Tornados, strong storms, heavy rain and hail are forecast for here today so, we’re heading North towards the mountains and hopefully out of the worst of it. Our first planned stop, Hot Springs Village, turned out to be a gated community. No Springs for you! So, we regrouped and headed towards Russelvill, AR on Scenic Hwy 7.

Along the way we passed Nimrod Dam and pulled in to check it out. This dam is big and the amount of water spewing out the spillway is astonishing.

We stopped in Russellville, AR at Shipley’s Do-Nuts for yummy indulgence in the form of fresh croissants with egg and cheese and buttermilk cake donuts. Shipley’s has been serving donuts by hand since 1936.

https://shipleydonuts.com

After a slightly scary drive through heavy rain we made it safely to Comfort Inn and Suites, Van Buren, AR for an early check in. $120/weekend night. We’re going to wait out the rest of this storm here.

For dinner we chose takeout from Sami Saku Hibachi Grill, Van Buren, AR and brought it to Fort Smith Park to eat.

The World’s Biggest Christmas Pickle was just down the road. It’s outside an indoor Christmas walk through attraction, available weekends for a few hours and weekdays for private showings, even weirder than a big Christmas Pickle. Next to it is a giant tower painted in bold flowers. I liked it.