Our drive today started with the “Scenic 7” Byway which leads from Hot Springs up in to the Ozark Mountains of Northern Arkansas. Or at least, it started after a slight navigational glitch which had us driving 10 miles in the wrong direction!
However once on track we took a meandering road up through heavily forested country through the Ouachita National Forest. The Scenic 7 had been described in my guidebook as one of the “most scenic drives in America” – which leads me to think that the author had never set foot ANYWHERE in the Southwest. The Scenic 7 was pretty and green, yes, but except for a couple of minor overlooks there’s no way I’d call it scenic… trees are not really all that scenic when there is nothing else to contrast them too!
One of the stops was at the “Grand Canyon of the Ozarks”. We’ve now seen the original “Grand Canyon”, the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”, which is in Hawaii, and also the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone”, which is in Yellowstone National Park. None of the those parks needs to feel threatened by the “Grand Canyon of the Ozarks”! Again it was a pretty outlook, but really nothing special.
However, one thing they do with style in this part of the country is weather! Not long after here we drove through a simply awful thunderstorm, it came on suddenly and the rainfall was, we agreed, the heaviest we have EVER experienced. Neil kept driving but at a slow pace with hazard lights blinking.
We made a short stop at the Buffalo River, for a coffee and a snack. It was a lovely cool spot ona hot and humid day.
The weather dried up by the time we arrived in Eureka Springs, which is a very touristy little town in the far north of the state. It is a Victorian resort town which got it start as a holiday destination because of it’s healthy spring waters. The old town area is delightful with gorgeous old Victorian buildings clinging to the steep hillsides. The entire city is on the National Register of Historic Places . We went for a walk up and down the steep meandering streets.
The town is a big tourist destination not only because of its history but also for the huge outdoor Passion Play that is staged here over several weekends in the summer months. It is regularly performed from May through October by a cast of 170 actors and dozens of live animals. It has been seen by an estimated 7.7 million people! Just up the road from the Passion Play ampitheatre is the huge 7 storey high “Christ of the Ozarks” Statue.
It’s a fascinating little city because as well as the huge draw of the religious events, the many winding roads in the area draw and enormous number of recreation motorbike riders – we saw many hotels advertising that they welcomed Bikers and there were many stores catering to their needs as well – “Buy your leathers here!”
To add to the mix, the city is also one of the most progressive in the state. We finally came across some Democrat political signs here and on May 10, 2014, Eureka Springs became the first city in Arkansas to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
I had booked us into a quaint B & B, The Peabody Inn, which is in a reconstruction of an original Victorian Boarding House. It was very cute and peaceful but Neil had a job heaving our suitcases up all the stairs!
