Who doesn’t love vacation? I think planning a vacation may be my favorite thing. Generally, I spend months at a time fussing over places to stay, attractions, and must visit restaurants. Color coded, laminated spreadsheets would be distributed before departure to all family members. All of this was completed for this summer’s vacation…in December of last year. Needless to say, our plans, like everyone else’s in the entire world, got changed.
After we discovered this “situation” would not be going away anytime soon, we needed a plan B. Long story short, we decided plan B would be a travel trailer. My husband grew up camping and I have seen many Pinterest on clamping, so obviously we are ready to go. Before we picked up our camper, we began making reservations because sites were going quick. So yes, we had reservations before we had a camper. How we were lucky enough to find one of the best sites in Devil’s Den state park, I will never know, but snag it we did. After a week of worrying over the weather, we decided we would indeed drive the 2.5 hours north into the great outdoors. For the next five nights, Devil’s Den state park would be our home.
The first night was just set up and unpack. Most people would have no idea the amount of stuff that is required to attempt glamping. It takes a moment to get out the rug, the chairs, the tables, the cooking equipment, the corn hole boards, the outside fridge and on and on. After all this was done, we slept and woke up raring to go the next morning… around 11:00 am. You now, the crack of dawn. One of the biggest points of contention between me and my husband is what to actually DO on vacation. His choice is almost always the same… nothing. While my choice is almost always the same as well… do all the things. However, attempting to be responsible we narrow our choices to things that can be done with just us. So nature trails it is…
Devil’s Den Trail
We decided that Devils Den trail was where to start the week’s activities. The description could have used just a tad bit more…well description. The caves and crevices along with the boulders and rocks made this trail more than what we expected, but it was most definitely worth it.
Woody Plant Trail
Following a day of driving around the backroads of Northwest Arkansas, most of us followed the nearby Woody Plant Trail very near our campsite and found quite a smashing waterhole. Scarlett tried her sea legs and discovered swimming may not be her most FAVORITE thing ever, but she may try it again. One cannot just pass up a natural water hole. So Tim and I went to retrieve all willing children from the campsite just a few minutes walk away.
Lee Creek Trail
We had one trail left in us and I needed to choose wisely. Once again consulting the park map, I chose the trail with that sounded, well… easy. Devils Den trail was awesome, but my old knees were suffering. The description of Lee Creek Trail was 1 mile, half wooded and half aquatic. Perfect.
If I was the type of person to leave a bad Yelp review for a description, this trail would have gotten a full Karen review. The trail in and of itself was accurate. The first half to three-quarters of a mile was nice and shaded. The signs could have been just a wee bit more descriptive. Aquatic, well, aquatic is obviously a seasonal term. There was some water, but quite a bit of rock in a dry creek bed. We missed the original exit point to the aquatic part and the mile was closer to 2 miles. The second half of the trail was split between walking over the dry rocks, some may say boulders, and wading through water over slippery rocks.
Of all the hazards available, I slipped once. My super-hero reflexes managed to save my camera from smashing on the rocks. My left forearm and left hip stopped me from falling completely in the water… BUT my camera was safe. Priorities.
To say the least we were pretty pooped when we made it back to the vehicle. There was moaning and complaining. The kids said some stuff too. We were tired. Some of us would be sore the next day. Bugs and slimy rocks are part of the gig. Laughter and games were also present. Wet clothes and bug bites were coupled with great food and corn hole. The fireflies lit up the night. We were together and what else can you ask for in the great outdoors?
