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Bluff Spring Journal
Current Journal 2008
February 6th
This beginning photo of Sid is from last months hike to Magnolia falls. He was a birthday boy on the 27th and had the biggest time hiking around in the woods. I include this photo to show you how he has changed in one year. Below this photo is a photo we took a few days after we picked him up from the vet. He's a special dog and loves to go to elementary classrooms where he teaches them about thin and thick questions. He shows them that asking the right question often gets you the right answer.
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Sid at one year.-------------------------------------------------------------Sid at 3 months
He's not only much bigger but much heavier. We're going to have to put the fella on a diet. We don't want him high centering on the door threshold.
February 6th.
Sad news for the swans that were recently stocked in the Old Mill Pond in the Boxley Valley. Two of the five have been killed by some varmint. We're hoping the rest of them make it. Be careful if you stop to view them. The local sheriff is giving tickets if you don't pull entirely off the road.
February 11th
Ice storm again in the Ozarks. This one sort of came in a hurry. The ice is not as bad as last winter but it is still breaking trees and causing schools to close.
Below is the James River with trees that have fallen across the river. You may have to canoe with a paddle in one hand and a chainsaw in the other next spring.
Thursday, February 14th
Happy Valentines Day to the one special lady who is still blindly in love. Only blind love could put up with a guy like me. This year I am giving her several cards, one that I made with the image below on it.
We're postponing celebrating Valentines Day until this weekend. We're both going 90 to nothing (where'd that phrase come from) and decided that we would enjoy our celebration more by waiting till the weekend. Of course I covered my bases and gave her a card yesterday, today and I'll give her one tomorrow.
I am not sending her flowers this year because of the trouble she go into with the last flowers I sent her. (Read the story) She says that that is ok, cash will do! Cute. She knows she doesn't need to ask for cash. I love my job and the cash is just for spending on her and the dogs. Oh, and the camera stuff.
I do have a surpise for her this weekend. I can't just do the, "lets just exchange cards" thing. So for now I am lying through my teeth and hoping for her forgiveness after the weekend. Hope you all do something special for the someones you love. By the way, anyone have a spare room just in case she kicks me out after reneiging on our "just cards" agreement?!
Saturday February 16
Foggy on Mt. Sherman this morning as we debated on the possibility of getting a hike in before the rain.
We decided that we could travel east and maybe beat the rain and get in a hike or two. We decided on several small hikes into areas so that if it did start raining we wouldn't be caught out in the middle of a long hike. Our first stop was a hike into Cougar Falls. There hadn't been much rain in this area so we weren't excpecting big water. To get to Cougar Falls you go east on Hwy 74 out of Jasper and turn left on 123 at Hasty. 123 takes you to 65 where you turn right and go south all the way to Marshall. Here you take 74 left on the southside of Marshall and go till you hit 14 and then take a right. This takes you to 1118 where you take a left and go down a gravel road for about .7 of a mile. Park and head off down the drainage to the creek and then follow it to the falls.
As you can see there was little to no water but the bluff line was beautful leading in and around these falls. After bushwacking to the falls we found the trail and followed it back to the road and then made our way to the car. We dried off the dogs, chucked them in the back and headed up the road about .7 of a mile and again headed down a drainage area to get to the 2nd of our waterfall. China Falls was not running very well either but again the bluffs were beautiful with multi colored moss hanging onto the rocks and bluffs.
We hiked around these falls a little more and explored the area. Traveling down the bluffline gave us different vantage points and seemed to open up a new beauty at every turn.
This is a look down the bluff line away from the falls.
Once Anita and I had gone different routes, she going down the bluffline and I around the falls. I was focused on getting a good photo of the bluff and happend to notice her across the small box canyon. I can honestly say I just smiled. What a beautiful bride! And icing on the cake she agrees to follow me on these sometimes crazy, bushwacking hikes. It's good she likes me because out next hike was a little ify.
After hiking back out the car we headed off down the same road another .3 of a mile and parked to head off towards another neat water feature. We had directions to park and head down the drainage to the creek and then follow it to a hole in the rock that the water had formed at the top of a bluff. We followed the directions but found ourself heading down a very steep and brushy drainage that did not seem like it had ever heard of the 'easy' rating that this hike was advertsed as. The dogs were even having a hard time getting over and around the brushy and very steep hillside. I even once heard the comment 'I am not very happy here' coming from over my shoulder and I don't think it was one of the dogs! Finally we found the creek and made our way down to the 'mini' Glory Hole as it is called.
You can see were the hole has been carved right into the bluff above. Below is a photo looking down into the hole.
Of couse the dogs had a big old time running all over the place. Sid was doing his usually run up the trail ahead of everyone then stop and look back as if to say, 'what's holding you guys up?'. Annie was staying in between Anita and I. If I got to far ahead of Anita, Annie would stop and look back for Anita just to make sure she was ok. The little guys seem to want to take care of us as if we were their herd. I guess then again we are their herd.
