Just getting here to the farm can be an adventure in itself. If you come from the south, you
have to, or get to (depending on your attitude) ride the ferry. This is one of the last ferries in
AR and it is operated by the Highway Department. It only runs during the daylight hours, so
it can put a damper on your traveling. You've got to restrict your traveling to daylight
hours only or go around the other way which can add many miles and lots of time to your trip. It also
won't run if there is dense fog or extremely high winds.
There is a schedule for arrivals and departures, so unless you want to sit and wait the 40
minutes it takes for the ferry to make a round trip, you look at the schedule and plan. We
know how long it takes us to leave the farm and get to the ferry, so that we don't have that
time to sit and wait. It can be a social event though. There have been many times that
we've seen people open their trunks or get into the cooler in the back of their truck to have
a cool drink of water or soda while waiting. There's also a lot of visiting that goes on.
Catching up with the neighbors or finding out where the other travelers are from is usually
the topic of discussion. This route is very popular with motorcyclists and many times they
are from other areas and interested in what else is in the area. That's when we get to brag
on our little area of the state and its beauty!
This is what you see when you pull up to wait for the ferry. There is always a spare tug....you just
never know when you might need another one!
Vehicles line up and people get out of their vehicles while they wait for the ferry.
Here it comes!! You can't see it, but the tug powering the ferry is obscured by the extra tug. The pilot glides up to the dock and a dock hand secures the ferry to the dock with large ropes.
Just a couple of motorcycles on this trip. Sometimes there aren't any vehicles on a trip, but they have to go anyway to keep on their schedule.
There is another way to get here besides the ferry. It just depends on which direction you need to go
whether you take it or not. Sometimes though, you just need to ride it for the enjoyment! There's
nothing like putting your tailgate down, sitting on it and enjoying the last ride of the day. It's the
"sunset cruise"!!!
