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A Water World: Day 2, Arkansas to Mississippi

Day 2: Arkansas to Mississippi
Water is the most vital thing to life. Not only do we need it for our very survival, but we find it comforting. Millions of us flock to places of aqueous views, and whether we live there or not we all find it calming. The seas, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and springs dominate our culture. Most of our major cities are built near waterways. Water is the essence of our being.

Petit Jean State Park May 10, 2011

Today my friend took me to a place that exemplifies our fascination with water: Petit Jean State Park in central Arkansas. It is a beautiful place full of hiking trails and history, built by the Civilian Conseration Corps starting in 1933, during the Great Depression. Rich in history, and geology, it’s most stunning (and most visited) attraction is a 90′ waterfall that cascades into Cedar Creek Canyon.

Petit Jean State Park-Cedar Falls. The first view when walking up. May 10, 2011

The walk to Cedar Falls isn’t too long, only 2 miles from trailhead to the falls, but it is pretty vigourous. The first 1/2 mile that descends more than 200 feet, climbing down steps made from local rocks by the C.C.C., isn’t the hard part: It’s climbing back up later. I enjoyed it a lot, as sitting in a vehicle for long drives doesn’t offer a lot of exercise so I love to get what I can.
The geology of the area was unknown to me when I entered the park, but I started making some assumptions. My first clue were the trees, many of them obviously several hundred years old, that had grown on top of the rock rubble.

A tree growing on top of a fallen rock. Petit Jean State Park May 10, 2011

The area suggest to me a collapse of a large karst area several hundred thousand years ago. Now, everyone knows how I LOVE karst, so perhaps I try to see it in everything I visit. So, I decided to look it up when I got to camp where I would have wireless internet. Here is what I found:
It turns out that this area was not karst, but it did undergo a similar process as the sinkholes that take place in the carbonates of Missouri and Kentucky. What happened to these sandstone rocks is that the shale, softer and less resistant than the sandstone, was eroded by the water faster and left little support for the sandstone, causing the rocks to tumble. This area is in a big syncline called the Pontoon syncline. For more info on the geology of the area, go to http://www.geology.arkansas.gov/pdf/Geology%20of%20Petit%20Jean%20State%20Park.pdf

 


I really enjoyed the falls. There is something absolutely serene being in the presence of moving water. You can feel it in the air, and everything seems right with the world. I owe a huge thanks to my friend who took pictures of me, and taught me how to use a lot of the functions on my camera. I am extremely lucky to have a friend who is also interested in photography and we had a great time taking pictures at the falls. She was a gracious host as well and I couldn’t have chosen a better place to start my grand journey! We will have to go camping again soon.
In the afternoon it was time to leave Arkansas and head towards Mississippi. Upon driving EB along I-40 I saw exactly how you can have too much of a good thing. White, Cache, L’Anguille, St. Francis, and Mississippi are all names of rivers, but today they were lakes. At one point the water was so high it was approaching the roadway, and had already risen over the roadway on the WB side. I was lucky enough to squeak by on the EB lanes. They hadn’t closed them, but I imagine if the water isn’t yet receeding they would have had to do so.

Flooding in AR along I-40 5/10/11
The water breached the WB lanes of I-40. 5/10/11
The water, almost level with the roadway, along the EB lanes of I40 in AR. 5/10/11

The Mississippi river took over a large portion of Memphis, reclaiming property that once belonged to the flood plain. Locals had taken over exit ramps as boating ramps, and they lined the new coastline with fishing poles. A few roofs poked out through the water in places.
It is important to remember that many things are vital to our lives, in so many ways, yet there still needs to be moderation. There is a such thing as too much, even of a thing so essential as water. Sometimes we don’t have control over what amount of a good thing we are dealt, but we can decide to use it wisely, and learn from every  moment we get.
The drive through Mississippi was wonderful. I was racing the sun to get to my campsite, the top down on the Jeep, the aromas of pine and honeysuckle breezing through my nose. Mississippi, so far, is a pretty nice looking state. I’ll let you know more about it after I do some more exploring of The Magnolia State tomorrow. Until then-
-Nicole

