Little Bluff cabin cam May 30 - Memorial Day - a day to remember all the brave men and women who died while serving our great country so that WE could be FREE! Let's keep their dreams alive. Thank you all.........

Journal UPDATED May 25th

05/01/22 A brand new month with a landscape that’s charged with water - and it’s supposed to RAIN all week - yippie COYOTE! It has not rained in a few days though and all the new spring growth from a billion trees is sucking up huge amounts of the water table so waterfalls are not in prime condition for me today.

I’m in “waterfall mode” so headed out early on what I figured was going to be a dry run - in fact I didn’t even bring my camera. My goal was to continue exploration of several side-by-side drainages that flow directly into the Buffalo River. On two previous trips this past week I found some interesting things, but still had a lot of land to cover to get prepared for those expected optimum shooting conditions later in the week.

The first couple of miles into the woods were on easy trail - I usually don’t get to hike easy trail and so it was quite a pleasant trip through a lush forest that was awakening from a night of slumber. Early morning to me is always the SWEETEST air and light, and I enjoy each step.

Soon I left the trail and plunged into the dense jungle that is the summer Ozarks, heading steeply downhill into the first drainage - unknown to me since I’d never set foot in it before. The terrain was rocky and thick with undergrowth. Soon I had worked my way across a really steep hillside and found the little creek - mostly dry with a few seeps. This is one of the best ways to explore an unknown area for waterfalls - start at the top of the drainage and head DOWNHILL! And so I did.

There were a few “drops” that would become waterfalls with a little rainfall, but nothing probably worth an extra trip to visit. About halfway down the drainage I came upon a small pool of clear water - perfect timing since I was traveling as light as possible and had arrived with an empty water bottle - and I was getting thirsty. When I got down on my knees with my water filter I realized the tiny pool was quite a reflecting pool with a beautiful scene on the surface. But the water was only 1/4” deep! (not enough for my filter)

I continued to work my way downstream and finally hit a bit of running water and filled my bottle, which had been pre loaded with a special mix of sport endurance powder (thanks to my cousin’s bride, Kathy). This mix is supposed to provide everything needed to sustain oneself during long hours of physical activity. (I had used it once before and it worked GREAT - I had plenty of energy all day, never got hungry, and had no leg cramps at the of the day - something that almost always happens to me after a long day in the woods and sends me running for a jar of pickle juice!)

And then I heard the magical sound of real falling water - there was a waterfall somewhere nearby! There was water in the creek now and I splashed right on downstream (after testing the creek bed for the “slickness” factor - how slick the rocks were - you never really know until you test). These days I almost always hike wearing a pair of “Angela boots” - named after my longtime photo workshop assistant, Angels Peace (R.I.P.). She always wore these kind of boots and seemed quite happy in the woods no matter what the weather or terrain.

I also had either a pair of Yak Tracks or spikes to the bottom of the boots which provide much increased traction on wet, slimy rocks, and also when going up steep slopes when the earth is just so loose and slippery. Oh yes, I was also wearing my now mandatory biking helmet - just in case.

Soon I looked ahead and saw dead air - WHO HOO! If you approach a large waterfalls from upstream you will frequently be able to see beyond the top of the falls into space - no forest visible for a while, just empty air - that’s what you want to see!

Sure enough there was a pretty nice waterfall on the main creek, and it was even flowing well - well, well enough for a visitor to really enjoy being there, though not well enough for a guidebook or calendar photo - those usually need more water to visually represent the waterfall well. (sure is getting DEEP around here with all these wells!).

Ok, so I marked the waterfall location, worked my way down to the base of it and took a “moon landing” snapshot photo with my phone, then sat down and drank the 20 ozs of super duper energy mix in my water bottle. I knew there were smaller waterfalls downstream from social media photos, but no one seemed to know about this guy, which was beautiful.

The next waterfall downstream was pretty nice also, though not as large. But it did pour into a large pool with canyon walls on either side so a beautiful spot that had been visited before by folks. A couple more waterfalls later and then a series of cascades and I had arrived at the Buffalo River - I’d dropped about 800 feet in elevation since leaving the trail.

OK, that drainage will be on my list for a return trip with nice water. to get better photos. CHECK.

My plan next was to work my way along the river for a mile or two until I reached the mouth of another drainage - I had no idea if this was possible due to extremely steep and rugged terrain, and oh yes a solid limestone bluffline that I may or may not be able to pass beneath.

