Bluff Spring Journal

Nov. 1, 2005
Last night was a blast. We helped our church with a 'Trunk or Treat'' festival that provides a safe Halloween for kids and families. All the church members bring their cars to the church where they park in a circle and then decorate their trunks and hand out candy to the kids. Of course you can't get church folk together without having food. We had chili, corn dogs and pies. I got to be a chili cook off contest judge and was treated to some of the best chili in these parts. They were only giving out 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prices which made it really hard to choose. So... we created our own categories.
Best Aromatic Bouquet--(we didn't really know exactly what this meant but it sounded good)
Get a Fire Extinguisher--self explanatory
Most in Need of Pepto Bismol--of course the pastor won this one! He claims we knew it was his chili before we made the award. We are claming confidentiality and will not reveal our sources.

Nov. 2, 2005
I've been spending a lot of time in graveyards these days. Seems they often have the best trees. I'll post a few of the photographs in the next couple of days. Here's one I caught at sunrise. The light was almost setting the leaves on fire with brilliance.

Nov. 5th, 2005
I made a quick trip to the river today to take advantage of the great light of the sunrise. I searched and searched for the right angle on this photo and think I ended up with a keeper. I wish I had more time to devote to the fall leaves this year. Seems like they have exploded in color over the past few days.

Nov. 7th, 2005
Great news! We're getting the cabin basement floor poured today. A quick trip to the building site and a few last minute plans also assured us of piers for the deck supports. The deck on our downhill side will be 25 feet in the air and concrete would be the only thing I would want the deck posts to rest on. Our contractor obliged us by digging the holes and then filling them with concrete left over from the basement pour.
It was a good day to be in the woods. The color was just about at it's peak and I got to have fun taking pictures while the real work on the cabin was being done. Below is the view from the bluff directly below the cabin. The morning even got better as we traveled into Jasper to eat at the Ozark Cafe. A new baby had recently been added to the staff. Congrats! Mom and daughter are doing well.
Loaded with a stomach full of hash browns and scrambled eggs we headed back up the mountain and put up the posts for our new mailbox. Digging holes in this area is always an adventure. We lucked out and didn't hit many rocks. A new mail box will adorn the the posts as soon as the concrete dries. Santa will now know where to find us.

Nov. 11th, 2005
"These proud men and women left their homes and dreams to fight for the homes and dreams of others. They stood proud to fulfill their duty--we stand proud to salute them as heroes of the American dream."

I hope you find a veteran today and thank them for the freedoms you enjoy. We often take for granted the benefits of living in a free country that is not really free.

4:30 am and we are up and at it. My lovely bride is taking leave of me for a few days and we want to spend every minute we can together. You'd think after 18 years we wouldn't still be in that 'gotta be with you' phase. Last night we both agreed that it sure didn't seem like 18 years and we hoped that the next 18 don't go so fast.

After our cup of morning wake up I heard those words I long for, "What would you like for breakfast?" Didn't take me long to get the word 'Pancakes' out of my mouth. I knew that I wouldn't be able to enjoy those delicacies for the next few days and I really relished the thought of syrup draped flapjacks. My bride obliged me and soon the kitchen, then the house was filled with the luring smell of pancakes and bacon.

After a hearty breakfast I commenced with packing my camping gear. My plan is to head out towards the hills and spend the next few days hiking and camping along the Buffalo River. Someone asked me where I was going and I took some pleasure in saying, 'I don't really know'. Part of the enjoyment of being in the woods is the freedom to explore. My wife did get me to promise that I would leave a note in my vehicle to at least give the search party a direction to go, 'just in case'. I hope to catch the last of the fall color and enjoy some bluff high cocoa. (recipe is in the October Bluff Spring Journal).

Nov. 11 pm, 2005
When Pam calls and asks if she and her gracious, loving, good willed husband (trying to help you out here Bob) can meet with you because she as a new idea, you just ask where and when. Bob and Pam are great friends and have joined us in the cabin adventure. We're trying to see if a really good friendship can withstand a partnership.

