|
Well, we made it through the
storms on the 7th! It was nasty. We had
thunder and lightning off and on for 10 hours.
In the pics below, you can see before and after
pictures showing some of the rain that fell over
night. The picture of the alligator was taken
in the state park office. They had various
displays including this guy in a tank. The
first time I walked by he actually lunged out of the
water at me! Small and cute, but I would not
put my fingers inside there.
We spent some time in Hot
Springs, Arkansas. This was President Bill
Clinton's childhood home. Hot Springs is
famous for... hot springs. People have come
here for years to enjoy the water which bubbles up
at 134 degrees. In it's heyday, there were
several fancy bath houses where you could be
pampered with a bath, massage, etc. The
vehicle I am standing by was used in World War 2 and
my Dad bought one. Some of you remember going
camping in it. Hot Springs has a 216 foot tall
observation tower and we went up to see the views. |
Leaving Hot Springs, we drove
north on a narrow, windy road called "Scenic 7
Byway". It took us up into the Ozark Mountains and
was very pretty. I must say that I don't think
it was any prettier than Highway 22, which leaves
Salem, Oregon and goes across the Cascade range.
The Ozarks (like all east coast mountain ranges) are
not real tall. They are similar to the Coast
Range in Oregon. However, like all of the east
coast mountains, they do have some very steep
grades. The Buffalo National River was
designated as such only in 1972. It preserves
a nice, peaceful river in it's original form with no
dams, etc. The Collier Homestead was built
around 1930 and lived in until 1972... without
electricity or indoor plumbing!
Tomorrow we head north a short distance into
Missouri where we will visit the city of Branson.
Branson has a population of only about 4,000 but is
one of the original seats of country music and
entertainment. There are about 30 different live theaters
in Branson!
*** Be sure to check
out the information at the bottom of this page
*** |
