Aux Arc = Ozark

Location: Aux Arc Corps of Engineer Campground; Ozark, Arkansas

This is another campground near a Lock/Dam/Powerhouse on the Arkansas River. I like the location of these campgrounds a lot because when I'm on the computer, the view out the back window is peaceful. One of the main goals for this trip was to find peace of mind, soul and body. The level of success has been above average. My memory demons have come out and played a couple of times but I was able to control them instead of vice versa. I attribute a lot of the success to the great campsites, campgrounds and weather. 

The dam and campground are located on the inside of a large bend in the Arkansas River. Since the French were some of the original western explorers in the area, they called the location, Aux Ark. Which loosely translated means "the bend", "a bend", "big bend", etc, etc. Well, the locals and people just passing through started slurring Aux Ark into Ozark which stuck. Ozark started being used for large portions of Arkansas as well as a mountain range. Who would have thought it was the Frenchy's? 

This looks like an aerial view but it is from the mountain top on the opposite side of the river from the campground. One of those white dots to the right of the dam is Liberty

This is the downstream side of the structure. That's the powerhouse on the left, then the dam and part of the lock. I had to wait until a campsite was empty in a different loop of the campground to get a picture of the downstream side. It does not appear to be any water passing through the powerhouse or gates. 

This campground is different than most other COE's. It has been about 90% full since I've been here and several of the RV's appear to be be long term stays. Usually there is a 14 day limit at COE's. It may be just because of spring break though. The extra amount of people hasn't bothered me at all and my campsite is very nice. I chose well.

I remembered to get a travel picture. Although it is just the Interstate, I'm reminded that a few readers mentioned they liked the travel pictures because it showed what different parts of the country looked like. That was years ago,

Pretty good campsite, uh? That's the upstream side of the dam in the background.

Nice daytime view of the Ozark Lock & Dam out the back window

 

I like this picture. It is of the powerhouse right after they turn on the outside lights. They usually come on right around sundown. You can still see the blue sky in the background. I forgot to turn off my interior lights to avoid the inside reflection. If I remember, I'll take a better one tonight and replace this one.

This bench was at the end of my campground walk. It is a comfortable bench and I used it to sort through my thoughts while catching a little rest before heading back to Liberty.

A look through part of the campground while on my walk. It gives an idea how close the river is to the RV on that side of the road.

I found an empty campsite on the other end of my loop to take a picture of the river.

I'm not sure if this sign is lit up at night but it doesn't seem to be so. That's strange, if it is important enough to see during daylight, why not at night?

This is the only decent sunrise picture that I've taken. It is taken from the doorway of Liberty. Another reason I chose this site. ** Post Edit, I added the next sunrise picture

I added this picture the day after posting. It is from the morning on moving day and is looking out of Liberty's door. Sunrise and Smoke on the Water,,,,Not bad, uh?

There wasn't anything in the area that caught my attention to explore so basically it has been a take it easy kind of stay. But tomorrow is moving day and it will be another short haul of around 50 miles to another COE. This one will be near Fort Smith with many exploration opportunities.

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road. 

Dardanelle & Mount Nebo (Mostly Pictures)

Locaton: Old Post Road Campground (COE); Russellville, Arkansas

It is the morning of my 3rd day here and time to make a post before moving on to the next campground. I've stayed here before because it is just downstream (yeah, I broke my rule, I know) of Dardenelle Lock, Dam & Powerhouse. I have a special connection to the dam since my father was the Concrete Superintendent on part of the original project back in the 1960's. One of my favorite stories is about my brother and concrete pour on that dam. I mentioned it in a previous post back in 2017 but will copy and paste it as a caption to a picture in this post. Everything I've done while here, I've done before and posted about it so this post will be mostly pictures. Here we go,,,,

I chose a pretty good campsite right on the banks of the river. The sun set over that mountain in the background but it's been so overcast, there hasn't been a good sunset in days. The campground filled up quickly yesterday (Saturday) but is emptying out quickly this morning.

The view out my back window. I took it this morning on the day I'm leaving. I don't know why I haven't taken one with a tow and barges passing by. Maybe I'll get one before I leave today.

I was able to get one looking out my door.

This is what I was looking for on this trip. I purposely camped on the banks of the Arkansas so I would watch the tow boats work. Remember, it takes 58 - 18 Wheelers to haul the same amount of cargo as 1 barge. This tug is pushing 6 barges although the normal tow is 8. 

Dardanelle Rock has been a landmark along the river for centuries. 

View of the dam from the opposite side of the river from where I'm camped. That is the powerhouse on the left, the dam and then the locks.

