I made it to Mena, AR late the previous night. I went west of Mena about 15 miles in the pitch black of the night. I managed to find the acreage of my friends Bill and Carol Gardiner. They were our neighbors way back when i was born in 1966. Over the years we have stayed in touch and i finally had the chance to visit them at their beautiful place where they decided to retire. It is only 3 miles from the Oklahoma border, but this area known as the Ouchita Mountains is simply gorgeous! And i'm saying that only having seen it in the one of the worse drought years on record.
Their guesthouse.
Their storage.
Their house.
Another older building.
Yet another.
Bill and Carol Gardiner. They are amazing. In their 70s they built this house THEMSELVES! The only thing they sought outside help with was the basic foundation. They finished the entire house with their own hands.
They took me on beautiful highway 1, which goes on a ridge of the Ouchita Mountains from Mena, AR to Talihina, OK.
One of the attractions on the road.
We stopped and had breakfast at this restaurant way up there.
A walking stick insect on the window.
Interesting story about why the oaks are all dwarves here.
Someone threw away their heart here!
We made it to our destination - the Heavener Ruins State Park in Heavener, OK. It is now a city park since the state couldn't afford it. This was the most educational part of this trip. This park shows the ruins of the Vikings who were here way back when. That's right - VIKINGS! I never knew that they came this far inland. Not only an interesting experience, but this part of Oklahoma is by far the most scenic part of the state.
Back to their house of the night! Just 3 miles to go!
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