Land Between the Lakes

The Iron Works

There is iron ore here in the Land Between the Lakes and there were iron works in the 1800”s. Most of the ore played out and the works were abandoned. We toured one area where iron was made. They used iron ore, charcoal, and limestone to make pig iron. This is a picture of the structure they used to make charcoal. The outside is clay covering the wood inside. This is a cut away of the structure.

Land Between the Lakes

The Nature Preserve

All of the animals in The Nature Preserve are rescue animals. All have been injured and cannot live on their own in the wild. There is a good cross-section of wildlife native to the area. It was a very hot day when I visited and you can see one of the workers trying to cool off the Screech Owl.

Land Between the Lakes

The Home Place

One of the attractions here in the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area is an 1850’s living farm. There are two houses on the farm. The first one built is a basic 2-room house, one room up and the other down. The later house is much bigger with 3 room down and 2 rooms up. There are living history actors on site to tell you about life in the 1850’s. The gardens, outbuildings, and animals that were present in 1850 are all present on the farm. One of the unexpected treats on my visit was seeing Mother Skunk and her five babies outside their den. You can see her leading all the babies back into the den in the picture.

The Home Place is in Kentucky. We stayed in a campgound in Tennessee.

New Trip

I'm off in the RV tomorrow. Hope to post new photos and let you where I am visiting. More later.

Arcadia National Park

There are other things to see at Arcadia. The gull with his feast, the Comorands drying out on a rock, the insect flying at the lake, and the small mushrooms in the forest.

War Eagle Cavern

Northwest Arkansas

The Ozark Plateau is located on a large limestone base laid down by early seas. Because limestone is very porous and easily dissolved by years of water action there are numerous caves. We traveled a few miles from Hobbs State Park Visitor’s center and War Eagle Mill to visit War Eagle Cavern. The Cavern is easy to find, just follow the signs.

This is a great cavern to visit with the family. The cave is easy to navigate and the guides do an excellent job of showing the cave and sharing local history. The tour is about an hour. When you finish the tour there are several hiking trails, a dock on Beaver Lake where you can feed the fish, a forest maze, and other activities that all the family can enjoy. While we spent about 2 hours at the Cavern there were enough activities to fill most of a day. There is a restaurant or if you pack your own picnic lunch there are picnic tables

There is a charge for the cave tour and the forest maze. I though it was very reasonable.

For more information on War Eagle Caverns go to http://www.wareaglecavern.com.

The photo is from War Eagle Caverns web site.

War Eagle Mill

Northwest Arkansas

War Eagle Mill is located about 5 miles from the Visitor’s Center at Hobbs State Park. Located on War Eagle Creek the mill has been in operation since 1832. Powered by a water wheel you can watch the mill grind corn and other grains. There is a gift shop and restaurant as well as the mill. For one weekend each autumn and spring there is a large craft fair at the mill. War Eagle Mill was our second stop on Monday.

It is worth a stop to see the mill, shop a little and eat at the restaurant.

For more information visit http://www.wareaglemill.com/.

Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area

More Northwest Arkansas Sites

I have company this week and we are going to many of the tourist sites. Some of the sites are new and some I have visited before. All are fun and worth a visit. I did not have a camera with me so no photos of Hobbs.

Hobbs is the largest state park in Arkansas. Planned as a conservation area the development is kept to a minimum. There are several hiking trails and one multi-use trail in the park. There is also a brand new visitors center. That was our first stop Monday. The displays and film are well done. Hobbs is a great place to hike and the visitor’s center is worth a visit. If you are in the area check out Hobbs State Park. Visit their web site for more information.

http:// www.arkansasstateparks.com/hobbsstateparkconservationarea/

Hobbs is located on Arkansas 12 east of Rogers. The only camping in the park is primitive however Beaver Lake is near Hobbs and has several Corp of Engineer parks with great camping areas. Other lodging is available in the area.

Arcadia National Park

Everywhere I went in Arcadia there were small woodland wildflowers and blueberries.

Arcadia National Park

I picked and ate wild blueberries, went on a whale watch, and hiked by a clear lake where I saw tadpoles and frogs.

Arcadia National Park

Arcadia National Park in Maine is one of my favorite National Parks. I stayed in Arcadia for two weeks. If you want to camp in the park on the Bar Harbor side you need to make your reservations for Blackwoods Campgrounds early. After a week at Blackwoods I moved to the other side of the park and camped at Seawall. I did not have a reservation there but had no trouble betting a campsite. The next several post will all be Arcadia.

Fort Davis National Moment

Fort Davis is a partially restored 1800'a Army Fort located in South Texas. I was taking a scenic drive after I left Big Ben National Park heading to El Paso. If you are in the area check your map and find the drive. It is well worth the time.