Close up view of the downstream lock gate. On average, 1,000,000 TONS of cargo per MONTH passes through that lock.

This is the same lock as the above picture except it is now open since a tow boat has just locked through, going downstream. The lock lift is the highest on the Arkansas River with a max lift of 54 feet.

I liked this picture that I took after walking down to the bank. Here is the story about my brother's adventure in the construction industry.

One of those concrete pours in the dam is the one that "encouraged" my older brother to go to college. He graduated high school while we lived here and started work in one of the several concrete crews my father supervised. This was intended to be a summer job before starting college in the fall. He liked the money and mentioned to my father and mother that he would just as soon work construction instead of going to college. That was a mistake. The next concrete pour, little did my brother know, but my father told the foremen to work my brother just short of killing him. When that 10 hour pour was over, my brother was covered head to toe in concrete and he was flat worn out. That evening while eating supper, he informed my parents that he had changed his mind and thought college was a great idea. He didn't learn about my father's "teaching experience" for several years after her graduated from Arkansas Tech, located right here in Russellville. Yep, my brother stayed behind while my parents, sister and I went to the next project, this time in Pennsylvania. 

This is actually what I walked down to the bank to see. It is some type of concrete boxes scattered out and jumbled together. They go for a few hundred feet in each direction. I'm not sure what they are or if they are even part of the bank stabilization. Perhaps a reader knows for sure.

A bench looking at a large BBQ pit? I guess you can see the river as well.

The Redbuds are blooming with a freeze warning for tonight. 

A visit to Mount Nebo is a requirement if you're in this area. We used to visit it when I lived here in the 60's. 

This is a pretty good view but you're not even at the top yet.

A bench with a view. That plume of steam in the distance is from a Nuclear Power plant that provides about 70% of the total electrical needs of Arkansas. So within 25 miles, you have Nuclear and Hydro power plants with a fantastic lake. Pretty neat, uh?

Every great view always has a great bench.

This picture is from this morning. He is heading down stream and just locked through. I guess he came by to saw Goodbye.

Today is moving day and I have a very short tow ahead of me. I'll only by going about 50 miles upstream to a place that gave Ozark it's name. 

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road. 

Nature & Technology, Together

 Location: Toad Suck Ferry Corps of Engineers Campground; Conway, Arkansas about 15 miles northwest of Little Rock on the Arkansas River

Better vibes, better feelings. One of the great things about this traveling lifestyle is that you can change just about everything by moving campgrounds, including your attitude. The move was only about 100 miles but it crossed that imaginary line I mentioned in the last post. I left the Arkansas Delta behind and entered the foothills of the Ozarks and Quachita Mountains. I crossed the line around Little Rock where the feeling and outlook changed quickly.

A tow boat and barges dropped by to say bye as I was hitching up to leave Rising Star Campground.

This picture was taken from the levee as I was leaving Rising Star. In the future when I think of the Arkansas Delta land, this is what I will be thinking about.

It was a nice travel day since the front had passed through the area just the other day. This is the last of the Delta.

This is the transition area. If you look down the road, you can see the skyscrapers of Little Rock.

This is just north of Little Rock on I-40 as I'm approaching Conway. I sure do like that new Asphalt pavement. Really nice.

This campground is next to Toad Suck Ferry Lock & Dam Number 8. I chose to be in the section of the campground that is upstream of the dam. I used to say I would never sleep downstream and close to a dam because anything man-made is subject to fail. I still believe that, although I have broken that rule a time or two in the past. I like this campground and got a good vibe upon entering it. I arrived a few hours before check-in and no one was at the check-in booth. There was a sign saying to set up in your reserved campsite and return to the booth after 4:00 to finishing checking in. Around 3:30 I got a knock on the door and the camp hosts were giving me my information so I wouldn't have to return to the booth. To me, that is going above and beyond. The campground is clearly being maintained in top-notch condition. I'm glad everything jived, I needed it.

My campsite at Toad Suck with Lock & Dam no. 8 in the background.

Nice view of the upstream side of the dam.

Downstream of the dam with fishermen casting in the eddy part of the dam. 

And wouldn't you know it, I found a nice, comfortable bench.
Sit,,,,,Rest,,,,,Think,,,,,Remember,,,,Find Peace

There is not as much barge traffic on the Arkansas River around here as there was in the Delta region. Probably just the time of year. I was able to see one set of barges lock thru early this morning around sunrise. I'm guessing they over-nighted along the banks of the river upstream of here and waited for daylight to approach the locks. This set of locks lift/lower barge traffic about 15 feet. Sadly, there isn't any hydro-electric facilities at this dam. I'm assuming that back in the 60's when the river was being tamed, the hydro technology didn't exist for a 15 foot head (difference in elevation) dam. It exists now a days and maybe it will be retrofitted to this location sometime in the future.

