Posted by: noadventure | November 22, 2009

Arkansas Adventure: Part 2 – Ozarks

So where did I leave off… oh yes, we headed up Scenic 7 to the Ozarks. If you want to do some serious rock climbing, stop at Sam’s Throne – it’s the premier crag in the state. We skipped it and dropped in on Mystic Caverns instead, where I snagged a pretty rad hat in the gift shop.

Speaking of rad hats, Arkansas is chock full of thrift stores(that haven’t been over-mined by hipsters). We stayed in Harrison at this killer 1930s historic hotel called the Seville(it was awesome and cheap). Within blocks of Hotel Seville were 5 fucking thrift stores in downtown Harrison. Jeeeesus.

I also whipped out the iPhone Urban Spoon to find some tasty Thai food in the culinary wasteland that is northern Arkansas. BBQ aside, they are really hurting – PLUS, like most of Arkansas above Little Rock, it’s a dry county. Snap!

Definitely picked up one of these Goblins P.E. shirts at one of those thrift shops.

There are a few cool things to do in Harrison. One is peeping out some elk near Ponca. Here’s Beck on the stake-out.

He spotted us!

We saw 20 or so elk; mostly females with a bull or two in the mix. I even popped off this video of a bull elk “bugling.”

Harrison is also the jump-off spot for the Buffalo River, which is the country’s first National River. In a simple description, it’s awesome. The Buffalo is known for its clear blue water and high stone cliffs, some of which have Indian petroglyphs on them that could be centuries old.

The leaves were just starting to change color, which was nice, but if it had been a couple of weeks earlier I would have enjoyed jumping off some of these cliffs, as is my custom.

Next, we cruised on down to Little Rock on our way out of the state. You may not think of Little Rock as a “rocking” town, but they’ve got some pretty progressive things happening there.

Take the Big Dam Bridge for example:

The bridge is the longest pedestrian/bicycle-only bridge in North America built exclusively for this purpose and connects approximatley 15 miles of scenic riverside trails right in the city! They just built it on top of the already existing dam.

Above photo Big Dam Color by David Screeton.

I love how slick it looks at night. Can you imagine how incredible it would be if New Orleans had a pedestrian/bicycle portion piggybacked on to the GNO bridge? The Brooklyn bridge has it. Shit, even Little Rock has it – why can’t we?

Little Rock’s ex-governor Mike Huckabee even went from being a 300 lb. fat-shit to losing over 110 pounds and running the New York Marathon. The New York Times called the weight loss so rapid that “it was as if he simply unzipped a fat suit and stepped out.”

Looks like he took some advice from NOadventure. *Wink*

There’s also this weird Martial Arts Park downtown which seemed very out of place and unnecessary, but whatevs.

There is also a cool neighborhood called the Heights, where some nice dudes at Ozark Outdoor Supply gave me some free chapstick and told me about Pinnacle Mountain State Park which is an awesome place to bag a quick peak or trail run. Personally, I made a teepee and saw this blurry deer who absolutely did not give a fuck and was not afraid of humans.

All in all, it was a really fun little tour of our neighbor to the north… Arkansas(no not Canada, you dumbass).

You just read Part 2. For Arkansas Adventure: Part 1 – Ouachita, click here.

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Posted in arkansas, camping, caves, climbing, fall, fishing, fitness, hiking, paddling, parks, river, road trip, sportsman, underground, water, wild animals, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted by: noadventure | November 13, 2009

Arkansas Adventure: Part 1 – Ouachita

With the fall colors changing, we decided to take a trip up to our neighboring state of Arkansas. Neither of us had ever been there before so we figured it would be a pretty rad trip. Here our my thoughts:

Arkansas rocks. It has all the mountains and rivers and outdoor stuff of Tennessee and Georgia, but with none of the population and much clearer bodies of water. There is even scuba-diving because the lakes are so clear! The downside of Arkansas is that it’s sooo remote, that it’s kinda weird. My iPhone 3G was on Edge network through most of the state – what the f?

How remote is Arkansas?

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We’re talking “stand in the middle of the highway like an idiot” remote. Let’s just say that there are a shitload of towns where you couldn’t buy wheat bread to save your life.

Enough of the lollygag. We kicked this bitch off in Hot Springs! It’s a cool little town nestled in a valley on Highway Scenic 7.

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They have hot water fountains all over the city that spout the therapeutic water for free. Go ahead, make a cup of tea. Take some home with you. It’s yours. Hot Springs water is hot because it shoots up from close to the Earth’s core after trickling through layers of rock and being filtered for 4000 years. It’s odorless and tasteless just like regular water, but it’s naturally hot.

