Dirt Roads ~ High Heels: Buffalo National River + Tent Camping

Friday, March 23, 2018

Buffalo National River + Tent Camping

Friday morning after strolling around the streets of Eureka Springs, we grabbed a fountain coke and made our way down the winding roads of Arkansas to our next destination, Buffalo Point River Campground. This was a new area for us, so we made a quick stop at the Ranger Station to figure out where our campsite was. They were very helpful and offered a lot of park information. The good news, we could switch sites to a first-come-first-serve site if we found one we felt was better. Besides now wanting to add Ranger attire to my closet, they sold the "Passport To Your National Parks" book, two please!

We headed to our camping site and quickly realized we would be able to change and we did too. To one that was a bit more hidden, included a straight path down to the Buffalo River, and offered views of the bluffs one must see in person. We put up our reservation sign to which I added a crow feather for a more personal touch, and we started to unpack and make camp.

We are getting pretty quick at setting up camp; tent up, firewood stacked, water jug filled, and table set with the necessities in about 30 minutes. Time to head to the river and let Lola take a swim, enjoy the sunshine, and take in the views of nature Arkansas has to offer. After the much needed walk along the river, we sat at the table both writing in our journals, discussing important matters like what we wanted for dinner and then headed to Wild Bill's Outfitters to grab a bag of ice and a few cans of beer. This local joint became a daily stop for us; whether it's snacks or a tank of gas, firewood or beverages, the people here are super friendly and quickly became familiar with us.

We spent the next few days exploring the area; I'll share our two hikes in a future blog post. We open-fire cook, play cards or dominoes, relax in front of the fire and discuss the day's adventures, plan the next one, hike, or just listen to nature. We could hear the river running day and night which made this location all the better.

Did I mention the restrooms were being renovated so that meant no running water...only potable water which we could use for cooking. The Jet-Boil came in handy for quick-boiling water for coffee and if you are creative like me, I also used it to have warm water to wash my face before hitting the sleeping bag at night. Camping means getting creative and that's exactly what we do. I'd say we could survive out there! I hope you enjoy the food photos...I can't share the recipe's because we are tossing around the idea of writing a cookbook, but I am sure they will make you drool...thinking about it makes me want to hurry back just for the food! We take fresh food to prepare but also pack freeze-dried food, just add water, which are good if you are taking a day hike and need a high protein meal. Backpackers Pantry makes a delicious Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken. They are definitely enough for two; plus Lola enjoys that we share with her!