The first part of my bushwhack was not too bad, but soon that towering 18’ tall bluff grew very close to the river and forced me onto nearly vertical hillside - giant, BEAUTIFUL painted limestone bluff to my left, and the amazing emerald rushing Buffalo River almost directly below to my right. This hillside proved to be pretty tough in places and I was glad to have spikes on my boots too dig in for security

Sometimes I heard folks talking - either in passing canoes below, or hikers across the river. I hoped none could see me cause if they did I would probably get reported as a bigfoot or some other strange animal that did not belong! There was more easy hiking along wide and lush flats in the valley, but eventually I was forced back up on the steep hillside again, clinging for dear life.

Eventually I realize the giant bluff had turned away - that was the sign I was looking for and meant I had arrived at the side drainage I was after. My plan was to work it upstream all the back up to the trail 800’ above. I’d been part way down this drainage a few days ago but bailed out when it go really difficult. I had no idea what I’d find in the lower half, or even if the drainage would be blocked by walls of limestone*.

(*On another exploration trip last week I spent several REALLY difficult hours exploring a nearby drainage that was chocked full of giant boulders and blufflines that crossed the creek, all filling a tight canyon. Most of the time I was only able to progress 100’ or less before being blocked by rock - then I would have to scramble UP the steep side of the canyon, then carefully work my way around and back down to the next level of the creek - only to find another boulder or bluff wall blocking the way just ahead. I repeated this more than a dozen times as I worked my way UP and up. Most of the potential waterfalls were less than 10’-15’ tall, and while I’m sure they were also just wonderful with water, there was not a large waterfall in the bunch. The drainage was completely dry the day I was there.)

Access to the creek was easy and I roamed on up into the drainage - high cliffs loomed on both sides. I quickly came to a side drainage that with good water flow would have a nice falls pouring off on the cliffs - I took a snapshot and hoped to return one day with more water.

While trying make my way back to the creek I encountered some of the thickest underbrush I’d been through - all covered with fresh pollen - fighting my way through I raised quite a cloud of it! (I had to put on my covid mask because the pollen got me to coughing/hacking.) On really thick bushwhacks like this one I prefer to wear sunglasses or clear goggles because often tiny limbs and other brush gets slapped into my eyes - I claw ahead with my outstretched arms and open hands to help clear the way, but I still get slapped a lot.

Of course when I wore the mask my glasses/goggles quickly fog up and I couldn’t see. I distinctly recall the moment when I stopped and laughed out loud a little, asking myself if I would rather be able to BREATHE or SEE since I was unable to do both and proceed!

The main creekbed was pretty rocky with water flowing, and it was tough going along the banks since they were very rocky and covered with spiney vines and saw briers (i.e. SHARP TEETH EVERYWHERE!)

And then I heard the soft rush of an actual waterfall. Ahead I could see glimpses of a solid wall of limestone - that same big bluff I’d scrambled along below as I worked my way down the Buffalo River. No way the big bluff crossed this drainage intact (without being eroded down and broken up by the creek) - there would have to be a giant waterfall if that were the case.

A few minutes later I gasped, and stood there in a quiet pool that was being fed by not one, but TWO gently flowing waterfalls towering more than 100’ above!!! (just a guess - I’d left my laser rangefinder back in the van so I could not measure them this time) My oh my. The pool itself was quite nice too - very large for a drainage this size but only a foot or so deep. I waded out into the middle and just stood there looking around, kind of in disbelief...

This is a perfect example of how beautiful and powerful a waterfall can be in person, yet almost impossible to photograph well - I would have to make a return trip with more water.

It took me a while but I was able to find a bit of the big bluffline with sort of a fin of broken rock extending down into the canyon, and was able to carefully climb up and out to the rim. Goodness there was another paradise up there - very steep hillsides were open glades and some parts covered with brilliant Indian paintbrush, one of my most favorite wildflowers on the planet! And the view looking out into more of the Ponca Wilderness was amazing!

After a bit of thick bushwhacking I arrived at the creek that was feeding the tallest waterfall, and made my way upstream. A giant boulder in the creek with nice cascade and waterfall upstream, then a very long and beautiful cascade that led to another really giant boulder - this time blocking the stream, and a nice waterfall behind it (this one almost dry).

There appeared to be another waterfall above, but after a few minutes of clawing my way across the steepest hillside of the day I decided just to punt - I’d save that one for my next trip when I’d have proper camera gear.

