After making it to Turtle Rock Retreat and settling in for a nice night, we awoke to grey skies and cooler temperatures. During the night, a cold front passed through and brought us rain and clouds. No problem, the river is wet, we might get wet, and we pressed on.
Back down the five mile bumpy road and up the valley to Jasper we went. We had reserved our canoes and transportation through Gordon’s Motel and Canoe Rental. We did not pay attention the previous afternoon to Gordon’s and I am glad I did not, that would have been a long night of worries.
Gordon’s motel included about five or six spacious rooms and I am sure they were really nice and they claimed to have color television. They also claimed to have a pool, which we found out was empty. Now Ms. Gordon, as we called her, was nice enough, she willingly accepted our payment for our rental and arranged for some bubbas to take us to our drop off point. Wow, these people suffer from limited gene pool disorder!
As we loaded up our paddles and “life jackets” we piled into the van and away we went. Bubba number one tried really hard to crack jokes as we scurried us up hills and around the curves and at a nail biting 65 mph. Bubba number two was along for the ride and was actually funnier than bubba number one as he was holding his seat belt in place since the buckle was missing. He said it made him feel safe. Oh well we should all be safe then, right?
To the drop off point we went and upon arrival, we unloaded and set up for our day of floating down the Buffalo. The river was beautiful, and since it was rainy and cool we had it to ourselves for the most part. We sent the day paddling, fishing and relaxing on the beaches along the way. And I was very proud of my wife and myself as we did not flip over at all the entire trip. We had a great time.
It was amazing to see the river as we did; high cliffs, waterfalls and lots of wildlife! We had a few trouble spots where the water was low or we had to cross under fallen trees but overall the river was awesome. Our four mile float took up the greater part of the day as we slowing paddled down and made frequent stops for refreshments, lunch and restroom stops.
Once we made the pickup spot and traveled back to our vehicle, we trekked back to TRR and had a huge steak and potato dinner. Then we went back to the pond for fishing, hot tub for relaxing and the bonfire for s’ mores.
Sunday was more of the same but with more sun, colder temperatures and a longer float. We opted for the six mile float. The day was great, until Gordon’s nearly left us at the pickup point. That is a story for another day!
Overall the experience was a good one, the canoeing, the cabin, friends and quiet time with my wife made the trip memorable. I will post some pictures once I get them in so you can see just how beautiful the trip was.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
BBQ Enchiladas and Lime Mints Part Two
Well after the funny faces, spiting of lime mints and cursing La Hacienda, we loaded up for our final run to the mountains and Jasper/Murray Valley, Arkansas.
Four hours or so of driving through scenic Arkansas and one long and winding road later, we made it to the huge metropolis of Jasper, Arkansas. And let’s just say that Jasper is simple. Not simple in a bad way, but the sign stated that the population was 495 not including us.
Once we reached Jasper the real journey began as we turned south and headed into the valley. We traveled through little villages with names like Parthenon, Wayton and eventually Murray. Finally, after driving most of the day, suffering bad Mexican food and being leery of our surroundings, we found our turn off to our cabin. Our directions said turn off the paved road. Again, strike up a chorus of Dueling banjos.
Not only did the directions say turn off the paved road, they also directed us to travel three miles to the fork in the road and continue another two miles. For you who cannot add, that is FIVE MILES folks! Five miles of us driving into the woods, down a dusty and muddy, bumpy road. We drove so far off the road we were afraid we would not come back.
Up and down the hills, across the washed out spots and under the peering eyes of the natives, we made it to the Turtle Rock Retreat, at last. We rounded that final curve and their lay paradise. The property was amazing. TRR as we would later refer to it, had land, horses, a creek, a pond and one awesome cabin complete with hot tub, fire pits and all of the creature comforts one is seeking when hoping to relax. The pictures in the brochure did not do the place justice. The cabin was amazing! The front was covered with large open windows and a wrap around deck. The inside was very nice with three bedrooms, large tubs, a cozy den with fireplace and a very spacious kitchen and dining area. This was the place for us!
