Pyatt

We recently decided to book a cabin up in the Ozark Mountains for a few days, which will probably be the last trip we can take with just Jonah before the new baby arrives in August. The cabin was in an isolated location, which meant that we could go and not be around too many other people (a plus since Covid cases are skyrocketing in Arkansas now). Another plus is that the cabin was dog-friendly, so we could bring our pups along for the trip. So we packed up the car, and squeezed in two dogs and three people (well technically four, I guess).

The cabin was located outside of the small town of Pyatt (in Marion County), along a bumpy dirt road. Near the cabin was an old barn, which had this bright purple flower growing next to it. I think the flower is a Bristle Thistle, which sounds like something that would be growing in a Dr. Suess book.



That wasn't the only thing growing, there were a few trees sprouting up next to the weathered wooden beams of the barn.



About 250 people live in the town of Pyatt, which sits near Crooked Creek. There is a short line of old buildings in the town, including this one that had partially collapsed. When we drove by, a recliner was left sitting by a boarded up window.

Along The Buffalo

Perched on a bluff about 250 feet above the Buffalo River sits this rugged and centuries-old Ashe's Juniper tree. The tree managed to score a great spot along the river, with a commanding view of the river rolling by below.




Ashe's Juniper is one of two juniper trees that are native to the state, but it doesn't have that wide of a range. It grows primarily along the dry and steep slopes of limestone-dolomite glades in the Ozark Plateau. This particular tree has somehow found a spot to grow on top of the thick rock.



And the view from the bluff, looking down on the calm river.



Besides the juniper trees, another interesting plant growing on the bluff was this cactus. I tried to get the camera in the right spot and held the camera very still to ensure that the focus was very....sharp.



And one last shot from the bluff, looking through a gap in the rock towards the river.

Boxley

After the hike along Leatherwood Creek, I headed back and then walked up the hill to visit the Villines Farmstead. Now preserved by the National Park Service, the farmstead is home to a collection of old buildings that were occupied between the 1850s and the 1940s. The oldest building is the two-pen log house, which was probably built in 1854. This is the front door of the house, which was open but there are signs saying the the buildings are fragile and that you can't go inside.



Peeking in another door you see an old (and uncomfortable looking) mattress, sitting in a room. Above the mattress you cans see bits of wallpaper and some old newspaper, which was used as insulation back in the olden days.





I headed to the back of the house, and looked through the back door. This was an addition to the house, made of cedar logs, that was constructed sometime after the 1880s. There is a considerable lean to the building here, which is probably why the Park Service doesn't want people going inside anymore.



Further down the hill is the farmstead's old barn, which also had a sign up preventing anyone from accessing. The barn door was open, and the old wood was weathered and faded.



There was a lot of interesting details along the exterior of the barn, including this aged piece of wall with a rusted bit of metal siding.



Along the front of the barn is this ring that was nailed into one of the logs. I'm assuming it was used to help corral animals back in the olden days.



From there I started to head home, but made one last stop at one of my favorite old barns in Boxley. The Edgmon barn was built sometime in the 1920s and sits at the edge of the valley.



A field nearby had a few good displays of wildflowers, so I tried to get a picture before driving up the mountain towards home.

Balanced Rock Falls & Leatherwood Creek

From Magnolia Falls, I rushed down the mountain into Boxley Valley in an attempt to see a few more waterfalls while there was still some good conditions for taking pictures. I parked and crossed the river at the Ponca low-water bridge and then headed off into the woods following a small trail that runs alongside Leatherwood Creek.

I have been in this area countless times but have never really noticed this creek, which flows into the Buffalo River by the low-water bridge. The creek is very scenic, with several small waterfalls along its run.



The creek also forms a few shallow pools, like in this spot where the water was perfectly still and created some nice reflections.



Further upstream was this birch tree and its extensive roots, towering over the water.



And one more little waterfall, taken as the sun began to break through the clouds (much to my dismay).



From here it was a steep little ascent up a muddy hill to Balanced Rock Falls, which isn't all that tall (maybe 15 feet?). But it is definitely unique, with a massive boulder perched precariously above the falls. It looks like if you were to mess with any ancient relic nearby, the rock would dislodge and start rolling towards you like in an Indiana Jones movie.



I slid back down the hill to Leatherwood Creek, and managed to see one more little waterfall before the sun was fully out...

Magnolia Falls

Last weekend I wanted to try to squeeze in one last waterfall visit in before the heat of the summer sets in for good, and decided to do the hike to Magnolia Falls. The weather prediction wasn't really that great for waterfall photos, showing that it would probably be mostly cloudy all day (which meant that it would either be bright and sunny or pouring rain, probably). So I made the uncomfortable decision to do the hike right at sunrise, in the hope that even if it was sunny I could still see some waterfalls before the sun was too high to ruin pictures. But this meant I had to leave the house around 3:45 AM, and then drive up to the Ozarks (at least there wasn't any traffic!).

One other reason why sunrise seemed like an ideal time was because this was over Memorial Day weekend, which meant that all the trails would probably be crowded. I hoped the early morning start would mean there would be less people out and about (which was true, there wasn't anyone else out there). But I finally arrived shortly after sunrise, and started the hike to the falls. Maybe it was because my last hike was the long six mile trek to Smith Falls, but the hike to Magnolia was delightfully easy.



After about a mile or so of hiking, the trail drops down to the waterfall. Magnolia Falls is small (only 26 feet), but it is amazingly beautiful. The pool around the falls was covered with vibrant moss and ferns.





The pool below the falls isn't very large, but it is scenic enough that you can find lots of different angles to shoot from.









Since it was still cloudy I wanted to hurry off to visit another waterfall, so I hurried back up the trail towards the car.



Along the way, the trail runs alongside an old stone wall that was constructed by a pioneer family (probably in the late 1800s?).



The wall stretches for about a quarter of a mile. The old homestead here is long gone, the only evidence that remains is this old wall. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to dig up these rocks and place them here in such a way that it is still standing after all this time.



Magnolia Falls sits within the Upper Buffalo Wilderness of the Ozark National Forest, and it appeared to be well taken care of. I didn't see any vandalism or litter along the trail. Hopefully we can all be good stewards of the forest and keep it that way.



And one last shot from the trail, before making it back to the car...