2 posts tagged “mena”
There's a really nice OHV/Multi use trail near Mena, Arkansas called Wolf Pen Gap. There are about 31 miles of open trails in, around, and through the mountains and woods of the Ouachita National Forest. These trails are nicely maintained by the United States Forest Service. We are most definitely novice riders although we've owned ATV's or motorcycles since we were kids and these trails fit the bill. Corey had left his Rhino in our care so we took it because if its comfortable ride and ability for us to sit side by side. We had been given some good advice about local trails but ultimately decided to just stick to Wolf Pen Gap due to time constraints and lack of knowledge about the local area. Had we been staying or camping in a more populated area, we probably would have discovered more areas to ride and sights to see but, as I mentioned yesterday, we were isolated on top of a hill. The trails are very scenic, usually, but they had been doing a lot of 'control burning' in the previous couple of weeks and much of the area was burned over and a little smelly.
We stayed on the really easy trails for the morning but then graduated to the 'more difficult' trails by noon.
I refused to try these though!
The dogwoods were in full bloom, the butterflies were out in force (once it warmed up a bit) and the wildflowers were fascinating.
There are numerous stream crossings. Most now have bridges built over them to prevent damage but there are still a couple that you cross through the water.
That one was up about 6" in the floor board! Hard to take pictures when you're holding both feet up.
There are interesting things to see along the way like this old abandoned mine (silver I think). The view inside isn't as grand. Why do people have to throw their trash on the ground!?!?
As I mentioned before, the butterflies were out. This one was especially fond of dog turds.
If I were a beautiful butterfly, I'd probably hang out here on these adorable wild irises.
Some of the views were really nice though once you rode to the top.
But then you had to make your way down again.
After all the riding we relaxed by the campfire at the cabin and grilled dinner.
Watched the sunset and tried out the hammock. No relaxing in that thing though! It hangs out over the hill...if you fall out you'll be at the bottom before you stop rolling.
More from our trip tomorrow! Have a great day!!
Pat and I decided to hang around town for Easter weekend since it was raining anyway. We enjoyed visiting with family Easter Sunday and seeing the pics of the new boat his sister and her hubby are buying. Corey and Brittney left for their newest job assignment in Florida Monday morning. after sitting around looking at each other for a couple of hours, we decided to go to Arkansas and ride the Rhino in the mountains. I called and found a cabin to rent for a few days since we really aren't geared up to tow the ATV with the motorhome and off we went! I love impromptu trips.
Our litte cabin was rented through Adventure Trails Retreat. It was quiet and secluded but near the mountains atop a hill with a nice view. We enjoyed the outdoor cooking area and the jacuzzi tub!
The wood were full of wildflowers! The violets growing along the hillsides were absolutely beautiful!
There were also lots of these
and a lot of these in both purple and white
as well as a few of these
Mena was in better shape than I expected. Most of the tornado damage was residential but some of the roads were still closed when we were there so we probably didn't see the worst of it. I'll cover some of the really neat things we saw while riding the Wolf Pen Gap trails in my next post. Have a great Saturday!
