Maumelle Park, COE

We took our time leaving Petit Jean this morning, after having a nice conversation with a Class B Van Owner who was our only neighbor (Saturday night) the entire time we were there.  He is from Lubbock Texas, where he recently retired from a College Library where he was the Director.  Small world, two former Library Directors parking right next to each other.  We stopped off at a Kroger, just 3 miles from Maumelle Park, and pulled in and set up at the park by 1 pm.  Maumelle Park is a Corp of Engineer Park, part of the Arkansas River - Murray Lock and Dam, across the river (Arkansas River) from the town of Maumelle, just outside of the Little Rock City Limits on the west-side of town.  There is also a Super Walmart about 4 miles away, along with numerous restaurants and businesses along Arkansas Highway 10.  I can remember this stretch of Highway 10 being essentially null of any businesses just 10-15 years ago.  Thank goodness the park is away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.

Maumelle Park typically gets real good reviews, and with sites like this one, you can see why.

But the non-water sites can be real nice too.  This is a good “pair them up” location, where two RV’s sit close together along a shared driveway with the next nearest neighbor a good distance away.

As I was driving around I found this to be my favorite RV in the park…a loyal Arkansas Hog fan who came in for the weekend.  Normally when the Hogs are at home they play in Fayetteville, but they also play a game or two in Little Rock (although that is probably going to end soon).  This happened to be one of the weekends for this, which was another reason to stay in Petit Jean until Sunday.

All the sites are not as deep as this one, but many are, and most have lots and lots of parking space even if you are driving a 45’ motorhome.  

This is one of the upper campground areas, Area F, with hardly another camper in sight.  There were three or four spots up here which are fairly isolated, especially site 12 and 13. 

I am going to keep this in mind with the hope that I never need to use it.  There are around 10 sites which have sewer and are for long-term medical use.  My primary doctor is at UAMS, and I would easily qualify for this “if” ever needed….let’s hope it is never needed.  There was a guy pulling in just after I pulled in right across from us at site M-08.  He looked like he was missing a sewer connection hose, so I asked if he wanted to borrow ours until we left….but he said that he was headed back home and they were coming back on Tuesday…his little 3 year old just had her second brain tumor removed in the past six months, and now needs to go through chemo and radiation.  He has a trailer that he bought for “Deer Hunting”, but it has now turned into a “Dear Healing” trailer….we sure wish them the best.

Oh boy, guess what’s running all over this park!

“Skruffy, look at ALL this grass!  It reminds me of another place far, far away...a place full of Squirrels.”    “Yes Bubba, and I’ll tell you what, let’s race over to that Island over there….I’ll give you a good lead, and I promise to follow!”  "Hey, just because my name is Bubba, does not mean that I am stupid."

“If I just stare long enough, maybe Uncle Arny will show up and give me a treat!”  All this grass makes me miss my "home away from home."

Look, just before we get to back in, Dad always takes our leashes off…..maybe we should run that way and I’ll bet you we eventually will get to Arny and Sandy’s house.”

As the sun sets to the west, the east shows its colors.

Life sure is precious….

Right Thing to Do

Today we took a quick drive to Morrilton’s Walmart, then back for a quick drive around the park and then lunch at the Lodge.  Most of the drive was along Red Bluff Drive, on the north side of Cedar Creek, which runs through the park, into Lake Bailey (pictures in yesterday’s blog), and down Cedar Falls (2012 blog picture above).

At the second overlook on Red Bluff Drive, you can see this bench above. On the side of the bench is this plaque, below.

I just happen to know the story behind this plaque…it is a sad story, a story of the love of a father and his son.  Jeff’s father James “Jitters” Morgan was the Farmer’s Insurance agent for the town of White Hall when I moved to the Pine Bluff area in 1991.  He was very active in the community, as was his wife.  If I had ever met his son Jeff, I don’t remember it….but I knew Jitters and Lynn.  On December 1992, Jeff was hiking along the ridge close to where this plaque is located…and although he was an avid outdoors type of person, he slipped, and fell into the canyon below.  Around spring time, 1993, Jitters approached me at the library…this was before I was the Director, and my office was in the White Hall Library just down the street from his Insurance business.  Jitters told me that Jeff had a favorite book, it was a book written for the young teenager.  He was unsure of the title, but together we figured out the name of the book.  The Library did not have a copy, but he wanted to read it.  I told him I would get it through Interlibrary Loan, where we borrow it from another library.  But instead, I ordered a couple copies….put one in each of our Libraries with a special copy put in the White Hall Library with a plate inside dedicated to Jeff. 

    

Above left is the covered overlook just to the right of the bench.  Above right is what the bench oversees, you can see the bench in the far left corner of that picture.

As for the book….I also ordered an extra copy which I gave to Jitters….I took the money out of the White Hall Friends of the Library fund to pay for that copy.   He just wanted to read his son’s favorite book…I wanted him to have a copy of that book for his own collection.   It was the right thing to do…..  

Above is a picture from the Pine Bluff Commercial, showing Jitters (left) with other Lions Club Members at the White Hall Food Bank.

As for Jitters, if he thanked me once, he thanked me a hundred times….it really meant a lot to him. He gave up the Insurance Business….and became Mayor of the City…and stayed Mayor for 16 years.  The “James "Jitters" Morgan White Hall Community Center” is currently under construction, with opening date planned for the spring of 2015.  It includes a full size gymnasium/basketball court, various fitness zones, an indoor elevated walking track, several meeting rooms and an outdoor public fishing pond.  This past summer they just opened the Crenshaw Springs Water Park.  The White Hall Chamber of Commerce gives out an annual award with his name on it.  The City of White Hall was just named one of the ten safest cities in the State of Arkansas.  Much of this can be attributed to this one man, Jitters Morgan.  In his younger days Jitters was a High School Referee and Umpire for Football, Basketball and Baseball.  Some people are leaders, good people like Jitters just lead.  We can sure use more of that in this day and age.