Pine Bluff Still

Saturday, May 7 - Our plan this morning was to tour that, then head toward Toledo Bend, either in Texas or Louisiana.  We took another little drive first, just outside of town, and saw the Port of Pine Bluff, some of the old industrial section which now houses mostly closed businesses, and some kind of lumber or pulp plant.  We passed this lumber company on our way into town yesterday and saw what we thought was smoke coming from the stacks.  Today we got closer and saw that it was actually water being sprayed onto the stacks of lumber.

Pine Bluff is a huge rail center, and next door to the Arkansas Railroad Museum was a plant that had a huge inventory of train wheels, different sizes and different levels of rust.

This museum houses the last 4-8-4 Northern-type locomotive built in Pine Bluff, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

They also have a number of rare diesel locomotives, a complete steam wrecker train, cabooses, and a snow plow, along with a wide variety of artifacts including tools, paper goods, maps and pictures.

By the time we got back to camp, it was noon.  It was another beautiful day, and we loved this campsite, so we just decided to stay another day.

So we had a day of rest -- something we are not very good at when we are traveling.  We both got naps in, spent a little time in our lawn chairs, and took a walk around this beautiful campground.  But Joe's allergies do not like all this greenness, his nose plugged up and his eyes started itching, so he had to go inside.  Nevertheless, it was a very good day for us.   I walked back down and where the fishermen were fishing, but I did not buy a fishing license, so all I could do was watch.

I did make a new friend, though.

And we got to watch the NASCAR race tonight, a rare treat.  Tomorrow we will head to Louisiana and see if we can camp at Toledo Bend -- another spot I will probably wish I had fishing license.  John and Bridgette promise to take us fishing in Florida, though, so I will try to wait for that.  Bridgette thinks the closer we get to Texas, the sooner she graduates, so she keeps checking on our progress.  A week from now it will be over, and she will officially be Dr. Bridgette Froeschke.