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!

Happy Camping and Exploring!

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Shona 

Ozark National Forest + The Creepy Cat

Sunday morning, we packed up the car and headed North out of Ouachita on Hwy 27 towards our next camping destination in the Ozark National Forest.  The drive was loaded with curves and hills but the views were again, gorgeous.  Not having set plans on where to camp, we decided to just figure it out when we got there.  We made a quick stop to pick up some gas station snacks and a bottle of water...which is where I found out that on Sunday's, Arkansas is a dry state. Wait, what? The clerk must have thought at first that bottle of water was a beer because that's when he told me, no beer on Sunday's.  That is when I realized we polished off what we had yesterday...

We made our way across Lake Dardanelle and made a quick stop in Clarksville to pick up a few groceries.  Of course on the way I was googling the state laws, sure enough, dry state.  We decided to ask a local, who informed us that just one county over, they have the permit to sell on Sunday.  Altus, here we come.  Made sense too as we drove through the popular German-Swiss town which houses many of the wineries of Arkansas, ...it's our lucky day!  After given a few recommendations on where to camp, we left town on Hwy 64 making the next North on Pig Trail Scenic Byway.  We passed a few camping areas but were lead back to a small, secluded area.  We drove the circle and decided to set up at campsite #10, Redding Recreational Area would be our home for the next two days. 

With only one other couple camping and few daytime fisherman, this place was definitely going to be quiet.  We introduced ourselves to the couple a few spots over, a very nice elderly man and woman, sitting near the fire each reading a book while cooking their dinner in a cast iron pot.  Retired and living the camper life.  The BF had to run up to Turner Bend for bit more firewood as we were having trouble finding enough, so I finished setting up camp, took a few camp photos, and decided to go ahead and start the fire. He was hestitent to leave me there alone but I had Lola and a firearm and a hatchet and a knife, I'll be fine I said.  I've seen Walking Dead. 

Remember that couple I mentioned, they made their way down about an hour later and asked us if we had something warm to eat, that they had leftover stew we could have.  We thanked them, but we had just made chili and for tonight's menu, chili-dogs and of course, s'mores.  I often wonder what they may have said about two "younger" people tent camping in the middle of nowhere.  I wonder if they themselves used to be like us, adventuring and continuing to this day. 

After dinner, it was already dark so each wearing our headlamps, we prepared to settle in front of the fire for a night of card games.   Then I saw them, two little green eyes staring back at me...what the hell? I imagined it was an opossum, but as I marched closer I realized  it was just a house cat, thankfully black AND white, and I hissed it away, literally.  But it didn't stay away. All night, that creepy little furr-ball would sneak to different areas of our camp, only backing off when we scared it away.  It was so quiet, you never even heard the leaves wrestling as it came closer.  Our conversations turned to why this cat wouldn't stay away...was it a sign? Did something happen here? Are we safe? Seriously, this was not a place I would stay without protection, just in case...you know, bears or bigger cats...and then the tree which looked as if a snake had made its stake there, see pic below.  Did I mention this place was dark...I mean no lights at all, except the bath house which was a distance away and you had to make your way through the trees.

To no surprise, neither one of us slept well. We had a plan though...firearm, right boot, me with the key fob in case I needed to hit the panic button...I giggle as I write this.  Better safe than sorry.  That night was cold too...we were in a valley so although the temperature was about 40', it felt much colder.  The only sounds heard were coyotes and owls...all night long. The owls would go back and forth, eventually interrupting each other and as I laid there awake listening, I thought to myself, how rude.

The next morning, the BF got the fire going and he cooked breakfast sausage and biscuits and gravy and as the sun came out it was starting to warm up.  We made coffee and hot tea and sat down to put in a few games of dominoes.  We walked around the camp ground and down the the Mulberry River which was crystal clear and the reflections of the pine trees across the river were stunning.  We waved goodbye to our neighbors as they headed on their way before packing up our camp and heading back to Kansas.  It was a great get-a-way and we are already planning our next camping adventure.

