#talimena drive

[duranduratulsa]

Oklahoma Treasures: Talimena Drive #talimenadrive #talihina #oklahoma #talihinaoklahoma

[awfullybest]

Fall Colors @ Talimena Scenic Byway

This fall, we took another road trip to one of our favorite spots, the Talimena Scenic Byway. It’s our ninth time visiting, but each trip feels like the first because of the beautiful scenery that changes with every season. This time was extra special—it was our first road trip with our new pup, and the whole experience felt even more memorable. We stayed in a lovely house in Mena, Arkansas,…

[wisco-warrior]

Talimena Scenic Drive - Oklahoma-Arkansas

[quaranmine]

I have never been to a national forest before, but in October, I'm going to Ouachita National Forest... alone. I'm excited, but also, bc IDL has eaten my entire brain, I am nervous. I used to be an experienced hiker/camper, but it has been a very long time since I've done any of it.

OOOH, FUN! Just make sure someone else knows where you are and when you're supposed to check in. I have a lot of childhood memories of my parents taking me to that part of Arkansas, especially the crystal mines and rock shops. We have sooooo many rocks we got from that area. We used to go a lot for quick camping trips with our trailer on 3 day weekends. Also, I viewed the Solar Eclipse from Ouachita National Forest in April (with clear skies, unlike Texas.)

I hope you'll go by way of the Talimena Parkway, where the OK part of the National Forest is. It's a beautiful road and you should have some fall colors. I went at Thanksgiving last year but most of the leaves had already fallen. Right after you cross into Arkansas, at Queen Wilhelmena State Park, there's also nice fire lookout by the road called Rich Mountain lookout. Zero hike, drive right up, and it's right next to the main road. It's not even a detour and looks nearly identical to what I pictured Grian having. I actually took notes on it when I was there (stuff like how many steps etc) even though I was already very far into the story at that point.

But seriously yeah, I totally understand being nervous. I also haven't hiked or camped alone before and would be skeptical of it. I have been camping and hiking a lot, but always with much more experienced family members. It’s not really my intentions with IDL to scare people away from hiking (which I failed at per some reviews lol), just to impress the importance of preparation and planning. Of course at some point, you can't plan yourself out of everything. I say it myself in the fic. You can do everything right and still have something happen. But...that applies in every aspect of life. The only things we can do on our end is be careful and mitigate the risk. In this case, that just means you need to make good decisions about bringing enougj water, staying on trail, and making sure other people know where you are and when you're supposed to be back <3

I'm confident you'll have a great time, and send me pictures!

[travelingjoe]

Ouachita Mountains, Oklahoma — October 2024. Set out on our final official Scenic drive of the trip, #74 the Talimena scenic Byway up into the Ouachita Mountains. Drove the hilly road to Rich Mountain Fire Tower. It’s the last of four built on the mountain and stands 58’ tall. Surprisingly it was in use until the 1980s when ariel planes took over the job. Reached our last US state — Oklahoma. Ya just gotta love the bullet holes. With a gorgeous blustery breeze, camped at Winding Stairs Campground for the night. Blissful.

[guitarhappyman]

Ouachita Mountains from the Talimena Scenic Drive, Arkansas Oklahoma 🇺🇲

[aman-acan-andacityplan]

Hot Springs may be the most interesting city in the state of Arkansas. The warm springs that naturally bubble up from the surrounding hillsides made the region a major tourist destination and a kind of early health resort. This may be witnessed in the many bathhouses located along the main avenue of the city. A number of these bathhouses are preserved and operated by the national park service as part of the Hot Springs National Park. If you dig a little deeper though, the story of Hot Springs is also a cautionary tale of the excesses of political corruption and vice as the city grew into a hotbed for illegal gambling in the first half of the twentieth century.

Even as the number of baths given in the city effectively peaked in the 1940's, the illegal gaming operations thrived up until about the early 60's. The motor courts and mid-century modern hotels that sit vacant and underutilized in the downtown today were built to accommodate local gamblers. The city leaned ever more into its casino town reputation in the 1950's, as the public health benefits of hot springs were debunked and modern medical practices emerged. The city's status as a kind of medicinal resort was also dealt a major body blow by the 1952 announcement that the military would be closing the Army and Navy Hospital.