Sunrise this morning. Again, the person who chose this campsite did good, uh?

I took this one while I was out looking at the sunrise and the smooth river. Then I noticed the tow boat and barges sneaking down to the lock. Slow, steady and quiet.

 

I liked this one. Notice the river is so smooth the tow boat and barges are creating their reflection in the water. Also the sun was peaking through a crack in the picnic table cover. It was a nice memorable morning. 

I know there are lots of arguments in the country about leaving nature alone and pristine. I agree with that in parts of the country, with the best example in my mind being Canyonlands National Park. There is no reason to ruin that place with any technology and I was proud there wasn't any commercialization at all when I visited there. However, I see nothing wrong with the technology that is in place that makes the Arkansas River navigable and prevents major flooding. It also gives me cheap and well maintained campgrounds. I believe, in most instances (maybe 90% of the time), nature and technology can exist side by side. Of course, I'm saying that as I'm looking out my back window at a pretty lake/river created by a big dam. 

I may be backtracking tomorrow. My ex-wife, her sister and niece are visiting Hot Springs and since I'm only 1 1/2 hours away, I may join them for lunch or breaksfast. I'll make my mind up in the morning after seeing how my night goes. 

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.   

Leaving the Arkansas Delta

 Location: Rising Star Corps of Engineers Campground; Grady, Arkansas (about 15 miles south of Pine Bluff, Ark)

Today is day 3 of 3 at this campground and it is the last of the campgrounds I'll be staying at that are located in the Arkansas River Delta area of the state. The state has two distinct geological regions. Those two regions are separated by an imaginary line from the northeast corner to the southwest corner of the state. Everything to the northwest side of that line is basically the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. Everything generally southeast of that line, which is where I've been for the last week or so, is considered the Delta area. It is a flat farmland area that grows rice, soy beans, corn, wheat and cotton. I was surprised to learn that Arkansas grows about 50% of the total rice grown in the country. 

The only exploring I did while here was a laundromat (wash-a-teria), Walmart and a pretty good Chinese buffet place. 

This looking back at Liberty on one of my walks in the campground.

One of the good things about camping near the river is being able to watch the Tow Boats work. 

I found a nice bench on the banks of the river in the campground. It was good for watch the barge traffic as well as a semi-nice sunset. 

Due to the need for a large amount of farm labor, the delta area was dominated by slavery plantations before the Civil War. After the war, massive farm labor was still needed so the "sharecropping" and "tenet farming" systems were created. Mechanization, primarily tractors, replaced the sharecropping system in the late 1930's which created what I'm seeing today. The amount of farmland hasn't changed in hundreds of years, but the number of people needed per acre has changed dramatically. With that change, it appears to me that instead of small tightly knit communities of sharecropping families, we now have farms with one or two homes and those farms are separated by miles. I am just a stranger passing through this area but I get an underlying feeling of sadness around here. I've visited many isolated places in this country and the only other place I've gotten this sort of sad vibe feeling was from some of the Indian Reservations, not the rich casino areas, but the dirt poor areas in the back of the reservation. This feeling has surprised the heck out of me and I hope it passes quickly as I leave here tomorrow.

Tomorrow is moving day and I'll continue to follow the Arkansas River upstream as it heads northwest of here. The next campground will also be on the banks of the river but about 100 miles north on the edge of the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains. There should be a distinct change in scenery and hopefully a change in my vibes. We will see. 

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe, I'll Cya down the road.   

A Sad Time in U.S. History

 Location: Pendleton Bend COE Campground; Gillet, Arkansas. About 50 miles south of Pine Bluff on the Arkansas River

My original reason for coming to this campground was to not only camp along the Arkansas River but to explore the Arkansas Post. The Post was a trading post dating back to the time way before the Louisiana Purchase. It was located on the opposite side of the river from where I'm camped. I visited it yesterday and it was a bust. There is a small state operated museum which ranked maybe a 3 out of 10. I wasn't too disappointed since I'm used to being jaded to those type of museums and my expectations are low. I expected more from the National Arkansas Post Memorial located near the original post but was again disappointed. Oh well, a person can't hit home runs all the time. And, having the freedom and ability to explore, even if it's a bust, is a benefit all its own. There are many that are not afforded that luxury. I will always be grateful for ",,,,the sweet smell of freedom hanging heavy in the air." (RIP Malia)

I got a great campsite. The campground was empty, not even a camp host. The ranger called me and apologized about not having anyone in the campground. Apparently they were switching out hosts and the new one isn't due here until this weekend. That is the Arkansas River to the right. 

