It seems hard to believe that after nine years of living here there are still places left to discover in Heber Springs. But, there are. There are little gems Thom has forgotten; rocky bends in the Little Red River that he was sure he’d shown me. There are his secret fishing spots; honey holes he won’t share with anyone but me; and there are places we just plain weren’t able to get to on foot until after his hip healed and hiking was possible. Hiking is still difficult but with a little planning we’re slowly discovering and rediscovering these amazing Arkansas spots and falling more in love with home.
On Sunday, Thom and I had been busy around Cove Cottage, repotting flowers, washing the pollen off deck furniture, cleaning out the carport; you know-busy work left for the weekend. It was a glorious, warm afternoon with a light breeze making it bearable to be in the sunshine. Mid afternoon found us in a lull, dragging to finish our tasks and a little bored with being home. A conversation about river rocks led to an idea to drive out to the Little Red River, only this drive led to a beautiful bend I’d never seen. We made our way to Cow Shoals. This world famous fishing spot is a shallow channel along side the Little Red-perfect for fly fishing. It was a perfect day for fishing (too bad we didn’t have our licenses yet, or fly fishing equipment) but as is always the case here in Heber, it seems, we came across only three fly fisherman in the hour we were there.
Thom struck up a fishing conversation (I’m never surprised and I always end up slowly backing away from the convo-not to be rude but there are new places to explore!) with a fisherman from Maumelle. I was free to wander along the banks looking for signs of fish, interesting river rocks, and snakes or creepy crawlies I’m always afraid of happening upon.
It always amazes me how accessible these places are. Arkansas is so inviting, if only one would get out and look around.
It also happens a lot that I find a little bit of Michigan in my Arkansas exploration.
We had a lovely late after exploration, conversation with three different groups of people doing exactly what were were; exploring home and getting to know our amazing Arkansas.
Where have your travels taken you lately? Share in the comments below or, as always, we’re talking on Facebook. Join us!
