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lonestar

Lifer
Mar 22, 2011
2,854
161
Edgewood Texas
When I was growing up, the family of a close friend would take family vacations most summers to the Ouachita Mountains. Lake Ouachita is just north and east of Hot Springs. It may be one of the prettiest lakes I've ever seen, crystal clear water and mountains and trees that run right down to the waters edge.

The last time I went with them I was probably 16 or 17 years old so it was pretty neat to go back again with his parents and family.

Myself, my wife, my friends parents and his wife and two kids headed out last saturday with a ski boat a jetski and the Rv they were staying in.

We spent most days anchored off points and islands around the lake floating around the boat and drinking cold beer.

Here is the view from our hotel room at Shangri-La Resort.

The pool, the trees, the lake and the mountains in the background.
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Here is the ski boat at their campsite and my adopted nephew and favorite 5 year old, my buddies son.

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Me and Emory on the boat, all about to go for a cruise. (Lifting that can was about the hardest work I did all week)

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My wife enjoying the ride

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Emory tubing and knee boarding at five. Kid is part fish :good:

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Water like glass.

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lonestar

Lifer
Mar 22, 2011
2,854
161
Edgewood Texas
What blends did you take along?

Bullseye Flake, Brown Clunee and 1Q. Several Padron and El Rey Del Mundos were also harmed in the making of this trip :D

Thanks for the comments, it was a lot of fun. The place was beautiful, it was great reliving old memories and the Pies at Shangri-la are still baked every morning by the same little old lady thats been doing it for 65 years !

It may have been the most relaxing trip I've had in years.

 

ejames

Lifer
Oct 6, 2009
3,916
22
Looks like a beautiful place. I'd like to visit the Hot Springs area.It's only 5- 6 hours from where I live.

 

whitebriar

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 14, 2010
253
9
The Good Lord seems to have liked that part of the world--He put a lot of care into it's making, didn't he?

 

terry

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 7, 2011
778
1
Glad you had a relaxing trip...I live in Fort Smith and visit lake Ouachita often.

 

reichenbach

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 5, 2012
552
2
West Park, NY
I feel more relaxed just for looking at the pictures. Seems like a great a place and a good time was had by all. Vacation: Accomplished!

 

lonestar

Lifer
Mar 22, 2011
2,854
161
Edgewood Texas
Isn't it great to have a nice laid back and quite vacation ?
Indeed ! Vacation for me is always about doing something (usually fishing or hunting). It was nice to have nothing at all that needed to be done.

Anyone who is close enough to check this place out should do it. Even if you dont have a boat theres tons of trails to hike and you can hop in anywhere and go for a swim. Theres also several places that rent boats.

Its known to be a heck of a bass and striper lake too.

 

simnettpratt

Lifer
Nov 21, 2011
1,516
2
I used to go up there all the time. My church has a camp that would let us stay for free. I saw a bald eagle once, just sitting majestically on top of a tree - no mistaking what that was. We would canoe out to one of the little islands and camp. I remember buddies Leslie and Tim finding themselves on one of the little islands for the weekend with four bottles of gin and no bottles of water. Bozos. They drank the lake water straight and didn't die. That's some clear water.

 
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