Wednesday, September 25, 2019

My Arkansas Journal

Arkansas

Well, here we are in Arkansas. 

It’s absolutely gorgeous and definitely an awesome place to visit. We thoroughly enjoyed our travels, meeting so many wonderful people. 
We stayed in Hope, Arkansas.


Washington State Park



Just a short ride north of Hope, Historic Washington State Park is a small village thriving in living history. The area is unique because of the strategic efforts of the local people wanting to preserve their history and culture. Many of the homes are pre-Civil War and have been renovated, preserved, and/or reconstructed. Tours by guides were available in the buildings that were open to the public. We did spot one B + B which looked like it would be a pleasant place to stay.


We stopped by the 1874 Courthouse and Visitor Center and purchased the full walking tour. We toured the Morrison Tavern, the print museum, Royston log home, the Blacksmith Shop, 1836 Courthouse and Confederate Capital of Arkansas, Sanders House, and the Edward’s Weapons Museum. Lunch (and dessert) was perfect and was also in an historical building, the Williams’ Tavern Restaurant.

After the walking tour, we drove around the town and viewed many of the other homes we hadn’t been able to tour because they weren’t open at the time. Different homes are open on specific days for tours.
We stopped and chatted with a park representative, Billy Nation. He was very helpful and answered all of our questions about the area and history.
www.historicwashingtonstatepark.com

Crater of Diamonds State Park

Going hunting for diamonds was a very interesting experience. It had rained the day before and had been chilly and drizzly the morning we arrived at the park. Thousands of diamonds have been found by very lucky people, sizes ranging from tiny chips to 40 carats.
What you find at the park is yours to keep.
They give you diamond hunting tips and they explain that there are other gems and minerals you can find. Tools are also available for rental to aid you in your search for precious gems. Appraisers are available. They determine what type of gems you have found and their value.
There is a gift shop, exhibits, a theater, and restaurant.
We found agate, jasper, quartz, and calcite.


Arkansas

Staying at the Best Western in Blytheville, Ark and at the Best Western in McGehee, our goal was to visit the area and enjoy the beauty of Arkansas. Both Best Westerns’ were great places to stay.
The Pizza Inn in McGehee was perfect. Good, friendly service and food.



We drove along the Great River Road. Although we were only on a few portions of it, it is a Scenic Byway along the Mississippi stretching from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.



We visited and toured the Lakeport Plantation in Lake Village, Arkansas. The sign at the entrance: Epstein land Company.

Wow! They are doing an excellent job with this home. The plantation is the only remaining plantation home on the Mississippi River in Arkansas. It was given to the Arkansas State University in 2001. It is a museum and educational center. They do allow tours while they continue with renovations and restoration.  At the time, the cotton plants were just starting to blossom. It was breathtaking.



There are several Pambling Roads Journals

Pages for you to fill in the blanks. Nurture your creativity with the U.S. State trivia and tidbits that you'll find in the interactive journal. It's designed to spark your imagination and self-motivation. They include historical trivia and tidbits about each state, and a small section in the front of the book by the author sharing her travels.

This journal is a great gift for yourself or your favorite writer. Perfect for all ages.


Other states available: Alabama     Arizona     Arkansas     Florida     Georgia     Louisiana     Maryland     Mississippi     Rhode Island     South Carolina     Ohio     Oklahoma     Texas     Virginia     Washington, D.C.

**Images are only on the blog and not in the print journals.
More to come!
You can order any available Pambling Roads Journals from your favorite bookstore!

Thank you for stopping by. If you've got any stories, leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you.

Pam



Tuesday, September 17, 2019

My Arizona Journal


Arizona!!!!

 
 
  

Our dream come true, the Grand Canyon. For over twenty years my husband and I have planned to go to the Grand Canyon. Every time we made plans to take the trip something, somehow, some way, always ended up happening and the dream vacation was put on the back burner.
We did it! We made it! Our dream vacation and it was more than we could have ever imagined.
Welcome back to Pambling Roads, where we are documenting our travels in the United States (and Canada) to "meet the Americans."

