3 Water Tanks today

Did 250 miles around rural Arkansas today, and saw three tanks that I could photograph- 

At Green Forest Arkansas- Interesting older tank

Hard to read, but this one said VS Tigers, for the town of Vernon Springs

This one was captioned Farmer's Marker-  Nice paint job, and lots of stuff hanging off too!

Daisy Air Rifle Museum, Rogers Ark.

Saw a brochure for this attraction in a rack somewhere, and figured what the heck-  turns out Rogers is the current home for Daisy Air rifles, they are produced in a big building about a mile away, and have been since 1958 or so- when they moved production from Michigan. 

Got a pin and a nice free medallion commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Christmas Story movie, which is an all time favorite of my son in law Tony.  Glad I stopped in. 

7 hours or so of rural Arkansas twisty roads!!

Left the coach today at 7- and drove about 80 miles to Harrison, Ark. which is the Headquarters building for the Buffalo National River-  they had the two stamps there they were supposed to-  so I was off to a good start. 

I had originally been told that only one of the three visitor centers would be open-  That turned out to be bad information-  turns out Pruitt Ranger station would be open, since the Rangerette was back from vacation, today was her first day back. 

To explain, this is a long, narrow park, centered around the Buffalo River, the first National River in the program.  The park is like over a 100 miles long, and there are no direct roads to the various visitor centers...  so if you visit here, be prepared to drive a lot. 

 

 

I drove the 19 miles or so down to the Pruitt Information building, and got a pin and two hiking medallions, and a nice view of the River. 

Also got the Pruitt site specific stamp here, which was a good thing, since this is the only place it is located in the entire park....

Then, I had to drive about 45 miles or so over to the Tyler Bend Ranger Station, which is the main Visitor Center for the park-  Got the Arkansas Sesqui stamp here, and everything else was a duplicate, so in three stops, I got the four stamps for this park. 

Got back to the coach about 230, after a stop in Rogers at the Daisy Air Rifle Museum. 

Long day Wednesday----

Looks like almost 240 miles of running around tomorrow, due to the decision I made to go ahead for the sweep of the Arkansas National Parks and go ahead an go over to Fort Smith, as opposed to not going there, and missing Buffalo River. 

I'm starting from stop 1, Hickory Creek, and then heading over to the Buffalo River HQ building in Harrison Arkansas, about y70 miles distant, then on down to stop 3, which is the Tyler Bend Visitor Center, which is at 102 miles-  ugh.  Those are the only two of four visitor centers that are open for Buffalo River, so it is what it is. 

Then, I decided to swing back by Pea Ridge NMP to get the 25th anniversary stamp, since it's not really out of the way that much, then stop 5 will be the Daisy Air Gun Museum, just for fun, in Rogers, Arkansas.   I can get an early start, and be done in 6 or 7 hours I reckon.  Then, though, I will have my sweep of Arkansas sites. 

Quick run over to Pea Ridge NMP

Visited this park when Bette and I flew out to Missouri to see Sherry and Fred last October, but I had forgotten to get a couple of stamps, plus I had the new passport book for the Arkansas Sesqui program. 

Got one of the missing two, but totally forgot about the 25th stamp, which was there, as I was told when I called back to see if they had it-  so I will send in for that one. 

Relatively quick fix for freezer/fridge.....

Took an hour and a half, but the problem was diagnosed and we believe fixed, without anything other than the labor cost, which was $285.00. 

The symptoms were discussed, the unit wasn't chilling below 31 degrees on the freezer side, and about 38 on the fridge side-  there was a lot of freezing going on, and Greg, the tech, properly decided that for some reason, the unit wasn't defrosting properly- and the ice build up was causing the problem-  He ran a few diagnostics on the unit, and they all checked out- 

Then, we realized when we opened up the access door what we believe was at least contributing to the problem, when Alliance worked on the unit last month, evidently they were in a hurry to get the unit back to us, which they did right at 5 pm, and they evidently forgot to reconnect the drain line to the unit. 

Clearly, there was nothing attached to the drain line!!!

This fitting was just sitting in the compartment- 

The drain line was also just lying in the cabinet-  so there was no draining going on as it should.

Greg further surmised that the unit was actually draining back into the unit itself, and gave us a tutorial on how to manually defrost the unit-  it is supposed to self-defrost at 1 am in the morning, but the clock was off a bit, so that was reset also. 