 

Mountain Couple Adventures In Arkansas🌲

Shona 

Have Tent, Will Camp

This year has been a year of numerous camping adventures and I have learned something new from each one of them.  I love what all camping has to offer; nature, relaxation, getting cozy around the fire, the sounds of nightfall, birds chirping, being "almost" attacked by a deer...more on that later, packing minimally, trail hikes, and enjoying time away from the city. Our recent camping weekend was spent at Clinton State Park and we had two nights of campfire cooking, dominoes, card games, and perfect weather.

I have found there are certain items you can not live without while camping...ok, maybe you can live without them, but they make camping more fun!  First off, someone who can build a fire.  I probably could figure it out but the last time I tried that I used gasoline and sent an entire hay field up in flames...lesson learned there.  No but really, I enjoy chopping down and finding firewood out in nature and of course I am the one who is in charge of that perfect stick for roasting marshmallows.

Which leads me to the next item...s'mores.  You can not go camping without graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows.  Seriously, a staple. Get creative with the food you cook too!  This time we went "fancy" and cooked pork steak, roasted zucchini and squash, trout, chicken, brauts, tomatoes and breakfast sausage.  Eventually, when we aren't "car" camping as much, our food items won't be quite as extensive so we also like to throw in a few freeze dried foods that we can just add boiling water too.  Mountain House and Alpine Aire are a couple we have tried, all of which are actually quite tasty.  They are great for hiking!

Make sure and have a good sleeping bag, back pack, hiking boots, and a tent that can be easily put up.  We have sleeping bags by Outdoor Vitals, these are 30 degree bags that can be zipped up together if you want to get cozy.  Danner hiking boots which are super comfortable and stylish too, because shoes are important.  A good pack is a must, mine is an Osprey 65, it's the perfect size and has plenty of room for everything from supplies to clothing and has a lot of pockets!  It also holds my sleeping bag and my Kelty sleeping pad which makes the ground not so rough to sleep on.  The tent we have is by Alps Brand, it's actually a 4-person tent, so we could go smaller when hiking in to camp but it goes up in about 3 minutes! Plus, it's good when you have a dog and leaves plenty of room for the packs too.

The small items matter too!  Have camping cookware, water proof matches, small bottles of oil, dish soap and food seasoning, fire starters, an ax for firewood which I also use to cut vegetables, a knife, head lamp's which keep your hands free and they aren't geeky at all but rather very useful, coffee, hot tea, a collapsible container to hold water, travel games like domino's and cards, portable blue-tooth speaker because we like the sound of music too, a lighter, table-top butane/propane stove and lantern which is good for a quick boil of water and can also be used for light at night, ours is by Jetboil, emergency survival wraps, flashlight, and a portable phone charger because let's be real it's a good idea to keep your phone charged just in case and if you are like me I use mine to capture the memories too...these are just a few important things we always have when we camp!  Oh ya, don't forget extra socks...after hiking you don't want to wear the same ones while sleeping!

Lastly...the story on the deer. We decided to take the trail around the lake back to our campsite Saturday morning. We took Lola off the leash to let her roam around and for the most part she listens...until she saw the deer and took off up the hill and was gone.  James went after her and I decided to keep going on the trail as we decided we would meet up back at camp.  Instead, Lola came back and they quickly caught back up with me.  As we were rounding a corner, a deer was coming towards us...I was in the lead and you know that saying "deer in the headlights" look...ya, that happened. The look on the deer's face, me jumping and covering my face like she was going to attack me...besides it scared the hell out of James and Lola too.  That deer came back for revenge after being chased...at least that's our story!  Then I hear James say, "I thought that was a cougar and we were goners!" ...Me, "Next time you are leading!" I can't make this stuff up!

We aren't professional hikers or campers by any means, but I think we have a pretty good start!  Happy Camping!
Shona