We immediately settled in, chose our rooms and unpacked our stuff. The girls quickly rested their drive weary bodies in the hot tub while the guys fished the pond. We caught fish, they relaxed. After a bit of unwinding, we started dinner and explored the cabin and land around us.
See part three…TO BE CONTINUED AGAIN
Four hours or so of driving through scenic Arkansas and one long and winding road later, we made it to the huge metropolis of Jasper, Arkansas. And let’s just say that Jasper is simple. Not simple in a bad way, but the sign stated that the population was 495 not including us.
Once we reached Jasper the real journey began as we turned south and headed into the valley. We traveled through little villages with names like Parthenon, Wayton and eventually Murray. Finally, after driving most of the day, suffering bad Mexican food and being leery of our surroundings, we found our turn off to our cabin. Our directions said turn off the paved road. Again, strike up a chorus of Dueling banjos.
Not only did the directions say turn off the paved road, they also directed us to travel three miles to the fork in the road and continue another two miles. For you who cannot add, that is FIVE MILES folks! Five miles of us driving into the woods, down a dusty and muddy, bumpy road. We drove so far off the road we were afraid we would not come back.
Up and down the hills, across the washed out spots and under the peering eyes of the natives, we made it to the Turtle Rock Retreat, at last. We rounded that final curve and their lay paradise. The property was amazing. TRR as we would later refer to it, had land, horses, a creek, a pond and one awesome cabin complete with hot tub, fire pits and all of the creature comforts one is seeking when hoping to relax. The pictures in the brochure did not do the place justice. The cabin was amazing! The front was covered with large open windows and a wrap around deck. The inside was very nice with three bedrooms, large tubs, a cozy den with fireplace and a very spacious kitchen and dining area. This was the place for us!
We immediately settled in, chose our rooms and unpacked our stuff. The girls quickly rested their drive weary bodies in the hot tub while the guys fished the pond. We caught fish, they relaxed. After a bit of unwinding, we started dinner and explored the cabin and land around us.
See part three…TO BE CONTINUED AGAIN
BBQ Enchiladas and Lime Mints!
What in the world you say? This was the beginning of our brief weekend getaway to Murray, Arkansas and what would be a brief stay in paradise.
A little back story is due, as it is needed to set up this entry. A few months ago, some friends of ours suggested we take a vacation together. They always go up to Northwest Arkansas to go canoeing on the Buffalo River and wanted us to join them. We had missed their previous invite because Lily was too young to leave with anyone for an extended period of time. So, being the outdoors type of people we are not, we agreed to three days of “roughing” it in Arkansas.
At that time we got online and found a cabin for our stay as well as the canoe rental arrangements. The Turtle Rock Retreat was slated as a nice little place in Murray Valley, Arkansas. We had no idea where it was and only a few pictures online but decided it was the place for us while on vacation.
So with all the child care arrangements made, suitcases packed and final preparations made we loaded up on Friday and headed north. After a brief stop in Camden, Arkansas at my sister in laws to drop of Lily, we were on our way. Eight hours in a truck into what we referred to as “deliverance country”, insert your own version of dueling banjos here.
The stop in Camden put us a little behind schedule on lunch and we tried to make it up by stopping at the first Mexican restaurant we saw in Benton, Arkansas. Why Mexican you ask? We had a pregnant woman on board and nothing else would do. She was bent on having Mexican and they knew of the restaurant from previous trips through the area.
Our “Mexican” restaurant was the La Hacienda in the big town of Benton. Wow, um, interesting. I should have known right away it would be bad when all they had was instant tea, but things got worse as the salsa was not hot but sweet. That is just altogether wrong! Strike one!
We reviewed the lunch menu and selected something safe, enchiladas and tostados. Pretty basic, meat, cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and sauce, boy was I wrong. Our plates arrived, piled high with lettuce, tomatoes and onions, none of which I am just thrilled about, but that was the least of my worries. Once I unearthed the food from the fluff, there sat one sad little enchilada with some brownish-red sauce. Ok, I thought chili sauce, not so bad, let me try it out. Instantly as the food hit my tongue, my nose and taste buds screamed STOP! What I thought was chili sauce tasted strangely like a sweet honey BBQ sauce. Not that there is anything wrong with BBQ sauce, just not on my Mexican food. Unfortunately, my wife suffered the same fate as she ordered them too.