I gave Will at call at Alliance, and he said by all means, bring the bill in, and we'll run it by the boss- 

Also asked Will about the accident damage, and he said they just make new doors on the site, then paint them-  at about $900 a door, but one of the doors is a short door, so we may come out ahead on that one at least.   Says they have a super body shop, so we'll get that looked after in September when we return for our annual maintenance. 

Back on the pad at Hickory Creek by 130 pm. 

Tomorrow is the Buffalo River site for touring.  I also got to Pea Ridge while I was waiting for the coach this morning. 

Change of plans for tomorrow

I had tomorrow set for a shopping day, but on the way back from the Wal Mart Visitor Center today, I spied a Camping World along the Interstate, so I stopped in, and described our problem, which is that the Freezer isn't exactly freezing-  and they agreed to take us in at 9 in the morning-=  Hopefully, it's nothing major, Bette took it upon herself to defrost the unit while I was out today, we'll see if that helps, I may have them do an annual service on it while it's in anyway.  May ask them about the side damage too!  Just to see if they think it can be pounded out, or needs new doors altogether. 

Paying homage to Sam Walton

Missed this the last time I was here, and was determined to get to it today, and glad I did-  Very interesting exhibits at the Wal Mart Visitor Center, which is actually the location of the first "Wal-Mart" store.  Lots of interesting exhibits about the company and Mr Walton, including his actual office on the day he left it, and his old F150 Ford truck as well. 

Got Gazza Hartman a toy Wal Mart Truck and a pin, and some postcards. 

Arkansas and Missouri Railroad

Added this stop, which is at an old depot, on the hope I could get Andy and I some engineer hats, but alas, they didn't have any. 

Did get a couple of pins, one for the railroad, one for the town of Springdale. 

They have a very small display of artifacts, which actually isn't open as yet- but they let me see it, some interesting things. 

They do a three hour ride over to Eureka Springs, would have liked to have taken that ride, today, the train was going on a private trip for the owners... 

Arkansas Air Museum, and Arkansas Military Museum

These two museums are located next to each other at Drake Field, Fayetteville , Arkansas, which used to be the airport for the city before they built the NW Arkansas Regional Airport

I got a terrific surprise as I was entering the museum, the lady casually mentioned that a B-17 was landing in a couple of minutes-=  I had seen a 17 fly over as I was walking in, but was treated to the arrival of the plane, which has to be one of the only few flying. 

This one has a "chin" turret, so I believe it is a B-17 G. 

The B-17 Aluminum Overcast

The Experimental Aircraft Association's B-17G-VE, serial number 44-85740 - nicknamed Aluminum Overcast, was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps on May 18, 1945.  Although delivered too late to see action in World War II, the airplane has an interesting history.
          
First Owner
Purchased as surplus from the military inventory for a mere $750 in 1946, the airplane has flown more than 1 million miles. It has served as a cargo hauler, an aerial mapping platform and in pest control and forest dusting applications.
        
Return to Military Roots
The airplane's return to its military roots began in 1978, when it was purchased by a group of investors who wished to preserve the heritage of the magnificent B-17. The group, "B-17s Around the World," was headed by Dr. Bill Harrison. Their goal was to return the B-17 to its former glory.

Donation to EAA
The economic reality of simply maintaining a vintage bomber, let alone the cost of restoration, prompted the group to donate the B-17 to the Experimental Aircraft Assocation in 1983. Since that time, an extensive program of restoration and preservation was undertaken to insure Aluminum Overcast would be a living reminder of World War II aviation for many years to come. The restoration has taken more than 10 years and thousands of hours by dedicated staff and volunteers at EAA Oshkosh, Wisconsin, headquarters.

Aluminum Overcast proudly carries the colors of the 398th Bomb Group of World War II, which flew hundreds of missions over Nazi-held territory during the war. Aluminum Overcast commemorates B-17G #42-102515 which was shot down on its 34th combat mission over Le Manior, France, on August 13, 1944. Veterans of the 398th helped finance the bomber's restoration.