I worked around the steep hillside and eventually headed straight UP and out back to the trail above, then a quick two-mile hike back to the car. Lots of question marks had been erased today - rain, rain, I need some RAIN!

05/02/22 YES, we got some rain overnight - yippie! But maybe not enough - in fact some places didn’t get much rain (we got about 1.5”). Tough to tell right now with the ground saturated how much rain it would take for suitable photo results - in fact it’s usually just a crap shoot - one drainage can be dry while the next one over flowing like a champ! There WAS more rain supposed to arrive, but not until mid-afternoon, so I drug my feet all morning and finally headed out the door after lunch.

The drive over to the parking spot was not encouraging - it didn’t look or feel like we’d had a lot of rain, but I loaded up with camera and waterfall height measuring gear and headed out for the quick two-mile hike on the old trail. The wood seemed kinda, uh, dry.

I left the trail and headed straight DOWN into the lush forest. Down, down, down I went, slipping and sliding my way along, grabbing trees, saplings, vines, limbs, anything to help make a safe descent. As I got down a few hundred feet I swung over to the right and after a bit of an argument with some serious saw briers, I landed in the creek.

Here’s a spot where the sheer bluff comes from the left and meets the creek, then wraps back to the right and towards me - a small box canyon with a solid stone floor - no pool nor bluff breakdown so the creek waterfall (though not flowing much) was solid and nice, but also there was a second waterfall with more water pouring over the wall on the left. Not enough water for a photo, but my goodness this looked really nice!

Behind me on the flat canyon floor was a pair of large boulders, and then the floor edged in space - this was the top of the final waterfall I had made it up to yesterday (Big Boulder Falls). I took some measurements and a couple snapshots, said a little prayer for RAIN, then left the creek to continue my plunge down the steep mountainside.

I cut across the hillside and made my way along and above the eastern side of the big canyon until I came what I call Indian Paintbrush Glade. The sky was growing dark and patches of fog swirled around low, giving the amazing scene of brilliant red and distant lush wilderness. I stopped, got down on my belly, and tried to take a couple photos that might capture all of this - but I think I failed - no way to cram all of the beauty into a tiny camera!

As I was climbing down the narrow spine of rock to get below the big bluff I came upon an immature buzzard sitting in a dead snag. Our eyes met and froze - since I was coming down from above his eye were about on level with mine. We stared for a moment or two, then he watched as I inched my way down through the rocks, moss, and thick brush below him - I came within about 5’ and he never turned away or flew.

Once down on the creek I headed upstream and found the paradise area from yesterday even more so - both tall falls were indeed running better, and I stood and stared just like the buzzard had done. My oh my.

I was not surprised to discover the first falls measured a full 105’ tall, making it one of the top ten tallest waterfalls in Arkansas. I had to climb around a bit up onto one hillside to measure the taller falls since the top part of it was hidden from the pool - it appeared a little bit taller and indeed was - 108’. Holy Moley John Denver.

So close yet so far - not enough water for great photos so I would have to return. And then I noticed little ripples on the surface of the pool - it had begun to rain, and I immediately had visions of thundering waterfalls! But wait, really, you think it would rain enough to get these giant waterfalls in photographable form Mr. Photographer? Dream on little boy.

The sky did get really dark, in fact BLACK clouds had gathered. And soon with a single electrical EXPLOSION and near-sonic BOOM, they sky opened up and it began to pour buckets. A lifted my head to the heavens and smiled, perhaps even let out a yippie coyote (shhhh, but not too loud - didn’t want to jinx it).

My entire body from head to toe was drenched even before I found a tiny overhang at the base of the bluff where if I stood just right I was in the dry. After realizing this was an actual dumping thunderstorm and noticing the waterfalls starting to pick up steam, I placed a stone at the edge of the creek just to see how fast the creek would come up - or if the rain was even going to make any difference.

While I waited I mixed up a bottle of super-duper endurance drink powder - filling the bottle from a stream of water that had begun to pour into my little dry space.

Lightning, thunder, Crash, BOOM! Seemed like one of them stuck the earth proper and shook the world. I happened to be able to see both waterfalls from my little perch below the bluff - within a few more minutes they ROARED to life, unlike I’d only ever seen once before during a mega thunderstorm like this one - it was all like being in a dream world. My oh my it was a bit overwhelming.

