Tripping thru Arkansas

Last Monday, Larry and I arrived in Flippen, Arkansas, ready to battle the world-class record trout in the White River. Because of the heavy rains in the recent months, the river was three times its normal size. Excellent news for us novice fishermen...trout was to be had in high numbers. I have always loved fishing, even at a young age down in the creek with Dad nearby. You put that bait in the water and you don't know what's on the other end. My imagination is under there! We hired a veteran guide, Scott, (from neighboring Mountain Home) to float us down- and upstream on the river. Between Tuesday and
Wednesday the three of us floated close to fifty miles traveling in a long johnboat. Each of the mornings the river was coated with a dense fog, which generally cleared off by mid-morning. The fog added a mysterious, almost ghostly feeling to our trout fishing. For the first time in my life, I finally hooked (and landed!) three brown trout, one weighing in at three pounds. What a fish! Bragging may not bring happiness, but no man having caught a large fish goes home through an alley!!! That be me! The two days gave us fifty-eight trout, twenty of which we brought home for family and friends. Next year we hope once again to float the rivers of Arkansas.

Cruising on the Wild Thang
By Thursday morning it was time to leave the White River and head to Norfork Lake. We joined up with our friends from Mountain Home, Larry and Debra S. The game plan for the remainder of the week was to hop onto their 85-footer houseboat, The Wild Thang, and cruise the Norfork.

The boat's interior is quite luxurious with three bedrooms and two baths.








The top deck is outfitted with a bar and hottub and enough space to dance the night away! (which we did!)
The beauty of the boat was only outshined by the hospitality and generosity of the owners, Larry and Debra.









And what would be a trip without our old friends to join us! Altogether we numbered five couples, including our son, Scott and Tina, who hauled their boat down to the lake. Someone wrote: "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."


The sunrises and the sunsets were inspirational and dramatic!





Such a wonderful ending to such a wonderful trip!