Camping: 4/2002 - 21st - 27th

 
Hi everybody...  'finally getting around to starting the entry for our Spring 2002 Camping Episode.  Carole and I so enjoyed our visit to Petit Jean last Fall we decided to do it again in the Spring. 

We left Carrollton Sunday the 21st, about 10 A.M. I guess.  I spent the Saturday before getting stuff loaded, having learned my lesson last Fall.  I thought this was a good departure time but I had forgotten, again, how long a drive it is.  Or rather, I was perhaps unconsciously influenced by the shortness of the trip as we made it last time.  Last time, we left from Mountain Thyme, at the most, a couple of hours from Petit Jean.

Carole had researched the weather before we left and it looked like we'd be in for some cloudy days, maybe even some rain.  Although I hoped it wouldn't rain, if it did I figured it would be a good test of the weather-worthiness of the new tent.

It was indeed overcast when we left and, sure enough, along the way we encountered several spells of mist.  Somewhat past Texarkana Carole started hinting that we could overnight it at Mountain Thyme or somewhere if it was going to "stress" me too much to have to put the tent up in the rain. :)  I don't know...  I think I was in denial - or hoping against hope that we would pass "through" the ill weather and it would be clearer when we got to Petit Jean.  When we had passed Mountain Thyme, honking our usual wave as we went by, the mist graduated to real rain, though not a heavy rain.  Still, I hoped...

We arrived around 6 PM.  I had been trying to hurry a little because I'm paranoid and like to get dibs down on a campsite while the Visitor Center is open. (They close at 5).  I got over it...  We pulled up the drive to Camping area "D" - our favorite because it's more wild with brush and trees around the campsites.  I was crest fallen when I saw the gate across the entrance: "Area D Closed."  Oh well.  I was still a little before the active season.  I figured the rangers were just trying to limit how many areas they'd have to cruse each day.

My hope had not been in vain!  The rain had let up and it looked as if the current spell hadn't reached Petit Jean yet. We drove around a bit, checking out the open camping areas.  All were open except "D."  Area C is adjacent to D and almost as wild.  However, it seems more people camp in that area.  We did the circuit a couple of times, stopped and looked here and there trying to find the perfect spot...  We settled on Site #91, a fortunate choice we came to learn later.

It was a bit humid though, something I noticed once I began to unload and pitch the tent.  And, I was in a  hurry to get things set up before it rained - and before it got dark.  The tent seemed to go up quicker now that we had some experience with it. 

I sure was glad we had daylight to go by.  I immediately noticed that Poison Ivy was lush everywhere, coming right up to the tent pad on two sides...  I just know I'd have been trampling all through it if it had been dark.

The new tent stakes Carole bought helped a lot too.  We had picked these up at "Super Wal-Mart" before we left.  They look like hardened aluminum question marks.  Very light, but somewhat sturdier than those that came with the tent - and worked a lot better in the tight packed fill they use in the tent pads in these state parks.  Once the tent was up, I finished laying down the ground cover  in the living area and got the air mattress inflated.  Carole went to work moving gear in and get things ready inside.

The "new" thing this trip - well, I guess it's okay to talk about - was our little tent potty... :)  I set this up in the right-hand wing of the tent.  Now we had a master bedroom, living room, gear storage room, and restroom... I had looked around at the various camping gear websites for this little item but they all seemed lacking in some way:  too flimsy, too beefy, too small, too chunky.  I finally found the ticket at a medical supplies website.  It's one of those deals that you see in hospital rooms next to patients beds.  It's virtues: it's sturdy, it can be dismantled for efficient storage, can safely double for extra seating,  when lined, bucket makes for convenient emptying.  And, darn it, it's a heck of a lot more convenient in the middle of the night than the poison ivy infested bushes...  There.

I guess I should mention also the "new" camping table Carole got.  A really nifty table (see pictures above) that stows similar to the way those scissoring camping chairs do.  It came in real handy once it decided it was going to rain.  I even made coffee on it a couple of mornings....  And Carole got a nice vinyl table cloth for the camp picnic table, complete with these neat little clips that held it down in the wind.  Yes...  It did rain.

Tuesday morning I woke to the sound of raindrops hitting the tent.  We were sleeping so comfortably that It took me a moment to drag myself up to start gathering stuff...  It wasn't quite daylight yet and in the dim pre-morning I scurried to gather important stuff first.  Carole's journal books, other paper stuff like trail maps and books.  Then I rustled up our new camping table and coffee gear and brought them inside and zippered the tent shut.  I can't remember if I went back to bed or not but at some point made coffee.  During a lull I think I ran out and retrieved the half 'n half.  It rained pretty heavily till about 11AM.  I noticed the seams around the vents on either side of the tent started to drip ever so slightly.  I knew water was running under the tent but our ground cover kept us off the damp soil very well.

When the rain finally let up Carole and I took a stroll around the neighboring sites.  It seems that most of the surrounding tent pads were little lakes, having accumulated and trapped water in the hollowed out pads.  Actually,  we were really fortunate in the site we chose, as our tent pad did not accumulate water.  It was missing one of the beams that holds the fill in and water drain out.  The site immediately above us, one we almost chose, was miserable!

There's no question that all the tent pads need maintenance.  Years of use have hollowed many quite badly and it was evident how water ponded up in these.  Another thing that made the water a problem was that the tent pads had a layer of black plastic laid down in them before the fill was added,  no doubt in an attempt to keep grass and weeds from growing in them.  I think it helped more to hold the water in them  though.

Once it seemed it wasn't going to rain any more I rigged the door flap up as an awning.  It was nice to be in the dry and still be able to see the woods and the birds.  A Robin hung around a while.

