Listing Through Life

On our way to Mount Magazine, we passed through the thrilling town of Havana. We stopped at the lone gas station for snacks. There were a few houses, but this building was pretty much all there was to the rest of town. I thought it was interesting, both for the ghost signs and for the variety of things they evidently sold there over the years.

I can’t make out all of what this sign says. The blue part says “Big Smith.” There is a brand of bib overalls by that name, and I wouldn’t be surprised to discover they were popular in Havana, Arkansas.

Peters Diamond Brand Shoes

Borden’s Ice Cream (and I think the ghost sign under it says “groceries.”

Sterling Paints and Coca-Cola

I guess when there’s just one store in town …

After seeing the elk, we cut back over to Highway 7 on a side road through the exciting communities of Swain, Nail and Deer.  The scenery was still stunning and became more so as the sun set. We were trending east, but the road twisted around enough to give us frequent looks.

It was a few minutes after 5:00 when we cruised through Deer. My brother-in-law pointed out a small restaurant called Cook ies Cafe [sic] and asked if we were hungry. The kids weren’t thrilled, but I was up for more adventure. We turned around and went back.

The parking lot was lined with pickups (we fit right in) and the tables in the main dining room were crowded with locals who stared at us when we walked in. The waitress, who wore a T-shirt that said “I’ve paid for my sins” guided us to a back dining room that we had all to ourselves.

Shortly after we sat down, an older man, rather dressed up, entered the room and started rearranging the furniture. We asked the waitress if we were interrupting a party. The waitress said, “No, Brother Denver just likes to come in once in a while and sing.” At least, I think that’s what she said — I needed an interpreter most of the time for her Arkansan accent.

Our cheeseburgers were delicious, much better than Whatta-burger’s, and the French fries, onion rings and chocolate shakes were too.

Brother Denver sang about six southern gospel songs while we ate. He glanced our way once in a while, but for the most part seemed to be lost in his own world. When we finished and left, he kept singing. Here’s the view from the cash register as he continues singing to an empty room.

It took us another hour to get back to the house. My daughter and I piled our luggage in the car and drove another hour to my father- and mother-in-law’s place my wife’s two younger brothers and their families were hanging out. We sat around chatting and laughing for an hour or so — the perfect cap to a nearly perfect day.

Lost Valley, near Ponca, Arkansas, is part of the Buffalo National River. None of us had ever been there before or knew much about it. When we first started walking the trail, it didn’t seem very exciting. The first “waterfall” looked like this. That’s Clark Creek, which disappeared underground at several points in the valley.

But we were there, and we were well supplied with Blueberry Pop-tarts, so we kept walking. This tree, with a hole large enough for me to squeeze through, was still alive.

As we walked along, the scenery got better.

And better.

And better.

This is the Natural Bridge. Clark Creek passes through a tunnel in the rock.

I circled the little basin and climbed up into the cave behind the falls.

Here’s what I saw.

I took this photo looking back the way I’d come.

Another shot taken inside the tunnel.

Right after I climbed out of the tunnel, I turned around and took this shot.

The cliffs above the tunnel were coated with icicles.

This shot is looking up the valley. It’s one of my favorite photos from the trip.

By this time, the cliffs above above us were towering.

Underneath the valley wall was a large scooped out area that formed a huge cavern. Water was dripping from the cliff and landing on the ground and trees. The resulting ice formations were amazing.

A short hike later, and we came upon Eden Falls.

Part of the creek came down the valley and part came out of Eden Cave, located out of sight to the left in the photos above.

The cave ceiling is rather low near the entrance. Supposedly it opens up further back, where the creek forms a 30-foot waterfall. I tried to make my way back to see it, but without a flashlight it soon got much too dark. I even had to use the flash on my camera to see well enough to return to the entrance. Here’s a flash photo I took inside the cave.

Near the cave mouth.

The light was fading fast in the late afternoon, so we didn’t stick around long. But all five of us were in awe of the incredible beauty of the place. I’d like to go back sometime and spend a day.