My time in the Ozarks

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Sharon

It's been a sweltering several days through Oklahoma and Arkansas. I don't want to know how I'd be faring if I hadn't gotten cab AC in Wichita.

Generally, I prefer to zig when others zag, and the Ozarks are regrettably touristy this time of year. But I pulled off the beaten path enough to catch the real flavor.

Thorncrown Chapel

I've seen a lot of churches and this one, built by late Pine Bluff, Ark. resident Jim Reed, is different. The glass and wood are perfectly reflective of the surrounding Ozarks. I stepped inside and felt a much needed dose of peace. Didn't hurt it appeared around a bend when I desperately needed it, after miles of steep hairpin turns, just before Eureka Springs.

Eureka Springs

After going through the tourist zoo that is Eureka Springs, it was another sweet reprieve to walk through a creek with no one but my dog, baby cat fish, crawfish and lots of interesting bugs.

Come to think of it, on a hot August night could't you see me sitting out on a porch in the Ozarks with my dog? I think we'd feel right at home.

In the belly of the country

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Sharon

Kansas is the first state that feels like a story book. I went to Lawrence with relatives and got back late. Took Armani for a walk down a long dirt road. Horses, soil and grass lend top and base notes to the humid air.

I'd never heard cicadas till I got here. You would not believe how loud they get. I looked up at the funnel-shaped clouds and the stars and couldn't help but click my heels.

The prairie has a similar appeal as the desert. It puts me, a lowly human, in my place. The landscape fosters simplicity, clarity.

On the other hand, Kansas planners love their toll roads. There is a fairly high sales tax and an income tax, too. Bigger cities have metered parking, though it's cheap.

There are some wonderfully unique houses here, including a Frank Lloyd Wright and others with unique detailing in Wichita:

And in Lawrence, I found some yin and yang:

In search of wild horses

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Sharon

What could be more American than the wild mustang? There are several bands of horses scattered throughout the middle of the U.S. and though their genetic makeup differs, they are all hardy, healthy, intelligent survivors.

Last week I drove into the Devil's Canyon recreation area, northeast of Lovell, Wyoming and into southern Montana in hopes of a mustang sighting.

I was blown away by the quiet majesty of the painted desert terrain – massive red rocks and a curving cliffs that look down 1,000 feet to Bighorn Lake.