From our Spring Newsletter

The Purple Martins are starting to come back.
We have one of the largest  and oldest colonies
of them in the Ozarks, located near our pond.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Purple_Martin.html

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Barn_Swallow.html

The Barn Swallow is the most abundant and widely
distributed swallow species in the world. It 
breeds throughout the northern hemisphere
and winters in much of the southern hemisphere.

http://birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Tree_Swallow_dtl.html

The Tree Swallow winters farther north 
than any other American swallow, and 
it returns to its nesting grounds long 
before other swallows come back. Its 
ability to use plant foods helps it survive 
periods of bad weather.  Locally we have
one of the first colonies of Tree Swallows
to be found in the Ozarks since the 1890's.

We have many wild turkeys here at the resort.  They can be
spotted fairly easily along our Ozark Woodlands Nature
Trail if you are really quiet.  It is not uncommon to see as
many as 50 in one day.  We also have a lot of deer that can
be seen in the evening or early morning along the nature trails.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Wild_Turkey.html#sound

We also get a lot of guests that like to camp or stay in their
RV's.  Fortunately, there is an excellent State Park just up
the road from us that caters to the RV and camping crowd.
Many campers eat in our restaurant or walk our nature trails.

For more information on the Bull Shoals-White River State Park,
click the following link:

http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/photo_tour.asp?id=8&pg=1

And of course, with Spring comes nicer weather, which is perfect
for a day out on your motorcycle.  We get people from all over
the country that come to our area to ride bikes.  This group came
to visit us from St. Paul, Minnesota.  They are a motorcycle club
and this trip was put together through a Harley dealer in their
city.  There are about 60 bikes total and they ride to different
locations each day.  The Ozarks are perfect for motorcycles!

Gaston's is One of the South's Favorite Spots

According to Southern Living, we are one of the
favorite places to be in the South.  We are very
thankful for having such an amazing location
along the beautiful White River and in the
amazing Ozarks.  For the full article, you can
pick up the Spring 2005 issue of Southern
Living, available on newsstands April 15th.

Visitor Information Center Update

The groundwork has been completed at our new VIC
overlooking Bull Shoals Dam, and now construction
has begun.  We are still shooting for a completion
date in Spring 2006 and things are going very well
at this point.  We will really start to see some changes
now as construction continues.  This will be the largest
Visitor Information Center in the state and with the
amazing overlook of Bull Shoals Lake, the largest lake
in Arkansas; Bull Shoals Dam, the largest dam in this
part of the country; and the White River, world-renown
for it's trout fishery and crystal clear waters, how could
you not be excited about stepping foot into this new
facility and learning about the history of our unique area?!

FLW Tour

On April 6 through the 9th, the FLW Tour will be
having a professional walleye tournament on 
Bull Shoals Lake!  There will be over $471,000
given away and a chance to compete in the FLW
Walleye Tour Championship in Moline, Illinois
this September, where there will be $650,000 
given away!  We are very excited to have this 
tournament coming to Bull Shoals Lake, as 
well as the two tournaments this summer as 
part of the Professional Walleye Trail (PWT)
Tournament.  Our area is very thankful for all 
of the coverage and tourism involved with 
these great tournaments and of course we 
always enjoy seeing the superstars of the 
tournament fishing industry when they come
to stay at our resort and dine in the restaurant.  

From the March Newsletter 

Trout Fishing in February was Excellent!

Victor Anderson and his 7 lb. Brown

Mark Risinger and his 13.9 lb Brown

These photos speak for themselves, but this February
was one of the best months of fishing we have had in
10 years or more!  The number of brown trout caught
and released, and the size, was unbelievable.  We could
not have asked for a better month.  Even the weather
was great!  Make plans to stay with us and fish next
winter in January, February, or March.

Spring Time!

Although we had an extremely mild winter, we can
now look forward to our spring season.  The King
Alfred Daffodils are already in bloom and we will
be seeing a lot of wild flowers and blooming trees
soon.  Bring your camera and come enjoy the
outdoors here in the Ozarks!

Even pets love Gaston's

We are one of the few places that does allow
pets.  Some people travel around the country
with their four-legged friends but are not able
to stay at some facilities.  We proudly accept
pets here.  Just be sure to bring a leash, and
feel free to walk them anywhere around the
resort.  We have plenty of room to play or swim.

FLW Tour

On April 6 through the 9th, the FLW Tour will be
having a professional walleye tournament on 
Bull Shoals Lake!  There will be over $471,000
given away and a chance to compete in the FLW
Walleye Tour Championship in Moline, Illinois
this September, where there will be $650,000 
given away!  We are very excited to have this 
tournament coming to Bull Shoals Lake, as 
well as the two tournaments this summer as 
part of the Professional Walleye Trail (PWT)
Tournament.  Our area is very thankful for all 
of the coverage and tourism involved with 
these great tournaments and of course we 
always enjoy seeing the superstars of the 
tournament fishing industry when they come
to stay at our resort and dine in the restaurant.  

Arkansas State Bird - Mockingbird
Did you know...

This is a picture of the Arkansas state bird.  We
frequently see the Mockingbird around the resort.
The bird is named such because of it's ability to
mock other songbirds.  A Mockingbird can typically
sing anywhere between 25 and 30 songs out of it's
"collection."  The bird will sing one song, then quickly
change to another song, and so on.  For this reason,
the Mockingbird has the prettiest song of any bird in
North America.  The Mockingbird is also a fierce
protector of it's nest and environment, as witnessed
by many unfortunate dogs and cats that get too close
to the bird's nest.  The bird's song can be heard best
late at night along the White River on one of our
redwood decks.  :-) 

Ducks Going North

Each year, when spring approaches, we are
saddened to see the majority of ducks head
back north to their summer homes.  You can
still see some ducks at various ponds around
the Ozarks.  We are lucky to have such a large
population of ducks in the winter time here.

Easter

The Easter Bunny is coming!  Easter is a great
time to spend with your family, so get everybody
together and make reservations to enjoy brunch
on Easter Sunday.  You won't have to search very
long for the eggs, they are right up front, next to
the biscuits, gravy, and bacon!  If you can't make
it for brunch, remember that we do sell gift cards
that your friends and family would love to receive!

Nature Photos by Rose Maschek

Click here to see more photos taken by Rose.  She frequents our
nature trails and takes beautiful digital photos.  New photos are
added frequently!
http://www.gastons.com/news/guestphotos/rose/

Click here for archived newsletter stories

Copyright: Danny Gaston, 2001 - 2005
Gaston's White River Resort
1777 River Road
Lakeview, Arkansas 72642
(870) 431-5202