Annie did get into a little trouble. I don't know if you have dogs but one of the things they like to do is roll around in anything that other animals leave behind. Including droppings. And, you guessed it, Annie found something that must have come out of something big. By the time we noticed her she had animal poop (I think I was 7 the last time I used that word) all over her. And to make matters worse Anita didn't know for sure if it was mud or not and had taken Annie by the collar thus getting the offending substance all over her gloves. Luckily Anita had an extra pair that she had brought with her. I always have moisturized wipes in the car just for these messy occasion and we gave Annie a sponge bath of sorts.
The dogs love to run around so much that I had to hook them up to a tree while I took photographs. They don't always understand that it is a long way down off some of these bluffs and just because I get close to the edge doesn't mean they should also risk their lives.
What a crew!
We again found a trail out from this area and headed back up the hill towards the road.
As we hiked a gentle rain started to fall. The kind of a rain that doesn't soak you but lets you be a part of the woods as they stand and feel the rain falling from a misty sky. Together we were silent as we hiked. Not wanting to disturb the soothing sound of the softly falling rain. It was one of those moments where we were again reminded that we are a part of a bigger world. A world that offers for our admiration all of it's beauty but also needs our protection to keep that beauty alive for future generations. It is my hope that years from now some descendant of mine will walk through these same woods, feel the gentle rain and know deeply that they too have a responsibility to preserve this beauty.
It was a good day to be the woods.
Sunday February 17, 2008
I had forgotten just how good Coursey's smoked meats taste until I again opened up one of their packages of smoked ham. On our way back from hiking yesterday we stopped in at Coursey's Smoked Meats just south of St. Joes, Ar. Now be careful if you are looking for Coursey's on the left of the road as itcurves to the right. They have put in a new road and Coursey's is now on the right side of the highway. They have a sign up but you have to look fast to catch it. We bought smoked ham, turkey and swiss cheese. The ham especially tasted good this morning stuck between two halves of a warm wheat biscuit.
It rained hard most of the night and all the ditches are full of water. That means only one thing. The waterfalls are running! We quickly packed up the dogs, packs and camera gear and headed out. Our first stop was a small creek that flows into Shop Creek. This little feeder creek is full of moss covered bolders and is a delight to see and hear when the water is flowing down, in and among the rocks. We then drove on down the hill to see Twin Falls. Just as we got out of the car Anita said, "look quick, rainbow". It was if this was to tell us what a great day is was going to be.
After snapping a few shots of the rainbow we headed up the short path to the falls. It was rolling big as you can see from the photo below.
The mist and wind from the falls got us a little wet but we didn't care. It was amazing to stand their next to all this energy. Anita said it sounded like a jet engine running. It truly was a massive sound. After admiring this powerful place we packed up and headed to Doug Hollow.
On the way we stopped at Ponca where the Buffalo River was up and over the low water bridge. The park rangers will have some work to do once the water comes down. Those logs laying across the bridge are not supposed to be there.
Just down the Boxley Valley the elk were out for breakfast. The herd of about 50 elk were being guarded by this big fellow.
Anita commented that he must be happy with all those women around him. My comment was that the women were living every woman's dream. 50 women who only have to put up with one guy!
After watching the elk awhile we headed on up Cave Mountain Road to Doug Hollow. The hollow was filled with running water coming down from several different feeder drainage areas. Every few hunded yards we would see yet another ribbon of cascading water falls bringing the previous night's rain down into the hollow. The dogs were in heaven. Running in and out of the creek and up and down the sparse trail.
Doug Hollow Falls were running big as we expected. I quickly slipped down to the base of the falls and set up to take some pictures. Annie was a little afraid of the small rock out cropping I had to navigate down so Anita decided to stay up on the ledge with her. Of couse Sid and his big ole boy attitude scampered down the rocks and wandered around while I took a few pictures.
I was busy getting this photo and did not notice that Sid was going on around the pool of water to the right. I don't know if you can see this in the photo but this pool of water was swirling around as the water was plunging into the pool and creating a mini whirlpool. As I looked up I saw Sid jumping into the water! The though went through my mind that the water was going to be very cold if I had to jump in and save Sid. Luckily I called out to him before he got too far from the shore and being a strong swimmer he was able to swim to me. The bank was steep where I was located so I had to grab him by the collar to pull him out of the water. In the excitement of the moment I lost my glasses that were on my hat and could only watch as they sunk into the water. Sid had no clue what he had almost gotten into and scampered off to find Anita. Leaving me to plunge my bare arm down into the water in seach for my glasses. And.. I was right that water was really cold.
In spite of Sid's swim it was a good day to be in the woods.