ARKANSAS TRAVELS, Day 3, June 3, 2012

Another red-letter day, even though we radically altered our itinerary. I woke this morning, wondering if the four venues I had us going to today weren't a little too schizophrenically ambitious. Also, in checking my Arkansas map, I noticed that Eureka Springs, the great Victorian spa town, was only about 30 miles away from Bentonville. I asked Dempsey if she would mind if I changed the itinerary, and she was game. After breakfast we stopped for gas, then proceeded down route 62 to Eureka Springs. It is located in the Ozark Mountains of NW Arkansas, and its population is about 2100. The entire city is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a unique Victorian resort village, and, as it is located in the Ozarks, features steep winding streets with Victorian style cottages and manors. Buildings are constructed of stone and lie along streets that curve around the mountains. The city has been selected as one of America's Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A Native American legend talks of a Great Healing Spirit in the area. European Americans, after the Civil War, followed suit, and soon it was transformed into a flourishing city, spa and tourist destination. The Ozarka Water Company was formed in 1905. In 1880 Eureka Springs was incorporated as a city, and its mayor promoted the town as a retirement community for the wealthy. In 1882 the railroad came to the city, and it was promoted as one of the premier vacation spots of the Victorian era. The Crescent Hotel, for instance, was built in 1886, and we toured it later on our van tour. Many Victorian buildings have been well preserved, forming a coherent cityscape. Our first stop, once we arrived, was at Thorncrown Chapel, but, as a service was going on, we were not able to enter the path leading up to it nor the chapel itself. The lady who turned us away turned out subsequently to be Ms. Reed--she and her husband had commissioned the chapel! Since we could not enter the grounds of the chapel, we drove to the Tourist Information Center instead, watched a film on Eureka Springs and signed up and paid for a 2-hour tour of the town. We also secured info about where to eat, and were directed downtown to the Garden Bistro, which was absolutely wonderful. We sat outside and I ordered a cold strawberry soup, a wonderful salad with greens from the area, and Amish bread, which actually came in a mini flower pot--fabulous! Afterwards, we went back to the TI complex and sauntered into a local glassblower's shop, where we both ended up buying pendants for necklaces. Lovely work, and we were glad to patronize the craftsman, who had just moved to ES from Branson, Missouri. Our tour guide then began our tour, and there were only four of us. We stopped at many of the springs; the Victorian homes, the Crescent Hotel, several overlooks, churches, and especially the Thorncrown Chapel, which I have been wanting to see for years. This time we were successful. The wooden structure is magnificent, containing 425 windows and over 6000 square feet of glass. It sits over 100 tons of native stone and flagstone. It sits in the middle of a forest, and was designed by Fay Jones, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright. The same seamless incorporation of building and landscape is evident in both men's work. It was a very moving place to be, and Ms. Reed, who with her husband had commissioned Jones to build the chapel, was there and welcomed us, asking us to sit and take pictures. On the way back, a little welcome center and another larger chapel with a roof to be repaired and therefore off limits, also designed by Jones, were in evidence. We also saw Ms. Reed's house, very much in the same style. In all, a most satisfying afternoon. In the chapel, by the way, hymns were being piped in most fittingly, creating a very sublime atmosphere of worship and at-onement with nature. After the tour had ended, we asked the tour guide to join us for ice cream, which she gladly did. As the clouds were lowering we left within about 45 minutes and drove back to Bentonville. About to have dinner now, so must go. Great day! More tomorrow!