Camping Fools

For the second week in a row, and the third time in a month, we took Ol’ Leaky out for some camping action. It rained. Ol’ Leaky, as you might expect, leaked. It wasn’t too bad though. The rain was quite heavy but it didn’t last long. We stayed dry and warm and caught the leaks with a towel and a bucket.

We went to Lake Ouachita State Park on the eastern end of Lake Ouachita, Arkansas’ largest lake. I’d never been to the lake before, so we got to see a new-to-us area. The campground itself was excellent, complete with electric, water and sewer, though we didn’t use the sewer.

Even though we had a dry and extremely hot summer and fall, it didn’t affect the quality of the fall colors. Everywhere we’ve been on our camping trips the color has been pretty good. And it’s lasting longer into the season than I can remember.

Abby and I went for a walk on the lake shore and she went into her Crocodile Hunter mode when she spotted this grasshopper. She picked it up and held it out for the camera while gesturing and remarking on its tickly legs. “He rubs his legs together to make music,” she informed me.

Inside the state park is an exhibit showcasing the Three Sisters Springs. When Hot Springs became popular in the early 20th Century, many small resorts started popping up in the surrounding hills to take advantage of the healing properties of other springs in the region.

The state has built elaborate rock boxes to encase the springs. The original owner of the resort invented different healing properties for each of the springs. Based on the information on the sign, I wouldn’t want to drink any water from spring #1.

The Ouachita Mountains have a fascinating history. In this cut that was made for the dam construction you can see how the ancient seabed was folded and warped as the collision of two continental plates thrust up the mountains. Some say the Ouachitas were once as tall as the Rockies are now. End of geology lesson. Carry on.