Fayetteville, AR (Day 2)

Today my cousin Janie and I woke up at a reasonable hour (as late as we could bear) and plotted a course for Eureka Springs. To put it flatly, this is a strange place. A quick history... The natives discovered the mineral-rich cold springs while living in the area. After Jackson's Indian removal, they natives covered the springs up. They laid waiting for the first European settlers to unearth them and begin hawking their (alleged) healing powers. After a local judge said that the springs healed him (his eye doctor friend set up a practice in a local cave) a town grew to cater to the ailing tourists. The town was notable from its large black population from the end of slavery to the 1920s when klan activity quashed things. The town became known as somewhat forward-thinking much to the chagrin of one of its most famous residents, Gerald Smith. Smith was many things, a friend of Huey Long, a Nazi sympathizer, and great fun to be around at parties. He is locally known for constructing one of the tallest statues in the country, one of Jesus with his arms outstretched. This was all that came of his plan to reconstruct the entirety of biblical Jerusalem at life scale. He was no doubt annoyed by the hippies, counterculturists, and lesbian separatists who moved in for the cheap rent, scenery, and reputation for ghosts.

Not The French Quarter

That reputation for gay living and ghosts are what brings people in today. One in five households in Eureka Springs has a gay couple in it, that's more than Palm Springs or West Hollywood! It may shock you to hear this but I have seen more pride flags in Arkansas than Gadsden flags and confederate flags combined. As you walk through the town, it feels almost claustrophobic. The whole of downtown is built into a canyon, you see the steep walls everywhere and the tall buildings take advantage of what little space there is. Every road seems to be on a hill. We walked into one shop where we were pulled into a conversation with a shopkeeper who told us about a great many things. Topics ranged wildly...

• her alien heritage, "the doctor said she's never seen bones like mine."
• the time she met a fairy, "I could just tell and she gave me a card with a fairy on it."
• the time her favorite psychic from TV walked in her store, "she was so shy."
• where not to be at The Crescent Hotel, "I felt an evil like nothing else on that fourth floor balcony."
• how to properly protect oneself from spirits, "envision your favorite color and wrap yourself in it."
• the ins and outs of spirit photography, "hold down the button on your phone, they will come."
• how the lizard people get around in Los Angeles, "they have tunnels under the streets."

"Ma'am, I'm from California. I can tell you that the lizard people take the sidewalk."

On our way to lunch, Janie and I tried some spirit photography. Comment if you find something.

Photos from the great beyond?

We grabbed lunch from a sandwich shop and dodged the rain at a porch in front of a (haunted?) yoga studio. As it was continuing to pour down, we plotted a course for the centerpiece of the town, the Crescent Hotel. Not actually in the town center, the hotel is situated on top of a local hill. It has a history of trading owners and roles once every decade or so across its hundred year history. We took tea on top of the building. That was right where the half alien lady from the t-shirt shop said not to go. Demons traditionally bring me into bars, her comments were not about to change that. Watching the rain pelt the forrest was cathartic. Not so bad for a haunted joint. The waitress told us about the room of pickled cancer patient tissue samples they had just discovered. Not so bad for a haunted joint.

We headed back to the house and one nap later, it was time for dinner. After the last supper with Janie, Jeff, and Phyl we grabbed my last cousin Lel who had up until now been unreachable due to a brutal work schedule. We piled in the car and went for one last desert with Beth, Brett, and their two children. It was strange to eat Porto's so far from home but what's traveling without desert?

Spirited Photography

Tomorrow I set sail for the suburbs of Memphis Tennessee. It was too expensive to stay in a decent part of the city. The rain will keep my visor and gear clean, one less thing to do. I've really enjoyed my time in Arkansas and seeing family really feels like a breath of fresh air. Time for a breath of fresh sleep.