Buffalo National River - Boxley Valley

The ongoing government shutdown didn't seem to impact the Buffalo National River much during our visit last weekend. Unlike previous shutdowns, the access roads to the river were open. The campgrounds and bathrooms were also open (but the Visitor Centers at Tyler Bend and Buffalo Point are closed). Hopefully the rangers and other NPS staff up there are getting paid, or the shutdown will end soon and they will get paid for the last few weeks.

Maybe it was because of the shutdown (or the rainy weekend), but the park didn't seem all that crowded. We did end up seeing a crowd of people as we drove into the historic Boxley Valley. There was a line of cars parked near the Ponca access point, with a bunch of people taking pictures with their phones (and a few real cameras). Which meant one thing - there were elk out there! We pulled over so the kids could see the elk, and I joined the scrum to get a few pictures too. There was one large bull elk walking around, seemingly oblivious to the people nearby.



The elk lazily walked through the field, and the throng of people would all hurry to change position along the nearby road. It was almost comical, the slow-moving elk on one side of the fence and the people on the other side creating a small traffic jam as they all moved their cars further down the road to get a better shot. We left the elkarazzi behind and drove deeper in the historic Boxley Valley. Our next stop was along this little dirt road, which leads to the old Beechwoods Church and cemetery.



And a shot of the old church (built 1915).



It started to rain again as we drove across the valley. We stopped by this old barn (built in the 1920s), and the kids happily ran inside to explore. It was also a good place to sit and watch the rain.



The next stop was a spot along the Buffalo River. The raindrops created ripples across the water, as fog drifted along the tops of the nearby mountains.





The fall colors seemed to get more vibrant as the day progressed, probably thanks to the steady rain. It was a good day to be out and about around the Buffalo.

Buffalo National River - Steele Creek

Last weekend we made a family trip up to the Buffalo River, with the hopes of catching some nice fall color. It was cloudy and rainy as we were driving up to the Ozarks, and the mountains were covered with thick fog.





We booked a place right in Jasper, which was just a few blocks from the Ozark Cafe and the Jasper Pizza Company. And it was also fairly close to the river, so early the next morning I woke up before sunrise and drove over to the Steele Creek access along the Buffalo. I arrived as the river, the trees and a few campers started to awaken for the day.

There was a nice amount of water in the river, which was a big difference from last year when there was a bad drought and the water was really low. A soft rain continued to fall as I set up the camera under an umbrella and started to take a few pictures.



The fall colors hadn't peaked yet that weekend, but the rain and mist seemed to help bring them out and saturate them.



I got back in the car and returned to Jasper, and we then took the kids for breakfast to the Ozark Cafe. After filling up on pancakes and bacon, we then all headed back up to the Buffalo River and made another quick visit to Steele Creek. Luckily at this point it wasn't raining, and the kids scrambled over the rocks along the river.



And then from there we headed back to the car, and then went to see a few other favorite spots along the scenic Buffalo River...

Right Before The Storm

After leaving the Harper-Alexander House, I drove deeper into the Delta. Almost all of the farms and fields had already been harvested and cleared, with an occasional tractor or combine still out working and kicking up clouds of dust. It would storm later that day, and the clouds were heavy and leaden with the promise of rain.

The next stop was an old barn located just outside of Lonoke. It doesn't look like its used much anymore, considering the missing pieces of walls and roof.





And down the road was another old barn, sitting in some tall grasses that had turned brown over the dry summer. The front was covered with some vines, which grew like snakes slithering across the weathered wood.





And further down the road was this abandoned church. It looks like it's not been in use for awhile, considering the congregation of mud dauber nests that surrounds the front door of the church.





And then heading down the road again, I made another stop at this large farm building. It was surrounded by a small flock of some sort of ducks/poultry (not sure what exactly?).



And then turning to the east, I headed past more farms and fields that had just been harvested for the end of the season. I had to stop the car and turn around after passing by this small complex of farm buildings, which included some grain silos and an old cotton gin.



Protected under the rusted metal of the building was an old Buick, which was covered with a thick blanket of dust.



If you look closely, you can see the dust had been slightly disturbed by a few paw prints from a cat.



This old tractor was parked by the old cotton gin.



And I took a quick peek through the broken window on the door, which showed a bunch of rusty machinery inside.



And from there I headed further east, eventually going through the small community of Hamilton. I was here a few years ago, but the old buildings here seemed to sing out and say "You'll Be Back."



I'm not entirely sure what this old building was used for. Presumably back in the olden days, you could say that this was the room where it (farm stuff?) happened.



While I was in Hamilton, I was sure to get the camera out and make sure that I got My Shot.



And also in Hamilton was this old building, and I know I wouldn't have been satisfied if I didn't stop for another picture.



And then I made one last stop at this old building, as the storm clouds sat heavy on the horizon.



