Seven months ago, we had reservations at Prairie Creek Campground on Beaver Lake. Near Rogers, Arkansas, it is a beautiful area with hikes filled with tall rock ledges.
Our campground seven months ago overlooked Beaver Lake, and we really wanted to get our kayak on that clear water during our visit last October.
These rolling hills of Arkansas have some nice hiking trails that we had planned on being on last fall. But we started showing symptoms of Covid on the drive to Prairie Creek Campground last October. It was in Rogers, Arkansas, that we went to the urgent care office and got our positive Covid test.
So even though we spent eight days at this campground seven months ago, we didn't get to experience any of it. We were stuck in the motor home, watching the leaves turn to their fall glory, but unable to hike or kayak or sight-see. That's why we decided to come back to the same campground this spring
We even reserved the very same camp site where we started our stay here last time. It was so nice to get to be outside this time, enjoying the rocks and spring wildflowers!
A few miles down Scenic Highway 12 is the War Eagle Mill. We visited the big red barn, where they sell flour and various mixes that contain their milled ingredients.
Powered by the moving water of the War Eagle River, that big wooden water wheel (or one of its three predecessors that were destroyed at this location) has been spinning around at the edge of this waterfall since 1832.
The top floor in the mill has been converted to a restaurant, where they cook up tasty dishes from those mixes. We were a little early for lunch and late for breakfast, but next time we would make an effort to eat here.
We both walked across the bridge, and a passer-by offered to take our picture.
We'll remember that this single lane bridge is not tall enough nor strong enough for the motor home, but we could drive our pickup on it. A fellow camper had told us about a destination across that bridge and down the dirt road.
The private land-owner put up a sign with a set of rules that includes "No ATVS, No Guns, No Dogs, No Loud Music, No Fireworks, and No Camping." But if you follow those rules and put $2 in his box, you are welcome to spend some time down on his river property.
The tall rock cliffs look a little like a cruise ship plying down the War Eagle River.
But the star of the show at this stop were the butterflies that were congregating on the damp rocks on the shore for some reason.
While they graze, they are content to have their wings open for a perfectly posed picture. They don't mind having a curious wanderer very close, taking photographs.
When we look closely at the tiny dots of color that make their intricate patterns, it feels like we have wandered into another of God's wonders.
It was a butterfly smorgasbord, as Denisa enjoyed taking pictures of several types of butterflies.
We tried googling for more precise names, but we think all of them are some version of the swallowtail butterfly. But that google search did teach us that this group was "puddling." That's when they suck up mineral-laden moisture through their proboscis. We must have found some good minerals here near War Eagle River.
When this butterfly closed his wings, the pattern on the back side was even more intricate
Again, a close-up of a butterfly wing is a wonderful wonder!
While we heard plenty of birds in the trees around us, the only one that posed for a picture was this green heron.
As we crossed back over the bridge by the mill, we are glad that we made this trip back to Prairie Creek Campground and Scenic Highway 12. We have more places to explore that we'll blog about next time. But we'll always remember this as the place where we waited out the symptoms of Covid. It reminds us again of how we are blessed to be healthy, and able to explore beautiful places that once were off-limits to us. 
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