A final farewell to the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas!

It was freezing last night, really, at 32°!  We stayed toasty and nothing froze.  Pat is picking up the grill and arranging the basement.  I have been picking things up inside that need to find their place.  Pat likes oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies with old fashioned oats (Really, I like Oatmeal, Ann likes the chips...Pat).  I bought the oats a couple of weeks ago, so I think I'll take advantage of the cooler temperatures tonight to make and bake them.

Today we were headed to an area about an hour from here that has several waterfalls.

Ozark Mountains 

Definitely trails, not paved paths but Pat found one, Pam's Grotto Trail, less than a mile off the road that we hoped Krik could handle.  She, as much as us, needed to get out so it didn't seem right to leave her at home.  We passed Haw Creek Recreation Area Campground, which was gated shut.  Pam's grotto trail should have been just ahead on the left.  We went past where the trail should have been 2 times and found nothing.  We saw a trail across the road from the barricaded campground entrance, so we parked in the entrance and headed over to what turned out to be the Ozark Highlands Trail.  Krik was ready to go so we walked it for a while.  Very rocky for Krikkit, so we didn't go very far before deciding to head back.  When we got home she slept the rest of the afternoon.

Campground was closed due to Covid-19.

Happy hiker

At the car we had lunch and a K-9 patrol car stopped to see if we needed anything.  He didn't know where we would access the Grotto Trail from here, so we finished lunch and decided to head down the other side of the mountain.  This was the 3rd time we'd gone past this section of road and Pat thought he saw the Grotto Trail but Krikkit was sound asleep, and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have made it on another trail.  So, no waterfall pictures.☹ It was still a nice day and felt good to be out enjoying the sun, with temperatures in the 50's. We were walking in a kaleidoscope of butterflies near the low water bridge. Whereas Krikkit usually tries to catch them, she seemed oblivious to them flying around and even landing on her.

Low water bridge that would lead to the campground when it's open.

A blurry (sorry) picture of a kaleidoscope of butterflies

Click for video of Krikkit and Butterfiles

After we left the campground area we came upon a VERY narrow one lane bridge.

Overlook 

We lived in Trumann, AR, Poinsett county on the east side of the state, in 2004/2005.  Poinsett was the second poorest county, in the second poorest state.  It was certainly an eye-opener to a different world.  It wasn't one of our favorite places to live, probably just because we weren't there long. I remember we had a cotton field across from us.  Our youngest Chris, who was in college at the time, was very allergic to something around us, or that was used in our house construction.  We also rescued Krikkit from Trumann.  A shelter that did it's best, I'm sure, but had very little money. I mention this because, even though we are in central/west Arkansas I am reminded of the year we lived in AR. Not much different on this side of the state.  I had told Pat that I didn't really care to live in AR again.  Of course, as full-time RVer's we had to be counted for the census in the state we were in on April 1st--ARKANSAS!

Krikkit as a puppy in Arkansas.

Picture of our house in AR on the corner of Blossom and "Easy Street," taken from the cotton field

Tomorrow is our last day here.  We're almost out of propane but Pat doesn't want to get it until we leave, so we'll pull out the electric heater for our last 2 nights.

Pat's oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies

Instead of sewing last night, Pat caught me with my chocolate stash!