Eureka Springs! to the Mississippi River

Thursday morning, we visited the wonderful little town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. What a surprise! Built on a hillside, like San Francisco but much smaller, the main road switchbacks up through the downtown. For the hardy pedestrian, long flights of stairs like alleys between the buildings provide shortcuts straight up the hill. The architecture is a sort of mountain Victorian mixed with a little New Orleans and sprinkled with some stately stone and brick public buildings. Little parks here and there mark the many springs, trickling down over rocks walls, for which the town is named. The town is filled with shops, including many art and craft galleries, and the people were very quirky and friendly.

Molly gives Eureka Springs two paws way up, as the main street shops provided many dog water dishes along the sidewalk (some even offered dog treats!), and all the shop owners invited her inside enthusiastically. She was even welcomed at the outdoor table of the restaurant where we ate lunch. Molly and I agreed that the barbecued pork sandwich was excellent!

Armed with a map, as our GPS lady continued to give erroneous directions, we headed east across Arkansas. We stopped at an oil change place, as Sandeep had been wanting to treat the Gumby van to some new fluids. Four men with impressive Arkansas accents, one of whom was named Vernon, quickly gathered around the open hood of the van, asking, "What kind of engine is this?" "Where is the filter?" "What kind of oil does this take?" I was afraid I would hear the familiar "What the hell is this?!?" and see one of the men looking puzzled with an engine part in his hand. Sandeep thanked them nicely and we hurried away. A narrow escape for the Gumby van! They really were very nice, though.

We followed a scenic route, down through Ozark National Forest. Our guidebook and local literature described spectacular fall foliage in early October, but not a leaf had changed. The drive was very twisty, with some lovely views out over green valleys. I do think, however, that the state should reconsider the name "The Grand Canyon of the Ozarks" for the valley I photographed, above. It is very beautiful, but I wouldn't call it a canyon, exactly...

We continued east on Highway 40, passing through Little Rock and camping for the night in West Memphis, Arkansas, on the banks of the Mississippi River. The campground's brochure says, "So close to the river, sometimes we're in it!" and encourages prospective campers to call ahead for flood conditions in the spring months. It was a lovely place, with waterbirds flying and calling, and a view of the river from the campsite. We photographed the little Gumby van, with its somewhat larger neighbors... We were parked almost next to the big RV with my very favorite model name: the Intruder! Justin, my brother, suggests the Pillager and the Marauder for future versions.

We really, really like our little Gumby van.