(photo: Shelley Roy)
Thursday
After going to work, Jer was back home early. We were able to get our last minute items packed and we were ready to get on the road by 9:30AM. The beautiful weather made the ride so nice, the temperature was pleasantly cooler than I had expected. We traveled north on Hwy 59, stopping for lunch in the small town of Timpson, TX. The BBQ was very good there. We arrived in Texarkana in the afternoon, we had reservations to stay the night there.
Friday
We ate breakfast and got going early, hoping to perhaps miss the forecasted storms that come with the afternoon heat. The sky yielded many more clouds today than it had yesterday. This actually made for a nice ride, again, being cooler than anticipated. As long as we could avoid too much rain we would be happy.
As we rode along I took many photos of the countryside. I love seeing all of the old homes and barns. They must have so many stories to tell. I often wonder about the people that once lived there. The history of how it came to be built, with ones own hand and the tools that were used. How many children grew up there? Someone must have fond memories of the scent of fresh baked bread or biscuits cooking on the old stove. I still remember my grandmothers huge old cast iron stove. It had been in the restaurant that she owned before I was born. That stove was the center of so many family gatherings.
We stopped for lunch at a place called Bearcat Restaurant . The people there were extremely friendly and the food was great. We asked the waitress how much farther to Eureka Springs. She asked if we were riding “The Pig Trail”. After asking her about that, (I thought it was funny), she explained that is what that route is called.
Riding the Pig Trail was indeed a great choice. I imagine it is called the pig trail because it resembles a piggy tail. This route must be very popular among motorcyclist from all over. There are many “twistys” as they are called. We had a great ride, only getting droplets of rain once in a while.
As we were approaching Eureka Springs, the traffic was stopped near a blasting site. The signs read “turn off any two-way radios and phones”. While waiting there, we heard a big boom and felt the earth shake. I looked around to see if I could see where it had come from, then above the treetops I could see the large puff of dust.
As we rode into Eureka Springs, a very light drizzle greeted us. We had however avoided the rain, so we were pleased.
As we checked into “The Inn of the Ozarks” Dallas came in right behind us. After getting unpacked we visited with Dallas and waited for other familiar faces to arrive.
Later we picked up our registration packet and T-shirts and got to visit with many of our friends. We also got to meet new friends. This is what it is all about. That is why I love the term “Gathering”, it just implies to me the idea of friends getting together for lots of fun, food, laughter and memories made that will last a lifetime.
We visited at the “Ice Cream Social”. I also love the idea of this. It is an event of a bygone era, when people got together just to socialize. I think it is a great way to start off a “Gathering”. We have made more new friends this way. Sometimes people that we have seen at other events, but just not gotten to visit with, so it is a way to get to know them better.
The pies and ice cream were fabulous. I had a slice of the pecan, but the others looked equally as good. I especially appreciated Mike and Ann-Marie for making all of the homemade pies. They served the pies in their beautiful antique pie plates. What a treat.
Saturday
I awoke early and went for a walk around the beautiful grounds of the Inn. The elevation there is quite different than what I am used to. The morning air was very cool. The birds were singing and the air was filled with the fragrance of wild flowers. It made for a really nice walk.
After getting ready , Jer and I got breakfast at Myrtie Mae’s, the hotel restaurant, we rode the trolley into downtown Eureka Springs. The trolley is part of the transit system there in ES. It really is a great way to see the town and surrounding area. The routes are all color coded so you can get to different places in the area depending on which color trolley you take. You can get a day pass to ride all of the trolleys for just $4.00. We took the trolley right from the hotel, into downtown, then switched to the trolley that would take us to the ES&AR Railroad.
The rail yard is filled with old rail cars and related items. All from a time past, reminders of how far we have come. The station has a lot of memorabilia, like a mini museum of sorts. I noticed a small sign that read: “Warning: Cranky Depot Cat. Sometimes He is friendly. Sometimes He bites and scratches.” I looked for him, but to no avail.
