 During
our drive from Texas to our summer home in Michigan I missed a turn on
the expressway, Vicki suggested we take Arkansas State Highway
220, a shortcut, back to the Interstate. The map showed Ark. 220
as a paved two lane highway so that's the way we went. This photo
shows the "highway" about ten miles in; a gravel two-track with
steep up and down grades and no place to turn around.
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 Near
the top of the grade we saw a sign advising that the bridge is
dangerous when water is over the roadway. Note the large tree and
stump that had floated over the bridge during a high-water stage.
If water had been rushing over the bridge I would have had to
back the truck and trailer up the mountain for several miles before
coming to an alternate route or turn-around space.
|
 Looking
upstream from the bridge the river looks like a perfect limestone trout
stream with nice pools, gravel runs, and oxygenating rapids.
Unfortunately, I later learned, while the river is planted with
trout every January, it will not sustain a wild-trout population.
The plan is that all the planted trout will have been fished out
by the end of the season.
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 Pools
at both the head and tail of this rapids would be ideal feeding places
for fish. The representative who related the trout tail said
there are naturally occuring catfish, bass and perch in the river.
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Farther up the road we came upon this abandoned cabin. Someone
once lived in this stone house with a slate roof on the bank of the
river. I can only imagine the pioneer who built the cabin and
lived off the land in this beautiful setting. |
 The
road curves into a steep downgrade at the top of the mountain.
Along this section of the "highway" there wasn't enough room for
two vehicles to pass and no place to pull over or turn around.
|
 After
creeping along for about three hours, we came upon a man mowing a
mountain pasture. He assured us that the road would come out at
the Devil's Den Visitor Center and eventually to the Interstate.
Here Vicki is taking pictures of beautiful pink blossoms
next to the visitor center.
|
 The
park's major facilities were built as a Works Project Administration
(WPA) project by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
beginning in 1933. The WPA and CCC were part of the government
plan to create jobs and extricate the country from the Great Depression
in the 1930's.
|
 Even
though our visit to this part of Arkansas was quite by accident, it was
an exciting (nerve-wracking) adventure through extremely beautiful
Ozark Mountain scenery.
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