3/28 - I attended the No Kings Protest in Joplin, MO — and when people ask why Joplin, the honest answer is that it was close to where I already was. Simple as that. And I am so glad I went there.
When I arrived, the crowd was already substantial. I grabbed my freshly made sign and went to join everyone lined up along the side of the road. Apparently it was a really strong turnout for such a deeply red area. I ended up standing behind a few women who were sitting, struck up a conversation with Jan and a couple of her friends, and we became fast friends almost immediately. Shortly after, Jan's friend Bev arrived — cowbell in hand 😀.
And then there was Jason. I had made the well-intentioned but deeply misguided decision to invite him, thinking the more the merrier. He found me in the crowd and proceeded to talk my ear off. I tried every graceful exit I could think of, but the man was relentless. Thankfully, Bev, her husband Kerry, and Jan noticed my predicament and staged a little intervention — running interference and diverting his attention just enough to give me breathing room. By the end, I managed to convince him I needed to do laundry and wasn't up for food. I think the hint finally landed so he let me go in peace. 😬 Phew - that chapter is closed.
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| First time in MO - I think... |
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| One side of my sign |
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| The other side |
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| We the People are pissed |
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| Big crowd going around the corner |
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Worst Sequel Ever
I knew it would be BAD, but Holy Shit! |
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| One Nation, Under Trump, Divided, With Tyranny, and Injustice for all! |
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| Zoe trying out a new bed in Pet Smart (she likes them small!) |
Bev and Kerry invited me to park at their place and though I had planned on reserving a BW in Carthage, MO, I thought it would be more fun to stay with my new friends. It was a great place to stay and fun to visit with Bev and Kerry and enjoy their three lovely pups. We didn't introduce Zoe to the gang because they aren't used to having other dogs around and I'm all nervous after the attack so recently. They were kind enough to share dinner with me and offer me a shower. On the way there, I had done laundry, so needed my shower! There must have been something in my bed because ever since being at Palo Duro Canyon, I seemed to be getting bites overnight and they were quite irritated. It did seem that the clean sheets and shower mostly took care of that problem. I wonder what it was - I looked multiple times, but didn't find anything. And, no, I don't think they were bed bugs!
Bev and Kerry invited me to park at their place, and though I'd been planning to reserve a BW in Carthage, MO, it wasn't a hard decision to spend more time with new friends. It was a wonderful stop. We visited, relaxed, and enjoyed the company of their three lovely pups — though I kept Zoe separate from the gang. They're not used to other dogs around, and after the attack so recently, my nerves aren't quite back to normal yet. Better safe than sorry.
They were generous enough to share dinner with me and let me use the shower, which was so important as I'd done laundry on the way over. Laundry and a shower were needed especially because ever since Palo Duro Canyon, I'd been waking up with irritated bites and couldn't figure out what was causing them. I checked my sheets multiple times and never found anything — and before anyone asks, no, I do not think they were bed bugs! Whatever it was, the combination of clean sheets and a good shower seemed to do the trick, because the bites stopped after that. Mystery unsolved, but problem resolved.
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| Blue, Brownie, Petunia - siblings |
3/29 - Before heading out, Bev gave me a tour of her gardens — which are clearly going to be stunning when everything is in bloom. I made her promise to send photos.
She pointed me toward a nearby Italian restaurant she vouched for, so I stopped in. The space itself didn't really do anything for me ambiance-wise, so I opted for takeout and ate in the van with my girl — honestly my preferred dining arrangement anyway. I had a Mediterranean sea bass dish that was enormous and absolutely delicious. But the real star was the tomato basil soup I'd gotten as a starter. It was so good that I went back and got a bowl to go. 😋
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| Beautiful County Courthouse in Carthage, MO |
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| Still on Rte 66 |
Next stop was Jan's farm in Carthage to visit Jan, see her farm and her newly born calves. Jan has a charming little guest cabin on the property called the Coop De Ville (a converted chicken coop — get it? 😀), which is exactly as clever and cute as it sounds.
I ended up staying the night — not in the offered Coop De Ville, tempting as it was, but in my own home on wheels. Jan had just scored a massive haul of food from her food truck neighbors and insisted on sharing: pulled pork, mac and cheese, macaroni salad, potato salad, and baked beans. All of it wonderful. It was so much food that I was happily eating my way through it for the next three days. No complaints whatsoever.