These flowers were all over Petit Jean State Park when I was there 5/10/11
The stone steps, carved by the CCC, at Petit Jean S.P. 5/10/11
This is me, taking pictures at Petit Jean S.P. in Arkansas (photo courtesy of my friend, Jennifer)

 

Me, taking a pictureof Cedar Falls at Petit Jean S.P. 5/10/11 (Photo courtesy of my friend, Jennifer)
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Day 1: Arkansas

Most of the time when our alarm clock goes off we hit the snooze. It goes off the second time and we either begrudgingly get out of bed, or we hit the snooze again. If you are like me you have to set your alarm clock at least a half hour earlier than you intend to wake up because this process repeats until you can’t fall back asleep without dreaming about your alarm’s incessant call.

The night of a trip is nothing like this. You wake up before your alarm goes off. Only 2 hours until you have to get up. Fall back asleep. The next time your eyes are open, it’s only 1 hour and 45 minutes until your alarm calls. It is one of those rare moments where you anticipate your alarm rather than dread it.

This morning was one of those days.

It was the start of my Grand Adventure tour, to which I call Caves, Waves & Future Paves. Aptly named, as the goals of this 77 day tour is to a) visit potential grad schools b)collect data, photos and other information from a broad spectrum of caves throughout the U.S. for my own research and c) to relax among the worlds wonders (including friends, family, mountains, canyons, geologic marvels and one of my personal favorite: coastlines).

Starting out in Missouri I will be doing two loops: My Eastern loop, which I started today, a short 3 day stop at home, and then my Western loop.(See the map below)

 

My first stop was just South of the Missouri border in Arkansas: Cosmic Caverns. Along the way I also had a plan of selling some of my stone creations, so I have produced a dozen “cave candle holders” and have them with me. (go to www.geojeep.com/stone-creations to see a picture of it) The Cosmic Caverns gift shop purchased two of them, and seemed likely to want to sell more. I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

Cosmic Caverns Berryville, AR May 9, 2011

 

 

The tour of Cosmic Caverns was fantastic. Taking tours on Mondays seems to be beneficial. I was on tour with one couple and the tour guide. The tour guide was very informative and knew a lot about the geology, mineralogy and history of the cave. I was very impressed since I often run into cave tours that know very little about the cave geology. I scribbled an entire page worth of notes in my field book, and noted the size of different items I used as scale so I could reference them later. The tour only costs $14 for general admission, so if any of you are near the area I highly recommend it. There are lots of beautiful formations to take pictures of and the group that works there is very friendly and knowledgeable. If they don’t know the answer they will try to find it for you.

 

Cosmic Caverns Berryville, AR May 9, 2011

 

My next stop was at another cave that was only a 30-40 minute drive from Cosmic: Mystic Caverns. Here I was going to actually tour two caves owned on the property: Mystic Caverns and Crystal Dome.

I was the only one who arrived for the next tour, and while they don’t normally allow a tour to go with just one person for safety reasons, the lady allowed me to go because she knew I was doing some research and data collection. Going on tours alone goes nice and fast, and especially if you are someone like myself who has been in enough caves that they don’t have to repeat the same script they have rehearsed uncountable times. I was able to get photographs of almost everything I wanted, with different items of scale.

Mystic Caverns, me in front of a large bell, May 9, 2011

Mystic Caverns is not a very big cave, but it is pretty well decorated- speleothems are in great numbers as compared to the size of the cave itself, although many of them are no longer depositing.

Crystal Dome. May 9, 2011.

Crystal dome is right next to Mystic, and run by the same private owner, but is not known to connect. While the tour route is pretty short the cave itself is much larger. It has a beautiful dome that is covered in draperies, and one of the biggest pieces of cave bacon I have ever seen. (Although the speleothem density is much more sparse than it’s neighbor, Mystic).

