We got an early start on Sunday. Leaving Cotter, we drove a little over an hour to Blanchard Springs Caverns. Blanchard Springs is operated by the national forest service and consists of a network of subterranean caverns that is the largest in Arkansas. Since this was just a stop for us we chose the shortest tour – one that includes the larges single room. It was impressive. 65″ tall columns and huge stalagmites and stalactites dominated the room, with crazy fan shaped formations on the walls. None of the photos I saw or we took could really portray the space.
Everyone agreed the cavern was well worth the 2 hour detour in our day, but it was time to move on. the rest of the day was spent driving. 6 more hours to be exact. We eventually escaped the windy steep roads and found flatter ground in SE Arkansas before arriving in Vicksburg, MS, where we settled in to our RV park and had some southern food at a roof top restaurant overlooking the Mississippi before heading back to the trailer to sleep.
Before taking off in the morning we spent some time touring around the Vicksburg National Military Park where we learned about its strategic importance in the civil war. The highlight of the tour was the preserved Cairo, an ironclad ship and the only surviving one of its kind. It was sunk during the civil war and later recovered in the waters right off the banks of Vicksburg. The rest of the day was spent driving until we reached the Gulf Shores. We will be staying here on the coast for a few days, but tonight we found a great little beach side restaurant. The Ocean Breeze is a wonderful change.
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