I ended up staying another night, partly because I was genuinely enjoying myself and partly because the wind had other ideas. It was relentless. So Jan and I settled in, talked for hours, and discovered we have a lot in common — enough that the conversation never really stopped. We even share the same taste in beer, which naturally meant we had to verify that over a few cold ones. Good people, good beer, good conversation. Sometimes a windy night is a gift.
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| Kerry, Bev, Jan |
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| Beautiful barn and so square! |
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| Hmmm, I wonder if this would be a good place to nap... |
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| Weirdo |
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| Where's Waldo? |
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| Maybe this would be a good nap spot??? NOT! |
3/31 - Even though it was still windy, I decided to head out and go to Roaring River State Park. Jan said the roads were narrow and winding, so probably not great for driving my tall van, but I figured that it would actually be OK because I'd be driving slowly due to the winding roads. Jan wasn't kidding about the winding roads and steep hills. I felt like I was on a roller coaster! And the wind wasn't a problem most of the drive.
Despite the wind, I decided to push on and head to Roaring River State Park. Jan had warned me that the roads were narrow and winding — probably not ideal for a tall van in the wind — but I figured that if I was already going slowly for the curves, the wind wouldn't really be a bother.
Jan was not kidding. The roads twisted and climbed and dropped in ways I was not fully prepared for. It felt like a roller coaster — a very scenic roller coaster. As for the wind? Barely an issue for most of the drive. Turns out when you're taking the corners and hills slowly, the wind isn't much of an issue. My logic held up after all.
I got to Roaring River State Park and quickly picked a campsite before the ranger left for the day, then took Zoe for a walk along the river and to the fish hatchery.
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| Beautiful clear water, fresh from the spring |
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| So many fish! (at the hatchery) |
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| This spring produces an average of 20 million gallons per day and is over 470 feet deep (as far as drivers have gone) |
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| All rainbow trout. Apparently so many people fish here on the weekends that they have to release a huge number so people have something to catch. Most of them did not seem very big. |
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| This is where the spring starts, somewhere in there |
4/1 - Lazy day at the campground - I decided to stay another night; after 4 days of peopling, I'm enjoying the solitude again. I love meeting new people and hanging out with them and enjoyed every minute (minus Jason), but I need that down time to recharge.
There were tornado warnings, but we were on the edge of the warning area, and I don't think that tornadoes are as likely in the hills. We got no rain at all!
4/2 - Before heading out, I wanted to get a proper hike in. The trail had some steep ups and downs that definitely got my heart rate going, and the wildflowers along the way were lovely. It wasn't the most thrilling trail overall, but good exercise and pretty flowers — sometimes that's enough. After getting back to the campground and cleaning up with a good shower, I packed up and pointed Big Bertha toward Eureka Springs.
Eureka Springs — OMG. I am absolutely smitten with this charming little town. Narrow, winding streets climbing up and down steep hills, beautiful old buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s, gorgeous Victorian homes around every corner. So many people had told me to go, but I'd never looked it up — so I arrived with zero expectations and was completely blown away.
Yes, it's touristy, but in the best possible way — not obnoxious about it. What struck me most was how genuinely welcoming the town feels. It's wonderfully diverse, and about 30% of the population is gay, which is not exactly what you'd expect to find tucked into the hills of Arkansas. And the timing of my visit? This particular weekend happened to be both Diversity Weekend and Celebrate Jesus Weekend (also Easter).
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| Not sure what this is about |
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| Sweet Spring, one of the over 60 natural springs within the city limits. Most aren't built up like this |
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| This is the elevator in the Palace Bath House, but doesn't work anymore, obviously. It's one of the first cage elevators ever made - I think... |
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| Harding Spring |
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| Such nice landscaping |
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| So many beautiful old and well maintained Victorian homes. |
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| hummingbird moth? |
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| This little house is so cute, but so little space! |
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| Such a pretty plant, but I don't know what it is |
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| I was told I needed to go to BREWS as it's the local hangout, so I did and had an excellent grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and an IPA. Great people watching! |
4/3 - My first night in town, I parked on the street, but that changed quickly after I wandered into Adventure Art and met Amber and Lloyd. We got to chatting, and before long Amber offered to let me park at their place — and even use their spare bedroom if I wanted.
