More from Arkansas (After a Delay)

 

A note: I began a travelogue from Arkansas a month ago. And then, life happened and interrupted my posts. But, I'm continuing the story, mainly for Randy and me, even though it's been way too long between posts. 

Last time, I wrote about the more "faith-related" stops we made on our 1,160-mile trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and back home again. But there were other stops along the way. 

Sculpture in front of Crystal Bridges

 

CRYSTAL BRIDGES

Bentonville, Ark.

We drove from Eureka Springs to Bentonville one day to see Crystal Bridges. We'd watched either a CBS Sunday Morning segment or a 60 Minutes report about the museum built and financed by the Walton Family of WalMart fame. Even though there was construction underway at Crystal Bridges, it was well worth the drive, especially since we got to drive along the tree-lined roads filled with fall colors. (A couple of notes: It seemed to take twice as long to get from Point A to Point B on the winding, hilly roads of Arkansas. Of course, we are used to the flatlands of central Kansas and the orderly grid of roads that come together perpendicularly at the mile lines. The colors would have been more vibrant had the area not been experiencing the same drought that had plagued our area before some nice rains fell in November, but it was still pretty.)

 

 

Best of all, the Crystal Bridges museum was totally free, thanks to the generosity of the Waltons. There are very few attractions like that!

We had also hoped to see the original Walton 5-and-10, but it is being renovated as a museum and was temporarily closed.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened its doors on 11/11/11 and received more than 650,000 guests during its first year. By its seventh anniversary in 2018, more than four million people had come to view the art and walk the grounds.

The concept began as a sketch on a paper napkin. It has become a place to experience art, architecture and lifelong learning in a natural setting in Northwest Arkansas.

Crystal Bridges was the brainchild of Alice Walton, a daughter of WalMart founder Sam Walton. Alice's interest in art began in her childhood when she discovered watercolors. She and her mother often painted with watercolors on family camping trips or on hikes in the Ozarks.

To me, people everywhere need access to art. That's what we didn't have here and that's why it was so important that Crystal Bridges be located in this region. For years I'd been thinking about what we could do as a family that could really make a difference in this part of the world. I thought this is something we desperately need, and what a difference it would have made were it here when I was growing up.

Alice Walton

Besides the museum itself, there are a number of walking trails with sculptures and art along the way.

Narcissus Garden was an art installation on water by Yayoi Kusama, comprised of nearly 1,800 mirrored spheres:

 

 

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It re-imagines the story of Narcissus. In Greek mythology, the self-absorbed hunter Narcissus is lured to a pond where, upon gazing at his own reflection, falls in and drowns. The artist encourages us to look past our own unique reflection to see those of other people and the natural surroundings, becoming part of one greater sphere - that of an interconnected universe.

Taken from over a bridge on the walking trail. It was gorgeous!

"Maman" (below) was created by artist Louise Bourgeois as a tribute to her mother, who she described as her closest friend. Bourgeois thought of the spider as caring, helpful and hard-working - the way she remembered her mother. 

Randy found a seat in a couple of unusual settings:

One was in quartz quarried in Arkansas ...

... and the other with a couple of quiet friends. He lent one of them his hat. 

We also toured a Frank Lloyd Wright Bachman-Wilson home on the grounds. Randy and I decided it was not built for people our size. While the living room was large and open, you had to turn sideways to walk down the narrow hallways. No photos were allowed inside the house.

MAGIC SHOW

Local people know that Randy went through a "magic phase" after seeing Siegfried and Roy on stage during our first trip together to Las Vegas. He read a lot of books and joined an international brotherhood of magicians in Wichita, where he learned more. For years, he did magic shows and taught 4-Hers interested in magic for a self-determined project. He still does magic for children's sermons at church on occasion.

And while golf has taken over as his favorite hobby, he still enjoys seeing magic shows when we travel. The one in Eureka Springs was in a repurposed 120-year-old stone church and featured husband-and-wife duo Sean-Paul and Juliana Fay at the Intrigue Theater.

We saw their regular magic show - not their paranormal one. But that's the photo op they had during intermission.

