#4 On The Road Again

Our Travel Day

We left Tombigbee State Park.

Sorry Mississippi, just not our favorite stop. It was a winding road getting into the park and once there, we hibernated inside to hide from the gnats. We were happy to leave. Bye Bye.

The ride was long and often boring from Mississippi through the other triple double letter state, Tennessee, to Arkansas. One of the more interesting sights appeared as we passed through Memphis and saw the multi-transport facility. Shipping containers by the thousands were loaded from trains to trucks and trucks to trains. It’s fascinating. If you’re waiting for your Amazon package, it might be in the container hanging from the big orange monster.

The Tennessee roads could be improved with a little asphalt. The ride was so bumpy that the next time I went into the trailer several of the cabinets had popped open. Luckily, the fridge withstood the blows. It’s no wonder we have wires hanging out and today we have a leak around the toilet. No big deal, that’s why duct tape was invented.

We left Mississippi at 10 AM and arrived at our destination, Lake Oachita (WHA-shee-tuh) State Park, at 4:30. That was a tuna sandwich, chicken salad, a couple apples, a chunky and salt and vinegar chips later.

Lake Oachita

I checked in at the Visitor Center and noticed they had boat trips. I asked about them and one was leaving at 7:00 PM that evening. I signed us up for 2 slots for the bird tour. Pam likes birds.

What a fun pontoon boat. We launched from the marina and took off with impressive speed. We were headed out to Bird Island. Lake Oachita is the largest lake in Arkansas. It is surrounded by a National Forest. Back in the 1950’s they dammed up a river and flooded the area. What they call an island is actually what used to be the top of a mountain before they made the lake.

See, mountaintop, not island. It’s a little like an iceberg. You better know where you are steering your boat. Underneath the water is the rest of the mountain. But let’s take a closer look at that island and you will find something really interesting.

Those are purple martins; 60,000 of them. Twice a year they stop on this particular island to replenish for the rest of their trip either north or south. In this instance they are headed south and the martins are focused on Costa Rica as their destination. For a couple weeks in August it is peak martin season at the island. As the sun sets the martins swarm in from wherever they spent the day. As it gets darker, more birds appear. Yes, it does look and sound similar to the Hitchcock movie but the sight of the birds swarming together is stunning. So glad you came along to see it.

An Unexpected Event

I forgot to mention that when we arrived and before we went out to Bird Island Pam took off in the truck to talk to the ranger about a water spigot issue at our campsite. I stood by the camper and waited for help. What arrived was a ranger, complete with gun, mace, handcuffs and billy club, He said, ” Are you waiting for Ms. Shoosmith? She’s the one I just stopped and took to jail.” He laughed and said, “I didn’t take her to jail but I did stop her for making a rolling stop through the stop sign.” About then, Pam showed up with an embarrassed look. I am so glad I didn’t have to post bail so early in our trip. Anyhow, come along… tomorrow should be great fun in hot springs and no more rolling stops.