We stayed at the Lost Bridge campground at Beaver Lake for a few nights. The lake is in the northwest corner of Arkansas, close to the Missouri border. Ben reserved the best spot in the camp, right on the water!! It was beautiful, and we were entertained by the two Corps of Engineers workers who took the boat out every day. True to form for government workers, they took their time putting in the boats and taking them out. It gave Ben something to watch.
It was finally warm enough to sit outside! It’s nice to stay in one spot for a few days after moving each day. Ben read outside while I worked in the morning. The hikes around the campground are a bit much for Cody, but there’s plenty of area for him to walk around. And, after the first night, we were the only ones in the campground. I just let him wander, though we have to watch him. We don’t think he can see far anymore, so he gets lost 30 feet from us.
We spent an afternoon at Pea Ridge Military Park. It’s a small battlefield close to where we stayed. Neither Ben nor I had heard of it before, and it surprises me that Ben hadn’t. Two days of fighting occurred in March of 1862.
It’s a small battlefield, especially relative to Gettysburg and Manassas. The armies were much smaller as well. This display in the welcome center was helpful. It laid out the battlefield and used lights to follow along with the narrator.
They have a driving loop similar to Gettysburg. They added videos online for each stop as an audio tour. Cody came with us to check out a few of the spots.
From the displays, we gather that these battles were not great strategic accomplishments from either side. Several signs mentioned this battle is still studied in training at places such as West Point and the War College. I’m pretty sure it’s to study lessons learned on what not to do as leaders. One general had his troops facing the wrong way when the opposing side came up to them. Yes, cannons and all. Oops. Another came upon a large contingent marching along the road and though outnumbered, chose to fire into the line anyway. I paraphrase Ben as he’s describing it: “eh, what the hell, fire!”
It was a gorgeous day to be outside, and we saw 3 other people in the loop. Winter is not my favorite season, but it’s been great for sight-seeing! This is the Elkhorn Tavern, at the intersection of 3 main roads in this area. Ben would know more about the history and its significance to Pea Ridge. I was enjoying the sunshine and warmth. Both armies wanted this location and access to the roads.
The lake was a great location for shooting close to sunset and sunrise; however, the security lights took away much of the effect. We enjoyed the light for walking around at night though.
We headed to Bentonville the next day. It was nice to stay in one location for 3 nights.
Ben and Megan Travel the World 