Chuck’s Blog – “Exploring Arkansas” June 2016
AETN Engage
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- Chuck Dovish
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From hiking to a remote waterfall in the Ozark National Forest and tiptoeing through the tulips at Garvan Woodland Gardens to making a phone call from one of the last remaining working phone booths and enjoying a bologna sandwich at the Hollis Country Store – it’s all coming up in a brand new edition of “Exploring Arkansas.”
Accord Hollow Falls is one of those waterfalls in the Ozarks that you kind of have to make your own trail to reach. – Bushwhacking, as it’s called. Not too difficult … about a medium rating, I would say. This is also one of those hikes you wouldn’t want to do when it’s 90-plus degrees. We made the trek in March, actually, when it was a comfortable 68 degrees. Accord Hollow is a nice, multi-tiered waterfall that’s about 65 or so feet tall. The hike is 1.2 miles, round trip.
I normally don’t make it a habit of tiptoeing through tulips but, in this case, I had to make an exception during the Tulip Extravaganza at Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs. Every Spring, usually between mid-March to mid-April, depending upon the weather, you can enjoy more than 150,000 tulip bulbs exploding in vibrant color! So, what I’m saying is … even the most macho men can’t help tiptoeing through this massive display of colorful blooms.
When was the last time you made a phone call from a phone booth? Ehhh? Well, ours wasn’t too long ago when we stepped into one in Prairie Grove. Yes, there’s a working phone booth – which happens to be one of the last remaining ones in the entire country – and it is the only such structure that is actually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “Thelma Lou, I need to place a call to …”
The Hollis Country Store is one of those places frozen in time since the early 1930s. Just as much as the store is unique, so is the storeowner, Connie Hawks. You see, in the tiny community of Hollis, nestled in the Ouachita National Forest, Ms. Hawks is the go-to lady for everyone living there. Besides the usual items you find in a general store, you can also buy minnows and the one thing everyone flocks to the store for from miles around – Ms. Hawks’ famous bologna sandwiches!
TUNE IN:
Wednesday, June 1, and Wednesday, June 15,“Exploring Arkansas,” 6:30 p.m.
