10/1/00 The first day of fall arrived with a very loud scream. Somewhere out there in the dark was a barred owl doing an impression of a wild cat, and a very mad wild cat at that! This noise would have awakened the dead. But by the end of the call there was the usual barred owl speech. It was a bit spooky to me, and it got us up and around to witness one spectacular sunrise. Fall had arrived at Cloudland, and with it golden rays came to light up the entire wilderness. It was Alpenglow, or more accurately Ozarkglow. Most folks consider this an evening event, but it happens nearly as often at sunrise as well.

As the orange cast stretched across the forest, we could see many individual trees that had begun to turn color, almost overnight. We sat there in the swing all bundled up in a comforter, surveying out little wilderness world, sipping hot chocolate. Aspen was down below in the meadow, trying his best to scare up another bunny. Or perhaps he was sniffing out a bear this morning. No matter - all was well on this the first morning of a glorious autumn day at Cloudland.

And today was Aspen's first anniversary - I brought him to the cabin from Kansas one year ago. While he has gotten into a normal amount of trouble, the Superdog has also proved to be one first class companion and wilderness adventurer. I kind of like having him around. He got to sit in the swing too.

The old man and the SuperDog

Soon we were off for a hike. Out through the maple stand we went, and quickly discovered that there were also many oak and hickory trees around, and they were all dropping their loads of nuts. The wind was blowing a bit, and it sounded like we were being bombarded.

Dogwood trees were bearing bright red fruit - a sure sign of a healthy fall. Their leaves were a bit dull though, from the long drought we had, but I think overall the forest has come through in very good shape.

Dogwood berries

Our goal this morning was to harvest a few of the pawpaws that I had smelled a couple of day ago. When we arrived at the scene, it took me several minutes to find a route through the sticker bushes to the pawpaw trees (alias wild rose bushes - remember how incredible they were this summer - now I would pay the price for all that beauty!). I got quite a few scratches along the way, but what I found was well worth it - there were dozens of fresh and ripe pawpaws all over the ground! Some were just right, others were past ripe. I shook several of the trees to get some even fresher ones. The crop was still very small in individual fruit size compared to those monsters that I had found a couple of years ago, but they were very sweet. We selected several of the better ones for a treat later.

Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch - with many scars to prove it!

These pawpaws are 3-4 inches long each. NO FRUIT is as sweet!  A Cloudland smoothie anyone?

After visiting Bob's cabin, we hiked up the lane towards the Faddis cabin. Man the monarch butterflies were really thick this morning. Something about the weather was much to their liking (mine too). We strolled hand in hand along through dozens of floating orange jewels, sparkling against that bright blue sky. And there were a number of brilliant-colored black gum and maple trees too. We stopped and tilted our heads skywards and let the fresh sunshine and shadows of dancing leaves wash over us. It was an incredible blast of color and breezes and scents (that bag of pawpaws was heavenly) - one of those special magical moments that you look forward to all your life.

The butterflies followed us up into the Faddis meadow, where we found the persimmon tree thick with tons of orange fruit (reds and oranges sure seemed to be the colors of the day). Some of the fruit was ripe, so we collected a few to add to the pawpaws. This tree was really loaded!

The persimmon tree

Besides chasing butterflies and birds and grasshoppers, Aspen didn't have too much chance to celebrate his special occasion. But he took care of that on the way home. He found a mud hole in the road just his size, and proceeded to lay down and wallow in it just like a little pig. He was so dirty that he was banned to the front porch at the office while we spent an hour or two working with more of the books. He did seem to enjoy himself. We named him Mr. Muddy Butt.

Back at the cabin, I put together a new food item. Actually it was just an old one with a few different ingredients - a Cloudland Smoothie. Throw equal amounts of fresh strawberries, bananas, persimmons, and pawpaws in a blender, add milk and frozen OJ, then blend - WOW!!! I don't know if it was the extra sweetness of the pawpaws or what, but this stuff was really very good!

