Pinnacle Mountain, Lake Sylvia & The Ouachita Trail

Some of our area attractions...

Pinnacle Mountain State Park is located very near our house, just around the bend...so this is our local recreational facility!

Pinnacle Mountain natural environment day-use state park near Little Rock, Ark

Pinnacle Mountain is a day-use park dedicated to environmental education, recreation, and preservation. Located just west of Little Rock, this natural environment was set aside in 1977 as Arkansas's first state park adjoining a major metropolitan area. Pinnacle Mountain is dedicated to preservation, recreation, and environmental education. Park interpreters and volunteers help visitors and students understand man's relationship to the environment in the 2,000-acre park that offers a rich diversity of natural habitat.

The park's dominant natural feature, Pinnacle Mountain, rises more than a thousand feet above the Arkansas River Valley. The mountain's cone-shaped peak has long been a central Arkansas landmark. Two of the park's hiking trails lead hikers to the mountain's summit. To see the panoramic view from atop Pinnacle Mountain, visit the virtual tour featured online in the hiking section of the website featuring Arkansas's adventure state parks at: http://www.adventurestateparks.com/hiking/
The park's diversity of habitat, from high upland peaks to bottomlands along the Big and Little Maumelle Rivers, provide many outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. Included in these are interpretive canoe and boat tours led by park interpreters.
Within the park's environs is the Arkansas Arboretum, a 71-acre site exhibiting native flora representing Arkansas's six, major natural divisions. Below Pinnacle Mountain along the Little Maumelle River, the arboretum includes a .6-mile barrier-free, interpretive trail.

Lake Sylvia, a small lake, also nearby, is one of our childhood destinations. Formerly home to a Girl Scout Camp, it remains a popular swimming hole, camping area and trailhead for Ouachita Trail hikes..

The Ouachita National Recreation Trail stretches 223 miles through the beautiful Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The "Ouachita Trail", as it is more commonly known, runs from Talimena State Park in Oklahoma, through Queen Wilhelmina State Park and ends at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, near Little Rock, Arkansas. This premier trail asset is used by hikers, backpackers, hunters, and mountain bikers. It is a non-motorized single track trail open only to foot traffic and partially open to mountain bicycles.

The Ouachita Trail is primarily within the Ouachita National Forest and is administered by the US Forest Service. It traverses the Flatside Wilderness, the Upper Kiamichi Wilderness and several wildlife management areas. Shelters for overnight camping are located along the trail. (Friends of the Ouachita Trail, FOOT, http://www.friendsot.org/about_the_trail)

Partially Furnished

In October we rented this van and trailer and took 7,000 lb. out of storage in Maryland and moved them to the house. We went through 11 containers and chose some things to deliver, the rest will be brought in July.

This is what we sifted through to pick things to lighten the load, our storage was so overweight we had to pay up or move some out.

What will we do with all this stuff?

Turn here for New Hope..

Here's the landmark for the turn off Highway 10 towards our new woodland home. The church, pictured below which does not resemble one, is yards from the turnoff to where we will experience the joys of living in the USA again. This is "A place just for us", although that view may change as we get into the cleanup and redo.

Sold! Home to Little Rock

September 28, 2009 - Here is the house designated as the final home in the woods for the Easthams. This move is the 18th in our list of changes of address. Carolyn signs papers with Kelly, our realtor, and Jeff of the title company, to buy the house that Al knows only through the internet, son Michael, saw it and was underwhelmed as pictured here, son Mark has not even seen pictures. Al will see the house soon; in the meantime, I do initial spruce-ups and cleaning, and develop the long list of to-do's and projects.

The best part is being back in Arkansas again after so many years away. We have had a wonderful time and amazing travel experiences during our years of service and the privilege of representing the United States these years, but in the end there's no place like home and we feel very lucky to return.

We have high hopes for this place to be a welcome retreat for our family and friends, and for Mark and Michael, even though they are off at school in NC and VA, to at last have a permanent address that they can put down in ink!