We snacked on rolls, string cheese and walnuts then decided to go take a look at Cedar Falls.  Surely it must be impressive now with all this water...  which it was.  We messed around there for a while then explored an old CCC bridge Carole spotted in the woods as we drove by once.  It must have been part of the old road up here.  Then we re-visited the "Palisades" overlook.  Still very beautiful.  

I meant to get some firewood while we were out but by the time I remembered it was already past 5.  Back at camp I rooted around and found some leftover pieces of firewood here and there.  Enough for a little fire later on.

For supper I made up some bacon and eggs.  While cooking we noticed a retired couple looking over camp sites for a while then settle on one.  We figured it must be a good one since they had their pick.  The rain ran off most everyone - especially those that woke up in a puddle.  I got our meager firewood together and dowsed it with Gulf-Lite and we a had a little fire for awhile.  Then off to bed, hoping it wouldn't rain anymore.

Wednesday we slept in till about seven.  Since it wasn't raining I made coffee on the picnic table.  It seemed to be a pretty day so we decided to take a drive up Highway 7, North from Russellville.  Carole and I wanted to see if we could find some interesting junk shops so we, of course, re-visited "Booger Hollow."  We first visited that spot on our honeymoon trip.  Sadly the restaurant part was not open.  Carole bought a cute baby wooden wheel barrow (now proudly gracing our front flower bed).  Then off again up 7.  We were hunting a place to stop and eat and kept and eye out.  We had seen several billboards for a place called "Cliff House Inn", which we thought sounded interesting, so we made our way on towards that.  Before we arrived though we had to stop and check out another junk shop.  This one was pretty much of a dump and we didn't stay there long.

Cliff House Inn is just south of Jasper.  When we arrived there was a charter bus fix'n to leave.  Apparently a group of retired folk out for a spin or tour. Inside was a nice souvenir shop and restaurant.  The restaurant juts out over a bluff that overlooks what they call the "Grand Canyon" of Arkansas. Though the day was overcast and made the picture somewhat dark, it is really a very beautiful view.  Underneath  the restaurant are a row of motel-like rooms.  Very nice in their own quaint way.  Not at all cheesy feeling like they might be if they were on the side of the road somewhere else.  For lunch I ordered fried catfish and Carole got liver & onions.  Not fancy stuff but good food, well prepared - and at a reasonable price!  The interior was decorated with various antique items and drawings.  On the way out we talked a bit with the proprietor who said they had just finished some remodeling after a tornado's near miss...

I asked Carole if she was ready to head back but it seemed her preference was to continue on north a ways.  She had been mentioning in passing something about caves and had picked up brochures in the earlier junk shops, pointing out where "this one" was.  I guess what Carole was hinting at should have been obvious to me but I guess I was figuring it was to far.  Mile turns into ten turns into a hundred before you know it, when you're having fun.  We passed another Cave billboard, then it dawned on me we were close enough to stop by the one she had been talking about - Mystic Caverns.  We weren't too far from Harrison at that point. So I asked if she wanted to go.  She replied: "Please, please, p l e a s e..."  I hadn't realized how much she wanted to see it.  I'm so dense sometimes!

Shortly we were there.  Up the drive to the main building and into the shop.  We were greeted by the nice fellow who was to be our guide, Steve.  We didn't have but a 15 minute wait.  Several folks had accumulated.  The amiable Steve kept after us about anyone who could sing or play an instrument.  Everyone was pretty sheepish, although one girl admitted she sang and one guy that he played the fiddle.  After the tour of the first cave, Steve all the while encouraging musicians to come forward, the fiddler finally got the nerve and went and got his fiddle.  During the tour of the second cave, down at the bottom, 110 feet down underground, we were treated to some really very professional sounding Nashville style fiddling.  The fellow placed "Amazing Grace" and "Faded Love."  We all clapped, Bravo! The singer never got her nerve.  Be that as it may this was definitely a once in a lifetime coincidence we'll always remember.  I'm just so glad we stopped and that the occasion, memorable as it was in itself, was made more so by the amiable  Steve - The Guide and  the "Fiddler."  (I'm not going to go into the dead monkey thing :)  If you're in the neighborhood and have an hour or so to kill stop by Mystic Caverns!

Carole and some of the other ladies were sorta worn out as we immerged from the second tour.  It was getting sorta late in day too so I figured we ought to head back to Petit Jean.  Carole concurred.  I walked back up the hill to fetch the car then drove down and picked up Carole at the entrance area for cave two.  If we'd had had a little more time I would have loved to shop around some more at the rock shop there.  Very nice specimens of crystals and so on.  I was looking at some really neat petrified fish fossils that were within my price range ....

The day hadn't cleared up any while we attended the wonderful subterranean fiddle recital.  In fact, it rained buckets as we traveled south.  At one point we actually drove through some small hail - just big enough to make a lot of racket.  By the time we got to Russellville the rain began to taper off.  I suspect we ate super at Mather Lodge again. 

We did relax around camp, 'tried to write in our journals till it got too dark. When we hit the sack I wasn't sure whether or not we'd get the rain we passed through here too.  We did get out the radio and tune into the "Phil Hendry" show.  He does these fake interview things with imaginary characters that are really himself.  This night he was cut'n up with some character and they kept using the term "pie hole."  I was at a loss so I asked Carole, "What's a 'pie hole'?"  Carole replied matter-of-factly, "Mouth."  For some reason that got me laughing.  And for some reason when I laugh Carole gets to laughing - actually it's like uncontrollable giggling.  That of course makes my own situation worse...  'Good thing no rangers were cruising by, they'd have hauled us away...

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