I ended up signing up for one of Amber's private watercolor classes, which turned out to be a great decision. I didn't paint much, but I learned a lot — color mixing, how to strengthen or soften a hue, the fundamentals. We worked with homemade paints: just a dab each of red, blue, yellow, and burnt sienna. Turns out you can make just about any color from those four if you know how to blend them.
After the class and a bit more exploring, I took Amber up on her parking offer. I stayed in the van but made use of their shower — best of both worlds. That night the storms rolled in hard and I didn't sleep great, but Zoe was completely unbothered, which was a relief. And Big Bertha? She came out of it looking like she'd just been through a car wash.
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| This is where I parked my first night in town. In front of the library. |
Morning walk enjoying all the old homes
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| The dogwoods were so gorgeous! |
I found the history of this hotel very interesting. It was built/opened in 1886 for the wealthy people flocking to Eureka Springs for the healing properties of the springs. (Sadly, the springs are considered contaminated now, so they are clearly not healing springs anymore!) Apparently the hotel is haunted... and they offer ghost tours, but I didn't go. I'm sure it's fun though.
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| Crescent Hotel, built on the top of the hill. It was built |
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| This desk was originally 6 sided, one side for each of Baker's businesses. |
4/4 - After more exploring, I started the morning with a breakfast burrito at So Good Kitchen — another spot that multiple people had insisted I couldn't leave town without trying, so I obeyed. And wow, the name really does say it all. This place has a perfect 5-star average on Google across 180 reviews, which I don't think I've ever seen before. Usually a rating that high comes with maybe a dozen reviews from friends and family. Not here — 180 people all agree. Having eaten there, I completely understand why. Choosing what to order was genuinely hard, which means there's a good chance I'll have to make a return visit before I leave town. Purely in the name of research, of course.
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| After the rain, the springs were running. Previously they were dry or just a trickle. |
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| I'm not sure how well you can tell how steep that street is. |
Walking into town from Amber and Lloyd's, I stumbled across these old ruins right off the street. I wandered in to take a closer look and noticed a jacket tucked inside one of the structures — clearly someone's spot. Then, as I was poking around, a long-haired guy emerged from the woods. I had a brief moment of nervousness... but then remembered where I was. This is Eureka Springs. He'd probably be fine. And of course, he was — friendly and completely harmless. We ended up chatting for a bit about the ruins, ticks, the town. Just one of those unexpected little encounters that makes wandering around a new place so great.
As I continued down the street, I could hear someone behind me and when I reached the bottom of the hill, I turned to him to find out who was stalking me. We started chatting and come to find out he lived in Burlington VT for about 10 years until 2022, when he and his husband moved to Sacramento. He says he could never move back east, which I can understand after spending roughly a year out west.
Earlier in the day, I had been in the van on the street with the door open and an older man stopped to talk to me about VT. He was a pastor in Vergennes (next town to where I lived) for years and moved from there to Eureka Springs some years ago. Small world!
A fun coincidence — Jan, from the farm back in Carthage, MO, happened to be visiting friends on Beaver Lake just outside town. She came into Eureka Springs to catch a band she knows from Joplin, and invited me along. I never need much convincing when live music is involved. They were great — lots of 80s tunes, a fun crowd, and exactly the kind of spontaneous evening that makes a trip like this so good.
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| Chelsea's Corner Cafe - Jan in the doorway. |
Before leaving Amber and Lloyd's house, I got to say bye to my new kitty friends.
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| Smudge - such a sweet cat and super friendly |
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| Tilly - I felt special because apparently she's very shy and doesn't come out to meet new people, but she did and was enjoying me petting her. 😍 |
4/5 - Jan invited me to visit with her and her friends at Beaver Lake and to play pickleball - sounds good! Because of the steep dirt roads, Mary and Jan led me to park at Jan (yes, two Jans!) and Kathy's pickleball court. After meeting Kathy and Jan and visiting for a while, Mary, Jan, and I went in Mary's car to her house down by the water. I'm glad I didn't drive down there as I'm not sure where I would have parked or turned around. They have a gorgeous house with a beautiful view of the lake. We had lunch of amazing lasagna leftovers and sausage and orzo soup, both made by Mary.