It was a small, intimate setting, and Randy thought the act was better than what we'd seen the year before in Branson. They've been featured on America's Got Talent, Penn and Teller's Fool Us and the Magic Castle.

GOLFING

And speaking of his newest hobby: Randy golfed the Holiday Island Golf Course.

For a vacation area, there aren't a lot of golf courses from which to choose. It definitely didn't compare to the course at Couer d'Alene from earlier in the the year, but we found one.

 It was a nice day for golfing ... or in my case, for reading and taking photos.

EATING AND SHOPPING

Of course, eating and shopping were on the agenda. We did more browsing than actual shopping. But we did plenty of eating. I will say that the hills and the uneven sidewalks made walking around a little precarious, especially in the dark. But it's a fun tourist destination.

Once a week, Randy meets some buddies for breakfast at Stafford. One of the restaurants reminded him a little of Joan's Cafe, where he and his friends meet in Stafford. There was definitely a table of the "old guy regulars" at the Eureka Springs establishment - just like home!

MAIN STREET CAFE

He says he doesn't order as much in Stafford. I have not verified this assertion with his friends.

THE FILLING STATION

My favorite breakfast place was The Filling Station. The decor fit the old filling station setting and the food was delicious.

We went there the final day we were in Eureka Springs. A lot of restaurants are not open every day of the week, and this was one of them. However, we weren't in peak tourist time so I'm sure days and serving times vary.

BAVARIAN INN

Randy's German blood must have been singing because he really wanted to eat at the Bavarian Inn, which had authentic German and Czech food. I was less enthusiastic, but I had a horrible cold the entire time we were there, so I wasn't that hungry anyway. So I relented. Pictured above is their specialty, sauerkraut soup, which they serve as an appetizer. As I said, I wasn't that hungry, so I ordered the sauerkraut soup and a dinner salad. Randy liked it much more than I did. (I don't have a drop of German blood.)

What he really wanted was a wiener schnitzel and fixings. He thought it was tasty. 

FAVORITE MEAL (and most expensive)

Grotto Wood Fire Grill and Wine Cave was recommended by Brent and Susan, who'd visited Eureka Springs a couple of years before. I realized after we got home that I hadn't taken any photos there. Trust me: It was delicious. Randy's only complaint was that he didn't get enough to eat. That is not unusual at higher-end establishments. He had the smoked duck and I had cedar-plank salmon.

Photo from a Facebook post - not my photo

WORKING BUNNIES

Susan and Brent had also told us about Eureka Springs' working bunnies. Of course, we had to find them. They do their "work" in two retail stores, East By West and Caroline's Collectables and have since 2000.  

We bought a couple of stocking stuffers so that we could watch the bunnies work.

I'll have a final wrap-up of our trip to Arkansas next time - finally.

I Know a Green (Fall) Cathedral

My first-ever school solo was a song called, "I Know a Green Cathedral." While I sometimes can't remember why I walked into a room, I still remember the words to that song. It says, in part:

I know a green cathedral

A shadowed forest shrine

Where leaves in love join hands above

And arch your prayers and mine.

Within its cool depths sacred, 

A priestly cedar sighs,

And the fir and pine lift arms divine 

Unto the pure blue skies.

Though the "green cathedral" was starting to be touched by fall colors, I couldn't help but think of the song as we visited the Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Ark.

Someday, Randy wants to go to the eastern part of the U.S. in the fall to join other ubiquitous "leaf peepers." I'm not opposed to the idea, but it seemed we'd just gotten home from a long trip to Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Plus, how do you guess the optimum time for leaf "peeping?"

I threw out the idea to go to the Ozarks, a much closer destination that's also known for viewing fall foliage. We could get there in a day, which appealed to both of us. And Brent and Susan had enjoyed a trip to Eureka Springs a couple years ago, so that was where my vacation planner (AKA Randy) decided for us to headquarter. 

The fall foliage was muted, thanks to the same drought that has plagued our area. But we still enjoyed our time in the Ozarks. Thorncrown Chapel was one "must-do" stop for me in Eureka Springs. I've seen beautiful engagement and wedding photos taken there, so I wanted to see the unique chapel for myself. It lived up to the hype.