As usual Pam had some great ideas on taking advantage of the space in our cabin basement. Why waste a great view with a storage space when you could have another bedroom. We paced off walls and got the general idea of where to put the stairs and bathroom. Looks like we've got another project on our hands.
By the time we were finished you couldn't see your hand in front of your face so I headed to Steel Creek to set up camp for the night. I stopped along the way at one of the few places where I know you can get cell phone reception and checked in with the other half of my heart, some thousand miles away by now. She had been traveling all day and I always want to know that she is safe and snugly put away in her hotel. All was fine except for the thousand miles that lay between us.

A good fire can sure sooth the soul and that's exactly what I needed. It was comforting to sit by the crackling fire, soak up the warmth and gaze at the thousand of stars that blanketed the sky. After I was just as about as toasty as I could get I quickly jumped for the sleeping bag and hoped not to loose any of the warmth. Down sleeping bags are a great invention and I was soon sound asleep submerged deep in the down.

Nov. 12, 2005
5:20 am came early and I awoke to a partly cloudy sky, which was just what I wanted. Sunny days make for flat color photography. I was after some water reflection photographs and was encouraged by the clouds. I quickly broke camp in the dark and headed to the upper Buffalo River. I reached my destination while it was still dark and headed upriver to get those shots I was after. The river was cold as I waded from bank to bank. Setting up and shooting scene after scene. The only problem with clouds is that they sometimes contain rain. And yes, here it came. I reached for the umbrella I always carry for my photography use and quickly covered my gear and sat on the bank to wait out the rain drops. I didn't mind the wait and it was time for a hot cup of cocoa anyway.(recipe) The rain abated as soon as it had started and I was left with a mirror still river and the fresh smell of rain. More soul soothing time as I sat on the gravel bar and wondered at the beauty around me. Elk were whistling in the distance, leaves were gently falling from the trees and the cup of cocoa warmed my hands.

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."
Rachel Carson

Nov 18th, 2005
Being of sound mind and good intentions I had purposed to be vigilant about keeping the journal current. No excuses, just busy with those job things we all need to do.

Eight hours on a plane, even though it was two hours, two hours and then four hours sure messes with your sense of time and sleep patterns. But Hawaii is worth a little inconvenience. My lovely bride and I were fortunate to get to spend a week with her parents and brother on a small bit of paradise in the middle of the Pacific. An extra bonus was that we also got to have Thanksgiving together and no one had to wash a single dirty dish. Now I am not one to throw out all the Thanksgiving traditions but doing the dishes I can do without.

What a beautiful place. Hawaii certainly has an abundance of beauty that continues to amaze you. From 3000 foot vistas that rise directly from the coast, to hibiscus growing as abundantly as dandelions in the Ozarks, Hawaii continues to amaze you. I tried to capture some of the Hawaiian magic in photographs and have posted a partial gallery after wading through over 600 images that I brought home.

Here is one of the many waterfalls that dot the landscape in the Aloha state. Visit the Hawaii Gallery

More will follow including the photographs and account of how my beautiful bride tried to cash in on my insurance policy with an 8 mile hike through a lava field.

November 19th, 2005
Waking up and walking on the beach at Waikiki helped with our slight jet lag. A four hour time difference is not that much except that you are slightly off balance for the first few days. But, who can complain when with the Pacific Ocean lapping at your feet and a beautiful sunset on the horizon.

The big island of Hawaii offers a wide variety of landforms. Some of the most striking to this Midwesterner were the many varieties of areas produced by volcanic activity. After a 45 minute drive in a van with a local guide we arrived at the Hawaii National Volcano Park . The park encompasses 333,000 acres and ranges from sea level to the summit of the earth's most massive volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet. Our guide talked the entire time we were driving. He was very knowledgeable about the history and geography of the area and I felt as if I were back in school trying to remember a lecture that was full of details that were too numerous to remember. About half way through the drive I gave up trying to make sense of all the facts, vowed to buy a Hawaiian history book and sat back to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this exotic place.

