Fall In The Ozarks - Part 3

It was time to head home, but we decided to detour around and take a more scenic route on the wayback. We drove away from the Buffalo River and headed west, passing through the small community of Boston (it is much much smaller than that other Boston in Massachusetts). There are a few neat old buildings here, including this old home:





From there we headed over and drove down a bumpy and dusty dirt road for awhile in order to reach the old and abandoned Mountain Crest Academy.



According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, the school building was constructed in 1917 by the Presbyterian Church in order to "serve the 'backward classes' of the rural mountain South." Eventually the campus contained a few buildings. The largest building was constructed of stone and had classrooms on the first floor, and then a library and a boy's dormitory on the second floor. There was a girl's dormitory across the road, but it no longer stands.





The church ran about 42 schools, most of which were in the Appalachian Mountains. During the time it was open, the Mountain Crest Academy was the only school in the area that went all the way to the 12th grade. Tuition to attend was about $1.00 a month.



The school closed in 1931. After that the building was used for a summer camp for awhile, and then it was used as a farm building.





To get home, we eventually started driving down the Pig Trail. The curvy stretch of Hwy. 23 is maybe one the prettiest roads in the state.



And one last shot, taken with the infrared camera in a quiet time when there wasn't much traffic on the road.

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.

Fall In The Ozarks - Part 1

A few weeks back I made a trip to the Ozarks with my nephew J.T. He wanted to get some senior portraits done, and being the smart kid that he is, decided to have them taken in one of the most photogenic places in the state. So we drove up into the mountains, stopping at a few favorite spots. The first was Haw Creek Falls, which was just a sad trickle since we've barely had any rain for awhile. But we managed to get a few portraits done along the creek, and headed over to the old Fort Douglas school. The school was built in 1946 and sits along the Ozark Highlands Trail.



Just down the road is the old Hwy. 123 bridge over Big Piney Creek. The narrow one-lane bridge was built in 1931.



From there we followed a nice little dirt road that runs alongside the Big Piney. It was sunny, so I tried a few shots with the infrared camera:





We got back on the paved roads but soon made a quick stop by this field, which had some fall colors and interesting clouds.





From there we followed Hwy. 123, which might just be one of the curviest roads in the state. The curves and switchbacks are the most notable around Sam's Throne, a great overlook deep in the Ozark National Forest. It is a great spot, and was unusually crowded that day. I know it was a Saturday and people were out to look at fall colors, but I had never before seen that many people there.







One of the reasons that it was crowded was because a couple decided to get married right there at the overlook. It is a beautiful spot, and definitely provided a wonderful backdrop to their nuptials. The only downside was that it was incredibly windy that day. The gusts were so strong that it seemed like they could easily push someone over the edge of the bluff. Luckily neither the bridge or groom were blown away during their wedding. This shot was taken while all the other hikers and rock climbers politely stood off to the side, so as to not disturb the wedding.



Sam's Throne was actually named after someone named Sam Davis. According to legend, back in the 1820s Sam claimed that his sister had been kidnapped. In his anger, he would climb out onto this rocky outcrop and give fiery sermons to all his neighbors within earshot. Legend also states that Sam also buried some gold on Sam's Throne, although nothing has ever been found in the years since (that we know of).



We got back in the car and headed towards the Buffalo River. Along the way I stopped to get pictures of this old and rusty structure. I'm guessing it was once a chicken house?



We drove through Jasper and then headed towards Erbie. Along the way we stopped again to get a picture of a neat old barn.



In contrast to the crowds at Sam's Throne, there weren't very many people at Erbie. Just a handful of people were at the campground, which sits above the Buffalo River.



Erbie is home to the Parker-Hickman Farmstead, a collection of old buildings that has been preserved by the National Park Service. The old house here is actually the oldest structure still standing within the boundaries of the Buffalo National River. It was built sometime between 1847 and 1849. The lean-to on the side was added in the 1920s and served as a country store. The home was occupied until 1978.





From there we crossed the Buffalo River at the Erbie low-water bridge, and then headed to our campsite. After getting tents and hammocks set up, we headed back to the Buffalo River for a few more pictures. We went to the Steele Creek put-in, and then started the hike to an overlook atop Roark Bluff. I've done this hike a few times before, and it is somewhat short but steep in places. But this was the first big hike I've taken since I caught Covid a few months ago. I haven't completely recovered, and still have some long-Covid symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pains. It was rough, I'm sad to admit. I had to make many stops to rest as we headed uphill (my nephew, bless him, was kind and patient as I had to stop and constantly catch my breath).

It didn't help that we ended up missing the overlook and hiked way up the hillside. We had to backtrack and finally made it to the overlook just after sunset. There was just barely enough light to get a few pictures. I managed to get a few portraits of J.T. (which thankfully turned out and were in focus!) and then got a few pictures of the view before we lost all the light. After this, we hiked back to the car in the dark (luckily we did have flashlights with us).