Im sure many of you have taking several trips down the Ouachita from Cherry Hill to the 270 bridge or maybe further. My grandfathers house is in Pencil Bluff off of Goss Rd. on the Ouachita. The Ouachita makes a hard left just upstream of his house. At that hard left it looks like the river is going into a cave, but it doesnt. His house is the first house you would come to on river left after the cave. There was a old man that lived up by my grandfather that told us the river once went deep into the cave when he was a kid. We called him Uncle Festil, he was no relation but his wife would make my brother and I lunch every day and tell us some of the best stories about the river. He would also let us drive is old dump truck all over the place. I dont know how my brother and I are still alive. I have no idea if the old story is true or not but it sure would scare the crap out of a 7 year old boy.
My grandfather first put my brother and I in a canoe when i was around 7 and my brother was 5. We paddled that thing all over the pond for a few weeks and he told us we were ready for the
river. The first thing he told us was, "dont tell your mom or she will kill
me". We got the boat down to the river the next morning and off we went, all he told us was "stop at the biggest bridge".
My brother and I had the greatest adventures any to brothers could have with there grandpa. We had many more years of some dang awesome times with grandpa. Anyway, he's why i paddle and love it so much. Man i cant believe he's gone.
Adam Willard