After arriving at the Volcano Park we quickly gathered our packs amidst the frequent encouragement of our guide to, ‘take as much water as you want'. I had drank several liquids before leaving for the day and thought that 4 bottles would be enough for this 3 to 4 mile hike as had been advertised to us. Too bad you can't put life in reverse and rethink some of those small decisions that later come back to bite you. I was going to need all that water an more as we hiked across the lava field to find a much anticipated lava breakout.

This lava field was about ½ mile from the ocean and a cool breeze bathed us all day. What we thought was a nice breeze actually disguised the heat from the full day of being out in the sun on a black lava field that was itself warm below our feet. Did I mention that this was advertised as a 3 to 4 mile hike? Try about 8 miles of up and down trekking over lava that was sometimes hard, sometimes loose and slippery like shale and always dangerous if you were to slip and fall. Dangerous because of the glass like nature of the lava. Shards of lava were awaiting anyone who was unfortunate enough to slip on this treacherous landscape. Indeed we had several members that fell including one of the guides. I was convinced to walk very carefully after seeing the guide with his bloody legs and arms. I wouldn't want to keep anyone from going on this adventure but I sure would want to forewarn them of the difficulties.

After about 4 hours of hiking we arrived at the lava outbreak. It was none too soon as we were close to offering up a human sacrifice and most of us were thinking it would be one of the guides who had taken us on this trek. Yet seeing the fascinating lava outbreak was worth the hike, heat and hours of carefully navigating the lava field. Here is a photograph of the 1800 to 2000 degree Fahrenheit lava. Yes, I said 2000 degrees. Steel melts at these temperatures.

Too bad there weren't any saplings nearby that we could use to cook hotdogs! Just as well. You couldn't get within arms length of most of the lava outbreak anyway.

After taking several photographs of the lava we headed back. I have to tell you that the thought of the 4 hour hike ahead of us was daunting. Only the knowledge of lunch and a cool van that were waiting for us spurred me on to complete this adventure. By the time I reached the ranger station my voice was getting raspy. For me this is one of the signs that I am getting dehydrated. I've been in this situation before and I know to slow down, drink more water, wish that I had drank more water and just keep going. What a joyous sight to finally see the ranger station and have the satisfaction of completing this adventure.

On the way back our ‘talkative' guide drove us by the volcano museum and asked the van load of tired hikers if we wanted to stop and take the tour. He was greeted with a simultaneous and unanimous, ‘No!' We simply had had enough. Get us to a shower and a cool drink was the common thoughts we were having.

What an adventure we had. I think my beautiful bride might have been trying to cash in on my life insurance policy. I'm looking into retaining a lawyer as I think that offering up a spouse to the lava gods is slightly illegal.

The week was filled with several adventures as we were treated night and day to Hawaiian hospitality. I can honestly say that we did not meet one Hawaiian that was not friendly and willing to help us. Even though we were, to borrow an Ozark term, “from off” everyone treated us with kindness. Now I am not naïve enough to not know that tourism is one of their largest industries and they depend on tourist dollars for their livelihood. Yet, I never did get that patronizing feeling you get when you know someone is not interested in you but only what you can give to them.

Just a few of our travels included a drive up the road to Hana on the north shore of Maui . Below is a photograph of the beautiful coast line that greeted us around every turn.

This road would rival some of the back roads in the hills and hollers of the Ozarks. It included blind curves with one lane bridges, dump trucks, wild chickens and tourists paying more attention to the view than to the road. My wife was gracious enough to drive while I looked for potential turn offs so that we could stop and explore the beauty.

I wish we could have devoted more time to this section of the island. There are several waterfalls we left unexplored. There is even a connection to Missouri . Charles Lindberg is buried at the Palapala Hoomau Church off Hana Road in Maui .