A
Safe Trip in the Time of Coronavirus
(If you don't care about the Prologue and overview, and just want to jump to pictures, they are here.)We reluctantly cancelled our Mexico trip this year due to the dangers of the Coronovirus Pandemic. But as January proceeded, we started to feel more "locked in" and a need to get out. Through the summer and fall we were able to visit nearby state and county parks at least weekly, and have a chance to see new places and get some exercise safely. But with the coming of cold weather and snow and ice we had to look further afield. Finally, we decided to head as far south as we could get in one day - northern Arkansas. We rented a large farmhouse on the edge of the Ozark National Forest through VRBO (known as "Cass house") and it was perfect. I bought Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls (second edition) along with the DeLorme Atlas for Arkansas. We could do our own cooking in the amazingly well-equipped kitchen; we packed enough groceries for a week so we would only have to shop once. After thinking it through, we decided to do the trip in 2 days to give us plenty of time in case of bad weather and to not have to arrive at an unfamiliar place in the dark. We stopped just south of Kansas City at a Hampton Inn that offered "contactless" checkin and other special considerations for viral safety. (This was before the vaccines were available so it was a big concern.) We brought our own lunches and breakfasts and got carry-out supper at a nearby Chinese restaurant; and, on the way home, got a pizza from Casey's! The location was perfect - about a mile east from the intersection of state highways 215 and 23. There were lots of waterfalls and hiking trails nearby. We left here January 31, arriving February 1. We spent most of our 2 weeks waterfall-hunting and only passed other people on the trails a few times. Much to our surprise, one of those times was our last hike when the car temperature read 19° - we met a young couple at the Glory Hole Falls. The first week was delightful - temperatures around the mid-40's (at home it was below zero) and sunny. Towards the end it got colder, and when snow, ice and record-breaking cold were predicted, we considered our "steep and twisty roads" and decided to leave a day early - a good plan. So we spent our last day doing laundry and packing up, then left on the 14th, arriving back home February 15th. The pictures are in chronological order and labelled. Most days we did 1 to 3 hikes from the waterfalls book, then got back to the house for supper. One foggy, rainy day we spent in the Ozark (town) area, visited a couple of wineries (we were the only customers and had face shields to use while tasting), saw the Arkansas River and did grocery shopping (all customers and employees were masked). Another bad weather day we went further afield and visited Natural Dam, then the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum - we were the only ones in the museum other than the receptionist so, even indoors, we felt very safe. We brought home carry-out supper from AJ's Oyster House (that had been recommended) and it was great. So, we definitely achieved our objectives - we did a lot of hiking, saw numerous waterfalls, and were able to do it all while still isolating and "social distancing" to avoid exposure to the coronavirus. While we were away, the vaccine was made available to those over 65, so I was able to schedule appointments via the internet for the week we got back. As I write this, things are beginning to loosen a little but the majority of the population is still unprotected, and some new variants are around, so we continue to use masks and to limit contact with others. Being an optimist, I have scheduled our favorite Bucerias house for next January, but we did enjoy and appreciate the Arkansas visit this year. Click here for the
Arkansas photo collection Click here to
return to
Barb's Index |