Another Beautiful Day on the Buffalo River

It was a case of "strike while the iron is hot" but in this instance the water was high and the threat of rain low with temps in the mid 70's...last one in is a rotten egg!

Any day on a river is great, but a day on the Buffalo is really special. See below

 Wipe that smile off your face and paddle woman!

 Smooth sailin' ahead, for a little while anyway...

totin' the kayak to the put in point

 Two old foggies paddling the river

 wildflowers in the forest, finally!

 and some more

 and waterfalls

Some people just refuse to paddle under general principals!

Delta Rivers Nature Center, Pine Bluff, Arkansas

My three day camping trip to Cane Creek State Park was cut short by some severe thunderstorms. In my younger days that might have upset me, but I had learned to always have an alternate plan b or c in my back pocket for those times when the planned schedule doesn't work out quite the way I planned.

On this trip I knew I would be passing through Pine Bluff as well as Little Rock and so, I picked some interesting places to see just in case I found myself moseying  through either of these cities. My first stop was the Delta Rivers Nature Center .  While I thought this would be one of those 'usual' nature centers, I found it to be beyond very enjoyable.  It has a nice little nature trail that loops around the property and while strolling I came eyeball to eyeball with a very tame looking deer.  She paused just long enough for me to take her picture and then high-tailed it..literally and figuratively. Since we have all seen deer before, I opted not to post the shot.

After the trail I went inside to see what they had to offer and the first thing I found was this really neat film about the delta region taken from an airplane.  What made it really special was that the seating area was built to create the feeling that the audience was actually sitting in a prop-propeller airplane and viewing the film from above.  Pretty neat.  Not 3D, but still pretty cool!

Of course they had the expected snakes...this one I think is a timber rattlesnake, big enough to make me pay attention.

OK, here is the part that I thought was the absolute best.  Just outside the nature center building but still under a roof, was this aquarium.  Not your regular sea aquarium, but one of the native species of fish that can be found here in Arkansas.  Sadly, I did not write down all the names of the unusual fish but I will include the photos I got anyway.  This alone is worth the trip to see this nature center. There were fish here that I had never seen before and I was just mesmerised by some of them.

This catfish was posing for me I think...how could I pass up a shot like that?

After being rained out at Cane Creek, driving to Pine Bluff and enjoying the nature center by the time I got to Little Rock it was time for lunch.  So I also searched for a few places that I might get a meal before I made the trip and it just so happened that I got to The Pantry just as they were opening for the day. This is a cozy little place that would be great for either lunch or dinner.  Their food is all specially prepared...I saw that they had goulash and spaetzle and decided to give it a try.  It was BEYOND fabulous!  They also had some brats and sausages on the menu under an item called street fare...so I got a brat, and a sausage sandwich to go....knowing they too would be delicious (I wasn't wrong)  AND because I was on a roll..I also got an apple strudel to go with creme angliase.  Oh boy, I was eating pretty darn good for quite a while!

It is hard to make goulash look as good as it tastes...but I gave it a try anyway! If you are in the neighborhood, stop by, you will not be disappointed.

Cane Creek State Park...Finally

The original plan was to stop here and enjoy the 15 miles of single track biking trails back in 2010 when I was returning from my Habitat for Humanity trip to Lafayette, Louisiana, but since that episode ended in my fracturing a vertebra I had to opt for plan B and return home to recuperate. Well, now I am back and ready to take on the trails both single track and the kayak trail in the lake.

I picked a really good time to visit mid-spring when it wasn't buggy nor too hot. This is my first attempt at single track riding since both the accident resulting in back injury and my bout with lung cancer...but never one to give up, here I am giving it all I got.
Maybe I tried too soon. Maybe I should have waited until the day after I arrived. It did take 7 hours to get here, then there was the tent setting up etc.
Anyway, I thought I would try with the short trail first and then on another day to the 15 miler and enjoy the three suspended bridges. But that was not to be. I mixed up the trails and tried the 15 miler first...only doing about 4 when I absolutely had to turn back. It was too much for me, could've been the heat, or the humidity (or the humility!) but whatever, after several rests I made it back to the car and decided it is too soon for this sort of thing.
And...I never got to see the suspended bridges, so I guess I will have to make another trip once I am a little stronger.

The second day I tried the kayak trail through the swamps and all around the lake and that was a much better experience for me. What a lovely experience, I practically had the lake to myself...except of course for the beavers, turtles, osprey and multitudes of fish that I scared away! This was one kayak experience that I didn't want to end.

...And I can't let my followers down without a food picture! I brought along some pre-cooked and frozen meals to enjoy in the wilderness.  Here is a little chicken curry which was delightful on my second day here.

