ARKANSAS’S CHAMPION TREE
SEARCHING FOR THE LARGEST TREE IN THE NATURAL STATE…and a few other things!
After returning from Europe, it was time to get back to Traveling Arkansas. We had to postpone a trip to find Arkansas’s Champion Tree due to a storm that knocked power out at my long time friend, Gary Clark’s, cabin at Maddox Bay off of the White River. That would be our base of operations for a couple of days, along with knocking off some dairy bars as I near the end of that quest…..
HUGHES, ARKANSAS
Located in the Arkansas Grand Prairie, Hughes is home to the Hughes Drive Inn……Gary met me there for supper and we found it to be a great burger…
MADDOX BAY
Cotton was beginning to bloom and the bolls coming out. This is great bottom land for Arkansas agriculture. We saw an eagle checking out road kill, but he flew off before we could get a pic….
Sunset the first night at Maddox Bay….
CHAMPION TREE
The weather was still extremely hot, with forecast in the low 100’s….being the MBA’s that we are, an executive decision was made to find the tree early and then head to Helena……proved to be smarter than we looked, since it was only low 80’s when we started out!
The American Bald Cypress is the largest tree measured in Arkansas at 523 inches, and may be 800 years old.
At times, you can get right up next to the tree, but this day had swamp water all around it…..so seeing it from across the bayou was what we did.
There is an artist in Hot Springs named Linda Palmer who has painted a number of champion trees, and that is where I first heard of them. Also, a friend, Peggy Clark as a member of the Forestry association, was instrumental in ‘championing’ the champion tree program.
The hike was about 2.8 miles in and back, with a good, well marked trail. Gary’s head was swiveling looking for snakes……..they disappointed him as none presented themselves!!
You can read more about the champion tree program here..
Having accomplished seeing Arkansas’s biggest tree, around 800 years old, we headed for Helena.
HELENA, ARKANSAS
We had been to Helena before on a previous Maddox Bay adventure. Our goal this time was to find the Delta Dirt Distillery. It’s had a lot of positive publicity and we wanted to check it out. It was closed, but we found the owners and they let us in. They use local sweet potatoes grown nearby for the vodka…think they use corn for the gin………check out their website below..
They will also make a bourbon that will be coming next year…
Met the family on the way out. Great people and very friendly. We wish them all the best going forward…
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Another dairy bar beckoned, this one being the Burger Shack….I asked them if they knew they were in the book, and they said no…..then they let us inside the dining room! (Door was locked for most folks for some reason)…burger was good and so was the experience….
On the way back to Maddox, found the defunct Bank of Holly Grove. The charter was purchased by the people who created Centennial Bank in Conway..
We did a little tour around the Bumpers Wildlife area…..to me, the Delta land is just as impressive as our mountains in its own way….
An owl checked me out…..
Last sunset at Maddox Bay…
Saying farewell to Clark…..headed to Pine Bluff to Rich’s Burgers…..met the owner and he appreciated the visit. Was a busy day, but he said he didn’t know how much longer he could hang in there…..seems to be a common theme, and several of the dairy bars that I intended to visit have closed since the book’s publication.
HOT SPRINGS BASEBALL WEEKEND
Right after returning, Hot Springs hosted the annual baseball weekend with 4 Hall of Famers…..here they are below…..
BONUS STUFF…
Seeing granddaughters (and their parents!) was the best highlight….they are ready to Call Those Hogs too!!
Robert and I went to the UA game at War Memorial Stadium. It was the 55th anniversary of my first game there with my Dad in 1968….the tradition is still alive, at least for now…
On our way to Springdale, we intended to do a dairy bar in Charleston, but it was closed for an unknown reason. So…..we went to Lavaca to Steffey’s Pizza and found the Uncle Roman…..never had one like this. TC and I only had 2 1/2 pieces and we took the rest to Springdale…..
Great to be back in Arkansas seeing and reporting on the wonderful things we have here. Finally seeing the Champion Tree was a big deal…..and soon I’ll finish the dairy bar quest.
Thanks for reading, and remember to be deliberate and have no regrets.
Until next time…..
Travelin’ Arkansan