Then I noticed that the rock I’d placed at the edge of the creek had washed away, haha. Guess it was time for me to get out from under the bluff and start taking pictures! As luck would have it the rain let up and stopped for a little bit, and I went over to the edge of the pool (now much deeper, so I stayed out of it). Little kid in a candy store for sure. How often does a guy get to be part of such an incredible display of raw beauty and power.

I had to scramble/climb up the opposite side of the hill to find a spot where I could see the first falls straight on - it was too high to get a clear view of it from anywhere, but this vantage point seemed OK. I had to laugh just a little bit when the larger waterfall to my left started creeping into the picture frame (both empty into the same pool below).

Could have stood on that ledge taking pictures for the rest of the day, but when the color of the taller falls started to turn brown, I realized that the creek must be rising much faster, and since I had to cross it to get back to the other side to climb out I had better finish up and get back across! And I did - the creek was a little muddy but not really flooded.

Since I could not see the tallest falls completely from the bottom of the canyon I made my way back up past the buzzard’s perch (I actually didn’t check to see if he was still there), across the colorful glade, to a point along the top of the bluff where I could see the tall falls better. After roping both me and my tripod around three different trees for good measure, I got out my camera gear and got to work.

It had started to rain again and I was glad to have brought along my tripod umbrella that I attached to the tripod. The rain picked up and I got a few photos then packed up and moved on - I had more waterfalls to visit!

The creek above the big falls was running well but flooded or muddy - a bit surprised. I worked my way just above the creek to come out near the bottom of what I’ve named Big Boulder Falls - the one with the big boulder blocking the base of the waterfall.

I had noticed in the morning as I came down from above that the creek split in two before falling over the ledge at this falls, but I never thought about that one being a twin falls - but my goodness it was that an much more! When I set up my tripod at the edge of the creek and looked up at the falls I was a little dumfounded - it was, um, one of the most spectacular waterfalls I’d ever seen (you’ve probably heard that before, maybe even today). Yet I had almost written this waterfall off as being kind of boring with that big boulder blocking about half of the falls. But the way the other side of the creek spilled over and splashed around and the mist and the music, oh my!

Turns out the storm that continued to rage above was just getting started - the electricity intensified and it felt like I was about to be blown off the mountain! But I still had one really great waterfall just upstream I really needed a photo of, but more and more and more blasts from the sky convinced me it would be OK to pack it up and get back to the van and return tomorrow - surely the waterfalls would continue to run well?

05/03/22 Guess where I was at first light today? This would turn out to be one of my most enjoyable days in the woods with waterfalls, even though my trip meter topped 11 miles by the end of my hike and I was kinda tuckered.

For the third day in a row (plus two trips last week) I hiked along trail for two miles then dropped off into the steep country below, inching my way along at times to keep from tripping on stuff (I much prefer climbing UP rather than steeply down any day). As I got closer to the creek I cut back into the hillside right into the face of another new waterfall! I’d been just above and just below this one before, but never right to it. The water was running well and I spent a few minutes taking pictures and measuring this one.

It was a bit of a climb/scramble getting down to the next one, but I was thrilled when I arrived to find two waterfall pouring into the same mini-box canyon. The water levels were perfect for all these - high but clean and clear, and wonderful cloudy skies allowed me to vary the shutter speed as I desired (it’s the shutter speed that determines how much the waterfall blurs, or not - too long and the details of the falls turn to mush, too short and it really doesn’t look like a natural waterfall. So many different things contribute to which shutter speed looks best for any particular falls.

My next stop was to Big Boulder Falls and it was a BEAUTY!!! Lower water flow then yesterday, but I liked it even better, and also I was able to move around to different locations - which I did not attempt yesterday with risky higher water. This might turn out to be one of my best waterfall photos of all time. It was a good day.

I worked my way downstream to the top of the really big waterfalls (shot a few pics, but not much to add from before), then headed to the opposite side of the hill and bushwhacked up and over and into a smaller drainage - I’d hoped to find another intact bluffline with some nice water. Fail. There was a little water but not much and the bluffline was not intact - nice hanging drainage, but not for waterfalls.

After a bit of VERY STEEP climbing to get out I landed on top of a narrow ridge and followed it down, down, DOWN several hundred feet, at times having to fight through thick cedar thickets. Then I broke off one side and dropped down to another creek, and to the topmost and tallest waterfall I’d found in this drainage a couple of days before. It was running well and looking good.