We sat out in the swing enjoying the warming day and the smoothie, while more monarch butterflies poured over the roof of the cabin and soared on towards Mexico. Then the hair on my neck stood up as Aspen rushed to the edge of the railing and began to snort - he had seen a bear. Then he went wild, I mean nearly berserk. Pam and I scrambled to get a glimpse of the bear, but we never did - he must have come up to the edge of the meadow, then backed off into the woods when he got a look at the Superdog Mud Butt. Aspen eventually calmed down and all was well.

Then a hawk came soaring down close over the meadow, right in front of he. He had something in his talons - looked like a round object to me. Before I could grab the binocs for a closer look, Aspen woke up, spotted the hawk, and started to bark. This startled the hawk enough to drop whatever it was he was holding, and it landed down there somewhere in the meadow. Never did get a look at it.

There were quite a few hawks and buzzards out soaring today - some down low and nearly clipping the treetops - while others circled high above. Cool nights and warm, sunny days help to create updrafts that get the air currents moving around a lot I guess.

From the looks of things today, I would say that the forest is about 5% turned - mostly black gums, but a few maples and other assorted trees too that wanted to shut down early. My prediction for fall is that it will be a wonderful one, with lots of color. I always say that every time that I hear others predict gloom and doom - they are usually wrong, as Momma Nature does a pretty good job of producing some spectacular color, year after year.

As we sat there looking at all the trees, we got to thinking about what kind of tree we would be if we were a tree. I decided on a beech for myself. Beeches are different from most other trees in the forest because they keep their leaves all winter (they turn golden and sparkle on cold winder days), only losing them in the spring as new leaves come in. Pam would be a maple (my pick for her, because she is a very strong person, with many beautiful colors). We decided that Amber would be a dogwood - the smaller, pure white member of our little group.

What kind of tree would you be, and why?

Before long Pam had to head back up north, and it was me and the Super-muddy-butt dog left to do more office chores. That is where I am now, slaving away at the computer. The evening light is striking some of the trees just outside my window. The wind is blowing, inviting me to come on out for a stroll in the night air. I do believe that I will take the wind up on that invitation.

BY THE WAY, for those of you in the NW Arkansas area who might be interested, I will be on the TV5 Noon News Show this coming Tuesday. We'll be talking about and showing the new picture book and posters. And soon I will be putting up on my web page the schedule of slide shows that I will be doing around the state this fall. It will be a busy fall for me, not only because I intend to get out and ENJOY as much of it outdoors as I can, but also because I have all these seven tons of new books to sell (I have to sell a lot of the books in order to be able to continue writing in this journal!). They will be filtering out to bookstores and outdoors stores all over the region in the coming weeks, but you can always order them direct from me as well (and it is better that way because I can personalize them to you or as a gift). You can find more info about the new book by going to the links at the top of this page. And just in case you were not around, you can go back through the spring journal pages here and read all about the taking of many of the images - it was a lot of fun, but also a great deal of work! Life is tough. I think I'll go for a hike. Happy fall everyone!!!

10/2/00 It was an early start to this day, and I was off and away by daylight. I had to meet with forest service officials to hike a new section of a proposed reroute on the Ozark Highlands Trail. This reroute will take the trail off of an entire mile of old road, and will create a new mile of just plain trail.

We got there early, and Aspen and I spent a bit of time running through the open forest and just enjoying hiking around. Aspen didn't slow down a bit when the forest service folks arrived - he took off running and leaping and acting like the SuperDog.

The new route that they had flagged out turned out to be very nice indeed. We did have to make a few minor corrections along the way, which meant crashing through the thick brush to find a better route (good thing I wore long pants!). The new trail will go by a small waterfall and a very small spring-fed pond. This pond is out in the middle of the thick forest. And even though it is still very dry out, the pond was FULL! Aspen really enjoyed it.

After we finished up the survey, I went back and hiked the route once again, with tape recorder in hand. I will put this info in the updated OHT guidebook that I am working on right now (available later this year). The new route will be just a bit longer than the old. It is located between mile #95 and 96, between Lick Creek and forest road 57. It was a good meeting. And oh yea, when it was just Aspen and I at the end, he found two flocks of wild turkeys to play with!