And then it was time to head home. Which was good timing since it started to pour rain. At one point it was raining so hard that the poor windshield wipers couldn't keep up and I had to pull over (it didn't help that the other drivers on the road were deciding to randomly slam on their brakes, for fun I guess).

Harper-Alexander House

People driving by the Harper-Alexander House probably don't even see it. The old house is almost entirely obscured by overgrown bushes and shrubs, hidden away and all but forgotten.



The house was built in 1885 and was part of the Longbridge Plantation, a large postbellum plantation that covered over 2,500 acres. In front of the house are several crepe myrtle trees, including one that has been designated as the state's champion tree, which means that is is the largest known crepe myrtle tree in Arkansas. It towers over the lawn, over 60 feet tall.



It is a beautiful looking old house, though it looks like it is starting to deteriorate. Hopefully someone will be able to renovate and save this old place.



Next to the house are a few other old farm buildings, also silently weathering and fading with age.







The old house sits lonely and empty, and the plantation is long gone. But the land around it is still active and farmed. Which just shows the contradictions and stubbornness of the Delta, and its land, and its history. A history that is all around us, even if we don't see it as we speed down the road.

True Grit Trail

Highway 22, which runs from Dardanelle to Fort Smith, has been christened the "True Grit Trail." The name comes from the famous book by Charles Portis, which was also been adapted into two movies. The story revolves around Mattie Ross, who "was just fourteen years of age when a coward going by the name of Tom Chaney shot my father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robbed him of his life and his horse and $150." With the help of a one-eyed deputy marshal and a "dandy" Texas Ranger, they track down her father's killer in present-day Oklahoma (spoiler alert, if you haven't read the book or seen the two movies).

In the book, the trip Mattie takes from Dardanelle to Fort Smith is by train and only takes up a few paragraphs. But Hwy. 22 roughly follows the route that people traveling west to Fort Smith at the time presumably would have taken. Of course the book was set in the 1870s, and things have changed a bit along the route. Now you can see a nuclear power plant, and a good number of Dollar Generals.

I have family that lives along Hwy. 22 in the town of Charleston, so I've driven this stretch of road many times over the years. It was always the more scenic drive to take, passing by Lake Dardanelle. And last weekend, I headed back out that way again. It was a warm day, with some late summer thunderstorms off in the distance. I stopped by this side road, which ran off to the north. The storms in the background were dumping a bunch of rain on the Ozark Mountains.



I grew up in North Little Rock, but a lot of my family is from Charleston. My grandparents lived there, along with several Aunts and cousins. I spent just about every single Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter in Charleston. My family maintains an old cemetery there (which is on the National Register of Historic Places), that is the final resting place for all four of my grandparents and one of my parents. And it's where I'll end up one day (hopefully not anytime soon).

Charleston is one of the two county seats of Franklin County. The town made history in 1954, when it was the first community in the South to completely desegregate its schools. This is the county courthouse, which was built in 1923.



Charleston is in the news again now, unfortunately. Last year the state of Arkansas purchased land just north of Charleston, with the goal of building a massive prison there. The prison would hold 3,000 people, which is more than the total population of Charleston. The land they bought had been used for pastures and ranching, and is completely unsuitable for a massive prison complex. It is not along a major road, and there is no water or sewer access. The state assumed they could get water from the nearby cities of Ozark and Fort Smith, but it turns out that neither city has the capacity to provide that much water (and if it did, it would require building miles of expensive pipelines). It became clear early on that it was a mistake to purchase this land for a prison, yet our governor continues to push for it to be built. The mishandling of the land purchase, along with the corruption and abject disregard for the people affected by the proposed prison has become a perfect encapsulation of everything that is wrong with our current governor and how she runs the state. And as if she couldn't sink any lower, the state may also be offering the land to ICE for a detention center/concentration camp. Just shameful and disgusting all around.

After visiting the old cemetery and paying my respects, I turned around and headed back home along Hwy. 22. Near the town of Paris, I pulled over and got a few pictures of this old barn. It seems to be close to falling apart and crumbling away.



One of the most prominent buildings along Hwy. 22 is at Subiaco Abbey, a Benedictine monastery and school. It was founded in 1878, and the buildings were constructed in 1902.



There are farms and fields all around Subiaco. I turned off of Hwy. 22 and drove down a dirt road for a bit, passing by this field.



I headed back down Hwy. 22 for a bit, before making a quick stop at this old barn:







And further down Hwy. 22, I stopped again at another side road. This little dirt road was lined on both sides by a thick wall of yellow wildflowers. Would be such a fun road to drive down every day if you lived around there.



And then one last stop, just as the sun began to set. There was an old red barn, sitting in a field surrounded by little yellow flowers. I got a few pictures before finishing the drive on the True Grit Trail, and then heading home on the much less interesting I-40.