Crystal Dome. A large piece of cave "bacon". May 9, 2011

 

The drive from Mystic Caverns, which is located near Harrison, AR, to Russellville, AR where I was to meet my friend from high school was a beautiful drive. The weather was sunny and warm, so I was able to take the Jeep’s top down and enjoy the air. The view from the top of the mountains was breath taking.

As with any of my trips, I did have an almost crippling mishap. I had put my Jeep top down after touring Mystic Caverns and Crystal Dome and slid my side windows to my soft top under the back of my top, folded down. I was driving south on the curvy, steeply-graded, 7 highway that runs from Jasper, AR to Russellville, AR and I noticed a flash of black in my rear view mirror. One of my side windows had flown out onto the highway into the northbound lane. I pulled over into the nearest driveway, made a u turn and had to stop, mid highway with flashers on, to reclaim my lost window. Without that window, rain would not be a fun weather event. Luckily the time of day I was traveling afforded very little traffic to fight. Close call!

I am now in Russellville at a good friend of mine’s home, enjoying grilled chicken and other good food with her husband and her neighbors. The night is beautiful, and they live right next to a bayou. Tomorrow morning she is going to take me to Petit Jean National Park to see a 90′ tall waterfall, and then I will be treking my way in my Jeep with the top down to Mississippi so I can camp for the night.

It’s funny how we spend life dreading some alarm clocks and anticipating others. This Summer will be a part of my life where every alarm clock will be something I look forward to. I think it will prove to be a great lesson in life. Every day we wake, whether it be to the sun rising and the birds chirping or that incessant buzzing of an alarm, should be cherished. Each alarm allows you to start the journey of a new day.

 

Until my next alarm clock, here’s a couple more pictures of my journey!

-Nicole

Me, near the Buffalo River
The Buffalo National Scenic Riverway Campground, access to the river next to beautiful bluffs. May 9, 2011.
Looking back at my Jeep standing on the beach of the Buffalo River 5/9/11
I pulled over to look at the Boston Mountains along 7 highway fairly often. 5/9/11
Looking back at the Mountains at a lookout, South of Jasper, AR. 5/9/11
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The Grand Adventure: Stats

STATS FOR GRAND ADVENTURE Summer 2011

Days on Road: 74

Miles Traveled:17508

States (and Provinces) Covered: 39 states 1 province (MO,AR,TN,MS, LA, AL, FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, MD, PA, NY, MA, NH, ME, VT, ON, WV, OH, IN, KY, IL, IA, WI, MN, SD, WY, MT, ID, WA, OR, CA, NV, AZ, TX, NM, CO, KS )

Why & Where Did I Go On This Trip?

This is the Grand Adventure tour, of which I call “Caves, Waves & Future Paves”. Aptly named, as the goals of this 75 day tour were to: a) visit potential grad schools b)collect data, photos and other information from a broad spectrum of caves throughout the U.S. for my own research and c) to relax among the worlds wonders (including friends, family, mountains, canyons, geologic marvels, coastlines and, of course, caves). It was a life changing and inspiring journey that I want to share with everyone so that you also feel empowered to travel. I have long believed that the most successful education involves hands-on, in-person experiences, and this is it! Starting out in Missouri I did two loops: My Eastern loop, a short 3 day stop at home, and then my Western loop. (See Map Below)

The Grand Adventure approximate path.
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Facet Two. Seeing the World on a Dime: Carlsbad Caverns

Vacation is a time to get away from your normal daily routine. The time off, away from everyday stresses, is suppose to help you relax so you can come back refreshed and recharged. Is this really going to happen if you just spent all of your savings on vacation? No! Does this mean you can’t go on vacation? Certainly not!

Some of the best get aways are exactly that: getting AWAY from the normal, and even away from the costly swipes of your credit or debit card. On the average day an American consumer spends between $30 and $60 on food and drink, alone. (Don’t believe me? Start adding up that $4 coffee, that $8 “value” meal, that $7 alcholic beverage…)Imagine what your daily expenditures are in total. What if I told you that you could spend LESS than that while on vacation? Not only that, but you will be able to see some amazing natural wonders of the world, learn about geology, ecosystems, desert life and more, and camp under a star-filled sky that is unhindered by excessive city lights?

