| In Little Rock, Colonel Glenn Road leads
west off of I-430 There is a classy Burger King when you come off
the freeway. It is part of a large FINA station.
Everything inside the station is immaculate and the convenience
store part of it is well-stocked. There was no soap in the
bathrooms, but they were spotless. At first you're in a high class neighborhood. Then you leave the inhibitions of town behind and discover the extremes of human inclinations with a preponderance of trash-filled yards occasionally alternating with studiously clean properties. A few miles out you reach an area that the well-to-do have claimed as their own. Beyond that you finally reach the COUNTRY. This is defined as an area settled by those who have carved out niches that appeal to them for one reason or another. The people here have elected to be in the country and found their home with the singular views and environment that sustain their love of COUNTRY. From this point on you may be on a road that is technically a part of the Little Rock Metro, but actually you are taking a tour in the country. Deer are often seen in the yard, tame as only the unhunted wildlife can be. The median annual income for a family is $48,717 in Saline county. The population is 95.27% white and those claiming to be native Americans constitute less than 1%. 14% of Saline County residents claim German ancestry, and 14% admit they are Irish. |
| After this point Colonel Glenn is not a
well-traveled road. Be sure to take water with you, and
food. Except for the road itself you may not see a sign of
civilization for several hours. Depending on the time of
year you should be watching for cardinals, blue jays, robins and
meadow larks. Hawks are in abundance as are vultures.
Even in broad daylight I saw two large owls. I also
startled several deer along the way. At first there are enough pine trees in the area to keep the eye dancing on spots of green. Oak trees predominate with sweetgum coming in second among the hardwoods. Most of the trees are less than twenty feet tall and spaced out as if it had been hard for them to find an initial place to root. There are no large farms in this area and even homes are few and spread out. Virtually every one of the homes has a NO TRESPASSING sign up to secure their privacy. Several homes had people out in their yards and I stopped to see a few of them to see just how unfriendly they really were. The people I did stop to see were initially suspicious of anyone ignoring their sign. But almost immediately they turned into loquacious hosts when I explained I was a writer on a peaceful mission and began asking them what kind of animals were pests in this area. Armadillo are becoming a problem. Deer in here don't know they are wild. Skunks think they are pets. Wildcats and coyotes think they own every chicken on earth. But this is a great area to live in if you like seclusion. "Nobody bothers you," a second glance of suspicion, and a word similar in meaning to "ahem" escapes them. "And satellite TV keeps us connected with the rest of the world." Anyway, if you do break down out here, don't be afraid to go up and ask for help. |
| The farther you go the fewer homes
you see and the shorter the trees are until finally you're
in a desolate brush country. At this point CONGO
FERNDALE cuts across Colonel Glenn Rd. If you have
decided seclusion is not for you then turning left will lead
you to the booming town of Benton. I-30 now runs
through Benton with your choices of Little Rock or Texarkana
sprouting in either direction.
Turning to the right on Congo Ferndale will lead you to the town of Ferndale, and then eventually to Highway 10 near Pinnacle Mountain. This too is a remarkably beautiful stretch of road. Given any kind of chance at all, COUNTRY vegetation will overrun civilization in a few years here, removing all trace of humanity. Highway 10 from Little Rock to the Oklahoma border is one of the most scenic highways (for country lovers) in the state of Arkansas. If you haven't run out on me we are still heading roughly west on Colonel Glenn Rd. The key word there is roughly. You come almost immediately to a "Y" with the right arm being named RUSHING ROAD. It looks more interesting and invites us deeper into the countryside. The road is getting rougher, homes fewer and wild animals much braver. By the same token, there is much more for the country lover to appreciate. An outcropping of quartz crystal runs for miles through here. Some of the loose crystal rocks are really boulders. Others are small enough to get into your car, if you know what I mean. Then there are millions of various pocket-sized rocks crying out for a new home. The oak, sweetgum and hickory trees are shorter than ever, almost shrubs. Brush is thick, deer more populous. Hawks are skirling overhead. We may have seen an eagle but it got behind some trees before we could identify it for sure. Buzzards seem to thrive in the area. Miles later Rushing Road turns sharply to the left. The road going straight ahead looks more inviting, more interesting. Looks are deceiving. The countryside quickly turns rugged and the brush thickens. Signs of wildlife loom on every side with deer frequent and almost undisturbed by the passage of our car. Unfortunately this is not an area to get out and walk over so one can experience nature first hand. The terrain itself welcomes your attempt, but first on the right, then on the left, big signs have appeared to warn the whole world this part of the country is reserved for members of The Muleshoe Hunting Club. There aren't any signs indicating the road itself belongs to the club so we keep on, admiring that which is reserved for wealthier eyes than our own. The gravel forming the road bed at this point gets even rougher and more treacherous for holding on curves and crests. A bumper-deep stream crosses the road and causes some hesitation and a lively question and answer session with my partner. This is a city car we are in and we haven't seen a living soul for many miles. Do we wish to continue? Obstinately, we continue. As soon as we get into the water it is obvious we should have been more hesitant. This stream bed does not consist of good sand, the kind that is firm and will pack down to hold you up. No, it separates and sucks you in, giving little traction. If you too find curiosity irresistible let me tell you that the road beyond is blocked off less than a mile farther. Not only that, but you are at the bottom of Schoolhouse Mountain (with Pilot Knob on your right) and will soon be proceeding on foot anyway if you wish to continue. So, stop HERE, before you cross the stream. Turn around and head back down the trail. You can safely say that you have been there, done that and buy yourself a cap to prove it. |
| Remember me telling you that
Rushing Road turns sharply to the left as we came in?
