Moving to Aux Arc in Ozark, Arkansas

As we move across Arkansas, we had plotted out some state parks that we wanted to visit. But we have found that their campgrounds are already completely reserved for the weekends. So our best option is the Corp of Engineer (COE) campgrounds that we also really like. Many of the COE parks no longer take reservations after November 1. So we can waltz in at the beginning of the week and get our choice of many of the open sites, and then stay through the busy weekend when every site fills up. 

We found a great campground not too far off I-40 when we pulled into Aux Arc Campground. Almost a mile long, it features 30- or 50-amp sites with water hook-ups, and it is situated right along the Arkansas River. Many of the 50-amp sites were already taken on Tuesday afternoon, because other full-timers and locals have discovered this park too. But we found a great place across the road from the river. 

We read that this area was originally called Aux Arc, and that is how the campground was named. That spelling and pronunciation has evolved to "Ozark," the name of the little town just across the river from us. With a population of just over three thousand people, it looks like the main industry is the Butterball processing plant that we can see from our camping spot. We noticed that it is lit up at night, as they are running two shifts, seven days each week, to get ready for the Thanksgiving rush for their turkeys.

We've had some overnight temperatures in the low 40's, and some early morning fog on the river since we've been here.

There are no hiking trails here, but it is a one-mile "hike" to get from one end of the park to the other. But that can be a slow journey, since there are so many people to visit with while walking. Our only complaint about this park are the trains (and their whistles) that pass close by on the other side of the river.

One evening, we drove to the city park on the other side of the Arkansas River, to get a bird's eye view of the river. We could see the dam, and the ship lock closest to us. On the other side of the river, we could just barely see part of our campground that is closest to the dam.

We haven't seen much barge traffic here, but as luck would have it, a tugboat was bringing a load down the river as we watched. The first six barges filled the lock as we watched from above.

We took the trail down through the woods in the park to get a better view. Even though we went down lots of steps, we still found ourselves in the forest on this nature trail.

We couldn't see the river for all the trees, so we made our way back up all those steps. So we drove to a boat dock area close to the water. Now we had a good view of the tugboat, and the barges it was pushing.

We are getting lots of experience in lock-watching. After the first barges cleared the lock, we watched as the water drained out of the lock. Then the huge gates opened again and the tug pushed the last six barges into the lock.

Those big doors closed again, and the water started rising in the lock for the second time. It's a long process to get a tug pushing 12 barges through the lock system.

Mark did some research to get some information about the amount of grain we were seeing this day. He found that one barge can hold over 58,000 bushels. To compare that to other modes of transporting grain, one large semi/tractor trailer can haul 910 bushels, and one railroad car can haul 4,000 bushels. So the twelve barges that we watched being pushed by a single tug boat, would equal 770 semi/tractor trailers, or 175 railroad cars pulled by five locomotives. It looks like the Arkansas River is a very cost-effective method of moving grain.  As we watched, a train came down the tracks right beside the river. So we got a picture of both modes of transportation in one shot.

We really dislike the short days since the time change, but we still like nice sunsets. We caught this one as we crossed the bridge over the Arkansas River as we headed back towards home.

It was almost dark when we saw the tugboat had cleared the lock, reconnected the barges, and headed down the Arkansas River.

Much of the state of Arkansas is under a burn ban, but we were glad to see that our county is not. There are lots of camp fires in the park, and we joined them one evening. After cooking bratwursts over the fire, the coals were perfect for smores. Months ago, fellow campers had told us that marshmallow peeps made great smores. We had been saving these since Easter, so it was time to see if that was true. Turn your eyes away if the thought of roasting Easter bunnies is offensive to you.

We can report that toasted peeps puff up just like marshmallows, and the sugar coating carmelizes as they brown. When we added them to our smores, they added a toasted sugar dimension that was yummy. Just in case smores aren't quite sweet enough, we have found a new way to add even more calories to them.

We are finding that Aux Arc is a friendly park with lots of good local Arkansas neighbors. Besides that, we have good over-the-air television and a strong phone signal.We think we're going to like it here in the Ozarks.