JOURNAL OF TININTHEWIND

Ah, the memories.  We are currently parked along the Arkansas River at a Corp of Engineer Park between Dardanelle and Russellville Arkansas and I have pictures and want to talk about the park, but first, the memories.

It was in the Spring of 1992 that I last saw and spent time on the Arkansas River.  I had qualified fishing Bass Tournaments throughout the year of 1991 to finish and be ranked as one of the top 43 Bass Fisherman in the U.S.A., who would then meet and compete In the "All American Bass Tournament" to be held on the Arkansas River  out of Muskogee Oklahoma in June of 1992.  Throughout 1991 as a competitor I was on fire, loosing the regional to a Southern Fellow by only 2.7 lbs fishing in horrendous weather on the Mississippi River out of St. Louis, Missouri.  There were 189 competitors, in that year end final regional tournament, and I lost what would have been my 5th fish and final keeper while swinging it in the boat only moments before I had to make the run back to the weigh-in.  Would it have been large enough to have won?  We will never know.  My check for $5,000.00 for finishing second, paled in comparison, to the first place prize of a Chevy truck pulling a fully rigged bass boat worth over $35,000.00.  It was this tournament and my second place finish that sealed the qualification for me to go on and compete in the aforementioned "All American"

To make a long story short and not loose my readers, I did not win the $100,000.00 first place prize in Muskogee, Oklahoma but I did place 17th overall and win a fully equipped Ranger Bass Boat and trailer all with an overall value of around $25,000.  You can go to the following Link to read the details and press releases that lead up too, and detailed what I have talked about above.  When you get to the site, simply put your pointer over the article and when a magnifying glass appears, click it to magnify for your reading comfort.  Here is the link:

                                                "1992 All American Tournament"

Now camped in the "tininthewind" along this mighty Arkansas River it is easy to let the memories flow and I believe I will place my easy chair in a position that I can just look out over the water and enjoy a ride back in time.  It was for sure another 'time gone by' chapter in my life that was mega exciting but I won't dwell on it too long as what Kathleen and I have going now with our life style, and travels in the "tininthewind", well, its exciting too.

Here are some pictures of our site and setting along the river.  Enjoy!

We will depart here after a few days, heading for Branson, Missouri which is a short days drive up the road and along that route we will pass within a stones throw of "Flippin Arkansas" a town I visited on ocassion as I was sponsored throughout my career by "Ranger Bass Boats", built in Flippin.  The one you see in the picture above is the one they build specifically for me to match my black and gold Chevy Suburban.

Ah, the Memories!