(On the way down to this falls I spotted an odd sight on that hillside in the middle of nowhere - a pair of bright blue sunglasses. Most human critters would never set foot there, especially someone who I might imagine wearing this style of shade. As it turned out I had broken my goggles an hour before and really needed some eye protection, so I scrambled down and across a really steep slope to grab them. As I reached down I was taken aback by what was right next to them - a wild showy orchid! It wasn’t fully open yet but still, a wild orchid!)

Downstream I photographed four more waterfalls and an absolutely beautiful cascade. Check, check, check - I was getting a lot of the locations checked off my list - yippie! I actually paused for a few moments, SAT DOWN to refill my water bottle with endurance powder, then tightened all my straps and turned into the big hill before me. I had landed at the Buffalo River and the next target on my list was at the TOP of the hill, more than 1,200’ above!

I gotta say that was the most easy 1,200’ climb I ever hiked - about 2/3rds of that was bushwhacking before hitting trail the last few hundred feet up.

How many times has THIS ever happened - I really needed cloudy skies to continue so that I could photograph three waterfalls at the very top of my climb. And guess what - quite literally as I turned off my camera and started to pack it up for the end of the day, the SUN appeared with blue skies (which I hate when taking waterfall photos) - I’d completed every task today with perfect water and beautiful soft light!

A three mile hike back to the van and I was done - almost 11 miles total for the day.

05/05/22 After spending most of yesterday at the computer doing absolutely nothing, it was time for another waterfall trip! First stop was to nearby Leatherwood Creek. The Buffalo River was flooded and over the Ponca low water bridge - most people think this means no access to Leatherwood Creek on the other side - but all you gotta do is park on the other side of the river, which I did and then headed up into the beautiful Leatherwood Creek drainage.

While there were probably 20-30 beautiful waterfalls flowing great along the way, I only wanted one - a small natural bridge that was created by a waterfall (Natural Bridge Falls). 1.25 miles of social trail/bushwhacking later I stood right below it in the pouring rain. Hope I brought my tripod umbrella (I did).

This one does take quite a bit of water to look any good, but even without full flow it is a very interesting spot, located along the bluffline near the far end of public property on Leatherwood Creek. Soon I wrapped everything up and was ready to head back to the car - when for some reason I noticed something odd in the waterfall below the natural bridge. I found a 4”-5” wide steel pipe sticking up above the flowing water - it appeared to be embedded into a rock or concrete (everything was covered by the flowing water so I don’t know for sure). Hum, I stood there for a few moments and just thought about that - what the heck? Can you see it?

Anyway, it was a very wet and sloppy hike back but I was a happy camper and ready to charge off after my next location - which was a couple hours drive away.

...to be continued...

Downpour Falls in Wild River Hollow. Every time I've visited this waterfall it has been pouring, and today was no different. I took refuge during an especially LOUD andELECTRIC storm in the grotto that surrounds the falls and took this picture (it was very dark and lush!).

05/08/22 I sat down early this morning and made up my to-do list for the day (the first item - make up a to-do list, so check!). When I hadn't done anything else on the list by nightfall I made the to-do list my weekly list. If I get to the end of this week and still have not complted the list I figure I'll make it my monthly list!

05/10/22 "Chicken of the Woods" wild mushroom - I'm told these are prized and sought after (I don't eat mushrooms - can't stand the taste and am also allergic). This is one of five chickens (this one is more than a foot wide) that have sprung up in the past couple of days along our trail near the historic homesite. So if you love mushrooms, HAPPY MUSHROOM TUESDAY TO YOU! (evening update - half of the smallest one was delivered to Pam's mom for dinner...)

05/15/22 Finally got started on building the new return trail on our property that will run along the north side through the deep woods between Pam’s swing and the cabin (about a half mile). I wanted to make a trail that’s wide enough so I can drive our little tractor/mower down it a couple times during the summer to remove small brush where ticks live. The normal part of the trail on the north side that runs along the creek and waterfalls is already grown up and nearly impassable right now, and so we avoid it until November when ticks usually die out.

So Fireman Jeff arrived early to help - along with a large chainsaw. Turns out we had a giant oak tree topple over during one of the big storms last week, and it knocked down three other oaks in the process. None of them had completed their fall to the ground but would eventually come down on their own and block our driveway. Ten minutes later Jeff had the entire mess down on the ground with a single cut of one of the smaller trees. He then cut up the logs in 10’sections and I was able to use our small tractor to push/roll the debris from all the trees off into the woods - YIPPIE!