The Plane
When the airplane was sold in 1946, most of the original military equipment had been removed. Over the years, these items have been located, restored and returned to Aluminum Overcast. These include:

• The Norden bombsight located in the nose of the airplane
• Restoration of the navigator's position also located in the nose of the airplane
• Installation of the waist guns located on each side of the bomber
• Rebuilding the radio compartment, including original communications equipment
• Returning the airplane's floor to its original specifications
• Installation of a complete tail turret assembly
• Installation of a replica top turret just behind the pilot and co-pilot seats

The airplane was on display at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wis., until October, 1993 when it was moved to EAA’s Kermit Weeks Flight Research Center for maintenance and restoration in preparation for its first national tour in 1994. The B-17 will eventually be housed in the EAA AirVenture Museum's "Eagle Hangar," which features numerous World War II aircraft and exhibits.

When Aluminum Overcast is on tour, aviation enthusiasts can actually walk through the airplane. If they wish, they can take a trip back in time and feel the might of this magnificent flying machine through the flight experience program. Half hour flights are available at all Tour stops. Proceeds from the tour help keep Aluminum Overcast flying and will assist the continuing restoration, maintenance and preservation efforts of EAA.

Even those too young to have lived through World War II can appreciate the history associated with this airplane. The Flying Fortress was one of the airplanes that helped the Allies achieve victory in World War II.

The B-17 is an important part of both U.S. and aviation history. It can help us understand the technology of the times, the era in which the aircraft was developed and the human sacrifices which make today's freedoms possible.


You can book a flight on the plane for "only" 479 dollars!  I passed.  Still, a neat experience. 

There are two hangar buildings of displays of aircraft, cars, and militaria.    Lots of good stuff to see, cost 9.00 to enter. 

Monday June 24th Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park

This was the first stop of the day, a planned stop to get an Arkansas Civil War stamp, which I did get.  This is a very well done Visitor Center, with a 20 minute movie about this key battle during the Civil War, which was actually sort of a draw, but ultimately a loss for the Confederates. 

Also got a nice pin for this location-  Glad I stopped. 

Monday June 24th Additional Stop at Arkansas Naturals

I realized I was close to the Arvest Stadium, which is the home to the Arkansas Naturals AA team and heard on the radio that the Texas League All Star game was being played there tomorrow night-  On a whim, I drove in and checked, and got a ball and pin for the All Star game!!  Score!!!

Only bad thing was that the ball was 15.00, and the pin 8, vs regular pricing of 5 or 6 dollars for the ball and 3-5 for a pin.  Oh well.  It will be a collector's item, right?

Longish hot day today......

Pretty much followed the plan for today, but managed to get up too early, then suffered through a 96 degree day-  ugh. 

First scheduled stop was over to Russellville Wal Mart- well we had Wal Mart in the GPS but found a big parking lot right off the Interstate, so we parked there. 

Then, I headed about 6 miles over to Lake Dardanelle State Park for a trail of tears stamp- 

Fortunately I had called ahead and made sure of the address, which was not correct in the Data Base, and it still turned out to be a little off, but they had good signs, so I found it without any issues.  Got the stamp, as a matter of fact I was the first one in the club to ever get the new stamp-  Yay!!!  The older stamp the generic one, was not there. 

Got a pin and a nice hiking medallion and some postcards. 

Back to the coach, then about 60 miles down the road to Alma, Arkansas, so we wouldn't have to drive in downtown Fort Smith. 

Alma, by the way, is the "spinach capitol of the world"  and here is some proof of that:

Must not be too much to do in Alma- 


Then, I headed the 14 miles or so to the three planned stops for Fort Smith:

Fort Smith National Historic site  was the first up:

I had been here before on the 2009 trip, but decided to go back so I could get the Arkansas Civil War Sesqui Stamp and some Civil War Trading Cards for my pals back in Roanoke. 

Also did the movie this time, and actually toured the building a bit.  I had to actually do the Junior Ranger program to get the cards, so I was proud of myself!

I had parked right next to the next site, the History Museum of Fort Smith  $5.00 entry, two floors of good stuff- 

 Then, I tried to visit the Trolley Museum of Fort Smith, but that was a complete bust-  maybe I went to the wrong place, but there was no museum, no gift shop, no nothing except a big barn with some trolley cars in it, and no one there.  Oh well-  

Then, we hit I-540 on up to Lowell, Arkansas, our home for the next 4 days, we are at Hickory Creek COE Park, has 50 amp, but no water!!!  I heard about that, believe me, plus its a long way over to the bathhouse, have to drive even.  Heard about that too, no wonder it was so inexpensive..... 

At least we have good TV for the first time in 4 days, just hot as hades here!!!!

 

 

Tomorrow is a local sort of day with trips to Fayetteville, Bentonville, and a couple of other stops.