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We also visited the Buckstaff, the oldest bathhouse on bathhouse row that has been continually in operation since 1912(it’s a national historic landmark).

Here’s how your bathhouse experience goes down:

1 You walk into a one of these beautiful old buildings for a bath and massage.

2 You are ordered to “strip to your bones.”

3 Once naked, you are bathed by an old black man(or woman) with a loofa while you sit in a whirlpool tub like a kid.

4 Next, you go to another tub for a few minutes, then a steam room, then a hot towel wrap(the whole time being paraded completely nude from treatment to treatment in this huge marble room by the old black man(who has seen a lot of penis in his day).

5 After lying naked and towel-less on a table for awhile, O.B.M.(old black man) brings me to the needle shower – see photo:

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6 Last, I got a massage(which was great and cheap).

Invigorated with the old-school spa sesh, we went for a hike. There is plenty of hiking to do right near the city of Hot Springs. Let’s check out Goat Rock!

goatrocktrailsignbigeyestrailgoat rockclimb

That was fun. Let’s cruise up Scenic 7 to Petit Jean state park! Arkansas state parks are fairly awesome. A lot of them were set up by the Works Progress Administration in the thirties and forties just to create jobs. This is a period in history when the United States gave a fuck about parks. Now that the government is in so much debt, parks are like asking a person in a crashing plane if they want some gum.

Petit Jean(pronounced Petty Gene) is rocky and beautiful. Tons of hiking and scrambling to do here in the Ouachita Mountains.

meclimblowmelimbtopbectowardscrackchimneyclimb

Bec in a cave.

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Me in a cave.

meinacave

Then we found this huge waterfall. It was beautiful, but it stunk. There was a dead-for-a-week 8-point buck deer in it. Gross!

bigwaterfallcouple

Despite the nasty carcass, it was a pretty tranquil spot.

awaterfallrock chilling

Let’s continue onward to… Mt Magazine, Arkansas’ highest point. That makes 2 state highpoints for me because I already rocked Louisiana’s Driskill Mountain.

mtmagazinesign

Mt. Magazine is a great park with plenty of scenic vistas. It’s also a great place for active seniors(seriously, we were the youngest people there by 30 years). The Lodge is top-notch with a modern lodge-y atmosphere complete with gigantic fireplaces and a killer hot tub in our bedroom. this is also one of the few parks that allows roped climbs(which is dumb because there is rock everywhere at Petit Jean).

The climbing was easy.

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Just watch out for the copperheads!

asnake!

And the poison(maybe) berries!

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You couldn’t shake a stick without seeing a breath-taking view.

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Just stand on the edge of the cliff with the wind in your hair.

becwindhair

Part 2 – the Ozarks is coming up next!

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Posted in arkansas, camping, caves, climbing, fall, highpoints, hiking, parks, road trip, snorkeling/scuba, underground, water, wild animals, wildlife | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: noadventure | November 8, 2009

Poverty Point

Poverty Point is the name of a Louisiana State Park / National Monument in the northwest corner of the state. It is in the middle of fucking nowhere.

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“Poverty Point is the largest and most complex Late Archaic earthwork occupation and ceremonial site yet found in North America(wikipedia).” Basically, Native Americans built this huge collection of earthen mounds sometime between 1650 – 700 BCE. The highest mound was over 100 feet tall! Now you can walk on it – check it out:

summit trailP1030988

Here’s me in front of a scale model next to the parking lot.

me scalemodel

And the aerial view…

411px-Louisiana_-_Poverty_Point_-_Karte_(English_version)Poverty_point_1938_USACE-3

Scientists once believed that the mounds were built gradually over centuries, but recent research has indicated that the largest mound was actually built in only 3 months! Other Indian mounds closer to New Orleans can be found in Natchez, MS and in Baton Rouge near LSU.

While we were in this region(the least populated corner of the state), we also stopped in Transylvania, LA. This town has exactly jack shit in it except for one gas station “gift shop” where you can buy Transylvania, LA t-shirts. We bought one of course; it smells like cheese fries and fits terribly. Gross.

800px-TransylvaniaLAWatertower

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Posted by: noadventure | November 1, 2009

Petrified Forest(in Mississippi)!

There is only one petrified forest east of the Mississippi River and it’s just west of Jackson. Suprisingly, no one knows about this place and friends of mine from Jackson have never been. We had to check it out.

outisdeentrance

The setup is an easy self guided trail through this lush hilly forest. There is a canopy of trees overhead so you are constantly in shade.

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Follow the numbered sign on the trails and the pamphlet tells you the history of how this petrified forest was formed.