Back at Cloudland, I spent the rest of the day and much of the night working on the computer, updating web page elements, designing a poster info sheet with the new printer, and general office chores. I was still at it long after midnight. The wind was blowing hard, and hickory nuts were pounding the office. Sometimes you have a beautiful woman to be with. Sometimes you have hickory nuts to keep you company - I'll take them both! All in all it was a  typical day at Cloudland - an early start, with some good hiking and lots of office work.

10/3/00 Another early start this morning. I was in the hot tub before first light, and was surprised to find that Orion's Belt was directly above me and shining bright (three stars in a row). And down below in the valley, a fog bank was forming. I could just barely see it at first (after all, it was dark outside), but then the cloud bank grew larger and the predawn light began to creep in. I have no idea why these clouds formed this morning when there were none yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that. But I took it as a sign that today was going to be a terrific day!

The scene from the hot tub before dawn this morning

Then it was up to the office for a couple hours of web page updating and getting ready for the TV show today. By the way, I will continue to tweak my web pages as time goes on, and always appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.

The sun is up now, and is flooding the forest outside my office with glorious light. Mornings are best, although nights are pretty darn nice too. I guess most anytime that you can be outside you are better off.

10/5/00 As I laid back into the steaming bubbles, a pair of hawks circled low overhead. They seemed to be looking right down at me, trying to figure out if I was something to be eaten. What was really nice about their sight was that the sun had just popped up, and whenever they turned a certain way, the red sunlight would light up their underside and they would shine brightly. It was a thrill every time they turned direction!

A little later on, I heard quite a commotion out there over the wilderness. It seems that a group of ten crows did not like the hawks, and the crows began to harass the hawks, screaming and dive bombing and really creating quite a fuss. As far as I could tell, the hawks held their ground, and continued to circle in formation. One by one the crows gave up and flew elsewhere, until the hawks were all alone once again. Peace in the wilderness.

On my way up to the office I got to thinking about green acorns. There is this one pair of them that have been sitting right next to the trail for a week now. Many acorns are bright green when they first fall, but these guys have remained that color all the while. I wondered - how long do acorns remain green? I decided to keep track of this pair and see what happens.

A little pair of green acorns - one week on the ground

While hanging around the mailbox waiting for a package from my sister, I found a large batch of monarch butterflies. These guys had taken a break from their long migration south, and were feasting on some sort of low flowering bush near the edge of a meadow (near some bright red and blue wildflowers). The sunshine really lit them up, and I tried to get a snapshot or two for the journal.

A couple of my monarch snapshots

Butterflies are kind of difficult to photograph well, and I don't really have good shots of them, especially when they are flying overhead and backlit by the sun. My friend Karen, who is a photographer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper, send along the following image of hers that ran statewide in the paper recently. She was gracious enough to allow me to post it here for your enjoyment!

Migrating monarch © copyright by Karen VanDonge, Arkansas Deomcrat-Gazette

My days are filled with lots of office work right now - I've got those seven tons of new books and 8,000 new posters to sell. So I have been busy designing and printing and packaging materials to send to bookstores and gift shops. People can't buy the books if they don't see them on the shelf, and many bookstores are hesitant to stock such a high-priced book. One thing that works very well is for their customers to ask for a certain book - if they get enough requests, they will eventually order the book. I have discovered though in doing my own research that most bookstore people will tell you "yes, we have that book on order" when in most cases they really don't have it on order - I know, since they have to order the books from me! But if you happen to be in your local bookstore, please ask about the new book and see what they say.

One of the things that I specialize in is direct sales to customers too. In fact, I quite often get lists from folks of people they want me to send books to for Christmas, and then I personalize each one and send them off - instant shopping! These books also make terrific cooperate gifts as well, and I am able to give discounts for quantity sales (like say, for 100 books or more - that keeps me up late nights, but sure feels good when I go to the bank!).

So here I am stuck in the office today, and there is WEATHER happening outside! I can see a dark sky overhead, and just heard a crash of thunder. They are calling for rain tonight, and cold temps for the next few days. Hey, do you think FALL might be here?

I heard a couple of raindrops hitting, so I rushed out of the office and ran down to the cabin - I had a tent out on the back deck that was airing out and I did not want it to get wet. Along the way I swallowed a large flying bug, and slipped and twisted my ankle. By the time I had reached the deck, the rain stopped - figures.

