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.

Buffalo River National Park

I took these photos last April from the deck of the cabin we were staying in. It's the same shot in the morning, afternoon and evening. This is a valley in the Buffalo River National Park. In the morning shot the fog is following the Buffalo River.

After the Storm

We had some stormy weather move through this evening. When it began to clear we got to see this awesome full rainbow (I couldn't quite get it all to fit in the scene) an and equally awesome sunset. If only I could have been somewhere with a better vantage point. I shot these from our yard.

Lake Willastein

Tickseed and Thoroughwort


Egret Silhouette

I went out by Lake Willastein here in Maumelle this evening. I got a late start and didn't have light for too long but I was able to get these shots.

Cypress Reflections

This photo was taken from Hwy 165E in Humnoke Arkansas. I have driven by this area many times over the past 20 years and always thought it would make a good picture. This time I had my camera and took the shot.

Buffalo River

This was taken in the Buffalo River between Jasper and Ponca Arkansas.

While out on a walk

Melissa and I took Chloe and Boo for a walk at the Big Dam Bridge in N. Little Rock. I took these photos along the way.