Last Day in Little Rock Then Off to Alabama…

Our last day in Little Rock we experienced a few scattered rain showers so we made no real plans to explore the area any more than we already had. However when the rain let up we decided to take a long walk into the downtown area. From the campground we walked across the Clinton Bridge and hung a right walking along the Arkansas River.

We came across a Natural Science Center and strolled in finding lots of critters being held captive in their little ecosystems. Snakes, fish, lizards and more were on display. Outside the museum the grounds had a fantastic display of local wild flora with identifications making it not only a sight for the eyes but one for the brain as well…

Further along the trail we came across the Old State House Museum which had been previously pointed out to us on our trolley ride. Our trolley driver explained that this was the site of President Clinton’s campaign headquarters and the scene of an epic party after his presidential win! As we walked by we noticed their entry sign so we were enticed  to explore its confines. We found it to be a super cool historical building.  We wandered the exhibits downstairs then made our way up and down dark stained wooden staircases which creaked with age as we climbed.  Around every corner we found interesting artifacts and historical photographs to explore.

Afterward we moved on along the the roads parallel to the river and found the Arts bldg. where the symphonies in Little Rock are held. Heading south from the river we walked along a road littered with small stores and eclectic restaurants. Some looked quite interesting but it was way too early for a quick meal. After about a half mile walking south we made the turn back toward the downtown area.

The city of Little Rock has a bit of a bad image as they are known for being a high crime area. However, the crime areas are mostly outside of where we walked. Most of the people we encountered were very friendly. Even the one lady in her  mobility scooter who asked if we would buy her a cheeseburger was mostly harmless. We thoroughly enjoyed our stroll in downtown Little Rock and hope to return to enjoy it again one day…

As we were heading back we came across the Flying Saucer a regional chain with banners boasting  their having a hundred taps of craft beer and a hefty food menu. It once again beckoned us to enter so we moseyed up to the bar and ordered a nice craft beer to cheer our wonderful stay in Little Rock. A perfect way to end our stay!

The next morning we broke camp and prepared for what would be an abnormally long drive for us of 281 miles to Red Bay Alabama…

Note: We are still in Red Bay Alabama getting some work done on our RV…

Hiking to the Top of Pinnacle Peak in Arkansas…

Our last few days in Little Rock became quite an adventure. After yesterday's 16.3 mile loop into a punishing head wind I had planned to take a day off to recover.  However after seeing that stormy weather was heading our way I decided that although we were a bit leg weary we should go over to Pinnacle Mountain State Park  to do some hiking while the weather was still nice.

I didn’t really read a lot in advance so had no planned hikes since it was a spur of the moment decision to go..After the 40 minute drive over to the park we came in the back entrance and were pleased to find no fees associated with entering this park. Our first stop was at the visitors center where we picked up a trail map and talked with the ranger about hikes within the park.

After firming our plans with her we decided to hike the east side trail to the top of Pinnacle Peak. On our way to the trailhead we saw a sign for a short interpretive loop trail. We thought this would be a great trail to loosen our legs before tackling the longer trail.up the mountain. I have to admit this may have been one of the best interpretive trails we have hiked. There were lots of plaques identifying plants and several stations where visitors could listen to specific topics about the landscape.

The loop trail was nice but now it was off to the main course, Pinnacle Mountain. We found the parking lot for the trailhead and put our boots on for the hike. The trail appeared to be rocky and steep so I also put on my boots rather than hike in my tennis shoes. By the end of the hike I was sure glad I chose to wear my boots.

The trail is only about 3/4 of a mile to the top of the mountain making it a rather short 1.5 mile hike. After all the biking we did yesterday we had no complaints. We started up the trail which was pretty rocky and had lots of rock steps to climb. It was a steady and relentless climb until we got about 1/2 way up. Then it became very steep and the trail all but disappeared. It then became a trail going up a talus slope of large loose rocks. A yellow dotted line was painted on the rocks to help point a path of least resistance to the top.

The last stretch was quite a grueling climb to the top and both of our legs were singing to us! We finally summited and the view was fantastic overlooking the Arkansas River floodplain below and we could also see Little Rock way off in the distance. After resting and hydrating we grudgingly started the steep trek down the mountain knowing full well our legs were going to be beat again…

There were lots of wildflowers on the trail and we were certainly glad we took the hike especially after we were finished. After arriving back at the RV park we traded our boots for our tennis shoes and walked  downtown for a frosty beverage at the Blue Paddle Brewery. We both agreed it was a great way to end the day…

Note: We spent one more night in Little Rock Arkansas but are now in Red Bay Alabama…

A Cool 16.3 Mile Bike Loop on the Arkansas River Trail…

We added more days to our stay at Downtown Riverside RV Park in Little Rock Arkansas in order to have the  time to do a few more things I had my eye on. One excursion I really wanted to do was the 16.3 mile bike loop along the Arkansas River called the Arkansas River Trail. The website described this loop from the Clinton Presidential Bridge to the Big Dam Bridge and back as a 15.6 mile loop but Sharon’s Fitbit and Map My Ride disagreed.

There were two challenges with us taking this particular bike ride. First neither of us have been riding our bikes much lately and we were unsure how saddle worthy we might be. Secondarily there were some stiff south winds this day which meant we would be riding into some strong headwinds somewhere along the trail. The good news was that since it is a river trail it is basically flat the entire length of the way. So off we went…

We started from our park in North Little Rock and made our way along the northside of the river. One interesting thing we noticed was a submarine docked alongside the banks of the Arkansas River, the USS Razorback. While we didn’t tour it we did find it interesting.