What would a camping trip be without a couple of hot dogs and beans? This was dinner the first night and it was incredibly enjoyable!

The third day surprised me with significant rain, so I had to leave sooner than I had planned.
I can't wait to get back here when I am a little stronger and try that 15 mile single track around the lake.  Those suspended bridges are calling me!

Essentials of River Kayakng

The past weekend I was a participant in the annual Arkansas Canoe Club's Recreational School: Essentials of River Kayaking. One might think after having spent so much time on so many rivers that the time spent here was wasted, but that was decidedly not the case. The program is sponsored by an all volunteer club of people who are so dedicated to spending time on the river that virtually no stone was left unturned when it came to instruction.

I thought I would get a jump on the action by inflating my kayak well before it was needed.  I have gotten pretty good at pumping it up, it doesn't leave me exhausted anymore...so I can see that in two short months my strength is getting better and better.

 Actually the rec school was split into two segments: those with kayaks and those with canoes.  The instructional part was something we all listened to.  Here they were showing how one could put airbags into the bow and stern of the canoe so if it turns over, it will not take on as much water as it would otherwise.  I never knew that!

 They discussed various styles of kayaks and the purposes for each...clearly anyone who truly enjoys kayaking will find that they have three or four kayaks in short order, different styles for lakes, rivers, white water and ocean kayaking.

 It was not the boring drill type of instruction, but rather informational presentation with healthy dashes of humor and wit. The program started Friday evening at the Riverview Resort on the Spring River in Northeast Arkansas. Presentations included such things as things to wear for your protection from nasty weather and being tossed from your kayak

How to grab a lifeline that is thrown to you after you have been thrown from your kayak.  This is obviously, NOT the way to grab the line...unless you are thinking of strangling yourself.  See, it is this stuff that you need to know about well in advance of ever actually needing the information!

Saturday, we spent time on a quiet creek tributary learning how to bow paddle, back paddle, sweep paddle, draw. forward, rudder and brace paddle strokes.  Then in was on to the river!

The Spring River is peppered with ledge drop-offs, lots of them, so after a particularly challenging one we gathered on a gravel bar to watch/help the next group coming down the river.  I was pretty glad that my inflatable handled as well as it did without the rudder-fin that helps so much in lake water.

No, we did not actually have to save anyone...here we were just practicing what we learned on Friday night.  Toss the rope, have the person grab it (correctly) and bring them in to shore...it is good to do this once or twice in a non-emergency situation so you know how to respond when every second counts.

Sunday we got all our kayaks to the put in just in time for a serious cloudburst!  So we waited it out.  Twenty minutes later we were on our way for more adventure.

Here is a helmet and paddle...waiting out the storm.  Helmets are very good things to have on rivers where there are lots of rocks, boulders and the possibility of being sloshed out and into rushing water with lots of rock and ledge opportunities.

Here we had just finished a rather challenging ledge followed by a couple of "S" curves with an island in the middle that had to be avoided.  Lots of cross-currents and opportunity to overturn.  Actually, only one person was washed out of the kayak in a non threatening current.

Here is another ledge drop-off that was no problem at all if you hit the right (very small) spot; if the current brought you a little further left or right...well then you got to practice a little.

All in all it was a very fun filled learning experience.  The volunteers were very experienced, patient and there when you needed them.  The group was split into manageable groups with lots of instructors, safetys and a sweep.  No one was ever more than a moment away from help if it was needed.  Even though I have spent a bit of time on the water, I learned a lot and will take a few areas of safety consideration and get equipment to prevent serious injury on fast moving rivers that I don't currently have.

Here is a shot of only our group at the take out point, smiles all around!

But the best news is that since I am still recovering from my chemo treatment, just being able to do this was quite an accomplishment.  I have been exercising and biking a little every day trying to build my strength and being able to 'do' this weekend gives me a lot of encouragement and confidence to go on.

Digging for Diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park

So, if I had a bucket list, which I don't, I suppose spending a day a Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas would be somewhere on it.  I know when I was planning to move to Arkansas, more than a few years ago, I was intrigued with this place.  Imagine it, open plowed fields from a defunct privately held diamond mining operation where one can search for and keep any diamonds found.  Many sizable ones have been found too!  The largest on record is the Uncle Sam diamond which was found in 1924 and weighed in at 40.23 carats. This year, so far, the largest recorded find is the Illusion Diamond which was 8.66 carats.  See, you get my drift...or sift...you can find really big stuff here!  But don't get too taken by the history...mostly what is found is pretty small, about the size of a match head

I arrived mid-afternoon Monday and registered at the visitors center...if you wait until 4:00PM you can buy a ticket for access to the field for today and tomorrow.  They give you your first hour free if you do it this way.  After pitching my tent, getting my stuff organized and having some lunch,

(never let it be said that camping has to be Spartan or unappetizing!)