Coming out it turns sharply to the right and this we now
follow. For several miles the quartz outcroppings dot
the landscape around us. There are few trees, even the
brush is stunted. It is almost like being in Arizona's
Sonora Desert and I found myself constantly searching for
jackrabbits. The human eye is skilled at spotting motion of
any kind, and noting the different from what becomes ordinary.
A moving deer is spotted immediately while a deer frozen in place is seldom seen unless noticed first by accident. Here I saw no land animals, no birds soaring, no obvious trails off to the side. Had I gotten out to study tracks I'm sure it would be a different story, but on this casual tour it is the unfolding landscape panorama which attracts the attention of the human eye. The road winds and curves among the hills. Splotches of asphalt pavement appear in short bursts here and there for reasons only a Democratic county judge can understand. The gravel portion of the road is well-maintained and speed is unhindered by surface conditions. Our first hint of civilization was the glimpse of a large body of sparkling water off to our left. The road curved gracefully away from it, then veered back. The water had vanished. Suddenly we came to a STOP sign. Looking to the right we saw a DIRECTIONS pole for weary travelers. |
| In spite of all the hopeful signs
attached to the post on the right I felt no inclination to
go that way for some inner sense of direction kept telling
me they all led nowhere. Consequently, I turned my
gaze to the left and caught just a glimpse of water.
There was also a plethora of houses, lodgings and dwellings. This was like the beginnings (or the end, coming from the other direction) of a bulging community. For miles and miles we followed the shoreline trail and kept the shoreline in view. The water looked pure and clean. The splashes of color were beautiful and the lake just kept springing into view. It seemed like we could always see the other shore, but that both this side and that side kept changing. |
| When I came through this country
twelve years ago there was no water here.
Consequently, I knew this was a new manmade lake.
After several miles of travel we came upon a sign that
explained this was Lake Norrell and that it had been built
by the city of Benton to supply it with water. One
LARGE sign explained further that no tobacco products were
allowed upon the lake. Apparently the Marlboro man is
not welcome here. No alcohol, no drugs, just good,
clean fun on a sparkling clean body of water. The only boating enthusiast that I met told me there was no horse power limit for boats on the lake. When asked what kind of fishing was best here he grinned from ear to ear and exclaimed but one word: "BASS!" Then he rushed off and left me. Under the heading of Alexander
Attractions we learn: "The community of Lake Norrell is also
in this area and shares the same zip code of 72002 with
Alexander. The Lake Norrell Community is home to
beautiful Lake Norrell, a 280 acre lake, which serves as the
Benton, Ar. water source. The lake is great for swimming,
fishing, and boating. Birds, wildlife, the beautiful
Ouachita mountains and streams are located in or near the
lake. The Lake Norrell area has wonderful
people, an excellent fire protection district staffed by
great volunteers, and is located near Little Rock: just a
short drive to a most peaceful place." |
| Even though it was late on a Friday
afternoon there was only the one boat on all that sparkling
clear water. There was no one fishing from any of the
banks, no one wading, no one splashing, no picnickers in
sight. Save for the lonely calls of a few birds there
were no sounds to break the silence. It was like
stumbling upon Shangri-La and discovering everyone had left
to watch a ball game.
From the lake we followed the best paved roads towards Benton. Every inch of the way was lined with real estate signs offering unique opportunities to own property in this region. Fifteen and twenty acre tracts demanded larger signs. Crye-Lieke seemed to be represented the most often on the signs. We turned on Lawson Road and made our way over to Congo-Ferndale Road with ever increasing signs of prosperity. By the time we got to Benton it seemed that only millionaires dotted the way. There wasn't a trashy home to be seen from Lake Norrell to Benton. Yes, there were numerous bargain homes, but every one of them was clean and attractive, obviously owned by people who cared. Benton is split down the middle by I-30. It is a great place to stop off and just browse around. Numerous dining opportunities exist. Famished, we stopped in at the Dixie Restaurant. The staff was delightfully attentive and the decor subtly quiet. It made a wonderful ending for our country tour. |