It’s not a story, it’s a fact.

Time to add another facet to your life. Let’s go visit Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

Carlsbad Caverns

There was a time, not long ago (in the first half of the twentieth century) that caves were the thing to go visit. Landowners scoured their property for entrances to these money-making caverns, in hopes of offering tours to the public. Route 66 even boasted Mammoth Caverns in Southern Missouri as one of it’s main tourist attractions. It was in a time when the sciences were just beginning to understand the greater significance of karst topography, and a cave’s delicate geology and ecology. When the emerging science began to show just how delicate these places are, and that it took thousands of years another phenomenon took place that gave these geologists a deep breath of relief. The public started moving away from recreation into a busier, more technologically advanced world. Along with the fall of the mineral springs resorts and other places of natural importance, so too did the business of show caves. It seems America got too busy to go on vacation, or to even find times to relax. Instead we found time for therapists, psychiatrists and more doctor visits. I’m pretty sure these things cost more than a vacation, and are much less enjoyable.

Today, we know a LOT more about caves, and what they have to offer. We know that a single stalactite could take thousands of years to be deposited, and the cavern itself took thousands of years before that to form so that the stalactite even had room to “grow”. Responsible show caves take care to preserve the cave for all of it’s beauty. You won’t find soda straws and stalagmites for sale in cases at the entrance anymore, and the tour guides certainly won’t ask you to take home your favorite cave pearl. Today show caves do everything they can to protect the environment. They add in humidity controlling door locks (double, or more, sets of doors designed to minimize the loss of humidity in a cave), they carefully design pathways as to avoid disturbing any more of the cave than necessary, and they educate the public about the marvels of these underground sanctuaries.

If you go to Carlsbad Caverns you can visit a place just like this, and for next to nothing. This national park charges a mere $6 for entry through the natural entrance to the cave, a tour that can last hours if properly appreciated. Not only do they offer this, but also tours for the more adventurous spirit that go off-the-trail (they book in advance, so plan accordingly). The park itself is full of hiking trails with informative signs. The camping is on the cheap, the food is inexpensive (especially if you decide to grill, like any respectable camper should) and the views are fantastic whether it is day or night. The park is even pet friendly! While they don’t allow animals in the caverns, they do have a pet sitter at the visitor’s center where your furry friend can hang out in the AC with fresh water and food while you explore- for a $5 daily fee. The hiking trails are all free to roam and have fantastic views of canyons and mountains.

If you aren’t the “camping type” then just drive up to the cave’s namesake city, Carlsbad New Mexico, and get a hotel. I stayed at a fair hotel for only $35 a night, that included a free hot breakfast.

 

To read the first chapter in this series,Facet One,: Click Here

 

Carlsbad Caverns May 2010

 

Cave Pearls in Carlsbad Cavern's Rookery (on the Wild Cave Tour of Lower Cave)

 

The view from up top Carlsbad Caverns National Park

 

Carlsbad Caverns Dec 2009

 

The view of a canyon in Carlsbad Caverns National Park

 

Me, visiting Carlsbad Caverns in Dec 2009

 

 

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Facet One. Seeing the World on a Dime: The Smithsonian Institution

There is a misunderstanding in the general public that to go on vacation you have to spend a whole lot of money. What many don’t realize is that some of the best places in the country to visit are absolutely free of admittance fees. On top of this, there are plenty of places that charge less than the price of a McDonald’s value meal for a whole day’s worth of fun. Lodging can be pretty inexpensive if you know what you are doing. The following are a few fantastic places to visit on the cheap, and a few tips on getting the full experience when your pocketbook is nearing empty.

Let’s be honest with ourselves: When stressed out, we tend to waste money on junk food, alcohol, unnecessary clothing and other empty fillers to make us feel better. These options only settle the nerves for a short period of time. Travel can be done on the cheap, and the benefits are far reaching.