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| Beaver Lake - view from Jan and Kathy's |
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| Jan and Kathy's house from the pickleball court |
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| perfect and level parking spot - I hadn't planned on staying the night (I had no plan if I didn't though), but so happy I did! |
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| View from Mary and Betsy's house - closer to the water |
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| 😂😂 |
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| Can't say I've ever played (or will ever play) with such an amazing view! |
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| Jan, Mary, Jan, Kathy |
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| A beautiful ending to a great day! |
4/6 - Jan was supposed to go home today (all packed up and ready to go), but I convinced her to stay another night as she was able to coordinate animal care. We hung out, then played pickleball with the neighborhood crew, then enjoyed pizza while watching the sun set. The time goes so fast when hanging out with such great people!
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| Kenzie's pill time, so Zoe and Fergus got treats too. |
Today we were joined (or I should say that Jan and I joined them) by the neighborhood crew that regularly plays together. Both times we played we had to deal with some wind, which is always a challenge, but it makes it even more fun!
Doggie's chilling while we played pickleball.
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| Kenzie and Ruby |
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| Ruby and Zoey (Mary's Zoey). Apparently Ruby likes to share. |
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| Isn't she just precious??? |
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| Amazing sunsets! |
4/7 - My plan for the day was ambitious — War Eagle Caverns, War Eagle Mill, Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue. Way too much for one day, especially with my slow mornings. Kathy saved me some trouble by pointing out that Crystal Bridges is closed on Tuesdays, so that settled that. I also hadn't planned on coming back after the day's adventures, but Zoe had other ideas — she made it very clear she had no interest in leaving. So I made the easy call to leave her with Kathy and Jan and head out on my own. With Bentonville off the table, I set out to hit everything else. At some point I realized I probably wouldn't make it to Turpentine Creek either, and briefly considered swinging through Bentonville after all — but I hadn't left Zoe's dinner, the road signs warned of steep and winding roads ahead, and honestly there wasn't enough time to do it justice. So I let it go. Some things have to wait for my next visit.
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| Zoe would not follow me up to the van. I don't know if it was the steep driveway or Kathy? I think it was Kathy as she is like a pez dispenser for the pups. 😀😂 |
War Eagle Cave was a treat — I don't think I've ever been in a cave with a river actually running through it, so that alone made it feel different. It was made even more fun by a family of four who had never been in a cave before. Their reactions made the whole experience better. The guide was enthusiastic and did a good job, even though she was only a month in and couldn't answer a couple of my questions — which I've since completely forgotten, so clearly they weren't that pressing.
We came across a large pile of bat guano and our guide rattled off its many uses: mascara, fireworks, gunpowder. Turns out the mascara claim is a myth, and the fireworks connection is dubious at best. The gunpowder part, though, is real — it was actually harvested for that purpose during both the War of 1812 and the Civil War. And today it's still considered valuable as an exceptional fertilizer.
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| We saw a couple of these tri-colored bats. They are very small - maybe 3" long? There are also brown bats and another that live in the cave, but I guess they aren't often seen as they live farther back in the cave than people can go (without crawling). |
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| Before this was purchased and commercialized, they had to crawl through the water to get inside the cave, but since they have blasted areas so you could walk. I was the tallest person on our tour and had to duck a lot more than others. Apparently the first person to start opening up pathways was only 5'6". 😆 (I'm only 5'7-8".) |
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| What do you see? I see a very skinny bison. |
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| Looking up |
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| A lot of moonshine was made in this cave |
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| It was really odd to see a plant growing inside the cave. I guess the light bulb was enough for this fern. |
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| Good place to hide from the law. |
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| Looking up |
After the cave, I stopped by War Eagle Mill — which was a bit underwhelming, mostly because the water wheel was out of commission for repairs. And with time running short, Turpentine Creek didn't happen either, but it will be easy enough to hit on the way out tomorrow.
So I headed back to Kathy and Jan's, where I would stay another night. They invited me to hang out and share dinner with them again. They are so welcoming and generous! We spent the evening out on the deck — great conversation, that incredible view, and the kind of easy company that makes you feel instantly at home. Salt of the earth, both of them (along with all the others I met since entering MO and AR!). Then Jan brought out a homemade chicken pot pie that was fantastic, which might convert me to a pot pie fan! Jan thought it was dry, but it was perfect for me.
