Once we hit the road, our first stop, Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas. The park is nestled in a river valley in the far western AR. mountains and approx 40 miles north of I-40. The park has several hiking trails and a river running through it. Waterfalls and steeped in 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps history. However, on our visit, due to the drought and middle of summer, the waterfalls were all dry and the river was down to a trickle. It is still a beautiful park and we had a great time.
We arrived on Tuesday along with our little 5 year old grand daughter Clara. We spent a few days having some good ole Gama/Gampa Clara time all to ourselves before the rest of the gang rolled in. We set up camp and on Friday our daughter and her family came in along with our son and his family on Saturday.
Before the gang showed up, we had found a secluded swimming hole which we had all to ourselves for most of the stay. Here Clara and Sheryl enjoy a nice cool dip, escaping the 90+ heat of the day.
After Kaileigh and Josh showed up, it was time for Sheryl and I to strike out on our own little adventure. Sheryl has not been hiking for a couple years due to her back issues, but she is feeling so much better now, she really impressed me on the mile and a half hike which even had me winded at times.
There is actually a little water in the park, a small lake, made by a 1930 era dam. The water is usually flowing over the dam and the lake much larger. The lake was still large enough to put the kayaks in and get a good paddle around. This is the first time Clara had ever been in a kayak and she loved it.
Of course when everyone show up, it was time for all of us to hit the swimming hole. We even got Clara to jump off the rocks and that was quite a feat for her!!! The rest of the time was just a whole lot of relaxing, visiting and good food. It was great to get the kids together, with everyone's hectic lives, these are treasured moments.
I'll leave you with a few of my favorite images of the park. Next stop for us, Ft Smith, AR.
Until next time, Keep Lovin Your Life As We Do Ours!!!
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