July trip, Swimming & Spelunking
Even if your family is anything like mine and loves Heber Springs just as much as the next Memphian, I'm back in town to tell you...it's time for a change.
We left the boating and innter tubing behind a few weeks ago & spent a day swimming in the little river between Blanchard Spring and Gunner Pool.
It was so beautiful!
The water is crystal clear. Even the shallowest part in this photo is about a foot deep!
This is Blanchard Spring, whose water feeds the swimmable river.
...but a word about the water...
It is swimmable...it is NOT potable!
Just on the other side of that waterfall is a cave
...a cave full of bats!
The National Forest Service tells me I don't want to drink bat debris, and I'll take their word for it, but more about the bats later...
Be sure to bring waterproof shoes!
You'll also want at least one float (or two life jackets & a pool noodle).
There are lots of places to wade into the stream.
If you're lucky, you can see little fish and huge tadpoles.
If you're like me, you'll need to watch out for water snakes. I wish I were kidding.
There is even the Mirror Lake fishing pond...which I enjoyed more for the waterfall than the trout.
After swimming & hiking, you can even cool off with the bats.
Well, actually you probably won't see the bats (thank goodness), but it is perpetually a pleasant 58 degrees in the Blanchard Springs Caverns.
The "battleship," or "Titanic rock," as my sister & I like to call it is my favorite formation (excuse the nerdiness). Can you see it in the spotlight? Isn't that neat?!
The network of lights & pathways through on the Dripstone Trail is truly impressive, and even though I just don't feel comfortable taking a tour that combines the words "wild" and "cave," the Wild Cave Tour (without theater lights & meandering pathways) also sounds really fascinating.
So, those are some of the high points from Blanchard Springs!
With Labor Day only two weeks away, I just wanted to share with you a new place to celebrate with a little vacation.
Hope you're having a truly wonderful weekend,
Erica
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