Episode #40: Our Last Family Vacation With 2 Teenage Boys

This episode is about our last family vacation with the boys. We took this trip to Eureka Springs Arkansas during spring break of 2007. Brad was almost 17 and already had a summer job lined up at Camp Sweeney where he had worked the previous 2 years that started immediately after the school term ends and would last almost until his senior year in high school starts so a summer vacation was not going to work. Jacob had turned 14 just a couple of months ago in January.

We made this 400 mile trip driving east to Texarkana then north through Arkansas to Eureka Springs in a one day trip, arriving well after dark the day we left home. This was a beautiful destination in far northwest Arkansas that lies within the Ozark Mountains. Unfortunately I do not have a photo of the four us together while we were there, but the photo below that was taken by one of the boys of us while we were all on a trail hike one day is one of my favorites and wanted it to be the cover photo for this episode.

We drove straight through from home stopping only for gas and eats until we were east of Rogers Arkansas. I had seen a couple highway signs advertising the biggest snake farm in the state that boasted of their selection and asked the boys if they wanted to stop and look and they said "sure". We arrive and get out and Carol Ann says she wants no part of this 'crap' and stays in the car. We pay the modest admission price and walk in this very old and run down house that looks like a strong wind could blow down which had been converted into a herpetarium. 

This old house still has all of the rooms and walls intact with all hard wood floors that creak with every step. We walk slowly from the front room full of large aquariums that house various snakes of the area including copperheads, water moccasins, and other malcontents I would not want to come across in the wild. With every step we take the floor boards squeak and we can hear more and more rattlesnakes and their warning rattles in here as well as in the other rooms. It was about the second room Brad says "I am out of here" and bolts out of the house running back to the car. Jacob and I look at each other sheepishly, shrug our shoulders and keep going. These folks obviously really liked rattlesnakes because they had a lot of them! We make our way through the various rooms of 'exhibits' and in the back room there is a huge caged python. It was moving very slowly inside it's cage and I bet he was bigger in diameter than my waist. I told Jacob I am glad we are at the end of this tour, I am ready to go, and he said "me too!" and we make our way through the rooms and exit to the sounds of probably scores of rattlesnakes. I remember thinking, there is probably not a mouse around this place for miles.

With that stop behind us, we stop next at a roadside attraction that is simply a tall metal observation tower that is open to the public to climb the stairway and  view the area. Surprisingly there are no attendants anywhere around, just pull off the highway, stop, and climb the tower. I guess the only rule is don't fall off. While this is not really a good picture but here is one of the boys going up the stairway before I catch up to them.

As we leave here, we push on through to Eureka Springs that evening and arrive near midnight. The next day we drive around town seeing the sights and find it to be an interesting split level lay out of the homes and businesses here. Even though it is still very early spring with the trees just beginning to bud and the grass just starting to turn green it is a beautiful location and understand why folks choose to live here. We spend the majority of the remainder of the day driving around the area and going on a hike through one of the improved trails just outside of town. The following few pictures were taken at some very unusual rock formations and made for some good photo ops and us clowning around along this very scene trail hike.

By the time we finish this hike, get something to eat and get back to Eureka Springs the day is over and we head back to the hotel room. The next day we spend attending a few of the Branson style comedy and variety shows that have performances throughout the day. The next day the boys and I take in a horseback trail ride through the mountain forest and Carol Ann spends time shopping and looking around the shops in the main downtown area. The trail ride was a lot of fun, the horses were well behaved and the trail we traveled was very scenic and I can only imaging how pretty it is during the late spring and early summer. The ride lasted a little over an hour we all enjoyed the moment of it.

We drive back into town and spend remainder of the day just wandering around downtown area and come across this vintage photographer and the boys I take part. Again, Carol Ann says something along the lines of not wanting anything to do with that 'crap' either. 😝😝😝 

We finish up the day just window shopping around town and spend our last night in Eureka Springs and head back home the next morning. We stop off in Fayetteville to look around The University of Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

The trip was fun and we all enjoyed it, especially knowing this would likely be our last trip with just the four of us since Brad will be graduating high school next year then off to college.

Tips on how to search for previous or missed posts of my blog-