I had never ridden on a train, so I was excited to ride this one. Even though the ride is only 4 ½ miles it takes 45 min. to ride. The conductor let us on the train car early so we could get a good view of the engine being turned around on the train carousel (I guess you could call it that.) Then the car comes back to hook up the riding car. It really is a great experience to see all of this. After the ride gets going the conductor comes around to collect your ticket, just like in the old west movies. He narrates the history of the Rail line and tells about the land that this line runs on. He is very friendly and funny, it is evident that He loves his job. When we got to the end of the line, the Conductor explains that they will unhook the car and take just the engine around the bend, the engine and the car together are too long to make the bend in the track. The engine will come back around to take the car back in the other direction. He says that we can get off of the train to watch the process, and that many of the children like to lay coins on the track and watch them get squished. Well, Jer knows that the child in me wants squished coins. I collect the squished pennies from those machines every chance I get. So I got off the train and placed my coins on the track. The conductor tells us that if you lick your coin before placing it on the track the they will usually stick better and not go flying off of the track. I can’t believe that I licked my coins. But it must work, all of my coins got squished really good. I got a chance to have a good conversation with the conductor while out there waiting . He is just adorable. I love to hear the stories that people have to tell.
We had to visit the small gift shop. I purchased a few souvenirs, among them some really old nails that have the year they were made imprinted on the nailhead, and some mini railroad stakes.
I finally found the “Cranky Depot Cat”. He was sleeping on the top most shelf of the gift shop. I got him to barely open his squinty little eyes when I was taking his photo.
We waited under the Catawba tree for the trolley to stop and ride us back into town.
We rode the trolley back into downtown ES. We walked around downtown, peeking into some of the many shops there. There are so many shops with all kinds of wares, it is overwhelming. I think I need to spend a week, at least. It is a really beautiful town. The architecture is just amazing. I love all of the building materials used in so many of the buildings. The Victorian homes in the area are so fabulous. It is a very busy town, and the elevation definitely takes getting used to. I am glad I wore walking shoes.
We hopped on the trolley to go back to the Inn. We visited with friends, and listened to their day’s events.
Listening to Dallas and Rex talk about their ride out to the War Eagle Mill and battleground, it sounds like a wonderful place to visit. That is surely on my agenda for the next time I get to visit ES.
So much to do and so little time. I can’t wait to come back.
Later that evening we dined with all of our MTA friends. After dinner we moved outdoors. We listened intently as Lynn spoke about the history of Eureka Springs. It was fascinating . She has such a wonderfully friendly personality, and it was such a delight to meet her.
Door prizes were given away to each happy recipient. Announcements were made, along with solicitations for suggestions for places to hold upcoming events.
We visited for a while and then said our goodbyes to everyone, knowing that we would be departing for home early in the morning.
Sunday
We got up very early to get on our way. We were again hoping to beat the weather that was forecasted for the afternoon. The clouds were very heavy today. As the sun was coming up, while we were packing to leave, the sky had some pink hues, reminding me of the old saying “Red sky at morn, sailor be warn”. We ate breakfast and then got going.
Riding the Pig Trail in the early morning was really a great way to experience that route. The crispness of the morning air just makes the leaves and grass look greener. We again enjoyed all of the turns and curves in the road.
We stopped at Turner Bend where I bought some souvenir T-shirts and a jar of muscadine preserves, I have never had muscadine. It is really a cute little store and fuel stop.
When we reached Hwy 71, the clouds looked really menacing, so Jer stopped at that rest stop for us to put away the camera and suit up for the rain. We were not so fortunate to have missed the rain today. About a mile after getting back on the road we were in the rain. We commented that we were glad to at least have missed the rain on the Pig Trail. The rain made the mountains look neat. The clouds were very low and it looked like there was also steam coming up from some places on the mountains.
By the time we got to DeQueen the rain had subsided, and Jer just couldn’t stand the road grime, so we stopped at the car wash where he washed the bike. I noticed after getting home that these were the last photos that I had taken for this trip.
We had reservations to spend the night Texarkana again.
Monday
Today the clouds looked very heavy again. I did not carry the camera today. We again encountered rain. We rode in the rain from Lufkin, off and on, until we got home.
After arriving back home we sat on our porch reminiscing about all of the great moments we had while on this trip.
We truly look forward to the 3rd Annual OMG.
Again, We made memories that will last a lifetime.
