We left Huntsville Friday afternoon and it was about an hour to Shores Lake. The timing of this trip was actually good because this past weekend in NW Arkansas was a festival called bikes, blues and BBQ. This meant that thousands and thousands (more than I've ever seen before at one time) were driving all of NW Arkansas. I don't have anything against bike riders but it does present a bigger driving hazard for regular vehicles at times.
We got to the camping area and were somewhat surprised at how many people were already there setting up camp. We found a site that was pretty good and not directly by a bunch of other campers. It turns out that this weekend was the start of bow season for deer hunting which accounted for some of the campers there. Josh and I then cooked hot dogs over the fire and had smores for dessert. It was yummy.
On Saturday we woke up and had a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and onions and bacon. It was sooo good. We then attempted to go hiking on a trail at this park but a little ways into the trail you could tell that it had not been kept up and was completely over-grown. So Josh started walking across a creek and through woods that did not have a clear trail. This kind of hiking (without a clear, cut trail) makes me nervous but not because I think Josh will get us lost. Rather I get nervous because of my really big fear of anything other than cats. To me it just seems like you are more likely to run into animals I don't want to see if you walk where there is no trail. However, we made it safely on our little trek and made it back to camp. I was surprised because Josh bought me new hiking boots (my last pair my parents bought when I was 13) and they really were water proof. I walked through the creek and my feet didn't get wet. It was nice!
Later that day we decided to go to White Rock (another national park) and hike there since we were so disappointed with the trail at Shores Lake. This park we also visited in December and it has beautiful views. Unfortunately when we got there we soon realized that this park too had trails that were overgrown. I guess the government funding for keeping up federal parks has been cut or something. It's a shame...
When we got back to camp it turns out that even more people wanted to camp and we had two groups of people that were camping directly on either side of us. For supper we had hamburgers and baked potatoes cooked in the camp fire. They were the best potatoes I've ever eaten and if you know me you know I love potatoes and have eaten tons of them.
Unfortunately one set of our new neighbors were very loud and did not follow the posted rules that said you were supposed to be quiet between the house of 10 pm to 6 am. It was getting close to 1 am before they quieted down. I was really tired before 1 am and not able to sleep and after 1 am.
Sunday we got up (even though it was so cold I didn't want to get out of the sleeping bag) ate breakfast, relaxed a little and packed up and headed home. It was a good camping trip and I was so glad that I got to spend more time with Josh. I love sitting by a camp fire and eating "camping" food.
Here are a few pictures from our trip:
View at White Rock
Another view at White Rock
The leaves have just started to change and that made me happy. I love Fall and the changing of the leaves. I can't wait to see more in the next few weeks.
This is a pretty butterfly we saw on one of our hikes.
Another pretty tree at White Rock.
Josh made some pine needle tea which he said wasn't as strong as some he has made in the past. I tasted a small sip and it wasn't that bad but I don't know that I would drink a bunch all at once.
Our tent
My wonderful husband and best friend. There is no one I'd rather go camping with.
No comments:
Post a Comment