The Mulberry River

My An Arkie's Faith column from the April 5, 2023, issue of The Polk County Pulse.

My daughter's family loves to be on a river. They own rafts, kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes. Over the past few years, I have taken trips with them on the Caddo, Ouachita, and Buffalo Rivers in Arkansas. The river has a relaxing, hypnotic quality. You can see the beauty of nature while floating a river that you can't see any other way. I love the serene tranquility and peacefulness of a river float. It is like everyday life doesn't exist while floating on a river.

I always look forward to our family river adventures. My son-in-law planned a spring break raft trip on the Mulberry River this year. I was excited to see the Mulberry as I had never been on it. 

My wife and I have spent time in Eureka Springs most years for the past forty years. Our route to Eureka Springs would take us up Highway 23 and the Pig Trail Scenic Byway. The Pig Trail winds through the Ozark National Forest with almost every kind of scenery imaginable, from rivers to waterfalls to mountain views. 

One stop we always made on the Pig Trail was the Turner Bend Store on the Mulberry River. The Turner family opened the Turner Bend store in 1911 on the banks of the Mulberry River. Whenever we stopped at Turner Bend, I would see all the canoes and kayaks at the campground, and I thought it looked like fun. The milky blue-green water of the Mulberry, its lush, forested banks, and its gorgeous Ozark scenery are exquisitely beautiful. But we never explored the area because we were going to Eureka Springs. 

We got up early Saturday morning and headed to the Mulberry River. My son-in-law had rented the rustic Riverside Retreat cabin on its banks. After the terrible storms of the day before with tornadoes that devastated Little Rock and other areas of Arkansas, the day was bright and sunny. The skies were a deep blue, and the scenery was beautiful. Lush green pastures and hillsides with dogwoods and redbuds told us it was spring.  

When we arrived at the cabin, there was a flurry of activity. Kids and adults were preparing for a day on the river. When everyone had packed their lunch and filled their dry bags, they picked their paddles, put on their life jackets, and prepared to launch the rafts from the cabins private put in. I watched and took photos as the two rafts floated into the Mulberry River. I would not make the nine-mile float trip to the Campbell Cemetery takeout. 

I was disappointed as I watched the rafts float out of view. But I had made the decision not to float the river. I have bad knees and am often in pain. Our last float trip had been on the Buffalo River, and I struggled with pain in my legs as I paddled my kayak. I was in a lot of pain, but seeing the stunning views along the Buffalo was a bucket list experience. Since the Buffalo River float trip, the pain in my knees has increased. As much as I wanted to float the Mulberry River, I knew it would be too painful. I pushed away the disappointment as I left the riverbank and headed to my car. I wouldn't sit at the cabin all day and wallow in self-pity. I was going to go exploring.

The cabin was on a gravel road named Shores Lake Road. I surmised that if the road was called Shores Lake Road, it must go to Shores Lake. So, I headed down the road to see what I could find. After driving for half an hour, I came to an overlook pullout. I parked the car, exited, and walked to the rock wall. A beautiful milky green lake spread below me as I looked over the wall. "That must be Shores Lake," I thought. After taking photos, I climbed back in the car and continued down the steep road to the lake below. "I may not be out on the river enjoying the float," I thought, "but I am seeing this beautiful lake."

In my explorations, I drove along the Mulberry River on Hwy 215. With bluffs on one side of the road and stunning views of the river on the other, it is one of the most beautiful drives in Arkansas. I ended up in the little town of Oark. When I saw the Oark General Store, I immediately recognized it from an article on the website, "Only in Arkansas." 

"The Oark General Store opened for business in 1890 in order to supply the small community with groceries and necessary supplies. It has been in business ever since and proudly claims the title of the oldest, continually operated store in the state of Arkansas. When visitors step inside the store, they are immediately immersed in history. Old pictures of the area line the wall depicting ways of life before pavement. If floors could talk, these original wood planks could take us back to a time when the general store was a hub of activity for the isolated people of the area. Now, over a century later, this unique sense of history seems to make people stop, relax and take time to visit."

As I sat in the quaint little store and enjoyed my butter pecan ice cream, I thought about how much I enjoyed the afternoon even though I had been disappointed earlier when the rafts floated away down the Mulberry River without me. I could hear Mick Jagger singing in my head, "you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need."

Over the years, I've often thought of Psalm 30:5 (NKJV), which says, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." This verse is an excellent reminder that no matter how disappointed or sad we may feel, it won't last forever. We don't have to let that disappointment keep us living in grief or regret. 

Gentle Reader, disappointment is a powerful emotion that can keep us stuck focusing on what we have lost and yearning for dreams that didn't come true. It prevents us from believing God has good plans for us and suppresses our ability to let go of what we thought was supposed to be. We can allow disappointment to make us unhappy, or we can trust that God has good plans for us. "' I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'" Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)