So...we’re driving along and as soon as we crossed the Arkansas border it started to rain a bit. They were those HUGE tropical thunderstorm kind of raindrops. It started getting darker and the wind started blowing harder. One and two raindrops turned to a deluge...we were by ourselves on the freeway and about a ¼ mile in front of me a HUGE lightning bolt hit the freeway!!!! Freaking the biggest lightning strike I had ever seen!! As we drove past the spot where the bolt hit, there was a softball sized chunk of asphalt blown out of the hole that the lightning made...IN MY LANE!!! WOW!!! Very cool stuff...and it was over a quickly as it started.
The drive through Arkansas was amazing. I had no idea that Arkansas was so hilly and forested. We followed the scenic Hwy 7 south through the Ozarks and every little podunk town you could imagine. The scenery actually reminded me of Southern Oregon....very curvy road with lots of ups and downs. We ended up in this little town called Jasper during their 13th annual Elk Festival. Dylan and I decided to get out and pretend like we were locals. Yeah, right! We stuck out like sore thumbs. First of all, most of the men had buzz cuts with trucker hats and the few that did have long hair had really long hair so that immediately caused us to stick out. In addition, Dylan was wearing a black Depeche Mode tshirt and his black shorts hanging off his ass L. A. Style. Uh huh. Jasper is a very small town and the entire population was there. There were a few that looked like they were dressed as hicks for halloween....but, of course, it wasn’t halloween. The poverty and depressed economy has really taken it’s toll across the US. Everywhere we’ve been, we’ve seen boarded up buildings, homes for sale and going out of business sales. People are really just getting by. It kind of opens your eyes to what’s going on out there.
The drive from Jasper to Lake Ouachita was a continuation of the long and windy road. Supposedly, Lake Ouachita is one of the largest lakes in Arkansas and is one of the cleanest. We weren’t overly impressed by the cleanliness but it was a beautiful lake. These lakes out here can’t hold a candle to some of the beautiful mountain lakes that we have in the West. Our campsite was acceptable but it was up the hill from the lake. Dylan and I spent our time riding bikes down to lake and doing some good trail riding on, yet, another very difficult trail. Once again, we were completely soaked by the time we got back to our campsite. I’m so happy that I got in shape before this road trip. I’ve been able to keep up with Dylan with no problems at all.
Ate fresh strawberries and had burgers again for dinner. It’s amazing, the strawberries are from Watsonville, CA and they’re less expensive here than in CA. Also, the price of gas is ridiculous!! I have been paying about $2.50 /gallon for a few days now! We’re getting ripped off!!! Another interesting thing is that there are these HUGE daddy long legs spiders everywhere!! They run and scatter as you walk by them and there’s a ton of them on the trees. They never really bothered us but they were a little weird. I found a frog at night and Dylan got to hold a frog for what he says is his first time. I couldn’t believe it but I supposed he is a city kid.
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