and ever find yourself in Arkansas (Kingston to be exact), do yourself a favor and hike to it. The hike was fairly short. Right at about 3 miles to the crag and back. The only steepness was a little bit of a climb at the end. Nothing difficult at all.
After our hike to Hawksbill Crag, the SO and I decided to venture to another nearby view. It was only about a 45 minute drive from the crag to Triple Falls Trail (Jasper, AR) to see the gorgeous Triple Falls. The trail into the falls and back was a short .3 of a mile. The view was gorgeous, but the drive down the mountain was horrendous (Sorry J). There were signs posted with “rules” for the trail/waterfall. I noticed one mentioned no animals, but on the hiking website I found the trail on it stated dogs were welcome on leash. That was a bit aggravating but overall, the falls were amazing. I imagine it would be an epic place to swim!
Day 3
Missouri (state 4)
Our first stop was Branson. We wanted to visit the Bass Pro Shop there, so we did. From there we ventured further into Branson Landing (shopping mall there in Branson.) We went into a few stores but did not stay there long since we planned to travel a bit further into Springfield.
Okay, so the main purpose of us visiting Springfield was to see the Bass Pro Headquarters. We were lucky enough to see the NRA museum there as an added bonus! I took SO many pictures, I won’t bore you with all of them. If I manage to find the time, I might eventually make a post with all the pictures I took just from the museum. Make sure to check it out of you find yourself in Springfield like I did!
We got back from Branson/Springfield about an hour before dark. Unbeknownst to me, apparently the sunsets sooner in Eureka Springs than my little town. I thought we had about 25-30 more minutes of day time than we actually did. Thankfully, I always carry a LED flashlight in my purse as well as a headlamp. (Can you tell I’ve been out on a trail after dark before and needed a light?) I suppose that sounds like odd items to have in a purse… I guess I just prefer to have back-up (lights, first-aid kit, battery back-up charger, etc.) than make up, lotion, and mirrors. I suppose if I was stranded in the middle of the woods, the former would come in more handy than the latter.
Anyway, the hike around the edge of Black Bass Lake was fairly short (just under 2 miles) and mostly flat. There were numerous caves along the trail. As well as a few wildflowers. We ran into a few fisherman who seemed to have been having a good bit of luck fishing. They had several crappie and blue gill on their stringer. Was kinda jealous they were fishing and not myself. Funny story: The last 20 minutes on the way back with the flashlight/headlamp I kept seeing tiny glowing eyes ALL over the trail and around it. Turns out it was tiny spiders everywhere. It was a little creepy but cool. I suppose if you have arachnophobia it would not have been quite as “cool.” I enjoyed it though!
Day 4
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge-Eureka Springs, AR/Siloam Springs, Oklahoma (state 5)
While the animals at Turpentine Creek were beautiful and well-cared for, I could not help but be sad for them. We did the tour around the entire refuge and heard stories about many of the big cats (and the grizzly, coatimundi, macaque, and black bear) and how/why they ended up there. Most of them were previously pets. PETS. As much as I love tigers and I think I’d like the idea of having one as a pet, I’m intelligent enough to know how BAD of an idea that would be. One of the bobcats was there because a man attempted to raise it with his one-year-old son. You can imagine how that went. The cat bit him and then it had to go (understandable) but why have a wild animal around your baby in the first place?! Another story we were told was that a man had a tiger for a pet for several years and then got sick (I forgot what from) and decided he could no longer take care of it. Rather than turn it over to a refuge, he drove several miles (over 50 miles) away and released it into the wilderness (No, I’m not kidding). Apparently, it was back at his house the next morning. We were also told the story of how a breeding pair of big cats was turned over to the refuge. Apparently a company had them and bred the MULTIPLE times so that they could use the kittens for photo ops. Once the kittens were no longer kittens they were sent away. She had multiple litters in 3-4 years. The first litter at under a year old. If you know anything about big cats, you know how insane/sad that is. When they took the mother in there and gave birth soon after. The really sad part? After a week or so she began to reject her kittens. Why would she do that? She must be a terrible mother, right? WRONG. She did not know anything else to do. All she had ever known was to birth kittens and then a short time later they were gone and she never saw them again. That seriously makes me want to bawl my eyes out. That poor momma and those poor babies. Screw shitty pet owners and people who do stuff like this! (End rant….sorry)
Interested in donating to their cause? Click HERE.
Also, huge shot out to Tyson Chick envfor donati approximately 300,000 lbs of chicken, beef, turkey, fish, and pork annually!
Natural Falls State Park (OK):
Natural Falls State Park was a short trip but it was worth the drive to Oklahoma! Dripping Springs Falls was epic. At 77 feet tall it is one of the two tallest waterfalls in the state (along with Turner Falls in the Arbuckle Mountains). It was also used in the production of Where the Red Fern Grows (1974). You’ve seen the movie, right? If not, go rent or stream it immediately. I watched this as a little kid and bawled my eyes out. Great movie nonetheless.
Day 5
We packed our bags and said goodbye to Eureka Springs. We drove back east to Memphis (visited our third Bass Pro, the Pyramid) and then south to Tupelo.
Destination: Tupelo, Mississippi (state 6)
This was a quick stop on the way to Tupelo. Brices Cross Roads is also known as the Battle of Tishomingo Creek and the Battle of Guntown. The battle was fought on Friday, June 10, 1864 near Baldwyn, Mississippi. At that point in time, it was part of the Confederate States of America. Long story short, it was a victory for the Confederates.
Our last official visit was to the birthplace of Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll. The museum was well-laid out and an interesting visit for sure! Although we had not originally planned to visit there, I’m so glad we did!
Destination: Home
After leaving Tupelo we headed east toward Alabama (state 7) and then continued on back to Georgia.
So, here it is… 4 am. I have to be up in 4 hours to make a trip out of town so the conclusion is going to be a bit short. Who knows, I made edit it later. (Not likely). Overall, our trip was better than I could have imagined. We are spur-of-the-moment kind of vacationers, which means we did not know we were for our vacation/road trip until the day before we left. (No, I’m not kidding!) I like spur-of-the-moment though. It keeps life interesting. If you’re still here, thanks for reading!
Peace.
hikerchickk 
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