It’s the Arkansas River. In the background, is a lock and dam. It appeared they had just did a little clearing of small weed trees, and such around the lock, and collected some wood debris that had washed ashore from the river and were just burning it.
The Arkansas River basically runs through the middle part of the state. The Buffalo and White I think come in from the north and eventually all of them end at the Mississippi, I think. I’m not a native of this state.
I have made a couple of trips up to the northern part of the state, to fish, and you’re right, it’s some pretty country up there.