Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Still Monday, September 28......

After leaving the Crystal Bridges Museum we decided to head east to Eureka Springs.  We followed U.S. Hwy. 62 east, a scenic, winding highway......

 ....that motorcycle riders seem to really love to travel.  We saw lots of motorcycle riders!

 We heard from the locals that we actually missed most of them since the "Bikes, Blues, & Bar-B-Q" festival had just ended the day before, but there were still plenty motorcycle riders out on the road we traveled.

It was just a short distance from Bentonville over to Eureka Springs.  It was late afternoon as we rolled into town and immediately saw the "pink pigs"!  Yum!  Smells good!  Let's stop.  We were getting hungry.

 We went inside, the place was pretty empty that time of the afternoon, and we were served large helpings of some delicious bar-b-Q with choice of sides.  "It may not look famous but it is", says so right on the sign!

We then drove out to other end of town to find the Kettle Campground.  Before we left home as we were packing for this trip we decided to throw in my 2-man backpacking tent (yes, the same one that I carried/slept in for over 2,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail).  Who knows, maybe when we get up into the Ozark Mountains, maybe we will campout!

 So here we are, tent set up, sleeping bags/pads in place, ready to enjoy the great outdoors!  There are restroom and showers here at the Kettle Campground, plus cabins available for rent, but we are the only ones tent camping here tonight (there are sixteen tent spaces available), most of the campground is filled up with RVs, and travel trailers.

But we still have a couple of hours of daylight left so we go up the road to see "Christ of the Ozarks".

Christ of the Ozarks is a monumental sculpture of Jesus which sits atop Magnetic Mountain.  It was commissioned in 1966 by Gerald L. K. Smith as a "Sacred Project" and stands 65.5 feet high.  The statue is primarily the work of Emmett Sullivan, who also assisted in the work at Mount Rushmore. 

It is within a large complex which includes a huge amphitheater where the Great Passion Play is performed, along with several other venues.

Right next to the Christ of the Ozarks, was this small chapel that has a section of the old Berlin Wall in its side yard.

 

We then took a short drive thru the scenic downtown area of Eureka Springs.  Glad we are here on a Monday/Tuesday when it is not quite as crowded as I am sure it is on the weekends.

 

Then it was time to head back to the campground to relax before crawling into our sleeping bags in our tent.  Kettle Campground has a nice pool so Tom decided to go for a swim.  The water was just a little bit too cold for me!

The sun is setting behind our little tent, a nice cool night for camping!

 

Tomorrow we are planning an excursion on a vintage train, along with more sightseeing around Eureka Springs.

Awesome Museum!

Monday, September 28 (continued)

 Crystal Bridges
Museum of American Art
in Bentonville, Arkansas

What an unusual museum!  Set in the most beautiful natural landscape of native trees, grasses, a flowing creek, native flowers and shrubs, wonderful walking paths with many outdoor sculptures lining the pathway.  And that is just on the outside!  Inside are lots of historical old paintings by many renowned American artists plus some of the most unusual and most thought provoking works of art.  I am so glad we came here.  It is a must-see if you are ever near this part of our country.

As we drive in we immediately see this incredible stainless steel tree sitting right in the middle of the traffic circle!  Appropriately named "Yield".

Next we were intrigued by this creation that is called "Maelstrom".

And we haven't even made it inside the museum yet.

 The buildings remind us of overturned boats.

                                That is one extremely large spider!

 This female spider is over 30-feet tall and has several 20-lb. eggs in that "sac" under her belly!  

There was of course room after room of great works of art but the quirky exhibits really caught our attention.

This is so crazy, fun,  and unique!  How does anyone even think of creating such a thing?

Throughout the museum are areas that let in the great natural light.

 We kept looking up at the amazing ceiling!

 I can't remember the name of this wood creation.

But right across the hall we looked outdoors and saw this interesting steel sculpture. 

                               Tom found Pinocchio!

                        Can you guess what this is???  I thought it resembled our intestines!

                                                     It's the alphabet!

We kept looking out the huge plate glass windows admiring the tranquil setting.

 What a fascinating way to build a museum, surrounded by water and woods and pathways and outdoor sculptures.

As we came around a corner we saw this old guy sitting there holding onto his paper lunch bag, all alone.

 He looked so real, we expected him to look up and talk to us!

        This is the ceiling over the lunch café inside the museum.

We ventured outdoors to check out the walking/biking paths.  We came upon a vaquero riding a bucking horse.

  
                           Then we saw Charlotte the Pig.......

                               ....and a bear(left) next to a stream....

                         ....and the Tortoise, who passed the Hare.....

                       ....when the Hare stopped to scratch its ear!

The walking/bike path was a nice wide paved pathway that wound its way thru the woods surrounding the Museum.  However there was another "fun" bike path that paralleled the paved pathway.

