It was quite a drive from Grenada, Mississippi to Russellville, Arkansas. The road from Greenwood to Greenville, Mississippi had deteriorated since our last trip along this highway last summer. Everything in the RV shook and rattled including Bob and I. Then, to make matters worse, there was still construction on the interstate from Pine Bluff to Little Rock, Arkansas. The traffic was merged into one lane and was bumper to bumper for miles. It was a relief when we got to Russellville and exited the interstate just as we came to more construction.
Ever since we stopped in Russellville last summer and visited Mt. Nebo State Park, I wanted to return when the weather was better to hike the rim trail and see the views.
Well, our first full day at Old Post COE Campground was not good weather for hiking a mountain trail. It was cold and threatened rain all day. I used the AllTrails app on our phone and found another trail in Russellville--Bona Dea Trail and Sanctuary--that looked promising.
The trail was several trails which intersected in north Russellville. The main trail was paved and very flat. By combining trails we walked almost five miles. And yes, we were able to add to our geocache totals. Each stop we get closer to that magic number of 5000.
Finally, the next day dawned clear, but a little chilly. We packed our backpacks and drove up Mt. Nebo. After a stop in the visitor center we set off on Rim Trail. The sign was correct, the trail was strenuous! We enjoyed every foot of it and a few of the connector trails as we were searching for geocaches!
One of the connectors we ventured part way down was Nebo Steps-300+ steps that connected Rim Trail to Bench Trail. The geocache was about halfway down.
The hike back up took a little more time than the hike down.
Our first rest stop was at Cave Spring where locals used to collect their water. As you can see, the weather warmed up and we shed our jackets.
Just as I suspected, the views from Rim Trail were beautiful! You can see the nuclear plant and Dardanelle Lake in the distance.
About halfway around the mountain, we stopped to look at the views again. This time we saw farmlands in the distance.
One of the sights visitors come to Mt. Nebo to see is the waterfall on Gum Spring Trail.
Some of the homes on the mountain had wild flowers blooming in the yards.
Many of the features along the trail, including the trail, were built by members of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) during the 1930s. This stone bridge was on Summit Trail which intersected Rim Trail for a bit.
We completed the trail and returned to the RV. After a rest, we set out to explore and find geocaches at Old Post Park. We found a bicycle trail that wound through woods at the west end of the park. Of course, we found geocaches along the trail. On our way back to the campsite, we saw a tug pushing a barge through the lock on the Arkansas River--that's when Bob realized he forgot to bring the camera on this hike. Oh well, maybe we can get a picture next trip.
From Russellville, we went to Siloam Springs to visit Bob's parents.
No comments:
Post a Comment