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There are tons of huge chunks of rock/petrified wood.

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There is even this cross section of a giant Sequoia to let you know how long these fuckers have been around. This tree was alive in 1492!

sequoia

I also took this photo of this tiny(but pretty) bolete mushroom(it could also be a russula – I’m not an expert).

bolete

Here’s how to get there:

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Posted by: noadventure | October 26, 2009

Haunted Corn Maze

In this autumn season, it’s important to utilize the conditions the land gives us. No, we are not heading to the beach anymore. The corn is high and the air is brisk; naturally, we should attempt to navigate the Haunted Corn Maze in Amite, LA(about an hour from New Orleans). The “Maize” is just what it sounds like, a maze cut through a corn field(some say by aliens).

themaphold2009-Maze-Design

It is also conveniently haunted after dark.

scary skull

This place was super fun and it takes anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour to get through the maze – depending on how well you can follow a map and keep your bearings. Of course there were rules:

the rules

Unfortunately, some of the rules were broken:

rulebreaker1rulebreaker2

There were other attractions in addition to the maze. Notice the “Chicken Show.”

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This is what it looked like – there was even a performance from “Dolly Part-hen.” Hysterical!

chicken show

Did you know that a pumpkin is 90% water? Well I’ll be!

PA250037

Perhaps the best part of the night was something called “ribbon cheese fries.” This guy cut up a potato with a power drill and fried up the ribbons. It’s basically really fresh thick potato chips with cheese on them. Kind of like fresh potato chip nachos. Notice the Angola Prison Rodeo coupon on the soda can.

ribbondrillribboncheesefries

Make sure you check out the Haunted Trail too. This one was a walk through the woods with explosions and dudes with chainsaws chasing you; it’s an outdoor spook house with kids screaming their heads off – pretty awesome.

chainsaw

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Posted by: noadventure | October 18, 2009

New Orleans to Venice(by bicycle)

Editor’s note: I was lucky to be made aware of this guest writer’s awesome blog, Slices of America. Taylor joins us this week with a great piece of journalism with excellent photos. He rode his bike from New Orleans to Venice, LA and experienced the land, history, and locals along the way – an outstanding NOadventure.

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Read the whole NOadventure here:

New Orleans to Venice(SLICES OF AMERICA)

DSC_0487

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Posted by: noadventure | October 12, 2009

Northern Exposure(Global Wildlife, Abita Brewery, UCM Museum)

Editor’s note: Guest writer, Pearce, joins us again for this whirlwind tour of the Northshore.

The days of the great cooling are upon us. Blue Bayou has closed its gates for good, most tubing outfitters have closed their doors until the spring, and a good lot of the snowball stands are making their last run before counting this last summer’s profits. Summer may be over, but autumn in southeast Louisiana is a prime opportunity for getting outdoors and discovering all the things you never knew you wanted to do. Step  1 in today’s journey, clear your day and head to the northshore.

GWCcup

The Global Wildlife Center in Folsom, LA is a painless 45 minute trip from downtown New Orleans. From the moment you enter the front gate, you hit the ground running. The drive down the dirt road to the visitor’s center will immediately have you questioning if you somehow wormholed over to the Serengeti. In other words, don’t be surprised if you find yourself stopped for a moment waiting for a zebra and an emu to clear the road before you can proceed.


Check in at the visitor’s center to get a pass for the tour. Also, be sure to stock up on enough feed for the tour. I would recommend no less than 4 cups of feed per person. After you settle up, head outside and check out the roo’s chillin’ out in the shade; it will pass the time until the tour starts.

startout

The tour itself melds the concepts of Jurassic Park and a Mardi Gras parade: you pay to sit in a covered wagon that makes a trip around the property while you throw grain to crazy-looking animals. As soon as you leave the gate, docile herbivorous beasts come running from all corners of the property for a free meal. If safety is a concern, remember that the animals are very conditioned to seeing and interacting with people; you have nothing to worry about. Even buffalo(American Bison) will be on the swarm with no harm.

bison

Occasionally the tour will stop and the guide will point out some of the animals that can be fed straight out of the cup or even by hand. This is so because some animals eat only with their lips. It won’t be long before you get very comfortable with a giraffe or a texas longhorn peering in and asking for a handout. Don’t be afraid to give them what they want.

feedgiraffefeedgiraffe2longhornfeedbetter

Once things wrap up at the Wildlife Center, head over to Abita Springs for a tour of the Abita Brewery.

abitamosaic

The waiting area is a large mahogany room with a galaxy of multicolored beer pulls, each a different Abita brew ready to be served up. A representative will enter the room and inform you and everyone else that you are a bartender for the day and to feel free to try as many beers as you like. I’m serious.

