Friday June 15th 2018
The temperature reached the mid 90s with the same high humidity that has been in place for the last week or so. The only difference today was a nice breeze from the northeast. The natives say the temperature and humidity are not normal for mid June. These conditions are more like July and August. I’m not going to complain about the weather. I chose to be in this part of the country at this time of year. It is far better than cool and rainy.
Looking out at the Arkansas River across a little island to the main channel.
Looking down river to the east along the bank. My campsite is in the trees on the bank beyond the grass.
Big houses with great views on the northern bank of the Arkansas River.
I spent most of the day enjoying the campground. That means walking around the various camping loops and watching the activity on the river. The fisherman in boats use the river in the morning and again in the late afternoon. The boat ramp is very near my campsite, so I get to see many boats being put in and taken out. I’ve yet to see anyone with fish. During the afternoon there isn’t much activity on the river. I imagine it’s just too hot in the direct sun.
The resident geese came back for another visit today. They arrived by water.
The boat ramp turned into a goose ramp.
The Arkansas River is part of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. It’s made up of a series of dams, locks and canals to provide an inland water way from the Tulsa Oklahoma area through Arkansas to the Mississippi River. Using the waterway goods from inland areas in Oklahoma and Arkansas have access to major ports like New Orleans. I have only seen a few barges on the river, but the ones I’ve seen have been big. I missed catching a good view of a barge today. It was well by this area before I caught a glimpse as it disappeared to the northwest. They don’t make much noise as they pass.
A pair of ducks settle in for the night.