The pregnant woman though we were just being difficult because she picked the restaurant but we let her try the food and with one bite she was on board with us. She knew it was wrong too. Thankfully her and her husband had ordered other foods and was ok but we were left to pick through our food and eat what we could. Ok so with two strikes! I paid my bill and hoped for a better dinner, La Hacienda would not be a future choice for any of my Mexican needs. On our way out of the place, the establishment suffered its third strike and was immediately thrown out!
As we walked out, with the taste of BBQ sauce in my mouth, I grabbed a “mint” from the basket. In most restaurants they provide after dinner mints, peppermints or something similar to mask the breath you obtained while dinning in their establishment. Well this place was not different; they had a basket of red mints and a basket of green mints. I opted for green thinking, wintergreen or spearmint. This is where I suffered my second assault on my taste buds in thirty minutes as the wintergreen mint was LIME! Immediately upon this discovery, I made a funny face, or so they say, and spat the revolting candy from my mouth. WHY, WHY, WHY would anyone want a lime mint after eating! Gross, La Hacienda you fail on so many levels.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A little back story is due, as it is needed to set up this entry. A few months ago, some friends of ours suggested we take a vacation together. They always go up to Northwest Arkansas to go canoeing on the Buffalo River and wanted us to join them. We had missed their previous invite because Lily was too young to leave with anyone for an extended period of time. So, being the outdoors type of people we are not, we agreed to three days of “roughing” it in Arkansas.
At that time we got online and found a cabin for our stay as well as the canoe rental arrangements. The Turtle Rock Retreat was slated as a nice little place in Murray Valley, Arkansas. We had no idea where it was and only a few pictures online but decided it was the place for us while on vacation.
So with all the child care arrangements made, suitcases packed and final preparations made we loaded up on Friday and headed north. After a brief stop in Camden, Arkansas at my sister in laws to drop of Lily, we were on our way. Eight hours in a truck into what we referred to as “deliverance country”, insert your own version of dueling banjos here.
The stop in Camden put us a little behind schedule on lunch and we tried to make it up by stopping at the first Mexican restaurant we saw in Benton, Arkansas. Why Mexican you ask? We had a pregnant woman on board and nothing else would do. She was bent on having Mexican and they knew of the restaurant from previous trips through the area.
Our “Mexican” restaurant was the La Hacienda in the big town of Benton. Wow, um, interesting. I should have known right away it would be bad when all they had was instant tea, but things got worse as the salsa was not hot but sweet. That is just altogether wrong! Strike one!
We reviewed the lunch menu and selected something safe, enchiladas and tostados. Pretty basic, meat, cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and sauce, boy was I wrong. Our plates arrived, piled high with lettuce, tomatoes and onions, none of which I am just thrilled about, but that was the least of my worries. Once I unearthed the food from the fluff, there sat one sad little enchilada with some brownish-red sauce. Ok, I thought chili sauce, not so bad, let me try it out. Instantly as the food hit my tongue, my nose and taste buds screamed STOP! What I thought was chili sauce tasted strangely like a sweet honey BBQ sauce. Not that there is anything wrong with BBQ sauce, just not on my Mexican food. Unfortunately, my wife suffered the same fate as she ordered them too.
The pregnant woman though we were just being difficult because she picked the restaurant but we let her try the food and with one bite she was on board with us. She knew it was wrong too. Thankfully her and her husband had ordered other foods and was ok but we were left to pick through our food and eat what we could. Ok so with two strikes! I paid my bill and hoped for a better dinner, La Hacienda would not be a future choice for any of my Mexican needs. On our way out of the place, the establishment suffered its third strike and was immediately thrown out!
