Lake Catherine State Park

Camping four days at Lake Catherine State Park September 23rd through 26th. We stayed in site #57 across the road from the lake. We have previously stayed in site #57 and like seclusion of the rock terraced wall behind.

On our way to the campground we took a route suggested by Donna's phone. Rather than stay on the major thoroughfares like Central Avenue past Oaklawn Park we were routed behind the track on Shady Grove Road. This route took us under a 11' 6" high railroad trestle. I was "pretty sure" we were less than 11' 6" and after getting home I confirmed we were 10' 10" to the top of the air conditioner. There is always some kind of adventure just getting to Lake Catherine State Park from Russellville.

First evening I made a few long exposure photos with my phone. In the first photo below you can just make out the Milky Way. 

We thought we would just try to sleep in on our first morning. However, the park management had other ideas. Directly behind site #57 they started cutting trees at 7:30 AM.

I did manage to get out and hike a few trails. The Horseshoe Mountain Trail was a wooded 2.7 mile loop just behind the campground.

RED and YELLOW Trails Diverge in the Woods

The Road Not Taken - By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

The second trail I hiked was the Dam Mountain Trail. This trail is accessed from the campground and takes you high above Lake Catherine with some scenic overlooks. The trail starts after you cross over the Fall Creek Falls and proceeds up (and then up some more about a 400' elevation gain) until you reach the Lake Catherine overlook.

While at the top of the mountain I attempted to walk down to Remmel Dam. I could hear the roar of the water through the dam, but walking through the thicket became difficult. You can see from my recorded track above that I was very close to the dam.

Fungus on a Log

Dry Creek Bed

Mushrooms

Back down to Fall Creek Falls on the way to the campground.

Later in the day Donna and I decided to take a drive to Remmel Dam. I was able to hike to within a couple hundred yards of the dam, but it was about a 30 minute drive from the campground. Arriving as the dam it became apparent why I was able to hear it so well. The gates were open with a huge fountain of water being discharged. Remmel Dam was the first of the dams build by Arkansas Power and Light on the Ouachita River in 1924. I wish I could find a video I discovered in an AP&L warehouse in Pine Bluff while searching for Ritchie plant drawings. The video shows the construction of the dam using timber and gravel sourced from the area and the steam locomotive used to transport materials.

Down in the Flood Area Below the Remmel Dam

As we were packing up on our last day I noticed a snake skin hanging our of a drain in the terrace wall behind our camper. I gave it a tug to see if I could pull it out of the hole but it wouldn't come. It may have been attached to the snake in the hole so I just left it alone.

Snake Skin

Lake Catherine State Park

Monday afternoon we traveled with John and Lynda to Lake Catherine State Park. We took highway 7 over the Ouachita mountains to Jessiville then highway 192 through Mountain Pine to highway 270. There is no easy way to get to Lake Catherine from Russellville without lots of curvy and hilly road. 

On our trip over we stopped on highway 7 at the Ouachita Trail Highway 7 Trailhead to take a break and let the dogs out.  While looking at the clear little creek we saw a hiker from the trail and realized it was someone we knew from Russellville. Our friend David was coming from highway 27, through hiking to highway 9. He said he was out for 5 days to cover the 70 miles of trail.

Our Caravan at the Ouachita Trail

After arriving at Lake Catherine State Park we got setup with John and Lynda in site #11 and Donna and I in site #12. I liked the seclusion of site #11 and #12 given that they are the last sites on the upper loop with no neighbors on one side, but only #12 had a view of the lake that probably will not exist when the trees leaf out. Immediately past site #12 the road drops off so steep that many people pull up to the precipice and stop because the road drops away so quick you cannot see road in front of your vehicle. This makes backing into the spot somewhat of a hard push. 

John’s friends Mark and Jackie were already at the park from the day before and made us a delicious Dutch oven lasagna with all the trimmings for dinner. We had a great dinner, cocktails and played Ono until time to retire to our respective trailers. 

John and Lynda in Site #11

Ronnie and Donna in Site #12

Tuesday we walked to Fall Creek Falls. The trail was busy with lots of people at the falls. Fall Creek was running making for a really nice water fall.

Lynda, Donna and Jackie

Mark Testing the Waters

Fall Creek Falls

Dinner Tuesday night was at our campsite. We grilled chicken and Donna had made baked beans and potato salad before we left home. I also made Dutch oven peach cobbler with ice cream for dessert. 

Wednesday the girls went to Hot Springs for some retail therapy. John and I hung out around the campground for a while, then took a little road trip around Hot Springs. Unfortunately, Mark had internet access and had to work from his trailer.

View from Hill Behind Campground

Wednesday evening was John's famous low country shrimp boil at his campsite. Seems like we spend a lot of time eating! John's friend Fran from Hot Springs joined us for dinner and gave us box seat tickets for the Oaklawn Park horse races on Thursday. 

 

Thursday it was off to the races at Oaklawn Park. The Upper Terrace area where our box seats were located was practically a ghost town with only one lady working a single window for all wagering.  My day started poorly without cashing a single ticket in the first three races. Then I hit horses in the next four races and by the end of the day I was up $4.50. That paid for a hot dog and half of a beer. We stopped for dinner at Rolando's Restaurante Nuevo Latino. 

Returning home Friday through Morrilton we were attempting to dodge the impending storms. We left around 10 AM and missed a storm at Lake Catherine, then ran back into the line of storms on I-40 at Morrilton. We made it home safely, but the same storm produced an EF-3 tornado that hit west Little Rock and traveled 31 miles to Cabot. The devastation in Little Rock was hard to comprehend. Over 2,600 structures were damaged, 38,000 without electricity and 50 people were hospitalized with one fatality in North Little Rock. A separate tornado fueled by the same line of storms caused extensive damage in Wynne, AR killing 4.