Road Trip To the Blanchard Springs Caverns

 A month ago, Sister Ellis invited us to go with them to the Blanchard Springs and after exploring our calendars, we decided that going there after the transfer loop on June 14th would be great.  We found a cheap hotel, got tickets for the tour of the caverns, and plans were made.  But then Sister Ellis hurt her foot and she knew it would not be possible to make the walk through the caverns (good call.  It was a good walk, but damp and steep in places).  We decided to stick to the plan and off we went...

Our first stop was the Rag Barn.  We had passed by before but I wanted to stop and buy a metal chicken as a remembrance of Arkansas.  It is my first major Arkansas purchase.

Here it is on our dining room table although he has a spot by our fireplace.  Gary says it makes him think of me whenever he sees it and he smiles!!  Of course, he made so much fun of me wanting a chicken to begin with.  :) There are many chicken farms in the area, but it is more the amount of chickens in people's and businesses' yards that makes it an icon of Arkansas.

We made an unplanned stop at the city sign of Berryville.  It happened that just this transfer day, our two missionaries from Clarksville were being "shot gunned" (a term when two new missionaries are placed in an area at the same time) to Berryville.  They weren't there yet, but we posted this picture for them as we were passing through.  It is a pretty little town in the middle of the Ozarks.

And they have some Razorback fans there as well...

And off a WalMart parking lot on a slight hill, I was able to get some great field shots of the hay bales, trees, and distant hills.  I took SO MANY photos and I know you have already seen it before--I love it so much.  It is one thing I will remember about Arkansas...

Then Gary, seeing how excited I was about this location, circled around so that we could travel down the country road along side of this large field, so more pictures....

Add a fence and wildflowers and it is another perfect look of the fields.

Always something (or someone) that needs to do things their own way....

I had Gary stop so I could get a picture of this baler which forms the hay bales I love.  I told him that I wish that I could see one working in the field, but I was glad to at least have a photo of the equipment.

And another one with a fence, flowers, bales, trees, and hills....almost could be a painting!!!

And another Razorback fan!  I don't think I have ever seen a cougar sitting on someone's mail box.  I suggested it to Gary, but he replied that it would get painted red soon enough  (thinking of you, Dicksons!) so it wouldn't be worth the effort.  I guess in Arkansas the Razorback has no enemies.

I sent this photo to Chera, my niece, who is also a therapist.  I DON'T recommend this however.  I definitely support therapist when you need support in the craziness of life.

Water Towers are a nice part of the landscape as well.  This is in Green Forest, AR.

Wildflowers everywhere along the road sides...

My little miracle of the day-Several miles after taking the photo of the baler and talking about seeing it in action some day--Gary saw this one working in his field.  We circled around and parked and watched him go up and down a few rows.

and spitting out the completed bales out the back.  Unfortunately, none came out when he was driving away from us.  It was great to watch it in action and it seemed like another little miracle just for me on a back road in Arkansas..a simple wish of my heart answered!  I have much bigger things UNANSWERED at this point, but these little ones remind me that God is aware of me.

The farmer's fun mail box

Our first planned stop was the Rag Barn.  We had passed by before but I wanted to stop and buy a metal chicken as a remembrance of Arkansas.  It is my first major Arkansas purchase.

Here it is on our dining room table although he has a spot by our fireplace.  Gary says it makes him think of me whenever he sees it and he smiles!!  Of course, he made so much fun of me wanting a chicken to begin with.  :) There are many chicken farms in the area, but it is more the amount of chickens in people's and businesses' yards that makes it an icon of Arkansas.

Our next stop was Harrison, Arkansas at the country court house.

We made this stop in honor of our family practice APRN--Carl Christensen.  He actually served his mission in this area. (In fact, he was in the Springfield Zone until February of 1978, right before Gary and I married and I moved to Springfield. Small world.)  Any way, he told us that they were not suppose to go to Harrison, AR, because members of the Church were not welcome there. And, as you might expect, he and his companion on the way home from a mission meeting in Oklahoma made a quick pit stop at the courthouse to grab a picture of them with the monument on the grounds.  

This is related to a terrible incident called the Mountain Meadow Massacre where some members of the Church including some local leaders in Cedar City felt threatened by this group of travelers from Arkansas ambushed and killed most of the group. Most of them were from this area of Arkansas and in 1955, they put up a stone to honor those killed.  Later, the Church added some historical markers to also honor those killed.

Our own picture in front of the courthouse....it was hot out there and very humid.

A Magnolia blossom on a tree in the court house yard.

In Arkansas, even the businesses might have religious signs.

In addition to those other field things--what about blue skies and fluffy clouds with a red barn--classic stuff.

We took another side trip to see the Buffalo River at Tyler Bend. The water was surprising warm to touch,

South Mountain overlook.

You see old buildings falling down throughout the area...glimpses of past lives and history.

Another amazing mural.

And Mountain View--our stopping point for the night.  We didn't know it was the Folk Music Capital of the World...did you?