We rode north on Hwy 25 through Ida, Arkansas, where we turned onto Dry Mountain Road and continued along the ridge, absorbing the colorful, scenic, seemingly-unending valleys that lay below on both sides. Emerging at Wilburn, we continued past my great-grandparents' homeplace (now a baseball field) to Hiram, and then stopping outside Pangburn at the Henderson Cemetery. There we visited the gravesites of Mam-ma Polly's sisters and their husbands... Bessie, Minnie, and Babe... and my great-grandmother, Mary, and Mam-ma's beloved brother John. I read the headstones for several ancestors on my Grandfather Truman's side... Hendersons who established this final resting place.
From there, we drove to Hickory Flat. If you haven't been there, I don't know what to tell you. We veered off the highway at Little Red, Mam-ma Polly's birthplace, and headed north along yet another scenic ridge. We ended our tour in Hickory Flat proper, where the highway pavement abruptly ends at a large compound of concrete buildings and eighteen-wheelers... a stark contrast to the pastures filled with beautiful cattle that are quietly feasting on the grasses in the rolling pastures.
Coming back toward Pangburn, we stopped at the Ramsey Landing access to the Little Red River. I've passed the sign for this launching area a zillion times and never stopped. To my knowledge, these Ramseys are no relation to mine. However, we drove down to the launching area, managed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and we found it to be quite beautiful. There was no generating on the river today, so the water level was low and the flowed quietly. We could see sandy beaches and a large rocky outcropping... rarities on "our" river... and we saw several Bald Cypress trees with their characteristic "knees"... some River Birch, and an incredibly large and beautiful Water Oak. I stood underneath it for pictures... our version of the tourist visiting the Sequoias of California!
We returned to Pangburn and ate bar-b-que lunch at a small diner there. Then we stopped this side of Pangburn to walk out on a low-water bridge that used to extend over the Little Red River. It's located just east of the "new" bridge that now carries vehicles across... and a center section has been removed and handrails added, making it a good place for people to fish or take a look at the river. When I was a little girl, my grandparents would take me across this bridge to visit my Aunt Minnie and Uncle Ray in Pangburn. Greg commented that it seemed a little high to be considered a true "low-water bridge", but I assured him, in the early 60s when the rains had come and the river rose to just underneath - and once, I believe just over the concrete "lip" on either side that appeared to rise about 10-12 inches, you would say it was a low-water bridge!
We then took McJester Road to the McJester school house, a rock building probably erected by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers. It has been neatly refurbished now and probably serves as a community gathering place and polling center.
From Pangburn/McJester, we headed back through Wilburn and stopped at Magness Cemetery to check on our family plot. This is where my dad, brother, Mam-ma and Pap-pa Chandler, great-grandparents Chandler and Ramsey are buried, as well as countless cousins and other relatives and ancestors. I always love visiting "Magness"... it is incredibly peaceful and scenic, and I always feel at "home" there.
Some four-and-a-half hours later, we were back home, safe and sound, and a little tired... but filled with fresh air, good pictures, images in our heads of beautiful fall color and scenery, and memories of a very happy day spent together. I told Greg, "If this is what retirement is all about, bring it on!"
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| The launching ramp at Ramsey Landing on the Little Red River near Pangburn, Arkansas. See the rocky shoreline and the Bald Cypress tree at the right? |
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| More Bald Cypress trees at Ramsey Landing on the Little Red River near Pangburn, Arkansas. These have the characteristic "knees"! |
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| Such a beautiful, calming scene. |
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| Still several trees that have not turned! |
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| Hanging out on the river bank! |
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| I could have stayed here all day! |
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| This was taken from above the landing in a shaded parking area. |
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| The "Arkansas Sequoia"! This is a beautiful Water Oak tree. The photo doesn't do it justice! |
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| "Helmet hair!" |
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| Parked in front of the sign that documents for posterity that "We were THERE!" |
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| Trust me... this is probably the closest I will EVER come to actually driving the bike!*lol* But ain't she purty?! (the bike!) |
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| My handsome husband... and the REAL driver of the bike! He got warm enough to shed his jacket... mine felt good all day long! |
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| He really WAS happy... he was just looking into the sun... and he just doesn't have my cheesy smile for the camera!*lol* |
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| The opposite end of the "low-water" bridge as you enter Pangburn. The "new" bridge can be seen to the right. If you drive across it and are not aware there is an old bridge below, you might have never seen it! |
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| Looking downstream from the Pangburn "low-water" bridge. |
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| Looking back up toward where we parked our bike... on the Cleburne County side of the river bridge. |
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| Such a beautiful day to be on the river! |
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| You can see portions of both bridges in this photo. See how short that "lip" is on the old bridge? That used to be all that stood between your car and the river when I was a kid! |
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| Our trusty ride... so fun! |
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| This praying mantis was hanging out on the handrail. |
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| The center section of the old bridge has been removed and handrails added... making it pedestrian friendly. |
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| What a day for fly-fishing! |
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| Serenity personified... except for the noise of cars crossing the other bridge in the background, of course! |
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| Except for the missing center chunk and the handrails, this is the bridge approach I remember from my childhood. |
