Already Gone

As I was planning this trip, a coworker advised - "You must see the Crownthorn Chapel - Fay Jones!" Turns out Fay Jones is a very famous Arkansas architect and this Chapel is listed by the AIA as the 4th on the list of top designs in the 20th century!

It is quite remarkable - has the same soaring presence as the famous historic cathedrals but probably a 10th the size. The turnoff from the highway would be very easy to miss - I don't think I would have thought of stopping there if I hadn't been looking for it.

It's just outside the very touristy town of Eureka Springs. As the name suggests the town exists because of the springs and the downtown is on the National Historic Register. But once the buildings are admired, it's indistinguishable from any number of other tourist towns - shop after shop selling t shirts, jewelry and taffy.

I suppose Civil War scholars know about Pea Ridge, but it wasn't familiar to me. Apparently it was a key early battle that led to the Federals holding the West for the remainder of the war.

The interpretive center was small but interesting. That early in the war the units fighting were still intact reflecting their origins. Rebel units from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, including a Cherokee unit. Units from Missouri on both sides. The Federal units mainly from the Midwest and significantly new immigrants. In fact, several of primary Federal leaders had served in the German and Prussian armies and many of the soldiers didn't speak English at all.

Met a couple from Texas there to visit because his great great (maybe some more greats) grandfather had been wounded in the Battle. The grandfather had led a unit from a town in Southern Arkansas and he and many of his unit returned there after the war and had eventually been buried in the same cemetary. The cemetary has been restored and the couple had been to a rededication ceremony there. The connection to the present made the battlefield events seem somehow much more real.

I thought I got a great deal on my Hampton Inn room. Sat and Sun nights - $66 per night. I reserved from the Hilton website several days before leaving.

Sunday afternoon I was using the business center and heard someone come in and ask for a room. $129, quoted the desk clerk. The customer obviously blanched because the clerk proceeded to explain that Sunday night was when the business travelers came in.

So the question is - did I get a deal because I was staying Sat too? or maybe because I ordered online ahead?

I had read that one often gets a great deal walking in at the last minute - that they'll let the rooms go cheap rather than having them remain empty. I don't know how typical my eavesdropped experience was, but I'm thinking reserving ahead is the way I'm going to go in future!

Of course I had to stop by the mothership of Walmarts!

Whether one is a Walmart shopper or not, the rise of Walmart in one generation from this little 5 and dime store to the giant organization it is is remarkable. Met a couple there - from Tulsa, but I'm guessing originally from Pakistan. "This is history!" he said. Had to explain to them what a 5 and dime was -

Stayed at a Hampton - surrounded by every chain restaurant possible. We figured that they were there to meet the need of what has to be a lot of folks traveling to Walmart on business. I did manage to find a restaurant recommended on TripAdvisor that wasn't a chain. Le Petit Bistro - a charming patio and pretty good menu (although the selection was slim - apparently there had been a coupon offer and they had been swarmed). Anyway - it was enjoyable. The building was an older house of the rock construction that was typical of the period.

Our first destination for this trip was the Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville.

crystal bridges museum

This opened late last year as a project of Alice Walton, the youngest Walmart daughter. It is a fabulous museum focusing on American Art. The museum facility is a specatular building wonderfully designed for the setting and using natural materials. The 120 acre site includes miles of trails, many with sculpture installations. This one was a depictation of the trail of tears - which was installed spanning a creek, very effectively depicting that march.

I must confess - I enjoy and appreciate art museums in small bites. So we spent the first hour or so following the trails. Then we did an hour in the modern American Art section. This was the area I felt I had the least understanding - Abstract Expressionism? Formalism? Pop Art? It was a good opportunity to get an overview and understanding. Then we had a very good lunch from the museum restaurant - which we ate outside overlooking the water. Chicken salad and veggie wrap.

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We wrapped up our visit with a tour through the earlier American art exhibits including one of the Gilbert Stuart portraits of George Washington!

A great visit Especially gratifying since apparently the East and West coast art establishment is quite in the huff that there is significant art in "gasp!" Arkansas! Seems that the complaint is that the great art included would be buried among the rednecks. In fact, the museum was very well attended by a lot of middle America folks who probably would never get to see this kind of art if they had to travel to Los Angeles or New York