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Roger Woods Web Page
NFS Bear Creek Lake, Marianna, AR
Maps: Area
Town
This is in the eastern part of
Arkansas, west of Batesville, MS. $5 full price. I paid $2.50 and was
there a couple of nights. Getting to the facility is no big deal. Go to
Marianna, find SR44, I don’t recall if it was in the center of town or
on the east side off of U.S. 79, then run south for 7 miles or so.
Couple of things about the town. I had
to get some beer before going to the CG. Was near the south part of
town when I had space to pull over the rig and there was a place with
beer signs all over it. I expected I would go to the front door of the
store, walk in, make my selection, etc. Didn’t happen. Place had bars
all over windows, the door, etc. and you had a little tiny window where
you placed your order, handed over the bucks, and got your goods. I
would definitely not hang around this town at night! Of course, it
might be the storeowners is being cautious and there is no big crime
problem there. Next time I go there, I will stock up on beer long
before I get there.
Okay, you find the road south,
southwest, or however it runs, the entrance will be on your left. If
your engine can’t handle a bit of hard pulling coming back out, don’t
go in there. Soon as you turn off the road, you will go down a steep
hill to get to the CG. It ain’t real long, not like coming off a
mountain. Quarter mile… or so… Once you are there, it will be worth the
drive. Coming in and once on flat land curving around to your right, to
the right will be a circle around which are campsites and straight
ahead will be another circle with sites all around it. When I was
there, the volunteer managers were parked on the left side of the
second circle.
Just before I got to the entrance to
the first circle to the right, I stopped and got out to walk around and
see the layout. I always do this when space permits, which is the
case in most places I have stayed. I saw a really great empty site
where the first circle came back to the main road. I rounded the
circle, backed into the wide graveled site, no problem, and plenty of
room. Plenty of space between me and the next space. I got only a small
17’ trailer, no slide outs, or whatever they is called, so other folks
with them big rigs with whole rooms sticking out the side might get
different results than me. Don’t get me wrong! I love you folks who has
them kind of rigs and wish I had one. More power to you and enjoy them.
My entire rig was a gift and I did not demand the donor give me a rig
with slide outs. Hell, I was happy to have a rig where I could sleep at
night and no rain would drip in my face from a leaky roof.
Fully shaded site, picnic table and
perhaps a grill, didn’t notice. Nice breeze. A great place! This was
coming back to VA from the Slabs, late May or early June, 2002. No
excessive heat. Rain overnight. A lake before you, and a roped off
swimming area with buildings in which to change. I could hear the voice
of children and adults having fun swimming in the lake and enjoying the
small beach area. I felt right good sitting outside at the table,
sipping a brew, puffing a cigar, and writing up my road log.
No electric. Water and vault toilets
there. Nearest water hookup to me was across the main road, near the
volunteers’ space, so I didn’t bother. I have probably 110’ of water
hose(not garden hose, used only for filling the black water tank for
the second dump) and the hosts offered the use of 50’ of theirs if I
didn’t have enough, but I didn’t bother. I carry 11 gallons of water in
jugs of one size or another, 20 or 30 gallon water tank that is empty
most of the time, had a case of beer, so no big
deal. Drinking water was the last thing on my mind as the afternoon
turned into evening.
When I came back into town enroute to
Batesville, and before I got to U.S. 79, there was an old gas station
on the right hand side.
Didn’t have any convenience store, the
two service bay doors looked like they hadn’t been opened for 20 years,
but the price posted was good. I pulled to the pumps, got out and
planned to do a self-service. An old gentleman came out, pulled the
hose and nozzle from the pump, and politely asked how much I wanted.
Filler up. He took a while to do so and did it the old fashion way. All
the way to the brim of the filler tube. I don’t have any problems like
smelling gas fumes if it is filled all the way to the gas cap, although
I do not do that when I pump for myself. Unless the gas is super cheap,
like during one of them gas wars I ain’t seen for years. Then, it is
every drop that don’t drip on the ground!!!
During the fill I asked him a few
questions about the town, how it survived, and how long it had been
there. Got good answers about it all and the gentleman talked about his
own lifelong residence there. His ancestors had been there a long time.
Some were slaves, later ones free Blacks, and many were sharecroppers—a
form of post-slavery slavery for black folks and whites. I’m glad I
stopped at that station instead of another one further along the road.
If I am ever in the area again, I will stay there.
I recommend the CG.
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