Art in the Ozarks

This morning we made the 34-mile drive up the very crooked and steep US 62 to Bentonville, the home of Walmart.  The road made me wish I were driving one of the Porsches so prevalent in Eureka Springs (Porsche Club of America Escape Weekend).  We had lunch at the Atlanta Bread Company and then went to the Crystal Bridges Museum of Contemporary Art, which was founded in 2005 by Alice Walton.  The museum’s architecture is a very unique work of art itself.  It was designed by Moshe Sadfie and incorporates a bridges theme with water, glass, steel, and concrete nestled in a hardwood forest with several miles of walking trails around it.  Admission to the museum is free (sponsored by Walmart).  While walking through the museum we "ran into" Sen. John McCain who was being shown around by Alice Walton herself.  The Senator was in town to participate in a Veterans' Day event.

After leaving the museum we drove back to Eureka Springs in time to take a photo walk through the historic section before sundown.  Eureka Springs is really a neat town.  Inside the city limits are over 60 natural springs, three lakes, and over 1800 acres of city parks.  It is also home to the Eastern Collard Lizard, the only place in Arkansas.  I’m not sure what a Collared Lizard is.   At first I thought they must be lizards that are found in collard greens, but I did a little research and learned I was a little off base.  It is actually a lizard that has coloring around the neck that resembles a collar.  Also seen around Eureka Springs are white squirrels.  They are not albinos, but genetic color variants of the gray squirrel species.

Tomorrow we leave Eureka Springs and make the short hop up to Branson, MO.  The only show I really want to see is and Eagles tribute.  The Eagles are one of my favorite groups so I hope the cover band does them justice.

I’ve added a new photo page entitled Crystal Bridges and Eureka Springs.