I made my way back to the visitors center to be first in line for the the four o'clock rush.  Turned out it was a line of one...me.  Am I the only one that excited about this place?  Anyway, I went out and walked the fields and discovered it was pretty hot and the sun was quite strong.

I also noticed that there are three distinct ways of searching for diamonds.  The first, which is what I was doing is just walking around the field, poking here and there with a stick and picking up what you find.  The second way is dry sifting.  You bring or rent a sifting contraption, hand shovel and a bench of some sort, pick your spot and begin methodically sifting and looking for your treasure.  I quickly discovered that you get your dirt from one place and sift it into another place.  Don't mix them up or you will be working with the same dirt over and over again.  So I found a spot and started sifting first thing Tuesday morning

Here is the sifter that I rented.  I had not really sifted it enough to say there was nothing in that batch but I think you get the idea... try to get in down to pretty much all the small stuff, if a diamond is not waving at you, try again with another batch!

The third method is wet sifting.  That requires a 5 gallon bucket and a strong back.  You fill the bucket and bring it to the wet sifting stations located throughout the park. and begin a rather arduous task of dipping, turning, jiggling and continuing that for a bit.  Then when the stuff is arranged just so in your sifter, you bring it up and flip it over on a flat surface and see what has accumulated in the center of the batch.  It seems this is the most difficult and strenuous method.  Since the field was very dry I stuck with the dry sifting method.

Actually, before I headed down the the field to search for diamonds on Tuesday, I took a nice little hike on the Little Missouri River trail which is about 1.2 miles long and is half paved and half single track. It was quite enjoyable and I had the entire place to myself!

There were a couple of these bridges over what was supposed to be a small stream, but with the very dry summer that we have had it was just over a dry gully.

When I got to the Little Missouri I frightened a Blue Heron and noticed a gaggle of ducks on the other side of the river out for a morning swim.  Very nice.

I did not find any diamonds.  I did find quite a bit of Jaspar, which is a brownish, smooth almost creamy stone.  Anyway, I was there for the fun of it and I sure did have plenty of that.

Briar Rose Cafe, Farmington, Arkansas

Never let it be said that God doesn't hear and answer your prayers.   In case you are not from here...(OMG I am starting to sound like the natives!!!) I should tell you first that it has been hot. REALLY HOT!!!! FOR A LONG TIME!!!!

That of course means that I cannot make my own bread 'cause you'd have to be nuts to turn on the oven in this heat! But I really do like my own baked bread and I haven't been able to find a place that makes something close to mine. That is, until now. A friend just happened to mention this new bakery/deli in the town next to me.

A couple of weeks ago I went to check it out. My friend said that their Sourdough bread is very close to being in San Francisco. I had my doubts. But I went and looked and felt like a kid in a candy store! They have so much good stuff that I have to ration my visits; that, or seriously consider a new wardrobe!

They have so many kinds of bread, that I haven't yet gotten to the sourdough, since I have been trying all my other favorites. So I have purchased several kinds of bread and they were all fabulous

Like right here, I had a BLTA on a Cibiatta roll (bacon lettuce tomato and avocado) and as you can see a spare cibiatta loaf and a french loaf just in case I get hungry on the way home. Oh, this is bad...very, very, bad.

Oh, the name again is
Briar Rose Cafe
right there on main street in
Farmington, Arkansas

479 300 6027

Oh, they have fabulous desserts, sandwiches and chicken pot pies...did I mention I started a gym membership just to be able to go here often?  I did.

Ponca to Kyles Landing, Buffalo River -- Arkansas

The trip was planned for some time and as it got closer and closer I was sure that we would have to cancel it because of all the rain we've been having, but the rain Gods and Goddesses smiled on us. They gave us the only non rainy day in a string of ten or so to enjoy our outing on the Buffalo River. This particular section was new to me. Last year I paddled from Steel Creek to Buffalo City for a total of about 122 miles, but we missed this section due to low water last year, so I can now say I have paddled the full 131 miles of the Buffalo River.

We used the Lost Valley Canoe Outfitter in Ponca. The approach was a little different than usual. We drove to the put in point and they took the car and left it at Kyles Landing for us at the take out point. That makes it really easy when you are finished you can just get in the car and go. There is no waiting for a shuttle bus to bring you back to your car, pretty neat I thought.

