Little Rock, AR
I am back in the world. After no TV, no internet, no phone line, and no cell phone, I made the 2 hour drive back to Little Rock today. I will have to admit, it’s kind of weird to be back typing away again. The last few days have been some of the best of this trip. The last two days are some of the best of my life.
I have flown to the islands, driven all over the country by myself, stared at oceans, gulfs, and waterways, met all sorts of interesting and incredible people, but I felt like I learned the most by being away from everything. As I walked up Hell Creek with a fishing pole in my hand and the sun radiating down through the trees and hills, it took me back. Not back to being a kid or a college student, it took me back generations. Before TV and movies and technology, this is what people did. They spent time outside bonding with Mother Nature. They fished or made things or hunted or cooked meals. Today we hole up and stare at a TV or a video game. I learned about how powerful mother nature can be from a 13 year old kid.
Gray is Jonathan’s nephew and he was in Mountain View with J and L. At first thought, a 13 year old may turn out to be a hassle. When I arrived the first day, he was there. He had his fishing poles out and tackle box. He was rattling off all sorts of fishing lingo (lines, flies, reels, tension, etc…) that I did not understand. I am from upstate NY. I did not fish. I did not take full advantage of mother nature. I played Atari, then Nintendo, my Amiga computer, my Sega and on and on. I was an athlete and was also running around playing soccer, basketball and golf, but my mother nature was the lake and beach. I also had some hiking background from my grandmother’s in Pennsylvania.
I had been fishing before, but never walking down/up a creek. As we walked down the creek that first day, here was Gray, at 13, teaching Jonathan and especially me, how to fish. “Tie your hook this way.” “Grab the fish this way.” “Cast this way.” “Cast over here.” “Get the hook out this way.” “Clean the fish this way.” I’m not sure if Gray’s dad thinks he is listening when they talk about fishing, but this kid is an encyclopedia. He educated me, a 28 year old guy who thinks he is pretty smart.
That showed me what mother nature can do. I did not care that he was 13. On the river, he was no different than me. In fact he was better than me. He had the knowledge. My degrees did not mean squat. My writing meant nothing. Gray was the man and he handled himself very well. He was patient with my questions and did not laugh too hard as I got frustrated. He still is 13 and made his way downstream away from the students some. But he was a great teacher.
I also found a new love of the water. I have gone on and on about the water. But to be in it, a part of it, made it that much better. I could not help but smile as I would look up into the trees and the hills. The running water was better than any CD that could have been playing. The birds and the wind. OK. I think you get it. I loved it out there.
Both days we caught fish. At night we would cook them. The first night was pretty good with fish, rice, and salad. But the second night, Dr. Gray picked out a recipe from a trout book Leesha had that turned out incredible. We had to make a phone call to his dad for some deboning questions, but this dish turned out amazing. The fillets over mushrooms and green onion then breaded and cheddar cheese with a whiskey sauce. Corn on the cob and pesto bread to boot made it a full meal.
It was tough to leave, but I look forward to knowing the King and I will be heading back to meet up with J, L, and Gray among many more of their family for a day of floating the Buffalo River. Saturday is the float day. Then I’m going meet up with some college buddies for golf in Hot Springs, AR.
If you’ve never been to AR (that is the abbreviation for Arkansas), disregard all of the redneck talk. AR has hiking, fishing, hunting, golf, lakes, rivers, shops, and all of that tourist stuff. The people are great. If you’re from out of town, be prepared to be asked questions. Good questions.
In summary, the mountains were great. I came back more of a fisherman and more of an appreciator of mother nature. I am also glad to have the TV and Internet back. Time to add another load of laundry and go pick my car up from the shop (oil change). I am turning more and more into a mother nature guy, but not a naturalist.