Arkansas Adventure - Part 5

Probably my favorite part of the trip was an unexpected find, while taking the back more scenic route home we stumbled across Beaver Bridge  sometimes called "The Little Golden Gate Bridge of Arkansas" 

How cool is this?  It is actually golden in color, unlike another Golden Gate Bridge that is red.... and the wild flowers in front of it are absolutely perfect.   I couldn't resist taking pictures of them.

So sometimes they are right.....the best things can be found when you lest expect them.    

Arkansas Adventure - Part 4

While in Arkansas we drove on a lot of back roads, some of which were gravel and dirt, it let me get some of the previous posts's awesome pictures.  Plus I have found it is really kind of fun, Andy enjoys the 4 wheeling aspect of it,  and I find I do handle it pretty well with some motion sickness medicine. 

So we had this view (or one very similar) out the front window of the truck. 

  

We went on parts of  Highway 7 and the Pig Trail (think of a pigs tail, and you get a good idea what it was like).

We saw many, many signs like this  (sorry for the next few pictures,  taken through the wind shield, but they get the idea across).

Sometimes the  roads were narrow, with limbs and rocks right along the side of the road.  

They made you think you might not fit, but you did.

There was no where to get out and take a picture, rocks, trees and thick vegetation on one side, and steep drop offs on the other.

Not that I want to get that close to a drop off like that, just being in a truck on a narrow road was almost too much for this girl who can be a little scared of high places at times.  So I just leaned over and took the picture from inside the safety of the truck, so I could remember this amazing view.

Arkansas Adventure - Part 3

We went on a hike on a trail in The Lost Valley Park.  We wanted to see some of the waterfalls that Arkansas is supposed to have.

The trail started off with a little stone path across what probably has water  sometimes.   This was our first indication that maybe they had not had so much rain here after all.

It was early in the morning, not too hot yet, and the trees provided shade.  It was a very nice hike, no real incline, just a graveled flat trail.  Just what this girl needed.  

Mostly what we saw was this,  no water just rocks,

and even more rocks, though nice, still a little disappointing.  A water fall would be nice, but I was beginning to doubt it would happen.

Then I was sure I heard running water.....

The lighting was not the best but it was totally worth the  hike.

The trail went on to even more water falls, but there were 3 sets of these stone steps, with no hand rails, I am still babying my ankle sometimes, so I stayed behind and let Andy go ahead without me.

But all in all a very nice hike with some beautiful scenery.

Arkansas Adventure - Part 2

Most people think of Eureka Springs, when planning a trip to Arkansas.  I had never been.  I found it to be a quaint little town.  It sits in some hills, along with the well preserved older buildings, make it seem like you are totally somewhere else.   A wonderful little get away destination. 

there are several little shops to browse.  We spent the afternoon walking up and down the streets.

 We couldn't walk past this fudge shop, (not with a name like "Two Dumb Dames")

and we weren't disappointed either.

Almost too many choices, but oh so yummy.

We did take our pop-up camper and camped in an awesome little camp ground,  Withrow Springs, State Park.

The camp sites were very spacious, the bathrooms modern, nice, roomy and clean.

Another Adventure

We had 3 - 4 days to go on a little adventure, taking in the spontaneous nature of the trip, the limited time, weather (we have had a very wet spring/early summer here in the Midwest) and wanting to keep it on the inexpensive side we decided on a quick camping trip to Arkansas.  

Some said "Why there?".  Well my bucket list goal of visiting all fifty states was calling me.  Though I counted Arkansas here as a state I have been to, honestly it had only been driving through it, not even stopping and looking around, so off we went. 

I found Arkansas really is a beautiful state, whether the view is from high, 

or down low,

it just seemed to go on and on....

Then the Buffalo River, with the towering cliffs,  

was just amazing.

Yes Arkansas was exactly what this girl need to renew her soul right now.

Where did May go?????

That is the question I have been asking myself, "Where did may go?"   It was a very busy month that contained a Graduation Party for 4 cousins, the Graduation it self, an out of town guest, Mother's Day Celebration, and probably several other unremembered events.  But you know I like it that way.  But of course I was not too busy to snap a few pictures along the way.

Went to this one's Graduation Ceremony, (so proud of you!)

Had a Graduation Party for these four awesome graduates, 

Spent some much needed alone time with this guy 

Went walking along the Missouri River near Parkville

He then took us driving on some dirt roads

Which caused my Escape to look like this, (it was worse than it looks in the picture) 

Got to take some pictures, missed that lately,  (we have had the most amazing cloudy skies lately) 

Looking back,  May was a pretty good month.

Voodoo Donuts

When we found out a Voodoo Donuts just opened in Denver, we had to add that to our "must see" attractions while we were there.The brightly painted building is hard to miss.  The pink color is used not only for their boxes but all through their store, like one of their bumper stickers says "Good things come in pink boxes".  

  

They offer a very unique selection of Donuts, as listed here.

Yum!

Estes Park

Snow was in the forecast the day we drove to Estes Park, but like so many times on a vacation the day you have penciled in to do something is not always the best weather day for pictures. I think so many of my pictures could have been better, if only there was a blue sky with puffy white clouds. Like this one: 

But I still like it.   We had some blue skies early in the morning like the one below, but  it was a very disappointing "scenic view" stop.  You can't always trust those signs, they trick you by promising a scenic view.   

Sometimes just zooming in will give you a much better picture like the one below,

Then we drove as far up as we could until we ran in to this.

If you look close you can see the ROAD CLOSED sign buried  in the snow.

We headed out the other side of the park, we had seen other wild life but I hadn't gotten any pictures, so I was excited to see these elk grazing.  With the mountains and the snow, and the evergreen trees it was "picture perfect" for me. 

Then we drove a little further and got this, my absolute favorite.

Traveling Again

We were lucky enough to get away last week to Denver Colorado.  The weather was perfect for our drive there and back.  The drive across Kansas and eastern Colorado is a very easy one that can be made awful quickly if the weather turns bad this time of year.  But not this time the temperatures were well into the sixties near seventy both ways for us. 

One of the few interesting things to look at along the long I-70 drive are the windmills.

Then as we get into Colorado the first glimpse of the mountains is always thrilling to me.  I think a view like this is exciting....

until the next day our view of the mountains was this.....

then on to...

which was only a teaser of what was to come in Estes Park.  I had so much fun taking pictures!