Wilderness Lakefront Resort

. . .the following morning, after visiting with Mrs. Eck (Caroline) we sadly left our wonderful White River Retreat.  We traveled south out of Calico Rock on Highway 5. At Mountain View we took Highway 9 towards Shirley where 9 becomes 16. Then Hwy 16/65 into Clinton where we caught Hwy 95 towards I-40.  West on I-40 to Russellville where we picked up 27 south through Dardanelle to Ola. And in Ola we took 27 - another "Scenic Byway."  At Mt. Ida we took State Hwy 270 to Mena where we got on 71 south. At Cove we finally could cut west across to Oklahoma on Hwy 4. At Smithville, OK, we picked up OK Hwy 259 south.  Is all this roadage getting a little tiring?  Well, this was one of the longest legs of our journey.

We left relatively early out of Calico Rock, around 9:00 AM.  It was dark as we were crossing the Arkansas/Oklahoma border.   Talk about "dark."  It was really dark that night.  It sort of is anyway driving through the hills - where the trees come almost right up to the road.   The trip that day had, so far, been marvelous!!  We continued to soak up the Fall colors, the twists and turns, the rock and crags and trees and vistas. . . At Russellville we stopped to eat at Long John Silver's Fish place.

Back to the "dark. . ."    We were welcomed into Oklahoma at Smithville by - a dead  dog!   Well, surprised to say the least, when, out of the dark, this HUGH dead dog straddled the road crosswise.  Nope.  'couldn't swerve. . .  'had to try to straddle over it. . .  THUD - KlaThrump.    Hmm. . .  did I say a bad word,  adrenaline beginning to fade? Gross!  Oh well.  I still had a muffler.  Finally, making it to Smithville and Hwy 259, we were almost there. . .in the ball park, actually.  "South out of Smithville.  There's a sign around here for Wilderness Lakefront."  We looked - into the dark - for that sign, almost until we got to Broken Bow.  "Yep, we're well past the ball park.   Better turn around."  Boy it's dark.  I'll just pull off on the shoulder here to get enough radius to turn around -  THUD - KlaThrump!   "TRUCK TIRE!" Retread spradled across shoulder.  Did I say a bad word, adrenaline subsiding?  North.  Looking. Looking. Looking. Looking into the dark.  "Look" a phone place (place with a phone.)

We pulled into an Oklahoma version of your combination convenience store-truck stop.  Looks like they're closed.  Oh wait!   Here comes a Fish and Game vehicle. . .  Looks like he stocks the local stock tanks and ponds and whatnot, judging from his truck.  Lets ask him.  Since "I" wasn't lost, I made Carole ask. . . :)  Phew. . .  Man were we lucky,  He said, "that way, 12 miles. You can't miss the sign. . . ."

North.  On the road again.   Looking. Looking.  Checking odometer. Looking.  Looking. . .  Hmm.   Smithville.  Well, I guess it was good we rummaged-up the change back there.   We can call here. (a phone place.) 

Carole's so good.  A journal keeper!   'Had notes from her explorations of the internet when scouting out our honeymoon venue - with phone numbers!  Since "I" wasn't lost, I made her call.   Laughing, Carole returned with the tale of how the young lady who answered the phone at Wilderness Lakefront empathized sincerely, and was going to hop into the pickup and flag us down at the turn off.  In the background Carole hears (mom?), "NO WAY!  Just tell them 2.5 miles past Beverly's Grill. Then 8 miles on the dirt road."  It dawned us at that point that the Fish & Game man must have meant 12 miles total. (we had actually only been a couple of miles from the turn off when we talked.)  Oh well. . . 

South again.   "Look! That's got to be the Grill.  I'm setting the odometer. . .now!"  Counting. Counting. Almost 2.5 miles. . .  NOW!  Stop. . .!   Hmmm. . .  Go slow. . .   Look. . .  Is that a sign?  I'm pulling over to shine the headlights on it.  ALLELUIA!   This is it!  The turn-off!  Only eight more miles!

Now, this final eight miles was on no ordinary dirt road.  This was the "super highway" of dirt roads (for the most part.)  One could almost drive as fast as if on asphalt.   And LOOK!   Wilderness Lakefront even has signs showing which way to turn, on these dirt roads.   One.  Two. Three.  Was there Four turns?  No matter.  There it is!  Wilderness Lakefront Resort.   Dark. . .

I see lots of cabin lights.  'Wonder which one is the main shack?  Well, let's do intuition.  I 'kaint' believe. . . .  All we got to do now is get out and say hello.

We had pull up underneath some sort of extension of the main shack.  Actually, the "main shack" was a really nice place, as we were to discover.  It was around 8PM by now.  As we got out of the car we were greeted by Jean-Claude, the really sweet cocker spaniel belonging to the owners.

And what a sweet couple, the owners. All the folks running the places we visited were the most friendly people but we hit it off real nice with these folks.  We arrived at a time most would consider a little late for an unannounced visit (though they were expecting us to show up).  Most graciously we were invited in. We chatted and were generally made to feel especially at home.  Was it just the nature of Oklahoma folk?  It seems most I've met extraordinarily friendly.  These folks possessed rare hospitality.

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