The Natural State - Arkansas

8-15 April 2022

My first stop in Arkansas was Little Rock. I stayed at another COE park called Maumelle and it was very nice. The sites had plenty of room between them and were spacious. I was right behind the marina on the water. It's close to town and Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

I met up with my friend Janet, that I worked with in the Air Force, at Pinnacle Mountain and we hiked the West Summit Trail.

Pinnacle Mountain, State Park sign, West Summit Trailhead

It’s not a long hike, only 1.6 miles round trip but it’s straight up! It was definitely the most challenging hike I’ve ever done. Not only is it straight up but gets harder the farther up you go. The last third of the trail is pure rock scrambling. I started to bring Gable but Janet warned me about the rocks so I wisely left him at home. I will admit I was sucking wind and had to stop many times to catch my breath but was absolutely determined to make it to the top.

This was the "easy" part of the hike

The not-so-easy part

The really hard part

View from the top

We made it!

The views were worth it! My knees took a week to recover from the abuse (I'm not joking) but I’d do it again.

After our hike we decided to visit some friends of Janet’s that own Bobrook Farms/River Bottom Winery. On the weekends they have live music. We enjoyed a wine slushy along with a meat and cheese tray while listening to a guy perform. The music was good and it was such a nice way to relax after our hike (a/k/a numb the pain 😂).

The next day I did take Gable on the Kingfisher Trail. It’s a short ½ mile walking trail that goes along the Little Maumelle River. He enjoyed the fresh air and meeting other dogs. He’s such a lovable little guy.

Kingfisher Trail

Little Maumelle River

My sweet boy!

Next was the Old Mill. I read where it’s the most Instagramed place in Little Rock. It’s a historic re-creation of an 1880’s grist mill and was used in the opening scenes of the movie Gone With the Wind. It’s believed to be the only remaining structure used in the film.

The Old Mill

View from the top floor of the mill

View from the bridge

I then went to another place popular with tourists called Big Dam Bridge. It’s just a walking bridge that crosses the Arkansas River and dam. There isn't much to it and I admit I only did it just so I could say I went to the Big Dam Bridge.

Of course, this is Spring in Arkansas so the weather turned nasty and we were under a tornado watch. I took this picture of a storm cell that spawned a tornado that hit Little Rock AFB. That was another sleepless night!

Looks like the valley of the shadow of death

If the weather wasn’t enough excitement, the next day I had a knock on my door from another camper to tell me there was a copperhead on the road next to my campsite! Yikes!

The campground host came and “encouraged” it to leave but I couldn’t rest easy after that. I thought they would kill it but apparently they're not allowed to harm the wildlife. If I'd known that, I would've ran over it with my truck instead of calling the office! The only good snake is a dead snake in my opinion.

Some of my friends call them "nope rope" 😂. I agree!

I noticed the water pressure in my shower and sinks was really low even though my water pressure regulator was reading normal. I have a 3-stage Clearsource Ultra RV water filter that I hook up EVERY time I connect to city water or fill my fresh water tank. I decided to check them to see if they were full and here's what I found. The filters on the left are only 4 months old! The ones on the right are new. The Clearsource removes bacteria, lead, pesticides, chlorine, cysts, and viruses from your water. Yes, the system is a little expensive but having clean, reliable water is worth it. No, I'm not sponsored by Clearsource, I just really believe in their product. And by the way, after I changed the filters, my water pressure was back to normal.

Gable and I got to make new doggie friends! Janet has 2 pups. This is Kimber; she's a labradoodle and she's so sweet and cuddly.

Gable had so much fun with Buddy. He's an Australian Shepherd and is only 8 months old. He's a wild child but so sweet! Janet enjoyed getting to know my boy too.

I hadn't seen Janet in many years and had never met her husband so it was wonderful spending some time with them and reconnecting. I know I've said it before but one of the best things about nomadic life is visiting with people you don't normally get to see.

I had a great time in Little Rock and look forward to visiting Steve and Janet again!