LandCruise episode 3: Hallettsville to Eureka Springs, AR

My brother Tom gave us the idea to visit Caddo Lake. It holds the claim to be the only naturally formed lake in Texas. Originally it was an area of pine and oak trees, then flooding caused by a log jam on the Red River resulted in a very large, shallow lake named Caddo Lake, which is now heavily populated with Bald Cypress trees (named “bald” because they lose their leaves in the winter). If you are traveling in East Texas, don’t miss these unique wetlands of international importance, listed as a Ramsar site.

Notice the odd wood cone shaped growths around the tree – they are called “knees” and are actually a part of the underground root system. They extend above the ground to “get air” for the tree. The pyramid shaped base of the tree is formed from the early “knees” turning inward toward the trunk.

American water lilies are native to the area. Playing the video shows the density of the leaves and their water repellent ability. Currently an Asian water plant Giant Salvinia, originally brought over as an ornamental plant for ponds, has become an invasive plague on Caddo Lake (Green growth behind lilies).

Texas Trivia: To sell alcohol, the area near Caddo Lake needed to be incorporated into a town. The townsfolk knew they wanted to form a town, but couldn’t decide on a name. On the incorporation paperwork they sent to Austin, they wrote “Uncertain” on the NAME line, hence the accidental town name: UNCERTAIN.

Derrick, working in Atlanta, Tx, couldn’t believe that Nat was having his very first Whataburger! This Texas chain originated in Corpus Christi, and is special because each burger is 100% beef and never frozen.

A visit to Hot Springs would not be complete without a trip to the Baths. The baths were a short hike from our stay at the Gulpha Gorge Campground. The National Park Visitor Center is also a museum – one of the first bath houses – kept as it was when it was built – 629 Central Ave. We enjoyed a wonderful visit and a beer at the only National Park that has a restaurant that serves alcohol with Gretchen and Dave and, friends from the Dallas area that now live in Hot Springs and love it. We also took a visit to Wegner’s Ranch to mine some minerals. Unfortunately, we did not find the quartz in the picture above!

While enjoying a wifi/coffee break at the Starbucks in Rogers, AR a talkative gentleman poked his head into our van door and introduced himself by asking about our “rig”. He was Steve Womack, previously mayor of Rogers, AR and currently serving as US Senator of Arkansas’s 3rd congressional district. We had a lovely discussion about state and national politics (he assured us he was a Moderate) and were excited he was a biking enthusiast, leading a charge to make the Bentonville area the biking capitals of Arkansas.

With Steve’s “local” instructions, we made a stop at the Walmart Museum on our way.

Our next stop was the place that everyone we talked to from AR encouraged us to visit – Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Founded by Alice Walton (of Walmart fame), the museum has a mission to recognize our role as settlers and guests and acknowledge the indigenous caretakers of this land and water. The museum reports that they “have a responsibility to dismantle the historical and systemic invisibility of indigenous peoples past, present and future….through conversation.” The museum structures were designed by Moshe Safdie and the property even includes a “rescued” reassembled house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

We certainly enjoyed a popular food of AR – Fried Catfish at the Flying Fish restaurant.

Eureka Springs, AR was once in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only town that had no intersecting streets. It continues to have bragging rights to be a town with no red lights. Built on the limestone hills of the Ozark mountains, it is comprised of one central loop with spokes of roads leading off it and has reported 60-over 100 natural springs in the area. Filled with artists and art, and certainly a challenge to architects and contractors, Eureka Springs has a long time resident that informed us that the town once elected a dead woman as mayor as they were so disgusted with the person that was running for that office!

The Crescent Hotel was one of the first buildings in Eureka Springs! It was a hotel, a Woman’s College, a cancer center, and recently again a Hotel. The hotel is said to be haunted and has a very colorful history.