Arkansas, our new temporary home, prides itself as The Natural State. Having made our first excursion to Bull Shoals Lake and the White River we fully agree with it. Being at the White River, a paradise for trout fishing, gave us a first positive impression about what to expect being in Arkansas. First signs of fall, rain coming in within seconds, heavy and dense fog over the river following the rain, covering the river with a soft filter. Hummingbirds showing what it means to be in the Natural State. Now we are expecting a lot more to come.
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We love our new temporary home in Arkansas, but we still have fond memories of our stay at Big Bend National Park. We especially are looking back to our South and East Rim hike. After 8 hours on the trail we were tired but very happy about what we were able to experience. If our eyes would be like a digital camera we would have run out of memory space with all the beautiful images presented to us. To get to these view points takes some strength but "somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb." One of the stops we have made on our journey to Norfolk, Arkansas, was the Buffalo River. It was designated as America’s first national river in 1972. It is an Eldorado for boaters and the rock formations are works of art. We stayed at Buffalo Point and Rush Valley was nearby. This was a busy place between 1880 and almost into the 50's when zinc was still mined. I wish the buildings could talk, like the Taylor-Medley store where goods were sold, mail was distributed, and marriages were celebrated. Today it is a collapsed porch burying memories. Being at the river and at the Rush Valley is such a visualization of a quote I found: "Time is like a river. You cannot touch the same water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of your life". After saying goodbye to Big Bend we went to Davis Mountain State Park. Normally visitors come here to attend the star parties at the observatory. Since we had star parties galore at BBNP we focused our time on bird watching and had some success to observe the beauty of Humming Birds and juvenile Red Tailed Hawks. Would you expect to find Little Sahara in Texas? Well this State surprised us again with a park that is nestled into a large industrial area and gives you the feeling of being in North Africa. See for yourself (too bad that I cannot express the heat in images). Lake Colorado City State Park was our next stop. We enjoyed the nature trails along the lake and explored nearby Colorado City. This city must have had better times looking at the theater and the hotel. We still could feel the flair of this community when it was a vibrant city. Imagine a campground on the bottom of the largest canyon in Texas and the second largest canyon in the US. Well, look no further and join us at Palo Duro State Park. The views were breathtaking, the hike to the Lighthouse was scenic overload. The musical Texas, which is played by art students from around the State, was a priceless bonus. Texas, we will miss you! Crossing the state line into Oklahoma heading for the Wichita Mountains as the next destination. Wonderful rolling hills, Medicine Park as a quaint little village, a well done visitor center at the Wildlife Refuge, free roaming bisons and longhorns, and the surprise of the Holy Town. Nestled into the landscape of the Wichita Mountains. It is the scenery of an annual passion play and Easter celebration. Further heading east to Sulphur, OK. Stayed at the Buckhorn Campground of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Enjoyed a walk along Little Niagara and through Sulphur. The Chickasaw Nation invested into a modern hotel, casino, art and visitor center and does make this area thrive. Beavers Bend State Park was our next destination. It felt almost like being back to Big Bend when we went through the 180 degree tuns towards the Visitor Center. Did some hiking and enjoyed the beautiful views above Broken Bow Lake. Love Lake Ouachita. A beautiful place to relax and still having Hot Springs close by. Was not too sure about what to expect when heading into Hot Springs. All of a sudden this diamond of an old town beauty opened up in front of us. Bathhouse row takes us many decades back and the hot springs are hot as can be. We could imagine well dressed couples walking along the promenade heading for their favorite bathhouse and being greeted by the friendly staff. Good Night and Good Luck at Lake Ouachita made the day complete. Some more days on the road and we will reach our final destination: Norfolk National Fish Hatchery. Thank you for following us on our trip.
After three months at the Chisos Basin Campground, it is time to say goodbye to Big Bend National Park. The park surprised us every day and every hike with breathtaking views, rock formations as if from a giants playground, nightly skies that display the beauty of the universe. Having the privilege of being here for three months is a blessing. We will miss you Big Bend NP and the Chisos Mountains, and we will always be an ambassador for you wherever we are. Auf Wiedersehen!
Another privilege we had was to meet so many people from all walks of life. Guests come to Chisos Basin because "the mountains are calling". They are looking for hikes they have never done before, views which were described to them by fellow hikers who were here before, time to relax and to adjust, and even to get married. Being a volunteer allowed us also to create wonderful relationships with many campers, park staff and the law enforcement rangers. We will miss you all! Auf Widersehen! Our journey continues and we are looking forward to our next volunteer experience in the Ozarks. We will let you know about new hikes, new friends and new windows into nature. At a recent hike to Pine Canyon together with dear friends we all recognized what a gifted sculptor nature is. Like clouds, many of the sculptures are quite abstract and allow the viewer different interpretations. While one might see chess figures another hiker sees a church choir. Nature helps us to kindle our imagination, and the power of imagination makes us infinite (John Muir). We just recently spent some time in Terlingua and visited the local cemetery. It made me think that all those graves are connected to a life story. Those are stories of love, success, serving our country, hard work, pain, fun, failures, and turn arounds. But regardless of rich or poor in life, the "richest person in the cemetery is the one who left the most memories" (Matshona Dhliwayo). We recently had the pleasure to join friends on a hike to the Balanced Rock, one of the signature rocks of Big Bend National Park. The views of the balanced rocks were breathtaking and stand for the balanced life we are blessed to live as full time RV nomads. I recall a quote from John Wooden, that is a perfect fit for how we feel: "Next to love, balance is the most important thing." After regaining my pleasure with photography, I am enjoying to see our world in Black and White. Jeniffer Price puts it this way: "What I love about Black & White photographs is that they are more like reading the book than seeing the movie." Black and White emphasizes the structure and allows the viewer different perspectives. Elliot Erwitt, a well known street photographer, says: "Color is descriptive, Black and White is interpretive." This series of images was taken recently at the Closed Canyon in the Big Bend Ranch State Park. I don't like the word hiking. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not 'hike'! Do you know the origin of the word saunter? It's a beautiful word. Away back in the middle ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where the were going they would reply, 'A la sainte terre', 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as the sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them (John Muir). We recently enjoyed to saunter through the South and East Rim Trail and we were taken away by the breathtaking views. |