Shuffys - Where Are We Now?: March 12-15

Another Corp of Engineers campground on the Arkansas River. Lots of sun but still cold. This is our view for the next 3 days.

Took a drive to get our bearings. First we drove to the other end of the dam where the locks were.

Then a hike on the Reed Mountain Nature Trail.

Do these steps down mean we have to go back up?

Luckily we meandered along the side of the mountain til we came out on top.

As we drove through the small town of Ozark we saw signs for a wine trail. Just what we wanted. The first one we visited was the Wiederkehr Wine Cellars, a Swiss winemaking heritage.. it’s the oldest and largest winery in mid-America, Wiederkehr Wine Cellars is located on the southern slopes of the Ozark Mountains. Here atop St. Mary's Mountain is where the Wiederkehr family carries on a tradition begun in 1880. The buildings looked like we were in the Swiss Alps. After a tasting, we bought a sweeter wine for Andrea and Jillian.

As one of the reviews said, it was dark inside but the back drop of the bar was a thing of art brought over from Switzerland in 1880. The figures were papermache and then gold leafed.

Just down the hill was the Post winery. We enjoyed another tasting and came away with a Chardonnay and a Chamborsin.

After a little research, I found the Post Winery also had some interesting history. From their website: We’ve grown grapes in our river valley since the 1870s, when this area of Arkansas was settled with Europeans whose ways included a daily glass of wine.

Wonder where we will wander on Tuesday!?

Tuesday we went in search of a hike. We took the Pihtrail Scenic Byway. There wasn’t much hiking around it seemed. So we kept driving north on Pigtrail about 50 miles. The road had lots of twists so speed wasn’t an option. We finally found a hike at Withrow Springs State Park on the Dogwood Nature Trail. A nice 2-mile hike through the wood. Dogwoods weren’t blooming yet but it was a great way to stretch our legs.