Arkansas

The campground in the Mississippi River State Park was excellent. We had a pull-through site right on the lake; it was perfectly level, and close to the best bath rooms we have ever seen (and believe me, we have seen a wide range). Over-night, and especially in the morning, there was intermittent heavy rain and thunder. But by the time we got up, the rain had stopped and the day gradually cleared. However, it made us aware of the high stage of the river.

When we left, we went back to the Visitor Center for Jean to do some shopping in the gift store. I asked if the road through the park was part of the Great River Road. I was told that, as I suspected, it was. Then they mentioned that it eventually turns to gravel, and parts of it were currently under water; which made me glad I didn’t go the other way when we left the campground. So we retraced our steps to the original Visitor Center that had sent us to the campground and rejoined the River Road below Helena.

The trip south in Arkansas is on two-lane country roads, some badly pot-holed, and running between huge, flat fields that hadn’t been planted yet due to the wet conditions. In other words, pretty much like Mississippi on the other side of the river. The Delta is the Delta, on either side. It is basically river-bottom; flat and rich (though not with the very dark soil you associate with that word). About the only difference we noted is that Arkansas had more grain bins and as far as we could tell, no cotton gins (and no casinos). I became glad that I had topped up the fuel tank, because we didn’t see many gas stations.

One of the places we were interested in was the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge (they don’t believe in short names here). We missed a turn due to a small sign, and worried that we had missed the Visitor Center. However, the woods on both sides of the road were flooded, so we suspected that the NWR was probably closed. Eventually, we did come to the Visitor Center — much better signed. It was not flooded out, so we went in. We were the only visitors, and it was a while before someone from the staff showed up and told us what was still available. The Center has a small but nice museum. We also walked out on a deck and looked down into the flooded woods. There was a short hiking trail open, but we decided to give it a pass (for some reason, we were rather tired). So after about an hour we pressed on.

By now it was late afternoon and we were getting hungry, so when we got to a small town, called DeWitt, we headed downtown to get something to eat. At least it wasn’t Sunday, so we had good expectations. Downtown was just as deserted as Clarksburg on Sunday; the only place we spotted was a dodgy-looking Chinese restaurant. After driving around for a while, we ended up eating at the grille of a Piggly Wiggly store. The food was reasonably good and not expensive, so I guess we did okay.

It was getting late, so we started looking for a place to put our heads down for the night. Working the phone (apps and using it to actually call places) we found a Corps of Engineers campground about 21 miles away that would be open ‘til 6:00, so we continued on our way.

The River Road in Arkansas is well away from the Mississippi. With all the flooding we saw, it is easy to imagine why they don’t build roads close to the river. So it was a pleasure to arrive at the campground, which is right on the Arkansas River. As with most of the Corps campgrounds we have seen, the sites are well separated, with lots of grass between them. We weren’t within view of the river, but it was a very pleasant spot.

It was pretty cold the next morning, so we stayed in our nice, warm bed a little longer than usual. The day was overcast, as they have been for a while. We were rigged for the road and ready to leave when an alarm went off. It was not one we were familiar with; it sounded like the alarm on the refrigerator but beeping much faster. We checked everything we could think of, but couldn’t find the source. Eventually, about a half an hour later, we determined that it was coming from the microwave, which we never use. I tried turning off the breaker, but that didn’t stop it. Looking for the outlet where the microwave was plugged in, Jean opened a galley drawer and discovered that it was the kitchen timer going off. We have no idea why it started, we haven’t used that timer in months.

Jean silenced the timer, we shook our heads, and drove off. After pausing for a look at the Arkansas River, we got back on the road, next stop Arkansas City. That was described as the last remaining old steamboat stop. When we got there, we found a town that was small, but not deserted. There are three old, abandoned stores along what had been the waterfront. Now, they just face a 60-foot levee.

Arkansas City old waterfront

After taking some pictures, we drove around a little and discovered the county courthouse. That is probably the main business of the town today.

 After taking some courthouse pictures, I had a conversation with an old gentleman who is the judge. He told me some of the history of the town. He mentioned that the courthouse was built in 1900 and still has its original bell (for the clock, apparently). The town was flooded in 1927 (the levee break was farther upstream) and the river moved away from the town; but they ended up raising the levee another 20 feet. He also said that the high water crested yesterday. I didn’t think to go up on the levee (admittedly it was closed) to see where the river is today.

After Arkansas City, we continued on to Lake Village, which is located on the shores of Lake Chicot, the biggest oxbow lake in the country. It looks like a pleasant-enough town but we only stopped to fuel up. I try not to let the gauge get below ½ since it is so far between gas stations out here in the boonies.

We crossed back into Mississippi near a town called Clarksburg, where we rejoined the Mississippi portion of the Great River Road. Of course, the first thing we saw in Mississippi was a casino. We ended the day in a state park campground which, luckily for us, has laundry facilities. We expect to lay over a day and catch up with our laundry.