July 4th--Arkansas Mission Style

This past week was time to do apartment inspections again so we decided to do Mena, AR, on July 4th and combine it with some sightseeing along the way there and back.

We first headed southeast to Jack Creek Recreation Area to check out the location of the Stake YSA activity set for Saturday, July 8th (which got canceled due to low numbers and bad weather).

In route we drove through Greenwood where they were celebrating the holiday with a big fair at the center square.

Our first picture of the flag on this July 4th

Jack Creek is located south of Booneville, Arkansas.  It is a pretty area with (you guessed it) lots of tree-lined roads.

The area has a swimming hole...

..with cool clifts to jump off of.  Because of the diagonal slant of the rocks, even small kids were easily able to climb up and jump off.  There is actually a boy jumping in the center of the picture below...

The blues of the sky and the greens of the trees made it a pretty place to spend some time in the morning.  We hope that we can do an activity here sometime.

Then it was on to Mena.  This time after the apartment inspection, we made a stop in the historical area of Mena where they have a restored police vehicle and some old fashion store fronts. 

Our second flag along with the Arkansas flag.

On our way to see the Mountain Fire Watch Station, our car's GPS took us the wrong way and we ended up on Hwy, 88-a national scenic byway.  So we changed our plans and decided to take most of this 54 mile route between Mena and Talihina, Oklahoma.  Most of the route is between 20-40 miles per hour plus there are many brown historical markers (too many if you ask Jena)

Of course there were more wildflowers along the way as well.

The Wonder Home which looks like a typical two story home but actually has 9 different levels.

Not sure why anyone that that was a good idea.

Across the street was this restored steam engine.....

Their red shirts made this perfect for the 4th

Next we headed off down the Hwy. 88--

Jena is wearing her new July 4th hat to remind us of this special holiday.
 

Jena is standing with one foot in Arkansas and one foot in Oklahoma at a marker.

On the back it welcomes you to Arkansas

One of our stops was at a Pioneer Cemetery----

We took just a short walk in the forest to this small family plot.

The trees around the cemetery had some interesting mushrooms and mosses growing on them.  Here is some of the white mushrooms.

Most of the markers have rocks on them.  It is a Jewish custom to leave a rock when you visit a grave.  There was nothing to indicate that the families here were Jewish, but this custom was important to people who visited here.  This was a marble marker for one of the original people buried here.

Some of the original markers from the mid to late 1800s.

And more flowers.....

There were historical markers and pull-outs along the entire route--more than you would ever want to read in a blog.  We learned about the early Native American tribes in the area, the military posts, the mission schools, the mammoth teeth found, and the interesting geographic stats.

The Ouachita Mountain range which goes along this scenic byway is the largest set of mountains that run east to west in the United States.  There is a piece of unusual trivia for you to impress people with.  The highest mountain in the range is Mt. Magazine which is 2700 feet tall.

A sample of one of the many markers along the way....

More flags as we headed home....

We left about 8:30 am and got home around 5:00 pm.  We traveled around 200 miles most of it in speeds under 60 mph.  It was a great day.  We were amazed how few people we past in the parks and on the byways.  We are used to the packed camping areas in Utah, I guess, especially on holidays.

Side note:  As we headed out of Mena around 12:30 we assumed we could grab lunch in the next town.  However, once we got on the Hwy. 88, there were no towns and no places to eat.  About 2:00, Jena mentioned that she was getting hungry.  A little later, Gary yawned and she said, "Dad is getting hungry, too."  At 3:30, she said, "I have been patient, but I am hungry now.  Can we eat?"  That made us laugh but we were still about 45 minutes away from lunch in Poteau--the first place with open fast food.  Jena is a good traveler, but sometimes even she gets hungry.

Happy 4th of July!