Wednesday afternoon I headed south. The far southern aspect of Arkansas is not terribly familiar to me for it seems to be...how do you say.......boring. My drive took me as far as Camden and that was about as much as I could take before turning to the west. Through De Queen and the into Oklahoma I did go. A northerly path was taken past Broken Bow Reservoir and into the western end of the Ouachitas. The Winding Stair National Recreation Area was visited for a moment and then it was on to Fort Smith where the night was spent.
Early Thursday The direction was once again to the north where I hit Huntsville around 6:00 a.m. An excellent breakfast was had at one of my very favorite restaurants in Arkansas. Granny's has a country feel and the food and service are great. The Buffalo River was next on the list and after that Sam's Throne was arrived at. Rain was moving down from Missouri so my time was more than likely limited. After piddling around there for an hour or so it was back to the south with a stop at Fairview Campground off Hwy 7 just north of Pelsor. Anyone familiar with this area has probably used this as a stopover or stating/ending point for a hike on the Ozark Highlands Trail. I was reading the info board when I noticed a bulletin stating that the campground was to be decommissioned and rendered into crap. The site has been in disrepair for years and I guess the lack of use and shortage of funds on hand for the Forest Service were deciding factors. This is sad for I stop here routinely when passing by to just stretch and walk around. Hopefully Rotary Ann down the road will not follow. I drove on home and went inside.