Aah Arkansas!

After a trip to Oregon in late 2019, we were pretty much cooped up at home, with the pandemic raging and everyone trying to be safe. 

A getaway was much needed, but I wasn't keen on flying for hours with a mask on. It gets too claustrophobic for me. So it had to be a road trip. After much deliberation, we chose Arkansas! It is a neighboring state, but a visit to it had been pushed to the back burner for several years. I always wanted to visit in the Fall, so here it was! The opportunity quickly turned into an itinerary, and we were on our way!

Once we were past the 'Welcome to Arkansas' sign, the first thing I noticed was how green it was! Lots of mountains everywhere and all lush green! So pleasing to the eye! 

We first stopped Millwood State Park for a break from driving. Arkansas has so many state parks and they are all very nicely maintained.

Our first stop was Hot Springs. They have the Hot Springs National Park right in the middle of town!

A row of traditional bathhouses line the main street, Central Avenue. These were built in the early 1900s and I will write in detail about them sometime soon. 

A promenade runs behind the bathhouses and steaming hot springs run down the Hot Springs Mountain.

A three and half mile scenic byway leads you up the Hot Springs Mountain summit where a tower stands and offers 360 degree views of the area. One can also hike up a 1.5 mile trail. 

A visit to the Garvan Woodland Gardens was highly recommended. It did not disappoint. 

It is an area of beautifully landscaped acreage with several points overlooking nearby lakes, and they have a chapel on site that is an architectural delight. 

Mums was the word!

Lake Catherine

The chapel- so tranquil nestled among trees!

A cute car in the parking lot made a lot of visitors chuckle!

Ouachita National Forest is a little over an hour away from Hot Springs. 

Lake Ouachita is a huge waterbody with a lot of fabulous points of interest. 

The Caddo Bend trail is a four mile moderate to strenuous hike and offers some beautiful views of Lake Ouachita. 

Another view of Lake Ouachita, from the tip of the peninsula at the Caddo Bend Trail.

We saw some deer and an armadillo on the hike.

After the hike, a spectacular sunset at Three Sisters Spring was a perfect way to finish off the day. 

The next area on our itinerary was Ozark National Forest. Magazine mountain and the lodge at the top were great places to visit to enjoy the views of the Ozarks.

A view from the lodge.

The lodge at Magazine Mountain, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas

Six Finger Falls, an interesting geological area and accessible only through a six mile stretch of gravel road or a pretty long hiking trail, was a highlight for me. No signs led to it, nor was there a parking lot nearby. A short hike down to the actual fall brought us to these strange yet beautiful formations.

Fall colors were beginning to peep through.

Water levels were low because of low rainfall, nevertheless, the steps were a spectacular sight.

Falling water falls was an accidental discovery. I noticed the green water as we headed back on the gravel road and saw this gem hidden among trees. Again, water levels are low because of low rainfall.

Petit Jean State Park, which we visited only for a couple of hours, had a lot to offer, but we did not have time. The Rock House Cave was a fabulous place that had two attractions. 

Turtle Rocks outside the cave was something I had never seen before.

The rocks are formed by spheroidal weathering as described here.

The dome shaped rock resembles the carapace of a turtle. Incredible forces of nature at play!

The second attraction was the Rock House Cave with Native American drawings. The cave was likely used for thousands of years, and the drawings inside may well be between 500 to more than a thousand years old. 

As you climb down the short trail through the turtle rocks, you find this rather deep cave. 

The drawings are on the roof in most places. 

Beautiful pictographs by Native Indians inside the cave.

A look outside from inside the Rock House Cave. 

I am glad we finally managed to visit the beautiful state of Arkansas! A week well spent. 


 

Bandelier National Monument

Visiting historic sites has always been a passion. If there are such areas near my vacation destinations, I make it a point to seek them out and pay a visit. I call myself an old soul living in present times. 

While visiting New Mexico, the Bandelier National Monument was one such. 

Arriving there on a cold November morning, these cliffs with arid vegetation did not quite give an idea of what to expect.

After crossing a wooden log bridge, and walking a few hundred yards, what waited ahead was a spectacular sight!

A huge cauldron lined by bricks with some arrangements at the center greeted visitors. It was enough to get me hooked. It is believed that this is Ancestral Puebloans aka Anasazi territory, and they inhabited the region between 1150- 1600 AD. 

Closeup of a circular arrangement.

Another view of the big cauldron/well. 

Another smaller stone lined dugout. It is a large area of such built up structures just adjacent to the mountain face, where the dwellings are located. 

As you make your way up to get to the cliffs, you encounter these well marked rectangular 'rooms' arranged in a circular pattern. Known as Tyuonyi ruins, it is an archaeological site, and once stood 1-3 stories tall. It is fascinating to see this precisely laid out design.

From a vantage point as one climbs higher to get to the living quarters, a look back gives a good perspective of the scale of things.

What you are walking towards is this face of the mountain. Volcanic ash consolidated to form porous tuff, along with shale, sandstone, and limestone from different eras gave the Puebloans a variety of materials to work with. 

Stones and wood were used to build 'homes' in the mountain, and the rock itself was carved out to make cave like shelters. 

The dwelling from the inside. Neat workmanship. 

One of the many areas in the face of the mountain that were used for shelter. Soot on the roof suggests that fires were lit in there. 

Another view of the inside of a 'cave'. 

Big ladders are placed at the doors to the homes. You have to climb up and get in. The ladder was then probably pulled up into the house. This might have served a dual purpose, to hide from enemies and limit their access to the home, and hide from predators too. 

I got inside and sat at the window looking down at the 'street' as some of the people who lived here might have done hundreds of years ago. 

Another look at down below from one of the 'windows'. 

Some more dwellings at ground level. Some neat arrangements of rocks, probably a garden?

Petroglyphs are found on the rockface in some parts. 

Some more artwork by the Pueblo people.

It is truly incredible to visit and know that people lived and walked around here all those years ago. There seems to be a systematic plan they followed as they built this community. 

Closeup of the art preserved at the site. A very southwestern pattern, and I wonder if studies have been done on deciphering these symbols found here. 

Another look at the face of the ridge. 

Dramatic geological features here!

After being thoroughly intrigued by walking through the monument and soaking it all in, it was time to leave. 

On the drive back to Santa Fe, near White Rock, one sees San Ildefonso Pueblo pottery on exhibition by the side of the road. These huge replicas of traditional pottery were part of a project. 

They are eye catching and stand out yet blend with the landscape. More about this can be read here.