Then we started down the new trail route, though since the forest had leafed out since my original survey, it took us quite a while to figure out the best location to the trail. And by “trail” I really mean just the corridor through the forest - we weren’t going to build any actual trail tread. In fact none of the original 1.1 mile loop trail has any constructed tread - we just cut out the corridor and one the years have “walked in” a worn path, which works fine in all but the steepest parts of the trail.

So we worked our way down the slope from Pam’s swing and then level through the forest - Jeff would first cut out any smaller trees and lots of larger trees that came down during the big ice storm in 2009. We’d move rocks and limbs and other stuff out of the way, sometimes needing the tractor bucket to move the big stuff. We weaved the train through the forest to avoid cutting any larger trees - there’s plenty of room if done correctly. The main issue being able to get the tractor with attached mower through the open corridor - and I turned on the mower as I went which cut down a lot of the underbrush and even small saplings, which sometimes there were hundreds of those.

It was really slow going at time due to the thickness of the forest and ice storm damage. But one of the worst issues were rocks - not individual rocks - between Jeff’s mighty arms and the tractor bucket we could move any loose or even embedded rocks. But there were a couple of small broken bluff lines running along the hillside here and there and those were not going to move no way, no how. Even if they were only exposed a few inches we could not move them nor mow over the. So we were constantly stepping back and tweaking the route to avoid all those bluff areas.

On into the afternoon it started to get pretty dark - there had been thunderstorms swirling around all morning but nothing came over head. Until the day turned to almost night, and then we decided it was time to take a quick lunch break. We spent the next 30 minutes on the back deck of our cabin huddling as the raging storm passed - at times the winds reached 60mph with straight-line winds (I looked it up on our weather station later in the day - it keeps track of such things). I poured two inches during the time, though we never got any of the golf ball sized hail they got in nearby Jasper thank goodness. When we reentered the forest after the storm everything was instantly soaked to the bone - us and our chain saws and the tractor.

Kind of funny - when we had stopped for lunch where there was a very large mature oak tree that had died and Jeff was going to have to cut it down. Then we returned after lunch that big oak had been blown over by the storm, and just missed the tractor!

Another funny note that was since the jungle was SO THICK, we frequently hiked ahead to scout the route for tweaking, and literally would turn around and not know where we had just come from! Fine old grizzled woodsmen we are! Sometimes we’d walk a route several times but never the same route twice - we literally had to be within sight of each other at one end of a work spot in order to keep ourselves orientated. It was very strange indeed.

We were not able to compete the entire trail but got more than half of it done and I was able to mow all the way back out to Pam’s spring. It was a tough day in the woods but when finished we’ll have a great little trail that we’ll be able to hike year round (the other half of the trail is already tractor-friendly so soon we’ll have an entire one mile loop trail for summer use - YIPPIE COYOTE!)

As the evening light was fading my lovely bride noticed some weird light in the east - crepuscular rays were happening, something we almost never see - so I ran outside and got a snapshot! Note for the Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse - it was cloudy and so we didn’t get to see it….

05/18/22 Pam's grandmother's peonies bush has traveled from their home place in Indiana to Pam's parent's house in Nixa, Missouri; then transplanted to Pam's house in Republic, Missouri; then transplanted again to our our CLOUDLAND cabin for 17 years; then transplanted again to Pam's parent's house near Jasper (while we were homeless);and finally transplanted once again to our current home here at Little Bluff - I think this bush LOVES to travel, and really enjoys the VIEW here!

05/19/22 Fireman Jeff and I spent much of yesterday working on the new “summer connecting” trail here and after much effort were able to get it punched through to the end - YIPPIE! The last part of the trail drops down to and along the top of the little bluff and then back up the hill to end back at the cabin. This section had a lot of mature timber that had been knocked down in the 2099 ice storm - the wood is still rock hard after all these years and was tough to cut through. We used a system where Jeff would make a single cut through the trunk, then I would come along and push the remaining tree with the tractor bucket until it was out of the way.

Another issue in this section where numerous “submerged” rocks that were poking up just enough to be in the way of the tractor mower blade. We laid out the trail to avoid all of them we could, but to keep the flow of the trail intact many of those had to come out - if they were not part of the bluffline. Jeff used my now-antique heavy steel rock bars that I originally purchased in the late 1980’s when I was doing contract trail building work. (With my bad back I can’t even pick it up these days - although I did help Jeff a little bit by standing on one end of the bar while he got hands underneath and wrestled the boulder out of its hole). There is an art to using a rock bar to dig out and move large rocks and boulders, something I learned at trail-building school in Wyoming (Jeff learned it somewhere too and he was very good at it). It was a lot of hard work but Jeff did his thing and we were able to get the trail through right where we wanted it - YIPPIE COYOTE!!! This adds .4 miles of trail to our 1.1 mile system, for a total of 1.5 miles of hiking trail on our property - yea!

