Everything sounds better in French

We’re at Lake Chicot (pronounced “she-co) State Park in southeastern Arkansas near the small town of Lake Village.  Lake Chicot is the largest oxbow lake in the Unitd States; an oxbow is a c-shaped lake created when a river’s meander gets cut off from the main channel.  So, Lake Chicot used to be part of the Mississippi River.

Yesterday we walked around the park, and walked and drove around the water front near Lake Village. 

The park’s visitor center has signs and displays about various animals that live around here (including a big warning sign about ants) but no mention of alligators, so I asked the park ranger if there are alligators at Lake Chicot.  She said yes, but added that alligagors are “probably not dangerous unless they think you look like easy dinner.”   So far we haven’t seen any alligators but Jim did see some ants.  And I’m wearing a sign that says “Difficult Dinner.”

One last thing:  Lake Chicot is named for the many Cypress tree stumps and trees in the lake --- “chicot” is French for “stumpy.”

It got up to around 70 degrees, but it was cold and foggy yesterday morning.  Here’s a foggy photo of the Lake Chicot and the Cypress trees as seen from our camping spot. Cypress trees can live in the water because roots that look like knees stick up out of the water and take in oxygen.

Jim and Cooper on a deck at the Arkansas Visitors Center in Lake Village.

We ate lunch and a local restaurant named Rhoda’s.  Doesn’t look like much, but Rhoda is known for her tamales and they were great.  We also asked Rhoda for one piece of sweet potato pie to share; she and her daughter acted like we were nuts, so we got two.  Good call.