 And it had "fun" obstacles thrown in for even more adventure! 

We came to an overlook with a place to sit and enjoy the view of the Museum below.

 By this time we were ready to move on so we took a pathway across a bridge......

                                        ....passing over the creek.....

             ....and then we took the stairs up to the parking area.

This is by far our favorite museum ever! 

The buildings, which are filled with impressive art pieces, are so unique and unusual and the wonderful outdoor setting of pathways and sculptures, woods and water, all surrounding the museum combine to make this a special place to visit.  We highly recommend it!  Admission is free!

You can find out more information at www.crystalbridges.org

I will continue the rest our day (Monday 9/28) in my next post....

Onward to Bentonville, Ark.

Day 1 (continued)
Sunday
September 27, 2015

Following our morning of "trail maintenance" on our adopted section of the Ouachita Trail, when we got back to our car we rummaged thru our bag of road snacks and our small cooler that we carry along on trips for the makings of a little picnic at the trailhead before we hit the road again.

We than headed north toward Poteau, Ok.  What an interesting small town!  Poteau is celebrating their sense of heritage and the arts and making Poteau "above the ordinary".

We immediately noticed these uniquely painted black angus bulls throughout town.  On the blanket are the words "Indian Territory".  

 There are 15 of these bulls located in front of a variety of business locations......this one in front of the Library with the words "Imagination will take you Everywhere" -- Albert Einstein......

 .....with seven more bulls on order.  This one is from the Leflore County Youth Services with the words "Mending lives with love".

Located right in front of the Wal*Mart is this very unusual bank!  That's right, it is a repurposed railroad caboose serving as a drive-thru bank.

After we crossed over into Arkansas, we passed thru Fort Smith, Ar. then headed north on I-49.  Wow!  Wal*Mart sent me to Bentonville back in 1999 and I don't believe there was an interstate highway thru here then.  This northwest corner of the state has exploded in population in the last 10-15 years.  It is a very scenic drive, with lots of hills and low mountains.  Instead of a pass over the summit, there is this tunnel thru the mountain......

By the time we made it to Bentonville and located our hotel, we were pretty tired, however we did go outside later (along with a lot of other hotel guests) to try to capture a photo of the lunar eclipse.  As you can see my little camera doesn't capture what we could see with the human eye.  The moon was totally red later!

Monday  Day 2
September 28, 2015

Our first stop of the day was in downtown Bentonville.  It has a very lush and beautiful downtown square!

 On one side of the square is the Benton County Courthouse.  Above the front doors, engraved into the stone are these words "Sovereignty Rests With The People".  I like that.

 This historical monument stands on the courthouse lawn.

We ambled down a side street and came upon the most unusual hotel we have ever encountered!  It is the 21C Hotel & Museum.  A museum covers the ground floor with some of the oddest, quirkiest, works of art.....we were enthralled!

 See what I mean.......

This old Cadillac is completely covered with dimes, nickels, and pennies.   

 Totally wild!  I can't remember how many hundred thousand coins there are or what the total dollar amount was.

Inside the lobby area was this bizarre chandelier.......it is covered with an assortment of women's wigs!

This one is titled "A Sudden Gust of Wind"

                            Absolutely so realistic!

This incredible array of flying seagulls, some with bits of debris found on a beach held with their beaks as they fly over. 

There were many more extraordinary exhibits!  You can learn more at www.21cmuseumhotels/bentonville  
But we had places to go and things to see so we moved on.

Our next stop was at the Walton's 5-10, where Wal*Mart began.  It is a showplace now where they sell toys, sundries, and other offerings from the 1950-60's. 

                           Wow!  This began 65 years ago!

We toured the Wal*Mart Museum which tells the story of Sam & Helen Walton and Sam's brother Bud Walton and the early days of Wal*Mart, and right into the present time.  Even though I have worked at Wal*Mart for almost 19 years, I was still impressed with how well the museum depicts the ups and downs and everything in between of how this company came to be and how it manages to keep changing with the times to remain the #1 retailer in the world.

Oh boy, wouldn't that be cool to have bought 100 shares of Wal*Mart stock in 1970.  {Fortunately, I began investing in 1997 and I have gone through one two-for-one split.} 

After spending some time in the Wal*Mart Museum we went into the Spark Café where I enjoyed a delicious ice cream cone!

We then headed out to the Crystal Bridges Museum, situated in the most beautiful surroundings; a rushing creek, lush vegetation, and plenty of outdoor sculptures beside the winding trails.  

When we pulled into the museum parking lot, look what was parked nearby.  A Corvair pickup truck!  We have never seen one before!  Didn't know Chevrolet had ever made these!

                             WOW!!

......to be continued.....