Back To The Buffalo

So this little blog just celebrated its twentieth anniversary, with the very first post being about a trip to the Buffalo River. So I guess it's fitting that this next post would be about another trip to the Buffalo. So here goes: Last weekend we made a family trip up to the river, in the hopes of catching some fall color. I wasn't sure what to expect. It has been so hot and dry this summer that I was worried we wouldn't have any fall colors at all.

And it is definitely a weird year for colors. Some trees had already turned a dull brown, the leaves looking dry and wilted. In some places the trees are still green and haven't changed at all. But there were a few places, especially along the river, that had some decent color. We drove up in the mountains, and then drove through Boxley Valley to see if the elk were out (Elliott has become obsessed with the elk and was desperate to see them). Of course we didn't see any, but we did stop by the low-water bridge at Ponca and looked around.



We then headed over to Jasper where we had a place for the weekend, and got a good dinner from the Jasper Pizza Company. The next morning I woke up before sunrise, and drove through the darkness towards the Steel Creek access along the river. It was still dark when I arrived, the river and the campground were quiet. A thick fog had developed overnight, adding to the sense of stillness. I set up the camera along the river, waiting for the early light to start fading in.



The river was really low, which wasn't surprising since we've hardly had any rain all summer.





The fog drifted and moved along the river, and along the tops of the mountains.



The sun was rising, but it hadn't managed to break through the thick fog yet.



And the view from a different part of the river, where Steele Creek meets up with the Buffalo (or where it would normally if the creek wasn't completely dry).





The sun was finally able to break through the fog as I was heading out. I stopped for a quick few pictures (and only a few, a truck appeared on the road behind me so I jumped back in my car). After that it was time to get some breakfast at the Ozark Cafe.

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...

Down To The River

We headed down the mountain into Boxley Valley. I resisted the urge to stop at every old barn to get pictures, since I was just here a few weeks ago. But we did make one quick stop at the old springhouse, which had a bit of water tumbling down beside it.



And then we headed to the Steele Creek access along the Buffalo. After really heavy rains, there are two waterfalls that pour over Roark Bluff. They are about 200 feet tall, and are among the tallest waterfalls in the state (when they're going). I tried to get a few pictures, but the polarizing filter was wet. I took it off the lens to try to dry it, but my shirt was still completely soaked after our hike that I accomplished nothing but just smearing the water around on the glass. As I was fumbling with the filter, it slipped from my fingers and dropped with a little *plonk* into the muddy and murky waters of the river. Whoops.

Steele Creek

I really didn't think there would be good fall colors this year. There hadn't been a significant rain in two months. The rivers and creeks had all dried up, waterfalls were all a distant memory. Burn bans blanketed the region. But lo and behold, it turns out there were was some good fall colors in the Ozark Mountains this year. Somehow.

So we decided to make a weekend out of it and head up to the hills to see the fall colors. We booked a cabin near Jasper, and loaded up the kids (and the dogs) into the car like the Beverly Hillbillies. We arrived late Friday night, well after dark. But the next morning I woke up early, and snuck out without hopefully waking anyone up. I met up with my friend Zack, and we drove off to take pictures along the Buffalo River.

We went to the Steele Creek access, which is arguably the most scenic spot on the river. And while the water level was low, there was some really good fall color along the river.



I don't think I had ever seen the river this low before.







We arrived shortly before sunrise, and gradually we started to hear people at the nearby campground start to awaken. But it was a little surprising that there weren't more people there. Usually campgrounds are booked solid around the peak of fall color on the Buffalo, but there were several vacant spots there. We had no issue finding a cabin on short notice.









I forgot to bring the charger for the infrared camera, so the battery was almost dead. But I did get one shot from this spot:



It was crazy to think that just a few months ago people were floating canoes through here.







Later that day, I returned to the river with the rest of the family. Jonah was excited to try to skip stones in the small pools of water. Elliott, being a typical four year-old, was excited about being able to throw rocks in the water. As we were leaving, I stopped to get this picture of the trees set against Roark Bluff.

Fall In The Ozarks - Part 2

We woke up around sunrise the next morning and then headed right back to the beautiful Buffalo River at Steele Creek. We headed to the base of the 200 foot-tall Roark Bluff, and got a few pictures. It was surprisingly quiet out there (since the campground was full, I expected to see more people out).











The water was low on the river, since there had hardly been any rain in the weeks before. But there was enough water to create this nice little pool, which had some nice reflections in it.





And one last shot of Roark Bluff, before we headed into Jasper to get breakfast at the Ozark Cafe.



After filling up on pancakes and caffeine, we headed back to the car and drove towards Boxley Valley. Boxley is one of the prettiest places in Arkansas, filled with all sorts of old barns and other buildings.



This great old barn dates back to 1915.







Further down the road was this old barn, partially hidden behind overgrown grasses.









The barn was near the old Boxley Mill. The first mill in Boxley Valley was built in 1840 and was actually the site of a small Civil War fight. The current mill was built in 1870 and operated until the 1960s.





We took a slight detour and headed up Cave Mountain road to visit the overlook at Hedge's Pouroff, where an old cedar tree sits perched right on the edge of the 110-foot tall bluff line.



That tree has a commanding view, looking far into the upper waters of the Buffalo River.



We headed back down hill (which is incredibly easy since it Cave Mountain Road is so steep), and made one last stop in Boxley. This old barn is one of my favorite barns in Boxley, and sits at the edge of the valley.



The barn was built in the 1920s, and sits by a spring that the locals still use for drinking water.