Arizona

Grand Canyon North Rim
 

       
The Grand Canyon Lodge was great, peaceful. No TV, no Internet service even though the website said there was service in the lodge but not in the cabins. Would have been nice to know there was no service in advance. Then again, I really should have known that there may be an issue. I should have left a “message away” on my email account. That said, it was nice not being attached to an electronic box for a few days, verynice!
The cell phone didn’t work but that didn’t exactly break my heart either. I find cell phones to be one of those inconvenient necessities.



     
The Grand Canyon Lodge Restaurant was excellent. Neil was our server. Great food, great service, and happy employees. All the employees at the North Rim including the visitors center gift shop, front desk, restaurants, the bar, etc. were happy and pleasant. It was a pure pleasure to be there. It was such an extreme difference from Utah.
The next morning we went to the general store where they had free internet service and I did my mail away message. No problem.  
This was one of my dreams come true, one of those lifelong dreams where I planned on someday seeing the Grand Canyon. Where every time we had saved up the funds to go, something went wrong and we couldn’t take the trip.
We were exhausted our first day there but didn’t care. We couldn’t wait.
We walked along the canyon. I barely holding in the tears of joy. It was cloudy, windy, chilly and damp. We didn’t care. As we made our way around a curve, the sun had peeped out and that’s all it took…
The sun’s rays hit the canyon in such a way that all I heard in my head was the Halleluiah Chorus and the tears fell. Never in my life have I ever seen or experienced such a beautiful sight.
 



 
     


Grand Canyon Arizona - South Rim

Traveling to South Rim we went through Kaibab National Forest, Navaho country, and then back into Grand Canyon National Forest. We stopped at every pull-out. Wonderful!
 
     
We had dinner at the buffet restaurant in the Best Western Squire Inn where we stayed for our South Rim visit. The food was excellent. The service …. Well, the server was hit with a lot of diners at once and when he realized there was a problem he called in reinforcements (including his twin brother) before there could be trouble. Smart move. I’ve seen servers think they didn’t need help and try to do it themselves and then fall flat.
After dinner, we had drinks at the Saguaro Bar and Grill also in the Best Western.
     


The Best Western is absolutely gorgeous with an entertainment area for everyone, a bowling alley, an arcade, pool tables, and an outdoor pool just to mention a few amenities. Live music from a pianist in the lobby….
Silly me. I got very emotional when we left. I felt like a child not wanting to leave Disney World. My poor husband didn’t know what to do or say.
Husband: “What’s wrong?”
Me: Wah… “I don’t want to go.”
Husband: “We can stay longer…”
Me: Wah… “No, we can’t.”
Husband: “Of course we can, it’s our vacation.”
Me: Wah… “No, it’s okay.”
Husband: “Are you sure?”
Me: Wah… “Nooooooooo.”
Silence
Husband: “We can go back.”
Me: Sniff… “No, it’s okay.”
Husband: Sigh


We made a few stops to see the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest.



    

If I saw a likeness of a painting of the Painted Desert, it would not do it justice, no matter how awesome the artist. 90,000+ acres of pure awe inspiring sighs. Someone took a rainbow and laid it upon the land, planting it here for all eternity. The Painted Desert Visitor’s Center has an informative movie along with a handful of displays.


 
     

The Petrified Forest is over 50,000 acres of fascinating, beautiful scenery. There was a sign that said we could get some petrified wood and decided to get some on the way out….nope, didn’t happen. I suggest that if you want some, grab it at the entrance where the signs are and make sure it is legal for you to do so. The visitor center lets people know that it is against the law to collect the petrified wood or anything from the park.





Benson,Arizona

We stayed at the Best Western in Benson, Arizona. We know we can’t go wrong with Best Westerns.

The history buff in both of us wanted to visit an authentic western town. Tombstone was a must and did not disappoint in any way from the moment we entered the town.