Gaming thrived in no small part thanks to the political machine of Mayor Leo McLaughlin, who was mayor from 1927 to 1947. Though gaming was still technically illegal, local officials would simply assess the fines and let the operations proceed unimpeded. Gambling would ebb and flow over time, depending on the local administration and whether the state was willing to cast a blind eye to the operations. Eventually the heat from federal officials and gaming's connections to criminal enterprises simply proved to be too much to tolerate and the industry was shut down by Orval Faubus, who was the state's governor at the time. The city was essentially caught flat footed and while there were some concerted attempts at the local level to legalize gambling, these efforts would not succeed.

Today, the city continues to welcome tourists who come to see the national park and the old bathhouses, which stand mostly as museum pieces today. Hot Springs is the 13th most visited national park, according to 2023 visitor numbers, which would put it ahead of other famous national parks such as Shenandoah National Park. Also, since the park is mostly centered around the downtown area, the city is able to maintain a few trinket shops and attractions, which give the urban core a kind of rustic vibrancy.

The park alone though is not enough to reverse the visible signs of urban decay in the downtown area. The old army navy hospital was abandoned in 2019 and many of the old, historic hotels have sat abandoned for years. Also, with my camera in tow, I was able to see that many occupied buildings suffer from high vacancy, with many upper floors visibly aging and abandoned. Its a real shame cause Hot Springs has a great deal of architectural diversity with commercial structures ranging in style from art deco, art moderne, mid-century modern and beaux arts. Hot Springs' Central Avenue is still a grand commercial thoroughfare, with beautiful bathhouses and commercial structures that would put many larger cities to shame. I would go so far as to say that Hot Springs may be the last, great undiscovered city in America, a treasure trove of beautiful buildings awaiting anyone who is ambitious enough to take hold of it.

So, can Hot Springs reverse it fortunes? As things stand, I think there are two possible routes available to the city. The more conventional strategy would be to emulate Asheville. Work hard to cultivate a Bohemian atmosphere, while emphasizing the bounty of natural beauty within a short drive of the city. The Talimena Scenic Byway is a short drive from the city as is Ouachita Lake, the largest lake in the state of Arkansas. Also, with a quarter of the population in its metropolitan area relative to Asheville, it doesn't necessarily need to be on even footing with Asheville to be considered a vibrant place. Zoning reforms that relax parking standards, put pink codes in place and a building code that is aimed squarely at encouraging adaptive reuse could provide the spark for urban revitalization. A clear, regulatory signal that Hot Springs is open for business and ready to work with out of state transplants would be a strong start to reposition the city in today's economy.

The other option, and the one consultants would studiously avoid recommending, is to embrace the sleaze. Legalize gambling once more in the historic core and incentivize casinos to rehabilitate the old buildings if they wish to come into town. A similar approach was used in Deadwood, South Dakota and was the boost the place needed to reverse the decline. Legalizing gambling is not enough though as many, MANY regions nearby offer casinos, not to mention the elevated prominence of online sports betting. Deadwood also benefits from its close connections to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, one of the biggest motorcycle rallies in the country. Much like illegal gambling did in the past, the motorcycle rally has sometimes cast an unfavorable light on the region.

This was especially true in 2020 when large crowds descended on the region while pandemic restrictions were in place. In a weird way though the 2020 rally probably did a lot to cement the region's reputation as a place to let your inhibitions go. America is a vast country and there are a quite few folks who have no desire to play by the rules of polite society and crave an escape from the confines of civilization, a true wild west town. It will never curry favor with elite society, and if it did it would lose its raison d'etre. In short, if Deadwood did things the normal way, then it would probably be in the same boat as Hot Springs: a tourist destination that is subsisting, but not thriving.

As things stand, Hot Springs is at a crossroad. Is it a kinder, gentler Hot Springs, a place for microbrews and well heeled hipsters, or is it a place to cut loose and let your inhibitions run free? Since the cessation of illegal gambling in the mid-60's Hot Springs has been locked in an identity crisis, which has allowed other cities to fill the vacuum once occupied by the city. The time for choosing is now as the city's deteriorating urban fabric cannot hold on indefinitely.

