www.thisis travel.com By Paul Oswell For most people, Arkansas falls into that 'anonymous' category of US states. Along with, say, Idaho or North Carolina, it's usually thought of as simply being 'somewhere in the middle', its geographical profile only slightly lifted when its most famous son, one William Jefferson Clinton, was elected president in 1992.
As far as tourism goes, Arkansas isn't exactly the first place you'd think of when considering a week in the great outdoors, but The Natural State's national parks rival any of their more famous US counterparts.
For nature-phobes like myself who have only ever stuck to the metropolitan east and west coasts, venturing inland proved to be an eye-opener in more ways than one.
Exploring the state is best done by car, preferably with the radio tuned into the local country music station. Driving west from Clinton's home town of Little Rock, suburbia soon turns into small towns with more churches than residents.
An hour away is DeGray National Park, a sprawling 14,000 acre resort centred around DeGray lake at the foot of the Ouachita Mountains.
It's a state-run resort, and as wholesome as cherry pie, with comfortable lodges and as many outdoor activities as you could need, water sports, fishing and birdwatching being the main attractions.
I eased myself into things with a relaxing sunset tour of the huge lake, the enthusiastic guides pointing out the local birdlife, including herons and bald eagles.
The next day proved to be more energetic, as we took our packed lunches and were driven up stream for a Deliverance-esque kayak down the mighty Caddo River.
In my mind I was feeling like Burt Reynolds, but in reality I probably projected more of a Ned Beatty figure.
The Caddo River can be something of a schizophrenic stretch of water. Little more than a shallow trickle after a long dry spell, a day or so of rain can turn it into a free-flowing waterway several feet deep.
The Caddo I set my vessel down on was leaned towards the former, perfectly suited to my remedial rowing skills with only the odd flurry of currents and rocks to challenge my clumsy oarsmanship.
A seven mile stretch of river took around four hours of gentle rowing, with only one accidental capsizing to render my lunch completely soggy - an indignity that Steve Redgrave never had to undergo, I'll wager.
Thankfully, my aquatic amateurism was witnessed only by a couple of other rowers and a host of local wildlife, including several types of fish, inquisitive turtles and the odd benign water snake.
The next destination was Rich Mountain, stopping off for refreshments at small towns that exemplified the twin passions of the local area - religion and hunting.
Travel 3,000 feet up the mountain and you're in Queen Wilhelmina National Park, with a lodge whose views over the beautiful Ouachita Mountains redefine the word 'panoramic'.
It's a quaint, serene building - the original dated back to 1897 - that hints at the simple elegance of times gone by, even though the building itself here now is quite modern, having been rebuilt in 1973. The dining arrangements consisted of hearty southern-fried buffets with as much as you could cram into your arteries... deep fried catfish, chicken fried chicken (!) etc |