First Time 8-2-14

I took my sister on her first canoe trip today! We did a 5 hour float down the Buffalo River. The weather was perfect and we had tons of fun just being together. We had an adorable little red canoe and the water was up to an excellent floating level. My sis loved her first canoe trip and I thoroughly enjoyed giving her that experience.

We were halfway through our trip when we came across this man, the river man as I have come to refer to him as. He was super friendly and he told us that he had already been on the river for a week. He would be on the river for another week I gathered from where he said he was headed to. He told us about buffalo gnat storms. He told us that he waited out the rain for a couple days under a tarp reading a book. As he floated past us he dipped his water bottle into the river and then brought the bottle right up to his lips, without a moments hesitation. An urge to go all journalist on him was nagging at my mind. I wanted to know what he ate while on the river, what books he reads, what his back story was and everything in between. But I got shy and let it go. What I did get from him though, was the gift of inspiration, a small spark thrown into the kindling of my soul. 

Buffalo River Fun 5-24-14

Dustin and I headed down to the Buffalo River this morning with three guidebooks in hand. We decided to go down to Woolum Campground and look for the trail that would take us to "The Nars" or "Narrows" Well here it is.....

So we went to the car and changed into our swimming attire and waded across the Buffalo River. It wound up being just past waist deep for me but the rocks were super slippery and the current made it tricky, but we did it without slipping an falling all the way in! There is actually an easier way to get here down a little dirt road, but it would have taken us 45+ minutes out of our way. Once we made it across there was a nice mile and a half walk down to the place you can scramble up the rocks to see the Nars. We had a picnic up at the base of the Nars and then I scrambled up to the top. Dustin was so stinkin' nervous for me. Later he told me it is because I am often so clumsy.......thanks hon. Half way up though I got a little nervous myself. At some points climbing up, your footing is less than a foot away from the dead drop off into the Buffalo River. I made it to the top though and Dustin came too. It was seriously an awesome view at the top. On one side you get a gorgeous view of the Buffalo River and Skull Rock then the other side you have a beautiful outlook over Ozark farm country with rolling hills in the backdrop. So worth the wading of the river, the hike and the climb!

The "Nars" on the Buffalo River. If you look close enough you might see Dustin!

The view of the fields as seen from the top of the Nars

The view from the top of The Nars looking out over the Buffalo River.

I loved the view from the top!

We also went to a swimming hole in Erbie Campground before we headed into Jasper to have dinner at The Arkansas House in Jasper. After dinner we watched one of my favorite bands, National Park Radio, do FANTASTIC job as they rocked out the little theater in Jasper.

A Change of Plans 4-19-14

I love Saturdays! We shopped at the Farmer's Market in the morning ate lunch at a park with our pups in Yellville and did a little clothes shopping. Then we headed just north of Yellville to a place called "Marble Falls". When we got out of the car to start bush-whacking down the hill what we saw was discouraging. An entire hill of poison ivy. We even tried to go around that hill and come at it a different way. We got less than a few feet into the woods and it and poison sumac could be found just about every where you looked. We had our pups with us too and figured the whole ordeal would probably not be worth the hassle so we got back in our car with defeated hearts.

 

We decided not to waste the day though, and went down to Rush, South of Yellville. We walked the dogs along the river bank and had a snack along the babbling creek that  flows toward the upper Buffalo River.

 

We also went on the Rush Historic Trail. On the trail we saw old mines.....

 

and what was left of a town that stood over 100 years ago.

The Blacksmith's shop was still in pretty good shape....

 

The larger building closer to us here was a general store and post office with fourteen post office boxes. Oh, and this is were you got the marriage papers too! In the house next to the general store lived the store's owner and operator and his wife.

 

This plaque showed a map of the mining town. Many of the structures had either burned down or just didn't pass the test of time.

 

Dustin and I both had a great time despite that poison ivy hill!