Tombstone “The Town Too Tough to Die”

 

  
Driving into Tombstone feels as if you are driving into any small town USA, until you turn the corner to go to the historical district. As you walk toward the main street, you feel as if you go back in time with every step you take. All the employees in the historic district wear period clothing. I’m not sure about my husband but I felt as if I wasn’t dressed properly. We had time-traveled to another time, another place.





You will hear about Big Nose Kate, Wyatt Earp, and his brothers. History rings with stories of Doc Holliday, the gunfight at the OK Corral, and the controversy behind the gunfight.
Tombstone started out as a silver mining town and thrived for several years until the mines started to flood and they could no longer work the mines. Once the opportunity was gone for mining the town slowly declined from 20,000 resident to under 200 residents. Tombstone is still a small town with about 1200 residents.
The horse drawn narrated historical tour was excellent. It is definitely something you do not want to miss. This is a very informative ride where you will learn the history and some trivia about the area. The tour probably lasted about fifteen minutes and every moment was chock full of wonderful historical content.


     
Lunch was at the Crystal Palace Saloon

The Bird Cage



The Bird Cage was once known for being a brothel, gambling hall, and theatre. There are claims that the place was haunted and I believe the clerk at the gift shop mentioned that there have been ghost sightings.

Tombstone Courthouse
 

The tour of the courthouse was fascinating. It is a two story Victorian architectural masterpiece. It features quite a bit of Tombstone history from artifacts, the mining history, pioneers, and cattlemen’s stories. A reproduction of the courthouse and replica of the gallows in the courtyard was intriguing.

The Epitaph Museum


 
If you like anything about printing, journalism, etc. this is definitely a must-see. It is free and you can receive a copy of the newspaper that printed the original story of the gunfight at O.K. Corral. It has original equipment and presses on exhibit.


The O.K. Corral


 
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral is probably foremost on most peoples’ minds when they hear the name Tombstone. Of course, we were thrilled when we realized they did a reenactment.
The fight actually took place in an empty lot near the corral. The area has a portion of the gunfight site cordoned off where you can see where a part of the gunfight had taken place. Mannequins are positioned and strategically placed where history and research has put the original lawman and cowboys.
There is a theatre area where they reenact the gunfight, a blacksmith’s, stables, the original corral office, and Fly’s boardinghouse where Bid Nose Kate had witnessed the gunfight.
We look forward to returning to Arizona and plan on making the trip again this year to the Tombstone area. Maybe we will stay at the Tombstone Bordello, a real 1880’s bordello that is now a Bed and Breakfast.


Saguaro National Park
       
 

 

Oh, the saguaro were flowering and it looked absolutely gorgeous. Picture perfect. We never realized how big they could get!  It was the middle of the day, so we didn’t do too much walking around. We stopped at the visitor center and absorbed all the information we could. On our way to the car, we stopped and spoke with a young man (from Texas) who was biking across the state as part of his “break” from college. Good for him, we hope he had a great time and arrived home safely.



Border Patrol between Arizona and California?

Yes, they do! Seriously, we thought we had made a wrong turn. At the California and Arizona border we had to stop at Border Patrol and answer a few questions. While we were in line I was scrambling for our passports. Luckily, we brought them just in case we decided to go into Mexico or Vancouver. They never asked for our passports but requested our driver’s licenses. To this day we are not sure why there is a border patrol station at the California border.
There was a truck, pulled over to the side where a BP officer was speaking with a couple of men. They didn’t look very happy at all.



There are several journals so far in the Pambling Roads series.

Pages for you to fill in the blanks! Nurture your creativity with Pambling Roads State Journals, interactive journals designed to spark imagination and self-motivation. They include historical trivia and tidbits about each state, and a small section in the front of the book by the author sharing her travels.

Great for all ages, and a wonderful gift for that special writer.