[notfrasier]

Talimena Scenic Drive 11/03/2023

[kilo-ftd]

D + 49

      My next adventure was at Robber’s Cave State Park. I took the trail the long way around from the parking lot, enjoying the natural beauty and hunting geocaches. It terminated in a long descent past the cave area and back to the start. I then turned my attention to the main feature, a steep hillside of giant boulders with tons of nooks and crannies to explore.

      The ancient looking trail wound its way among the boulders, up rough stone steps, and through crevices and fissures, some sections which were blocked off without climbing. i gladly partook, enjoying the physical freedom of scrambling around like a kid on a playground. There were lots of visitor’s to the park with children running around having a great time.

      I scrambled and pushed my way to the top of the rocky ledge, stopping to take in the view. Thanks to a tip from another visitor, I was able to find the actual cave after getting lost in my play. It wasn’t much to look at, though the significance of the sight was more in local legend, with the massive boulders making excellent hiding for bandits and their horses.

      I took a different route down than the way I came, and spontaneously decided to descend a rock face instead of hiking down. Slipping and sliding and grabbing onto any available hold, I made a bumpy but safe landing halfway back down the hill. After this, I maneuvered my rig to the Talimena Scenic Byway on route 1, a winding mountaintop road full of amazing views of the raw and natual Ozarks. 

      It was a long and uneventful drive, but full of wonderful views, culminating at the lodge at Queen Wilhelmina State Park, where I spied this tower. Unfortunately, it was not accessible to the public. My consolation prize was a decent wifi signal.

      The sun was slipping behind the horizon, and I made a mad dash through the hills to reach the next tower I knew of, though when I arrived I found the gate to the access road closed. I continued on to an even lesser known tower, and had no problem driving right up to this one. There was no fence or gate blocking it, however it would be a bit of a stretch to call it accessible. 

      The first two levels of stairs were completely removed. I made short work of climbing the tower structure and ascending the rest of the stirs, marching up an endless path of dust and bird poop. 

      I made it to the top, but without the sun to assist me, there was not much to see except the dim glow from nearby towns. Stay tuned, for the adventure continues!

[raychelsnr]

I bet the leaves are beginning to turn in SE OK along the Talimena Drive.

[foundroundandabout]

Monday Memories

Looking thru my photos to see what challenges I might participate in I found photos that brought back some great memories. I’ll share a few with you today.

Hanging in Cali with my girl – she was only 10!

Hubby had a deer eat a cracker he was holding in his mouth. We’d been seeing each other for about a month

Love being on our motorcycle – driving along the Talimena Drive

My beautiful Tori. She…

[awfullybest]

Fall 2022!!

We went for a super last min quick drive to check out fall colors last weekend. We were bit late but not too late – we went towards cossatot river n talimena scenic byway…made a quick stop at Queen Wilhelmina State Park as well! They had a volleyball net setup there which was new to us n really wished they had that small mini rail service on still. But overall great fun place for kids!!! They had…

[tourintexas]

For the past few days we took a much needed break to go touring in the Arkansas mountains. This is a scene from near Rich Mountain along the 54 mile Talimena Scenic Drive that connects Talihina, Ok., to Mena, Ark. 

[offthebeatenpathtexas]

Gorgeous Fall Colors along the Talimena Scenic Drive. The Drive Runs along a ridge between the towns of Talihina, Oklahoma and Mena, Arkansas. There are lots of scenic overlooks, campgrounds, and other sites of interest along the route. We drove the length of it, staying the night in a cabin in the woods outside Mena, Arkansas. Best dates for foliage vary year to year due to conditions, but generally the last week of October to the first week of November are prime,

[lurkingintheforest]

Talimena Scenic Drive - Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas

[trenchphotos1]

Heading on a road trip Saturday (destination: brother's wedding!), first stop the Ouachita National Forest. I took this photo there in November last year, when a 1/2 mile drive up the Talimena scenic route landed us in the clouds.