Autumn in Eureka Springs

Aaahhh, the cooler, beautiful days of autumn are here. This is by far my favorite season, especially in Eureka. The leaves are absolutely stunning, there is a wonderful smell in the crisp mountain air, and the best part is that the fall lasts a really long time here. This is the perfect time for walking and hiking because the insects are dying off, as well as the humidity. My family tries to walk or bicycle as much as we can, and not just for hobby, but to run errands as well.

The trouble with our town is that there are no sidewalks, except for downtown. The sidewalks downtown are somewhat difficult to manage because they are 100+ year old limestone, which is slick and uneven. When we moved here, our son was a year old so we walked with him in a stroller. After a couple of tries taking a regular stroller on the downtown sidewalks, we went online to get something more appropriate. We picked a lightweight jogging stroller with inflatable bicycle-style wheels and have determined that jogging strollers are the only way to travel with a baby or toddler in Eureka Springs.

My son has since outgrown the stroller, and we sold it for a good price at our latest garage sale. I am impressed at what troopers our children are when we walk, even on steep terrain. They don't complain unless we walk more than 2 miles, and if we stop for a drink and a snack, they are good to go another mile or so. Another fun and earth-friendly game is to bring garbage bags along and see who can find the most trash and recyclables along the way. This teaches kids a good lesson on the trouble with littering and how important it is to do our part for the community.