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
Showing posts with label canoeing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canoeing. Show all posts
Thursday, May 21, 2009
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…
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