One decent sunset of the three nights

The view out my back window. Notice the gun on the table. It was a bit sketchy and I felt a little exposed. After 10 years on the road, this is the first time I've taken my gun out of my gun bag and had it readily available. 

A great campsite to watch the tows working on the river.

What they say is sometimes true. When one door closes, another opens. While looking around in Google Earth, I found something close by (<50miles) that interested me. It was listed as Rohwer Heritage Site. After doing a little research, I learned that during World War II, Arkansas had two Japanese Internment Camps. One of them was the Rohwer site. Also, there was a World War II Japanese American Internment Museum at McGehee which was within that 50 mile radius. I visited both sites today. I also did some research on the subject before going.

I don't want to get too deep in the weeds on this subject so I'll try to summarize the best I can while still emphasizing how important it is for the country to remember this sad time. 

After Pearl Harbor, some Americans believed Japanese people were a danger to the country. So, President Roosevelt issued executive order number 9066. That put in motion the rounding up of all 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Japanese who were living mostly in California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. They were given 7 days to sell, store or give away all of their property before being sent to the camps. There were 120,000 Japanese sent to 10 camps scattered around the country. Of those 120,000 Japanese, about 80,000 were U.S. citizens. You're not alone if your thinking, how was this constitutional and surely the Supreme Court would stop it. Nope, they ruled it was OK because of the perceived danger posed by the war. It goes to show how quickly our constitutional rights can be taken away unless we are on guard to protect them. 

This is the railroad bed that was used to bring the Japanese to the Rohwer Camp. The camp was located just to the right of this picture.

This is the memorial location. Dirt/gravel road, miniature guard tower at the entrance. The memorial is in the grove of trees ahead.

This is the actual memorial and cemetery. It had been raining and there wasn't a parking lot or sidewalk to use to get to the memorials. Shameful. I initially thought it was a National Memorial but learned at the museum that it is run by the county.

It was hard for me to imagine a camp of 8,000 people.

The museum ranked about 7 out of 10

One of the displays showing picture of some of the actual people. They have reunions of the internees and their descendants about every year or two. I think that is neat.

Along the lines of "you can make this stuff up", the war department was running short of men in the military so they asked for volunteers from the Japanese. After taking a loyalty pledge, enough volunteered to form the All Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team. They were sent to Europe to fight and became the most highly decorated regiment in the war. In April of 1945, it was the Japanese regiment who freed the prisoners being held in the Nazi Concentration Camp at Dachau. That is why the government referred to the Japanese camps as Internment Camps instead of Concentration Camps. Too many similarities. 

A few thoughts:

Roosevelt's executive order no. 9066 was not formally rescinded until 1978 by President Ford. 

In 1988, President Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which "acknowledged the injustice of internment, apologized for it and gave $20,000.00 cash to each person that was incarcerated." 

I am a 100% true blue American patriot that volunteered to serve my country at 17 years of age. I believe we live in the greatest country that has ever existed. But there are things that, we as a country, have done wrong. We must admit them, learn from them, vow to never let it happen again and move on from it. 

This is not the first time something like this has happened in the country. Reference the Indian Removal Act of 1830 (Trail of Tears). The American Indians were not even allowed to become citizens until 1924 mainly as a result of how many served in World War I.

I am disappointed in the Supreme Court justifying this action. It is scary to think this could happen again under similar circumstances. The emergency declarations while under Covid is an example. The Patriot Act after 9-11 where we traded some civil liberties for perceived safety is another. 

To add another twist to the story: the time of the camps was also the time of sharecroppers and tenet farmers in Arkansas. Most of these people were literally dirt poor, living in shacks without running water, electricity or sewer. The Japanese in the camps were given all the comforts for home including all modern utilities, fresh food, new clothes, hospitals etc inside of the camps. Someone interviewed the young child of a sharecropper that lived near the Japanese camp. He said he grew up being envious of the Japanese and thought the barbed wire fences were to keep him out of the camp, not to keep the Japanese in. That says so much about many of the things of that time.

I sure hope this is still being taught in school but I wouldn't be too surprised if it isn't. I do remember it being taught when I was in High School but the lady at the museum said it wasn't taught to her in school. And she was raised within 50 miles of the camps. 

This post has been way too political for a travel blog.

Tomorrow is moving day and I think I'll be happy about leaving this place. It's been somewhat of a bummer. 

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.