To The Mountains - Part 3

No computer.  No conference calls.  No work.  No TV.  Mountain life is peaceful and refreshing.  I wish I was still there.  We woke up slowly and made our way to the deck in the back that looked down the mountains and watched the sun rise through the trees.  It was quiet.  No traffic.

On this morning we had a nice cup of coffee and leftover rainbow trout and buttered toast.  The breakfast of champions!  What's in that spray bottle, you ask?  Well, that's Tricia's homemade tick spray.  We smelled strongly of cedarwood, geranium, and citronella essential oils with apple cider vinegar and water. It seemed to keep the ticks away (along with any other people we came across).

Mornings on the deck with a mug of hot coffee and the Bible are a great way to start the day.  I highly recommend it!

We drove off to Sylamore Creek and rented kayaks and a canoe and explored the creek heading upstream.  We had to lift our watercraft over rocks in some places, but the water was nice and cool and clear.  We could see many trout swimming in the creek.  The boys had the kayaks...

Tricia & I canoed.  The canoe is the same model that we have at home.

The scenery was magnificent with rocky bluffs overhead.

Right where the Sylamore Creek empties into the White River, the boys found a rope swing and had a big time swinging out and plunging into the cooooold water.  The rope had been fastened to very small tree.  They were unsure if it would hold their weight, but it did.

We sought out a swimming hole nearby called the Rosa Hole, but there were many, many people there.  We found ourselves back at Gunner Pool.  It turned out to be our favorite swimming hole.  It is right outside of a small town called 56, Arkansas, with a population of 173.  We enjoyed stopping and shopping for snacks at a tiny Mom & Pop Old Fashioned store there.  When we got to Gunner Pool, we were excited to have the entire place to ourselves.  We jumped off the cliff from the lower area (below) and then a much higher area.

We could have stayed there all day!

Mountain View, Arkansas was founded in 1873 and is called the Folk Music Capital of the World.  They have many places to listen to great bluegrass and Gospel music.  We got coffee and ice cream and enjoyed listening to these folks play.

Then we walked across the street to the grounds of the courthouse where people set up benches and lawn chairs and listened to great bluegrass and Gospel music with banjos, mandolins, fiddles, guitar and doghouse bass.  Some got up and danced, others just listened.  The courthouse is located in the town square and old trucks with American Flags flying from the back drove around and around.  Just the best ever!

We packed up our chairs and headed back to the cabin knowing we had only one more day...