Thorncrown Chapel was the dream of Jim Reed, a native of Pine Bluff, Ark. In 1971, Jim purchased the land which is now the site of the chapel to building his retirement home. However, other people admired the location and would often stop at his property to gain a better view of the Ozark hills. Instead of fencing them out,Jim chose to invite in by building a glass chapel in the woods. 

Shortly thereafter, Jim met architect E. Fay Jones, who accepted his proposal to design the chapel. On March 23, 1979, the construction crew broke ground to a halt. However, soon the building process came to a halt when Jim feared he didn't have the funds to complete the project. 

"I am not proud of the fact, but the first time I ever got down on my knees was on the chapel floor. I prayed more seriously than ever before. all the trials and tribulations gave me the humility to get on my knees." 

- Jim Reed

This was taken mid-afternoon, while the others were taken in the morning. It shows how the chapel changes in different light. But it's beautiful anytime. I've also seen pretty photos taken after a snowfall. However, it's closed in January and February, except for weddings and other private events.

A few days later, a woman from Illinois provided a loan, allowing Jim to finish his dream. In July 1980, Thorncrown Chapel opened. Since then, people from all over the world have visited the little chapel in the woods. 

Thorncrown Chapel is like the utterance of a proverb. It reveals, in a whisper, that silence can speak to us, stillness can enliven us, and being present to the eternal lessons of the Earth and its Creator can give cause and direction to better our lives.

- Randall Connaughton, author of Thorncrown Chapel: Divine Light

The chapel is 48 feet tall. Its wooden structure contains 425 windows and more than 6,000 square feet of glass. It sits atop more than 100 tones of native stone and colored flagstone. Since it opened in 1980, more than 7 million people have visited the sanctuary.

A cross adorns every light in the chapel. The darker it gets, the more visible they become.  

A nondenominational congregation meets for Sunday services at 9 and again at 11 AM, April through October. There's only an 11 AM service November through mid-December. The congregation is led by Pastor Doug Reed, the son of the chapel's founder.

 

Visiting the chapel doesn't require an appointment, though visits may get curtailed by weddings, especially on the weekends. There is no cost to visit, though donations are accepted, and they offer a few items for sale.

There is also a worship center on the grounds. However, it was closed for renovations. Both the worship center and the roof of the chapel itself was damaged in a hail storm. However, none of the chapel's windows were broken.

 

From the outside, it looks like some of the design is reminiscent of the chapel itself. I recommend a visit!

That wasn't our only faith-based stop of the trip. We also went to The Great Passion Play. For several years, the Stafford community did its own passion play in a pasture during the season of Lent under the leadership of the late Pastor Guy Elliott. It was pretty remarkable for a community our size. But the Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs was equally impressive for the huge cast and the elaborate set.

I didn't get excellent photos of the play, but we both enjoyed it and thought it was a wonderful retelling of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

Besides all the actors, it included camels, goats and other Biblical-period animals.

The play is performed three nights a week from the last week of May through the end of October in a 4,100-seat amphitheater.

We didn't get to the grounds in time to tour Christ of the Ozarks on the night of the play. But we went back at dusk another evening.

Christ of the Ozarks was erected in 1966 and stands 67 feet fall with a 65-foot arm span. The foundation of the statue required 340 tons of concrete interlaced with steel welded into the rock of Magnetic Mountain.

The statue is made of 24 layers of white mortar on a steel frame. It was necessary to build an elevator up the side of the framework which was completely surrounded by scaffolding during construction. The face is approximately 15 feet in height and the statue weights more than 2 million pounds.

We had one other church-related stop during an historic trolley tour of Eureka Springs. It was Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church.

The church claims to be the only one in America that you enter through a Bell Tower, a fact noted in Ripley's Believe It or Not. The chapel was completed in 1904.

The stained glass windows are beautiful.

These photos represent only a few of them.

Of course, I liked this one with wheat featured.

More from our Eureka Springs trip will be in upcoming blogs.