We'rrrrreee Baaaaaaack!

Well for those of you that do not know, we have been visiting the state of Arkansas with Grandma and Papa for the past week. It was a blast and here is the story. This may be a two day reading for you because it was really hard to fit an entire week in one blog entry. Sorry it is sooooo long!

Once upon a time a family decided to take a road trip to Arkansas during their Spring Break. Little did they know what they were really in for! As they loaded their trailer and truck to prepare for the long seven hour trip with two kids, the mom and dad started wandering about the price of gas and the weather. "Bye Chili Dog, bye Buster, and bye rabbits!" the two children yelled as the family drove away. Before they reached the city limits of Clifton one child asked "How much longer?" while the other yelled "I want to watch a movie!" The happy family met up with the Grandma and Papa and their trailer on down the road. After a few potty stops and picnic lunch they finally reached the Arkansas state line. The trees were much taller with mountains in the skyline. Through Hot Springs they drove while hearing "Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet?????!!!" and visiting the first of THREE trips to Wal-Mart. Once they climbed a very tall mountain they realized they had reached the Lake Ouachita State Park. It was beautiful. The mom was a little disappointed that all the trees had not bloomed, but hey there were no bothersome bugs to deal with. The kids hopped out of the car yelling and screaming of joy, oh actually that was the parents! They set up the camp site to fit a king when they heard of a huge storm heading their way with damaging winds. So they packed up all the chairs after enjoying them for a good hour. Indeed it did rain. It rained for two days and nights! The scared little family enjoyed a game of Bingo and Sorry while the storm passed. The next day came after a long stormy night. The mommy had plans to take a bath in the 143 degree water of Hot Springs. Well after a few melt downs (from the kids that is) they decided to just tour the Bathhouses instead.

Diana and Kay touring the Fordyce Bathhouse- A hot springs fountain...that water was HOT!

That night the family made yummy s'mores and a good game of Bingo. The next day the team traveled to a science museum and witnessed caged lightning. Yes, that's right...caged lightning. As if the kids were not afraid of the real lightning at all. However, the museum was really fascinating and educational in which the mommy liked a lot! Once all the cold weather and rain passed, it was onto the lake for some good ole fishing. The family fished and fished and fished and fished, you get the point. However no fish, No fish, No Fish, NO FISH! All the fish must had been at the bottom of the enormous lake because not ONE fish had attempted to bite the bait the ENTIRE WEEK. Do you sense the FRUSTRATION?! The family thought that the fish were just not biting at this lake and hoped that they would at another lake. So the next day they took yet another ROAD TRIP up a scenic highway with hairpen curves and steep elevations. Luckily the kids did not get car sick or they would have had a one bad day. The road was gorgeous with breathtaking views of the forests and lakes.

The whole gang on a mountain top.

Petit Jean State Park was their destination that day with hopes of great hiking and fishing. Once they arrived all the family saw out of the truck windows were cut down and dead trees. It was an ugly sight to see and they wandered if they had made a mistake. As they drove on to the park, the scenery turned greener and healthier. They all sighed. After the stop at the visitor center to pick up the trail maps the boys spotted a lake with a dock. They immediately got their fishing poles and ran to the water. They fished and fished and fished and fished. But once again...No fish, no fish, NO FISH!! They are still wondering to this day if there are any fish in the Arkansas lakes. That was a big disappointment. However the mommy told the family to get their walking sticks (the ones they had been whittling for days) ready because they were about to take a hike to a 95 foot waterfall. The hike was an easy one since it was a boardwalk ALL the way to the falls! However, the Grandma and Papa were still out of breath. The falls were amazing, however the kids were ready to go after seeing it for ONE second. After enjoying the wonderful scenery, they decided to go on a bear cave hike through huge rock mountains. Once again, they all grabbed their sticks and cameras and headed off. They climbed, scaled, and even went under the huge craters of rocks. It was truly amazing what water and wind can do..the force of mother nature is awe inspiring. Once every one's feet were aching they got back in the car for their ride back to camp.

Going on a hike.

Nolan inside a REAL bear cave!

The family inside a rock mountain.

The next day the smart family celebrated Easter and consisted of enjoying the lake and FISHING again. The Easter bunny came to both trailers and hid eggs in the forest leaves. The kids will probably never hunt Easter eggs in leaves ever again due to having Easter so early in the year and on Spring Break. It was really different than hunting in green grass.

Afterwards the daddy was so determined to catch a fish he rented a flat bottom boat for half a day to fish in coves. There was no luck there either, so the chilly family just rode around the lake enjoying the mountainsides and the rest of the day. The night grew colder and the next day was their last. The family really enjoyed their vacation and wanted to stay a lot longer because they did not get to see everything they wanted. So maybe another trip to Arkansas, the Natural State, will be in their near future.

The End.