The PENguin Blog

Saturday morning, as we were planning our day’s activities, Sharon noticed in one of our guidebooks the Ozark Folk Center State Park and suggested that as an alternative to what we had planned. That sounded interesting and these trips are about (a degree of) spontaniety, so off we went to Mountain View, about a hundred miles to the northeast. The first decorated barn we've seen in the South. Interestingly it is a quilting pattern Farmers at work The park is about what the name implies. It was established in 1973 to promote the folk arts and crafts of the Ozark and today it houses about a dozen crafts shops showcasing woodworking, gunsmithing, basketmaking, doll-making, a traditional print shop and, to my delight, knifemaking. And music, of course. (Sadly, no pens.) So we bought an admission to include a walk through the village and the evening concert. This fellow was there to greet us As you might imagine, one ...

Friday saw us rambling through the Ozarks, in and around the Ozark National Forest to the north of Russellville where we are staying. The plan was to hit first the Bayou Bluff and then Alum Cove Natural Bridge. The problem was that without good maps and knowledge of the area we did not realize that both trails, despite being just over one mile loops, were pretty rugged, and between Sharon’s poor vision and my bad knee, we were able to walk only short portions of both trails. This portion of the Bayou Bluff was a gentle walk in the woods, it would get rougher once we got further into the site Initially the site was developed as a Depression era CCC camp, these are the old tent cabins, like in Yosemite Whitewater along the Illinois Bayou A couple of the scenic vistas. Often there is no place to get out and take pictures of some of the more spectacular views The trail down to the natural bridge got really rugged really quick, just beyond h...

This portion of our journey is dedicated to the memory of Jim Gaston. He and I were "pen buddies" and we planned for me to visit his world-famous resort when we came through this part of the country. Jim died last year, and so I shall miss the pleasure of his company on this final leg of our Southern journey. Wherever you are Jim, may the fish be jumping and the whitewater flowing.   We left Little Rock Thursday morning and, through no great virtue but the desire to avoid interstates, picked up Arkansas 7 which the state claims as a scenic byway. It certainly is one of the best driving roads I have been on. This was one of the few times I’ve wished Sharon was not with me on the trip, but then I probably would have gotten myself into some sort of trouble. Instead I was able to drive it at moderate speed and enjoy the changing terrain. We did not stop for a lot of pictures (it was not always safe or possible to do so) but these few will give you an idea. ...