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.

Little memories

One of the notable things I remember about living in Colorado City a couple of years ago is taking my children for walks around the nearby golf course. They would get a kick out of finding golf balls and usually found at least five on every outing. The thing I enjoyed most about living in that area was our ability to walk to most nearby amenities, the few that there were.

Colorado City kind of felt like an unfinished town, with things spaced out and lots of barren land in between. From the condo we were renting, we could walk to the post office, a small seasonal cafe, the pharmacy, the gas station, the doctor's office, the dentist, a used book store, and the telephone company. While that's better walk-ability than most areas, I would still like to be within walking distance of a park, a library, and possibly a grocery store. Those are the amenities my family uses the most. As such, we are considering a possible move closer to town. We are still working on the details, so stay tuned for further information...

Hidden Paths?

I want to mention one other curiosity about our town... I have seen on several maps that there are supposed to be walking paths and stairways throughout town. They act as short-cuts between streets. I have gone looking for some of these and have been very disappointed. The staircases do exist, but those don't really help me since I walk with a baby stroller. The walking paths, however remain a mystery. Twice now, I have almost gotten stuck on an overgrown path that is so steep a mountain goat would cringe. Plus, they appear to be on (or very near) private property, so you feel like you are trespassing.

I am wondering if maybe these paths used to be walkable many years ago, and over time have eroded and become much steeper? Either way, I don't think I will try any more!