mahoganytapsforever

Tie on a light buzz and peruse the Abita relics available for viewing while you wait for the tour to begin. There will be two short videos to watch: one about the brewing process and another which is a new commercial spot that you may or may not have seen airing lately. Once the videos are over, they will take you into the area where all the beer is made. This part of the tour used to be longer; you will soon realize why they have shortened it. Even when talking through a bullhorn, the tour guide seems to lose the battle with the brewing machines screaming angrily in the background.

bullhorn

Missed a few beers before the tour started? Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time to try out a few more afterwards. The free beer also keeps the crowd from dispersing immediately, so you don’t have to feel bad about staying another few minutes to get your hands on some of Abita’s more difficult to find brews. If you wanna get some food in you before your trek across the Causeway, head on over to the Abita Brewpub. This is the original site of the brewery before they moved it to a larger facility. Here you can get a bacon cheeseburger and sit around just long enough for it to soak up 2 or 3 of the 10 beers you just drank.

If you have a few extra minutes and still need some time to regain some sobriety before trekking the world’s longest bridge, take a quick trip to the UCM Museum. I don’t want to give too much description here, as the mystery of this place is such a part of its charm. I’ll just leave it at this- it’s the best way you could possibly spend $3. How can you say no to that?

ucm museum

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Posted in beer, museum, northshore, parks, socializing, wild animals, wildlife

Posted by: noadventure | October 4, 2009

River Road Plantations(by scooter)

Editor’s note: Once again we have a new guest writer – Natalie. She and Jimmy made a two-wheeled journey up the river(it’s getting to be nice weather for that sort of thing).

It may sound boring to drive around and go to plantations all day, however, it makes it way more fun when you are doing it on scooters. It’s not boring at all.  First off, shout out to Kennedy for his awesome blog gave my husband Jimmy the knowledge that we could even rent scooters (I think I threw around the idea in the past, but an idea always sounds better from a newer source…and well, Kennedy made it sound way more exciting!).

We started by waking up around 9:30am to go hit up the rental shop on Canal Street known as Eagle Rider (sounds fierce, I know). After signing off on piles of paper, you’re off!  By the way, we both totally recommend (a) a helmet and (b) buying the $24 per scooter insurance (more for my sake).

They have a parking lot to practice in…and i sure needed it!  Jimmy was great and scooted along just fine with no issues. I, on the other hand, was a bit more spastic.  I had never been on a motorcycle and/or scooter… or driven a motorcycle and/or scooter, so I guess I just didn’t really know what to expect.  But in just about 5 minutes and a few circles in the parking lot, I was ready to go!  I feel as if they are like waverunners for land!   These were our fancy rides:

steeds

We began at the Riverbend at the end of St. Charles and just continued down River Road on the East Bank until we got to our first stop, Destrehan Plantation, about 30 minutes later.  We decided to take the tour of this one, being our first. After $15 a head and a 10 minute historical video, we were on our way to tour the grounds.

scootersinfront

It was a great experience and we were ready for our next one!  After that, you pass a few non-touring plantations, such as Ormond Plantation and the Graugnard House. About 10 minutes later, you approach The Seafood Pot. We stopped at this great little place that serves up poboys, gumbos, soups and delicious daiquiris! I don’t think you can really pass up any place that has a drive-through daiquiri sign on it.

seafoodpot

After a lovely lunch and a 25 minute ride, we arrived at the San Francisco Plantation. We did not tour this one, but I hear they do have a great tour and it really is beautiful!

blueplantation

Oh, along the way, as long as they have not opened it up to the waters, you drive along the Bonnet Carre Spillway, which was really cool and quite peaceful(especially on the way back when the sun started to go down).

helmeted

We then arrived in Gramercy and crossed over the Gramercy Bridge to the West Bank side of River Road…

bridgejimmy

where you come first to Laura Plantation(available tour), then St. Joseph(no tour available) and then to the amazing Oak Alley!  This was the second and final one we actually paid to tour(again, $15 a head). It was a nice, quick tour. Afterwards, you can buy a pretty decent mint julep on the front porch of the house and walk the grounds while you enjoy its refreshment.  They also have cottages you can rent and spend the night in, plus a little café and a nice gift shop.

oakalleyfrontdoorjuleps

We could have continued on to a few more, such as Houmas House (which does have a great little lunch spot called Burnside Café), but it was 5:00pm and we needed to head back. Straight shot with no stopping from Oak Alley back Uptown took about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Oh…and we did have a few encounters with some love bugs pelting us in the forehead…so don’t drive with your mouth open.

lovebugs

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