Wednesday, July 17
Even though the trailer was on a steep slope, we were able to get the trailer hooked up pretty easily and on the way to the Lake Fort Smith State Park. It was a beautiful morning and expected to reach the mid-90s which we had not seen for a while. During the trip, we stopped once at a Flying J around noon which is great because it has a separate RV fill-up lane that is very easy to get in and out of. I also was able to use my app to get two free soda fountain drinks, a free pizza, and a free hot dog.
Lake Fort Smith State Park
We arrived at Lake Fort Smith State Park after 2 pm and were checked in, set up, and on the road toward Fayetteville by 3:30 pm.
Artist Point
Our first stop was Artists Point which was just a couple of minutes up the road. We only stopped for the scenic overlook, but it looks like it had a small free museum.
Terra Studios
I was in a hurry to get to the next stop which was called Terra Studios. The studio was famous for making glass bluebirds and other art. We drove way back into the country to get to this place. Along the way, we followed a shallow creek. Looking around though, I looked like it had flooded the surrounding area at least 50 yards beyond its banks on both sides. I had read about the floods at Fort Smith in June, so I am curious to research their location when I get the internet again.
Terra Studios was way more fun than I expected. They had hundreds of small sculptures and other art strewn around the place with pathways going through it. We started by going to a labyrinth made up of rock slices. Along the pathway, there were various trolls and other creatures. After walking the labyrinth, we walked on another trail that took us past a circle area made of upright logs, more sculptures, and various billboards with painted ceramic tiles. It returned us to a building marked as the wizard’s cave. Outside the building was a small garden and inside was a concrete cave with more statues of strange creatures (labeled as endangered) and a small room with a throne that declared you as the wizard. We also met one of the artists on site who described to us what she and her husband do for art and a little about the premises. She recommended that we rush over to see the glass blowing in the next building before he quit, so we headed over that way. I got the directions messed up, so after walking around a pond where even more art was, I finally listened to Lisa and we went into the studios where the art was being sold. In the back was a man making the bluebirds from the heated glass. The bluebirds were not that impressive to me, but it was fun seeing the demonstration. We walked around the studios admiring all the art. They also had a kitchen with free coffee and hot chocolate and elaborately decorated dining booths. We could have stayed at the place for hours more, but since it was late, I wanted to get going to Fayetteville.
Downtown Fayetteville, AR
When we got to Fayetteville, we parked on Central Street along a stretch of road called the Underground and near the downtown square. The Underground did not seem to consist of some restaurants and boutique shops that looked like they may have settled into the ground a little and had some shops located in basements. The square consisted of an old post office that had been converted to a fancy restaurant in the middle with a garden planted around it. The outside of the square consisted of some other historic buildings around it. It had a large brewery on one side that we considered going to for dinner, but it did not serve food and partnered with a pizza place nearby for delivery. I am always surprised that breweries do not serve food as it would seem to encourage more drinking.
World Peace Fountain
Anyway, we did see a monument called the World Peace Fountain which was a large round rock with water slowly dripping down it with the phrase “May Peace Prevail Upon the Earth” written in multiple languages.
After walking around the square, we walked down Central St to Dickson St which is supposed to be the University of Arkansas’ party district. We passed several bars along the way but did not see anything on Dickson St itself. We assumed that we were on the wrong part of Dickson St, so we headed back to the truck.
When we got there, we decided to eat at one of the places near the truck called Hugos. Located in the basement, it was known as a student hangout that served craft beers and hamburgers. We ordered a couple of draft Miller’s lite, and a guacamole burger, and a beef burrito made with crepes to split. After one glass of Miller Lite, I had to switch to another beer so I ordered an Ozark Lager but Lisa stuck with Miller. The food was good, and we soon realized that we had made it to the restaurant in the nick of time as it got quickly crowded with a long waitlist.
