The Adventure Begins

I could have began a dozen places. The town I was born in or the one that raised me across the line. I could have began my journey from the last place I had settled. Any would have been fine for a starting point for adventure.

But I chose to start here. On the banks of the White River. The lifeline of the Ozarks. A seven hundred mile coursing river in its wildest form. Born from the Boston Mountains; crossing the state line and back again until it escapes the boundaries of these rugged Ozarks and empties into the nightly Mississippi.

The White River

When it ran free, the banks were home to abundant wildlife and encampments of Osage, Cherokee, Shawnee, Kickapoo, Peoria, Piankeshaw, Delaware, and Chickasaw peoples. Remnants of that era lay buried near the banks and under the lakes that later swallowed the land.

The French trappers followed using the waterways to transport their furs. Leaving behind customs, influences on the food and names. Names such as Bull Shoals, a mispronunciation of boill for the springs that once bubbled from beneath the surface of the water here. Bull Shoals; where my journey begins.

Overlooking the White River from Bull Shoals Dam

Once a bustling river with ferry’s, paddleboats and fur traders all sharing the waterways, it’s now home to houseboats and ski boats lakeside and slow moving fishermen riverside. Once a mecca for commerce and trade now just as important for the local economy through the tourism it brings to the Ozarks, both in lake form and river.

Bull Shoals Lake hosts the last ferry across the White. It’s free to ride and departs on a consistent schedule, taking you from the Arkansas side to Missouri. Giving you a chance to step out of your vehicle and breathe in the fresh air coming off the water and enjoy the Ozark scenery.

Peel’s Ferry on HWY 125

Bull Shoals is more than just a historic stop. And perhaps more than just holding claim to the last ferry running these waters. But also the largest of the chain of lakes on the White River and the final in the chain before returning to its natural state (until it reaches the locks system in Batesville).

Bull Shoals is a quaint little town. With cafes and roadside motels. It’s bustling in the summer and quiet in the winter. A pin dot on the map. Which is the perfect place for a girl from a town so small it no longer exists to find herself launching from.

There’s a beautiful visitors center overlooking both the dam and the river. If you stop no where else, stop here. The view alone is worth it. The education on the area, wildlife and the dam’s construction are just bonuses.

Bull Shoals Visitors Center

The Ozarks are an enchanting land. Caverns, underground and disappearing rivers, large springs, trees centuries old, mountains older than time; worn and rugged. With it’s towering bluffs, lush forests, sandy shoals and rocky outcroppings the White River Basin will captivate you with it’s beauty and leave you desiring more of the Ozarks.

Wherever I go in the world, it’s always home to the Ozarks. To here. On this overlook. To this sunset. This is where my roots begin and my journey starts.