Next up was the area known as the Big Rock Quarry. This geological formation is what inspired the region’s name. French explorer Jean-Baptiste Bernard de la Harpe first noted a large outcropping of rock along the river so he named the 200-foot bluff “Le Rocher Français” (now known as Big Rock). The smaller outcropping on the south bank was named “Le Petit Rocher” (or the Little Rock). An interesting history tidbit…

We continued along the north shore mostly in wooded lands alongside the river. It was a very pleasant bike ride with the wind not bothering us too much. We took delight in the spring green and the rock formations around us as we rode this stretch of the trail. Soon the Big Dam Bridge came into view. This is the longest U.S. pedestrian/bike bridge at 4,226 feet. It spans the Arkansas River atop the Murray Dam. It also connects North Little Rock to Little Rock Arkansas.

Once across the Big Dam Bridge we hit some headwinds and even worse this side of the river was more open so there was nothing to block the winds. We plugged along and stopped when we saw a few young bucks in velvet at the edge of the woods. The deer didn’t seem to care about us so we watched them for a while as we rested.

Shortly thereafter we passed the International Headquarters for Tae Kwon Do. We stopped for another break as our legs were starting to feel the churning of the pedals into the relentless wind. Finally we reached downtown Little Rock and the Rivermarket district.. We passed several of the historic buildings downtown and then rode past the Rivermarket Amphitheater.

On to the home stretch we finally caught a glimpse of the Clinton Library meaning the Clinton Bridge was nearby. Crossing the Clinton bridge was our last hurdle as we climbed the slight incline of the bridge…. cresting it and finally coasting down the other side back to our park. Boy were we tired…. but not tired enough to get off the bikes and walk back over the bridge into town to try out the Blue Paddle Nano Brewery. Although they weren't our favorite beers we enjoyed the laid back vibe of the place.after our grueling, but totally fun bike ride…

NOTE: We have left Little Rock Arkansas and made a monumental move for us to Red Bay Alabama, more on that later…

An Unexpected Gem....Little Rock, Arkansas

Upon leaving Texas, John explained he located an interesting Passport America park on the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Arkansas. As always, I am content to go along for the ride knowing that John's researching skills usually never disappoint.. We pulled into the Downtown Riverside RV Park just after noon and set up in our one night Passport America site. We wanted to say 3 or 4 days but the park was booked. Upon arrival we asked and received additional days if we would move to a non Passport America site ( they offered a super large pull thru site with awesome river views so I was thrilled)!

The RV park is situated between a pedestrian bridge on our left facing the river and a highway bridge on the right. Directly across the river is the skyline of Little Rock. At the end of the pedestrian bridge the Bill Clinton Presidential Library is visible.

Since we only had a half a day to tour we decided to begin at a beautifully restored home,  historic Curran Hall, the downtown visitor center.  The gardens surrounding the site and the rockers on the porch are very inviting.  Armed with plenty of brochures we decided first to visit the Capitol.  Although closed because it was Sunday we spent a good hour taking pictures and enjoying the grounds which contained some really beautiful sculptures, my favorite being the bronze statue celebrating firemen.

Next we went for a tour of Diamond Brewery to round out our day.  We were entertained by our tour guide who was a volunteer at the brewery and was a retired Army Special forces guy.  He loves his volunteer gig because the brewery pays its volunteers with beer!  What stood out on the tour was the cute names the brewery attached to their equipment such as Larry, Moe and Curly or Ginger and MaryAnn.  Cute!

For our first full day I wanted of course to begin with the Clinton presidential library. In the morning we had a leisurely breakfast enjoying our river views, did our weightlifting exercises and planned our trip for after lunch.

The walk across the river bridge was impressive in itself and an added treat was seeing a marshland boardwalk structure to our right. However we could see that because the river is currently high and a portion of the boardwalk is flooded, the gate was closed. The library on our left came into view and the large rectangular steel and glass rectangular structure is very inviting. We paid our admission and began our tour. Though we enjoyed our self guided tour we could not help but compare it to George Bush's library in our former home town which we feel is much more interactive and takes much longer to explore.

After exploring all three floors of the museum we ventured over to Heifer Village where we learned that a Mennonite man from Indiana had a vision to create an international charity to provide nations struggling from famine and hunger ways to become self sustainable through education, gifts of farm animals and help with planting vegetables indigenous to their area.

He wanted not to just give one time food gifts(as he had experienced in mission trips sponsored by his church) but instead help these communities to become self sufficient. In other words instead of a gift of a cup of milk, why not a heifer? In fact as a pay it forward, every family receiving a farm animal has to promise to breed the animal and pass on one offspring to another family. I just loved that! We were both very impressed with his mission and surprised we had not heard of it before especially since John has always participated in Kiva International which has a similar mission.

In the back of the museum is a large garden and a barn with farm animals such as chickens, pigs, lambs and my favorite, baby goats! What a treat it was to wander around the garden and barn!

From the Village we caught the green line trolley (for just a dollar each) and received an awesome tour of downtown from our very friendly driver. I can tell we will want to stay longer because Little Rock has a lot to offer people like us. I am already after John to extend our stay because with breweries to visit, a thriving downtown, an extensive city bike trail and a friendly city to explore we will surely need more time! There is a rally coming so I am keeping my fingers crossed at least one site will be available for more days!

NOTE: Sharon pens today’s blog. We are still in Little Rock Arkansas as luck would have it for Sharon we were able to extend a bit longer and will now stay till Friday.