University of Arkansas
Afterward, we drove around the campus, past their outdoor Greek Theater amphitheater, and finally over toward their stadium. After taking a picture of a large statue outside the stadium called the Wild Band of Razorbacks that celebrated their 1968 National Championship and how they got their team mascot (they were originally called the Cardinals prior to 1910).
Evening
We did not have the internet at the trailer, so we watched one of the DVDs I had picked up in Memphis called Wild Horses. It was a disappointment. Also when we have our air conditioner on, it is hard to hear the movies as it uses the overhead stereo speakers which are not very clear. I should definitely investigate getting a soundbar or changing the speakers out.
Thursday, July 18 – Bentonville
Artist’s Point Musem
Our first stop this morning was the Artist Point Museum that we skipped yesterday. We discovered that the “museum” was actually just a large room which contained some arrowheads and antiques. The store itself had some Ozark souvenirs.
We did discover In the back of the store a viewing area that overlooked the beautiful valley below. They had hung hummingbird feeders on the eaves of the store there that had over a dozen hummingbirds hovering around them. The store owner suggested we go out to the patio balcony where there were more feeders, except they were shaded and were more likely to have more birds. When we got to the patio, we discovered a few more hummingbirds, but we also found a lot of wasps. We did sit and watch the hummingbirds for a little though. I tried to toss a coin in the wishing well they had below their patio but missed. After a while, we thanked and chatted with the store owner before heading off to Bentonville.
Crystal Bridges American Art Museum
Today’s objective was to explore Bentonville, the home of the Walmart Museum and the Crystal Bridges American Art Museum. It took us a little over an hour and a half to get to the Crystal Bridges Art Museum since we were avoiding highways.
The art in the Crystal Bridges was incredible. They had numerous pieces from North and South American artists from their earliest history. A lot of the art was reflective of the times and often had complex undertones that really made it interesting. The abstract art was too weird for me to appreciate though. The building structure itself was not awe-inspiring to me and surrounded a pond/lake that I thought could have had cleaner water. I am sure it had a naturally balanced ecosystem though.
We checked out the museum restaurant and its $13 hamburgers before we decided to just eat the lunch we brought in the picnic area outside the museum. We found a table in a nice shady spot and was very comfortable despite the 90+ degree weather.
Downtown Bentonville
After lunch, we headed downtown to the square where the Walton Museum was located. Located in one of the early stores, it was rather small and provided an overview of Sam Walton, the growth of Walmart and a brief peek into its future. The size of the place surprised me as I expected something bigger. We then walked around the square and took pictures of the confederate soldier’s statue in the center of the square. There were a few boutiques around the square, but overall not much to see. When we got back to the truck, we drove around the square and down a couple of streets. Though the Peele Mansion museum was closing soon (3 pm) we decided to drive by it. Surprisingly it is located right in the middle of a Walmart Superstore parking lot though it was fenced off from the parking lot itself.
Fort Smith
We then decided to head to Fort Smith and check out the historic fort that was there. Fort Smith was on the other side of the campground, so it took us almost 2 hours to get there. We arrived about 20 minutes prior to the visitor center closing but were able to get our passport stamped and check out the Commissary and Gallows before they were locked up. We spent the next hour walking around and looking at the information displays around the park. The commissary was the only original building but the foundations of the original fort by the river, and the officer barracks by the parade ground were still visible.
Brickyard Brewery
Just around the corner was the Brickyard Brewery. We got a seat in front of the live music of three guitarists and our usual flight of five beers. A blueberry beer was our favorite, so we ordered another draft of it along with a wood-fired combination pizza and side salads. The food and beer were good.
After dinner, we drove to a Murphys gas station that seemed to have the cheapest gas in the area and headed back to the trailer about 48 minutes away.
Friday, July 19
We left at 9:06 am to proceed on the longest leg of our trip. Except for some road construction that pushed Lisa into the shoulder of the road for a dozen miles, the trip was uneventful.
We arrived at our trailer storage lot around 2:30 pm. When we got home, we celebrated our trip by going to our favorite restaurant, Chapalas, for some Margaritas to celebrate a fun and safe trip.