Purchase My Arizona Journal

Go to Amazon and see the other Pambling Roads Journals available for purchase.
States:

Alabama    Arizona     Arkansas    Florida    Georgia    Louisiana     Maryland     Mississippi   Rhode Island      South Carolina    Ohio   Oklahoma    Texas   Virginia   Washington, D.C.

**Pictures on not in the print journals. 
More to come! You can order any available Pambling Roads Journals from your favorite bookstore!  

PamelaAckerson.com
@PamAckerson
Pam@PamelaAckerson.com





Monday, September 9, 2019

My Oklahoma Journal

My Oklahoma Journal



Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain
Where the wav-in wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain
Oklahoma ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk
Makin lazy circles in the sky
~~Oscar Hammerstein

Here we are Oklahoma!!

Our travels have brought us all around the “lower 48”. We’ve tried to zip zag and circle through and around every state we could. Florida was where this endeavor started.

Enjoy your journal.

Thank you for taking this wonderful journey with us. It has been absolutely incredible. 

Check out the rest of the Pambling Roads Blogs. Please keep in mind that some museums don’t allow photography.



Welcome to Oklahoma

There is so much to see in Oklahoma
To say it’s beautiful isn’t doesn’t give the state justice. It’s one of those states where you have to go to in order to experience just how awesome it is. I remember standing near some pastures and just breathing in the beauty…

Ardmore, Oklahoma 

We went to Turner Falls Park, in Davis. The Arbuckle Mountains are beautiful; perfect for a little hiking, exploring caves, enjoying Turner Falls, and the cool water for a wonderful swim.







We explored the remains of the castle, Collings Castle, and guesthouse. It was amazing seeing the amount (hundreds) of Daddy Long Legs living on, in, and on top of the ceilings of the remains. At first, I thought it was mildew, until the mildew started moving and walking around. We hiked to the top and enjoyed the view of Turner Falls from there as well.





The park does have places to eat, cabins, shelters, and campsites. The employees are polite and helpful. There is an excellent market to purchase needed supplies and a great gift shop.        

Places to Note:

Turner Falls ─

TurnerFallsPark.com


Thank you for taking the time to read about our travels in the United States. It has been a great adventure, meeting the Americans, and meeting people from all over the world.


Do you love journals?

My Oklahoma Journal sparks interest with historical trivia and tidbits about Oklahoma. It’s designed to nurture creativity and self-motivation. With a small section by the Pambling Roads author sharing her travels, she has included short quips about the places she's been.The second portion features one side for drawing, pasting personal pictures, and the other side lined for notes or journal writing. Cultivate exploration, focus on daily acknowledgments, the simple joys of life, a travel journal, or to write down inspirational quotes−whatever the heart desires.Perfect for all ages!

Don’t forget to check out the other Pambling Road Journals.

Alabama    Arkansas    Florida    Georgia    Louisiana     Maryland     Mississippi   Rhode Island      South Carolina    Ohio   Oklahoma    Texas   Virginia   Washington, D.C.

Have you been to any of the places I have mentioned? Do you have stories to tell as well? Visit the Pambling Roads Blogs and add in your comments.

Thank you!

Check out my other books!  
Books by Pamela Ackerson

The Wilderness Time Travel Series
Across the Wilderness
Into the Wilderness
Wilderness Bound
Warriors of the Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness

The Wilderness Series Ebook box set

Contemporary Fiction
Living the Wright Life

Time Travel
The Gingerbread House
Garrett’s Ghost

Historical Fiction
Dear Margaret

Non-fiction
I Was Just a Radioman (A memoir of a Pearl Harbor survivor, Black Cat, and decorated veteran.)
Be More Successful with Marketing and AdvertiZING
I am a Runner ─ The Memoirs of a Sepsis Survivor

A Granny Pants Story   (Children’s Stories)
The Long and Little Doggie
Riley Gets into Predicaments
Available in Spanish:
El Perrito Largo y el Perrito Pequeno (La Serie del Perrito Largo y Pequeno)

@PamAckerson
Pam@PamelaAckerson.com

PamelaAckerson.com