Royal Oak Inn Mount Ida

... drive 300 miles to Dallas,and board a plane to San Francisco at 8 pm. The idea that I could be in the backwoods of Arkansas AND SF in one day is a bit disorienting. I haven't seen one Obama sign anywhere, not one Prius,and three good ole boys in the lobby this afternoon were discussing the possibility that they'll live long enough to see all the Obama-inflicted damage rectified (by Republicans, presumably).

... from this mountain top:Arkansas in one direction, Oklahoma in another.

Because we're on a mountain top, the only way to hike is downhill, which means climbing back up in hot sticky weather. Still, Jerry and I did a 1-mile hike at about 6 pm on very rocky trail, lots of new butterflies (to me), and, thank God, no bears. Although there are two very scary stuffed ones in the lobby.

Mena, Arkansas, United States lrandal

Santa Fe, Albuquerque NM today. It's so different & beautiful in a special way. This is destination #1. Is it my new home? Added note: I liked Santa Fe and the surrounding area. Albuquerque is nice too, but very big, very fast paced.

sunny day, Medicine Park & Wichita mnts wildlife refuge. unbelievable, pics to follow. up close & personal, peaceful too! Added Note: this was definitely one of my favorite spots on the whole trip. So many animals! Buffalo, Long horns, coyote, turtles, Prairie dogs! Lots of birds and more. It was really an amazing place to visit

Turner Falls OK. Another glorious spot . It's a bit chilly so uncrowded, my fav! A bit of hiking & then moving on. Added note: I really loved this area. I'm sure it's busy as hell in the summer, but it was wonderfully quiet in April. I felt I had the place to myself.

... vehicles; and second, what hurricane Ike will mean to us. On the appointed day, we packed up and got ready for the pull out of the site. Rick, again went first. We used some plywood to make the transition from gravel to asphalt easier and he went up without incident. I put the truck in 4 wheel drive and pulled onto the blocks managed by Ruth and Rick while Robin watched for clearance as the trailer reached the road above - success! One worry down, now we will see what Ike will do.

... big attraction in Murfreesboro is the diamond field owned by the State of Arkansas. I made screens to help us sift dirt to help locate diamonds, but we had no luck except for some jaspar and quartz. The guides tell about the diamonds found just on the surface of the field and how many carats they are. I could not escape the math; researchers have determined that there are 1.2 carats of diamonds for every 100 tons of dirt. I found a petrified dog ****. Rick, Robin and Ruth wanted

... There are still lots of cattle in the fields and some irrigation evident. We moved from farming into a forestry region and discovered where our computer paper may be manufactured. We shared the road with logging trucks and our noses told us that we were passing pulp and paper plants. The temperature was in the low 80s for most of the day and we experienced our first light humidity. We decided to stop in Glenwood AK so that we could get a ...

... at the Tyson plant. We arrived at Ross's house in Mena, Ar sometime around 1:00 A.M. and began to load his conoe onto Marshall's truck. After much confusion and some debate on just how exactly our rig should be tied down without scratching the truck, we were finally set and got to bed sometime in the early hours of the morning.

... the decorations are classic in its style. Three rotundas dominate the building: the center one, one over the house and one over the senate chambers. Six 10 foot tall bronze doors provided the entrance to the capital before 9/11. They are polished daily. Hot Springs Off to Hot Springs, where President Clinton spent his formative years. Visit the high school where he attended. Stroll through the parks where he gathered with friends as a teenager. Not to ...