Then we were able to carefully lift and move my mom’s family historical large iron kettle (brought over from Europe in the 1800’s) from it’s temp storage place down to the cabin, in the middle of what I call our wildflower oak triangle - we don’t mow in between these big oaks and wildflowers of all sorts pop up there. My mom had this kettle in her front yard for decades and filled it with flowers each spring, summer, and fall. My lovely bride did the same at our Cloudland cabin. We’ll bring it back to life with more flowers here in the near future. It’s a Powell, Zimmerman, Ernst family heirloom that will live on! (historic photos of mom with this kettle, and with me and my brother, Terry...

05/24/22 Kinda foggy this morning - hope i can find my way back to the cabin!

05/25/22 We had more than three inches of rain overnight but I spent most of the day putting in a marathon canvas stretching session with my lovely bride in the gallery so didn’t get much chance to enjoy the beautiful, and very foggy, forest. I’ve been working for the past many days and nights on our third largest canvas print order ever, and they need to be delivered tomorrow - more prints than I’d ever stretched before in a single day (thanks to PAM’s help!). Every aspect of my canvas prints is done by hand - all of the digital file prep, printing, building the frame, and then stretching the canvas tightly around the wooden frame - that last part is a killer on my aching/aging spine.

We’re getting ready to head west for a while and I also needed to get a new sink and faucet installed - we can barely afford the gas these days so I had to figure out how to remove the old and install the new set, and late this afternoon I finally figured out how to make it all work - the hardest part was having to do everything inside the tight confines of the floor cabinets beneath the sink. It took a little sawing and lots of twisting but somehow I managed to get everything to fit - well almost. I’ll need to complete that project tomorrow.

Then it was time for one last big adventure to close out this absolutely terrific spring waterfall season we’ve been having. I realized that other than some nighttime photos, a winter trip or two, and one trip two decades ago during a record flood event, i didn’t have just a normal photograph of the great Hemmed-In Hollow Falls. So I calculated the time in and out (about an hour hike each way for me), loaded my pack and headed down the trail with just enough time to spare to make it before dark.

There were only a couple of folks on the trail and I’m sure they all were confused by this geezer heading down to the falls just before dark and wearing a bike helmet (in case I fell and smashed my head), face mask (pollen), knee brace (bad knees, and going DOWN more than 1000’ in elevation), snake gaiters, and rubber boots. I made it to the base of the giant waterfall (tallest free-fall falls in mid-America at 209’) in about an hour from the Compton Trailhead and the light was perfect. This beauty was really showing off - nice flow but not flooded, but since it was quite windy (this beast produces it’s own wind and whips around like a tornado - with that wind comes a lot of mist that quickly covers a camera lens). I set up my tripod and waited for just the right moment during pauses in the twister action. I know it’s kind of a steep trek for a lot of folks, but my goodness this really is one of the most scenic spots in the USA!

Before heading back for the quick climb out, I paused for a few moments to just admire. Wow, just WOW!

I know this sounds crazy, but the hike out was a lot easier than the hike in, and actually faster - less than an hour from the base of the falls to my car. I only stopped once to catch my breath, but also to admire the view of the tall painted bluffs. Steep hikes UPhill come easy on my old body compared to steep downhill - so much more control of each step. Fading light gave way to some amazing dark and colorful storm clouds that were blowing through, and while I head and saw thunder boomers all around I think it was just their way to waving at me on my last trip - never had a drop of rain.

It had been a great trip and I got my photo and my legs and lungs held out. One funny note - before I started the hike I stopped and got a Klondike Bar (ice cream) - the nice young lady handed me a napkin - “I guess you think I’m gonna NEED this huh?” She smiled. While I appreciated the gesture she didn’t realize how FAST I can consume a Klondike Bar - nary a drop of melted ice cream was lost! Back to home base about 9pm after my 16-hour day - and my lovely bride met me with a chocolate chip cookie - she’s always the best part of my day!

See how much the wind was blowing!

Journal Archives - previous months

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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