As we walked out, with the taste of BBQ sauce in my mouth, I grabbed a “mint” from the basket. In most restaurants they provide after dinner mints, peppermints or something similar to mask the breath you obtained while dinning in their establishment. Well this place was not different; they had a basket of red mints and a basket of green mints. I opted for green thinking, wintergreen or spearmint. This is where I suffered my second assault on my taste buds in thirty minutes as the wintergreen mint was LIME! Immediately upon this discovery, I made a funny face, or so they say, and spat the revolting candy from my mouth. WHY, WHY, WHY would anyone want a lime mint after eating! Gross, La Hacienda you fail on so many levels.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Poke Salad Festival Kicks Off
The annual Blanchard Poke Salad Festival kicked off officially on Thursday night. Since I live in Blanchard and across the street from the festivities, I have no choice but to be involved in the happenings.From across the street I can see, hear and smell, ugh, all of the things going on. So starting Thursday night the music starts pumping, the kids start screaming and the rides get cranked up. Ah, the smell of funnel cakes!
And while Thursday is the "preview" night, it is Friday when things really get going. Our church holds it's annual fish fry and auction. This really brings in the folks to the poke. Our church starts the night with the fish fry at the Polk Salad Pavilion on the Poke Salad grounds.
Two hours of fillets, fries and flies as everyone eats outdoors and under the fans. Generally, we all have fun, eating and visiting and just hanging out with family and friends. This year the food was great but the tea was horrible, and you know my stance on tea, but it still was not enough to spoil the fun.Once the dust settled from the constant charge of hungry mouths, the auction gets fired up. This year to kick off the auction, the awards were handed out for the fishing tournament and of course, I was not one of the winners, but alas, the guys who won, really kicked everyones butt. Over sixty pounds of fish!
Going, one, going twice, sold, is all you will hear for the next four hours as the auction gets going and the auctioneer gets into form. Anything from live plants, to baked goods, to bicycles and boats are bid on and sold for charity. The first item this year was a hand made quilt, made by a 92 year old church memeber. The quilt sold for $500! Awesome, and the proceeds go to our world missions fund.
The auction was great and got exciting a few times as bidding got out of hand and people got overly excited. And while I did not buy anything, my family did get a few things.
As the daylight turned to dusk the humidity and heat got the best of us and we had to move. My daughter, being lured into the lights of the carnival, had to go across the street and ride.
Now, I make no attempts to enjoy crowds, especially at this event. The general public at the Poke Salad is sub par if you ask me. Dirty kids, smoking trailer trash and lots of other undesirable people. That being said, I hurried my wife and daughter though the crowds and toward the super slide. Lily had to ride the slide. So $3 later and and three tickets in the grubby hand of the toothless operator and up the steps we went. Lily led the way, being Miss Independent that she is, and wanted to slide without the burlap sack. I had to convince her that we needed it to go faster. She bought it and off we went. She squealed all the way down.
Good times were had and we enjoyed ourselves and that is what counted on this hot, sticky night. We went home, get Lily in bed with promises of the parade on Saturday.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Poke Salad Weekend
Oh Boy, the redneck festival has come to Blanchard. Stay tuned this weekend for a few updates from the Blanchard Poke Salad Festival.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Ear Tubes are Out
Just got back to work after taking Lily to have her ear tubes removed. The surgery went fine and was very brief. The doctor said everything looked good and we should be on the path to recovery very soon.
Lily came out of the O.R. a little fuzzy and was very fussy. I hope she has a good day and has no pain. We will see.
In other news, the rain has kept us indoors for the most part for over a week now. We have not played any ballgames nor have I been out to do much of anything. We have one scheduled for tonight but the weather man says storms are coming so does not look like we will play again!
Final update, the final day of our fishing tournament was horrible. We caught two fish, both were in the "slot" so they had to be tossed back. I am starting to think that competitive fishing is not for me.
Lily came out of the O.R. a little fuzzy and was very fussy. I hope she has a good day and has no pain. We will see.
In other news, the rain has kept us indoors for the most part for over a week now. We have not played any ballgames nor have I been out to do much of anything. We have one scheduled for tonight but the weather man says storms are coming so does not look like we will play again!
Final update, the final day of our fishing tournament was horrible. We caught two fish, both were in the "slot" so they had to be tossed back. I am starting to think that competitive fishing is not for me.
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