We all opted for kayaks and I for one was surprised that Otters were as short as 6 feet; it made for a slightly more unstable float than I expected, but they are so easy to maneuver we didn't give it any more thought. The current in many places was stronger than I was used to and I found myself swamped once in deep and rushing water. I wasn't the only one to take a dunk, we all did at least once but there was no real danger. We were able to get to shore pretty quickly in most cases and we all appreciated the temperature of the water on a warm day!

Here is the group Cat, Tom and Jill enjoying the first pretty rock formation after starting our float trip

You never know where along the way you will find a pretty waterfall, this one went way back in the woods and was very pretty to look at from the river

Here is my friend Cat floating down a ripply rapid, it didn't take long for all of us to scope out the rapids and if all was well the paddle went up in a horizontal position for the others to see and enjoy their turn!

Here is Jill, she has found yet another waterfall.  The sounds were delightful!

We found our way to Kyles Landing a little later than I anticipated, but still plenty of daylight and were very happy to switch into dry clothes.  We all got in the car and headed out and that is when our perfect day began to unravel.  The road to Kyles Landing is very steep, dirt and because of all the recent rains was graded and graveled that day.   My little car was unable to negotiate the hill.  I got about halfway up and the car just stopped.  It was like driving in snow, that was absolutely no traction.  I tried backing down the hill, got a good head start and tried speeding up the hill, but still could not do it.

Stuck out there I really did not know what to do.  I had no cell signal so I could not call AAA. Others with 4 wheel drive could barely make it so it was not likely that anyone was going to give us a tow.  After about 45 minutes, the outfitter had returned after bringing the canoes and kayaks back to the office.  He had a friend with him that does mountain-climbing.  What a fortunate turn of events, he had plenty of rope (that does not stretch when tension is applied) so he threaded it three times through the two tow loops on the front of my car, and shaped it into a triangle, so the chain with a hook could be attached.  Then they and I drove up the hills.  It was pretty scary since I was only a couple of feet from the pickup truck

But it worked and in practically no time at all we were on our way for a well deserved dinner.
The very next day I read in the paper that this very road was going to be posted that 4 wheel drive vehicles only were to be allowed on it since the grading had made it so treacherous !
Those fellows from Lost Valley Canoe, sure saved my skin that day and I appreciate that they were able to help me out of that nasty predicament!

Mount Magazine, Arkansas

Last week I joined the local OLLI group for the last hiking outing of this season to Mount Magazine. We rode the limo bus to Mount Magazine and had a buffet lunch at the lodge perched atop Mt. Magazine and afterwards we all took a mile and a half loop hike at Signal Hill which is the highest point in Arkansas. I did not have to get acclimated to the height as is necessary at some of the higher peaks in Colorado.

So the leader was nice enough to take this shot for me...we were lucky on all of our outings this year, while rain was predicted, we had none, yet again!

The butterflies were all over the mountain top...the wildflowers are a great attractant.  Here is a yellow swallowtail partaking of wildflower nectar.

I always try to include an unusual picture when I can.  Here, as it was explained to me is fresh (well relatively so; perhaps a couple of hours old) bear scat!  The leader poked it a little and uncovered the fresher stuff in the middle of the dried outer portion.  Fortunately, we didn't see any.

Hobbs Conservation Area - Shaddox Hollow Trail

Today, I went with a group sponsored by OLLI for a hike at Hobbs State Park Conservation Area on the Shaddox Hollow Trail which is a loop trail 1.5 miles in length. It was my first real outing since my accident and I was concerned about my ability to handle it, but it went pretty well. I did the hike and enjoyed the cruise around Beaver lake on a pontoon boat, then lunch at War Eagle's Bean Palace. We caught a thunderstorm for our return trip, but our driver handled it very well. I have to admit that I was pretty tired when I got home and a little achy, but I am hoping that I am healing well and will be getting better as time passes. I know I am much better than I was when I first got home from the accident a month ago.

What was really special about the hike today was that there were so many wildflowers blooming. I felt like I was walking through the pages of a Tim Ernst book...wildflowers everywhere! So without further ado, here are some of the shots I got on our hike:
I will attempt to label them, but I know very few plants...any help is appreciated!

We took a group vote on these and concluded that they are phlox...

This is wild Iris, and just too pretty to behold!

A sassafras sprouting..what makes this unique is that (if you look closely) there are actually 5 different shaped leaves coming up from the same plant...most unusual!

Jack in the Pulpit, so...amazing

ok...here is where I can use a little help

A mayapple bloom

Half the group (including me) had already walked right past this fellow...probably only six or so inches away from our feet was this Pygmy Rattlesnake; fortunately someone in the group asked "what kind of snake is this"?  Yes, it is as poisonous as a copperhead.  He was ready to strike into action, but fortunately none of our group gave him (her) a reason to.

A little more identification help needed here...