I mentioned to them that I'd picked out a couple of possible spots on their property for my tiny house. Just sayin'. 😀
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| War Eagle Mill missing it's water wheel |
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| And another beautiful ending |
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| Their pickleball clubhouse. And it had a lovely shower! |
After saying my goodbyes, I headed to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge — and this place is the real deal. They rescue big cats and other animals from some truly awful situations, and I had no idea before visiting just how rampant the backyard breeding of big cats actually is. People will do anything for money.
The philosophy there is all about giving the animals as natural a life as possible. No contact whatsoever — two layers of fencing at all times, and whenever keepers need to enter an enclosure, the animal is moved elsewhere first. Veterinary procedures mean tranquilization. It's serious, thoughtful care.
Along with the big cats, they have two bears. I got to see the grizzly through a window while he lounged in his den, and he was absolutely enormous. I would have loved to see him out and moving around, but just that glimpse was something.
Our tour group was small and I seemed to be the only one peppering the guide with questions — but she was great and clearly loved talking about the animals. One thing I got wrong: I thought they closed at 4, but actually their last tour starts at 4. Feeding is at 4:30, and apparently if you stick around after that, the animals are more active and visible. Of course I found this out too late. Guess I'll just have to come back!
You'll notice there is a lot of napping going on!
After Turpentine, I stopped at Grotto Spring in Eureka Springs, but found it a bit underwhelming.
I had left Zoe to look after Big Bertha, so I was able to for a quick walk at a decent pace. Along the way, I came across this house for sale and the woman who owned it was outside. I asked if she was the owner and she said, "for now". Apparently it had gone under contract the day before. It's a small house (650 sq ft), on the tiny house theme (I think more like 400 sq ft). I told her to let me know if the sale fell through and I started to walk away. And they I went back and asked if she would mind showing it to me since I wouldn't be around to look at it if the sale fell apart. So, she did. It's cute and pretty affordable. I figure I could rent it out while I was away. But then when I think about it more, I don't want to own a house. And the layout wouldn't work well. There is a loft bedroom with a steep ladder to get up there, but she did put a toilet up there - which was good thinking! The real bedroom is supposed to be downstairs, but I don't see where a bed would go as there is no real wall space for a bed. I guess you could have it in the middle of the room. 😂 The porch was amazing though. I'm sure I'd live out there!
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| Thorncrown chapel - quite the architecture! |
Then onto Lake Leatherwood City Park to camp for the night.
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| View from my site. |
4/9 - Checkout wasn't until 2, so Zoe and I had time to explore. We headed out for a casual stroll down the nearby trail - tea mug in hand - and resulted in us going a little further and then a little further and then too far to turn around. We ended up doing the full 4 mile loop! It was warm and sunny, but most of the trail was in the trees, so it wasn't bad. Zoe was an absolute champ. The trail wound alongside the water, which was perfect — she had plenty of chances to drink and cool off, and I took every opportunity to splash her down. The path itself was fairly flat with minimal hills, which helped. Still, I can't remember the last time she went more than a mile, so four felt like a genuine accomplishment. I'm sure it was a lot for her arthritis and age, but you'd never have known it. She kept right up the whole way.
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| Waterfall over the dam |
True to the Eureka Springs' vortex 😆, I decided to stay another night. I was really enjoying my campsite and the park and just chilling out.
4/10 - I really am going to leave today, but not until after I go back into town, say bye to Amber and Lloyd and get lunch at So Good Kitchen. I had not planned this (though I did consider it), but I stayed just long enough for them to be open again. They did not disappoint!
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| I woke in the AM to see this van parked near me with VT plates. So funny since there were probably a total of 5 campsites taken in the whole park. |
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| Yep, lots of ticks and this one is a Lonestar tick (which can cause Alpha Gal Syndrome - a potentially very serious meat allergy). Thankfully neither of these were attached. This is the only downside I've seen so far. |
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| Parting shot 😂😂😂😂 |
Stepping back for a moment — this whole stretch, starting at the No Kings Protest where I met Bev and Jan, then Amber and Lloyd, then Kathy and Jan, and Mary and Betsy — has been really something. It's not often that people you've just met invite you into their homes. It's happened to me a few times on this trip, and every single time it catches me off guard in the best way. To have it happen this many times in the span of two weeks feels almost unreal.
Traveling around and seeing beautiful places, stumbling onto interesting things — that's all wonderful. But it's these connections, these people who open their doors to a stranger with a van and a dog, that make me love this life as much as I do. I feel incredibly lucky.
Eureka Springs, I'll be back!
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