  • -Allows you to “get away” from your daily stresses.
  • -Reconnect with nature or society
  • -Broaden your horizons to make yourself a well-rounded, educated individual

 

I don’t think I could ever finish that list, but enough of the work stuff. Time for pictures of beautiful places to go while spending very little.

This is the beginning in a series I will be publishing about getting away on a budget. Many of the most amazing places you can go to are free, or next-to-free. I will also offer tips on lodging on a budget, the best times of the year to see these places, and more.

Crystals and gems, the part of geology everyone can appreciate, have many facets to enhance their beauty and attract those who will cherish them for a lifetime. Life itself is a crystal, constantly growing with more sparkling facets everyday. Travel is an easy way to add facets to your own life, enhancing it with culture, knowledge, and an involvement in the greater place that is the universe. We all play our part, and each facet we add makes the world a brighter place.

 

The Smithsonian Institution

If you live in the Washington D.C. area you probably already know this, but for those of you that don’t: These museums are FREE to the public. A network of 19 (yes, count them, 19!) museums and the National Zoo, it would take weeks to go through every one of them and experience everything they have to offer. There is a museum for everyone. I am partial to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (as any geologist would) but I am also a huge fan of the National Zoo, where they care for a breeding population of Giant Pandas, Lions, and just about every zoo animal you can think of. I just visited the National Zoo a couple weeks ago, and was able to see the pandas, an entire gorilla family (baby included), a lion pride with cubs chasing their father around the enclosure, and many more. I learned a lot about animals, even saw some I never knew existed. The Natural History Museum is full of amazing exhibits and friendly staff. What else does the Smithsonian offer? Visit the Smithsonian Institution’s website by clicking HERE. You can find a museum or two or twelve to visit and be happy to know the admission cost: $0!

 

The entrance to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

 

The architecture of the Smithsonian Institution’s buildings, alone, is worth the trip.

A Gypsum Flower in the Geology wing of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Washington D.C.

Gypsum flowers are very delicate, and this one was particularly beautiful. They grow naturally in many caves around the world. I have been in many caves, but I have not yet seen one in a cave yet. I hope to sometime in the future.

Dioptase. A beautiful blue mineral at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

This was a mineral I had never seen before. I have started a blue mineral collection, and someday I hope to acquire one of these. This specimen was particularly beautiful.

 

The guard in the Hope Diamond exhibit.

The guards here are all smiles. They are very pleasant to be around, and seem to truly enjoy their job. This guard asked if I was going to take his picture and smiled for me. Every one of the guards at the Smithsonian seems to be in high spirits. Usually you have to pay a lot of money to go to a museum or any other attraction where you get such wonderful service. Not here: It’s FREE!

The Hope Diamond, in a temporary setting for Nov 2010-Nov 2011

 

The Hope Diamond is world famous, and to get a look at the gem you often have to wait your turn in line. Currently it is in a temporary setting to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this historic donation. For more information, click HERE.

The Orchid Exhibit for Spring 2011 at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Washington D.C.

Along with the permanent collections, there are many seasonal exhibits that are offered every few years, or even decades. If you have visited the museum before, you can see new exhibits every month or so. It was honestly some miraculous coincidence that the orchid exhibit was going on when I visited this year for Spring break. I have 5 Phalenopsis orchids, and have had many more that I care for. This was a real treat to see.

 

Human Bones from the Written in Bone Forensic Exhibit March 2011

Another seasonal exhibit, these are ACTUAL human bones. I was able to pick them up with my own hands, and with information that I learned at the Smithsonian, identify the sex of the human these bones belonged to by the sciatic notch. Pretty cool, right? Just call me Temperence Brennan.


 

One of the Giant Pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoo. March 2011

I love these fluffy black and white bears.

 

 

Pandas like to sleep, so he hides his eyes from the sun. The Smithsonian National Zoo, March 2011.
Part of the Lion pride at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C. March 2011

Look at all those cubs!!! And the Dad was roaming around too, the cubs periodically enticing him to play with them.

A Poison Dart Frog, Blue, in the Amazon exhibit at the Smithsonain National Zoo in Washington D.C. March 2011