Blocker Creek Cascade

Today my brother (David) and I decided to set out in search of a waterfall. Yesterday's rain and today's cloudy weather are the perfect combination for such an adventure. Blocker Creek Cascade is located in the Ouachita National Forest. To get there you travel north on highway 7 out of Hot Springs Arkansas and continue on through the town of Jessieville for another 7 miles. From there, you turn left on a forest road and travel approximately 11 miles into the mountains. As we traveled on the forest road, we were surprised to see snow. Neither one of us had any idea that it snowed anywhere in Arkansas yesterday. The wet and snowy dirt road provided some slippery travel through the hills. All was going well until I tried to park the truck off of the side of the road. I was soon stuck. My truck is not a 4 wheel drive and I was at the mercy of a mud hole. After several attempts to rock it out to no avail, we decided to pull out the jack and raise it enough to put rocks under the rear tires. It worked great but we were covered in mud from the whole ordeal. With the truck out and parked safely and securely in another spot we began our advenure to the unknown. The trail to the fall is only 1/2 mile but the last 200 yards is down a very steep and on this day wet and slippery hill. The task of reaching the base of the waterfall involved sliding on our bottoms (not voluntarily) , bushwacking through a vicious briar thicket and praying that the rocks we were bracing on as we descended on would not give way. Unfortunately not all of those prayers were answered.

When we finally reached our destination we were wet, cold, muddy and bleeding but we were in one piece and our cameras had survived the trip. We set up our tripods and went to work. When we finished, we packed up to start the ominous journey back up the same hill we just rolled down. I had the bright idea of trying a short cut through a steep section that had absolutely nothing to use for bracing or leverage. My brother decided to stay put and enjoy the show. After three failed attempts and near tumbles he pointed to a less hazardous route. I tucked my tail in defeat and followed him back up the mountain the long way.

The pictures below are from today's adventure. Luckily David was not in a position to photograph my mishaps but I did catch one of his on the way down.

I was at the base of the fall waiting for David (pictured) to come rolling in.

And roll in he did :)

Blocker Creek Cascade (17' Waterfall)

Fog moved in before we left. These two pines really stood out in the cloud.

The snow. We had no idea it had snowed!

Arkansas State Capital at Christmas

Melissa and I recently visited the state capital to see what the Christmas decor was like. We were both surprised at how popular it was. There were several people there and more on the way when we left. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

This was taken from across the street.

Melissa at one of the two fireplaces in the Governor's reception area.
Melissa on the front steps of the capital building.
A final view from the front of the building.

I decided to take a drive around Maumelle and see what kind of wildlife I could stir up. I was on the east side of town in the industrial district when I came across the Blue Heron below. The recent rains had filled up the drainage ditches and he was taking advantage of the crawdads that had moved in. He hung around long enough for me to take a few shots before voicing his disgust and taking flight.



The deer below were further east at the edge of Maumelle. I was at the end of the road with my camera stuck out the window when up drove the game warden. He was fine when he realized that I was shooting with a camera and not a gun. He told me that they have had trouble with people hunting illegally in that area. The game warden was Ross Spurlock. He was a nice guy (because I wasn't a lawbreaker) and told me some other places to try where he sees deer on a regular basis. I appreciate the wildlife officers and the job they do. I despise people that don't abide by the rules especially when hunting or fishing.

Cedar Falls

This is Cedar Falls at Petit Jean State Park. As you can see, during the winter months and after a good rain, this waterfall is awesome. I took this photo on a tripod with an external shutter release and a 2 second shutter speed. The next two photos are of cedar creek downstream of the fall. It is a one mile hike down to the fall and then a one mile hike back out. The only thing is that the hike back out is mostly up hill. Whew.

Watson Camp Hunting Club

I am finally back in Blogville. Between work, remodeling a bathroom and deer season I have had absolutely no free time for other things. Deer season has been real good this year. We have killed more bucks than normal and there have been some good ones. I have killed a six point and Brack (Stepson) killed a seven point. That was his first buck ever! I came up with the idea three years ago to take a camp photo on the opening day of the gun deer season. The photo below is this year's taken November 10, 2007.

October 24, 2007

I had an appointment Wednesday at the College of the Ozarks in Hollister Missouri. I took the photo of the Mute Swan below on campus at "Lake Honor". The other photos were taken Wednesday evening and night.

Tyler Bend Cont'd

This is the Collier Homestead located on the Riverview Trail at Tyler Bend. Sod and Ida Mae Collier took advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862 and moved here from Kentucky in 1928. They were among the last settlers in the river valley to take advantage of that act. The act of 1862 gave settlers title to their own property in exchange for improvements to the land. They lived there until 1961 never having electricity or indoor plumbing. The Buffalo National River was established in 1972 and the National Park Service purchased the property in 1978. The Collier buildings were hidden in a sea of vegetation so restoration efforts began.

The Collier House

The Collier House

C'mon In

Melissa by the Collier's Fireplace

The Barn

Howdy Neighbor

Tyler Bend Loops

Melissa and I hiked the 4 mile RiverView/Rock Wall Loop at Tyler Bend this past weekend. Tyler Bend is part of the Buffalo River National Park System.

Wooden Bridge on the River View Trail

A view of the Buffalo River from a bluff along the way.

Melissa looking for smoke signals from distant tribes.

A buzzard checks us out .

Just an example of the peril we face on the trail. :)

Hide Out Hollow Trail

Melissa rests on the way in.

If I climb down there...Can I get back out?!

Melissa near the base of the waterfall.

Melissa at the base of the waterfall

Hideout Hollow trail is a short two mile trail near Compton in Newton County. The area under this bluff is huge. You can see that Melissa is just a speck in the third photo. The waterfall was barely running. Arkansas Waterfalls are best photographed from late November through the spring. The trees are dormant during the winter months and don't soak up much water. During the spring, the amount of rainfall we get more than compensates for what the trees use. The trail actually comes in on top of the bluff above. You have to climb down to the hollow and the base of the fall.

Lone Bull

This Elk was alone. I drove in behind the Boxley Baptist Church to get closer. He didn't seem to mind me being there. OK, these are the final Elk photos from last weekend's trip that I'll post. Hope you enjoyed them.

Wildlife Paparrazi

This young bull elk came out to see what all of the fuss was about. It turns out....it was him.

Steel Creek Trail - Ponca

Melissa poses along the trail.

White Heath Aster

Late Purple Aster

Melissa eating lunch by the Buffalo River.

This was our first hike since last spring. It's a moderate four mile hike which was perfect to start us out for the season. Just a few shots of flowers and Melissa along the way.

Synchronization

Synchronized Watching

Synchronized Grazing

The Eastern Elk was native to Arkansas but became extinct by the 1840's. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission introduced 112 Rocky Mountain Elk into Newton County near the Buffalo River between 1981 and 1985. They estimate the herd to be near 500 now.

Ponca Elk

Bull with Cow

Bull chasing stray Cow

Bull with Harem

Well we are back (unfortunately) from our trip to Ponca. The Elk mating season is in full force so I was out every morning at daybreak and every afternoon until dark hoping to get some good shots. The pictures above are a sample of those I got. I will add some pictures each day for the next few days so check back often.