But the light show was just beginning. Overhead was a solid and very large BLACK cloud - the source of the rainfall and thunder. But it was on the way out, and behind it, pure blue sky. In between the black cloud and the blue sky though were many shafts of stunning sunlight, lighting up the wilderness. The hillside across the way was just incredible - not really all that much fall color, but somehow the quality of that light and the backlighting brought out some amazing colors (sorry to use to may superlatives, but it was just like that!). And the light and color swept across the hillsides and kept moving, reaching out and filling each little valley, one by one.

And then a lonely cloud appeared down low, hovering over the river. But this time it was upstream at the mouth of Bower's Hollow in stead of at Boen Gulf. Just that one cloud. I spent a half hour there on the deck admiring the view. Hey, sometimes you have to package up sales materials, and sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy!

On the way back up to the office I found a little batch of asters growing along the path. When you really get to looking, there are dozens of different wildflowers blooming right now, even though it has been very dry. Fall is a colorful time of the year in the Ozarks to say the least.

After a quick dinner I spent the evening working in the office. The later it got, the brighter it got outside. Hum, it isn't supposed to be like that. But there was on heck of a thunderstorm raging, with lots of lightening (oops, I have already forgot how to spell that correctly). And the rain was pouring down. The power was on and off, but my computer kept right on humming (I have a backup battery for it).

When I finally had all the work I could stand for the day, I decided it was time to head back down to the cabin. Only problem was that it was still pouring, and I had no raincoat. In fact, I was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, and no hat. I rummaged around in the warehouse and found a lifesaver - a tent fly was sitting in the corner for some strange reason. I guess it really was not all that strange - it was just sitting there waiting for me to have to use it for an emergency poncho!

I wrapped the coated nylon tent fly around me and over my head. All I had was a tunnel to peer through, but that would have to do. I headed on out into the downpour, and realized that it was going to be tough going because it was very dark out and all I had was this tiny flashlight. Combine that with poor "tunnel" vision, and the pouring rain, and I had a slow road. If it had not been for Aspen's white butt shining in the dark just ahead of me, I probably would have run into a dozen trees.

About half way down the hillside, I got pelted with something from above. And I could not tell if it was acorns, hickory nuts or HAIL! I finally made it to the dryness and warmth of the cabin (that rain was COLD!). That was interesting.

The light show and heavy rain continued long into the night, and we got a wonderful bit of moisture out of it. And along with the showers came a big drop in the temp - about 20 degrees in a half hour (down into the 50's). That felt terrific!

10/6/00 The wind was blowing when I rolled out of bed at 5:30am, but the rain had stopped for a while. The temp was down in the 40's. I could just barely see out into the wilderness, and noticed that there was not a fog bank down in the valley like I had expected, but there were numerous higher, thinner bits of fog drifting around here and there. The wind chill was down in the 20's.

I had laundry to do, and a cabin to clean up, which is what I did until almost first light. Then I wrapped up and hiked on up to the office for more work. It was then I realized that with all of the book business going on I had not been prepared for cold weather - NO firewood! Since I have a very busy couple of days ahead, I guess that will all just have to wait until next week.

The next big slide show will be tonight in Springdale. I am the closing act at the banquet for the state realtors' convention there. I hope they don't expect me to dress up! And in case any of you are interested, I now have some of my public showing posted on the web page (click here to get to that page). There will be more added as the fall goes on. All of these are open to the public, even though many of them are specific clubs, so if you are in the area at the time, please stop by and say hi!

By the way, I got my first poster order late last night. It is always tough to single out an image from a book to make into a poster. In this case I could not make up my mind, so I picked four of them. But you never know what folks are going to like, so I tried to make up different types of images. It will be fun to see what other people think about them (and the book too), and which posters sell better. The very first poster ordered was the cinnamon fern poster. I especially like that image because I had to hike back to the spot where I had found them in order to take the picture (I was leading a hike for a group of doctors and did not have my camera gear with me). It was nearly dark while I was taking the picture - the result of a VERY heavy cloud cover - and so the exposure was several minutes long. The special quality of that light and the long exposure make this a wonderful image.

