The Ozark Mountains and National Forest 4/28/2008

On Sunday 4/27 we left Little Rock and went about 70 miles west. We stopped at Russellville Arkansas. The next morning we drove the car up Rt 7 towards Harrison Arkansas. This was the northern part of a National Geographic suggested drive that was to introduce us to the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas (Thanks again Joanne). This region of the state is pretty desolate and poor and we encountered very little active commerce, as we know it, other than the Triple Oak Gift Shop, where I bought a hand made turkey call. The mountains are very pretty. We had lunch at a very good country restaurant called the Cliffside Inn. Named for it's location which is hanging over what is called the Arkansas Grand Canyon. The burgers and fries were exceptional. After we left the Cliffside we circled west and south and ended up in the Buffalo River Valley. Elk have been reintroduced into this area but we were not fortunate enough to spot any. We met the caretakers at the campground we happened upon, who told us that the Elk have been in the field almost every night for the past few weeks. This was a very pretty place with a lot of recreation potential. Canoeing, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, etc. The park was tent camping only. The ride gave us the flavor we were looking for and was pretty much what I expected the Ozarks to be. Pretty virgin country. We had a great day.