It remained breezy into the morning, but no additional rain. The temp dropped another couple of degrees into the mid-40's. I spent an hour working around the cabin and got to see quite a show outside. It seems that someone down in the valley was sending up smoke signals - small steam vents shot up and wandered around all over the place, then they would just simply disappear.

FALL COLOR UPDATE I got a chance to look at the forest in the daylight, and found the color to have advanced somewhat. I would say that there is about 10% color in the wilderness now. Black gums continue to dominate with their blazing red leaves, and hickories are beginning to turn a bit yellow. In fact, there is an overall yellow cast in some places, especially down low. The last rain knocked back the maples, and they remain green for the most part, as do the oaks and others. I'm not really sure what is going to happen in the next few days - the rain would normally halt any advance, but the cooler temps might get things moving, so no telling what the next week will bring. But I bet we do see some nice color later this week, unless the rain really has stopped it. It is still early for really good color, although things do tend to turn early around Cloudland. I will keep you posted as the color progresses.

I must tell you about an incident that happened a little while ago. I was hiking down to the cabin when I heard something crashing through the thick brush - and whatever it was was headed down the hillside right towards me. The brush was so thick in that area, I really could not see into it, so I would have no advance view of the critter. I braced myself for the appearance of a soggy and mad bear. And just as the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up, and I gasped, the Superdog leaped out of that thick brush and nearly knocked me down. My heart was pounding wildly, and laughter broke out. Sometimes I wonder what it is that makes this supposed grizzled and brave mountain man tell such an embarrassing story!

OK, so here is another embarrassing story. When I jumped in my Mercedes to head out for the day, I found the battery dead. Oops. That was not good. I had many places to go to today, and no way to get a jump start - remember, I don't have any neighbors! Then I remembered Bob's old pickup truck, that was hopefully parked at his cabin. I hiked on over and found it right where it should be.

No problem getting my car started. But I noticed a funny warning light on the dash. Not to worry, so I put it in reverse and began to back out of the driveway. I soon realized that somehow the car's computer had gone nuts and put the vehicle into "limp home mode." This means the engine would only run at idle, which was useless for me because I could not even get out of the driveway!

I called the 1-800-MERCEDES hotline and got in touch with a tech. Bad news - it would have to be towed in to the dealer. The towing service that they use said it would be at least two days before they could come out to get my car. I had places to go and things to do and no way to get there! Luckily, my mom's caregiver Bill Metzner came to the rescue, and within an hour and a half I was motoring into town.

I rented a Jeep in town (the Mercedes dealer had a loaner car waiting for me, but it was not one that I could haul all of my slide equipment in, so I had to rent the Jeep).

The big program in Springdale went over quite well, although I felt a bit naked because most of my book info was left behind at the cabin, and I really didn't get much of a chance to sell books (I did sell two cases of the new books - all that I had). It was midnight before I finished with the program, got everything loaded up and then unloaded again at my house in town. Yikes, a long day, and I still had to drive home!

10/7/00 A wee bit CHILLY this morning when I slipped into the hot tub! Although not too bad - only 39 degrees. One thing that I learned quickly out here was that no matter what the weather was, it usually was milder than elsewhere nearby - warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer.

Pam and her friend Carrie had arrived during the night (I heard they had a big time in the hot tub without me), and I tried to fix them a Cloudland smoothie, but neither would have any part of it. We quickly loaded up and headed to Haw Creek Falls Campground, where we were to meet with a group of volunteers to build a new trail up to a rock climbing area nearby.

Much to our surprise, it began to SNOW along the way! And I don't mean just a few little spits - there were quarter-size flakes coming down thick and hard! None piled up on the ground, but it was really something to see it coming down this early - must be a record at Cloudland for sure.

When we arrived at the campground we found a large group of frozen climbers.  About 60 of them eventually showed up to help - all from Missouri but me. Most had never had any trail experience before, nor had any of the leaders. But what the heck, we did have lots of tools (provided by the forest service), and someone there to stomp up and down the route and bark out orders who thought he knew what he was doing (me). I had only planned on being just another volunteer, but somehow it did not work out that way.

It turned out to be a great deal of fun, and we built one heck of a nice trail up to this wonderful bluffline. Big groups like this one seldom will get any real work done, but these folks really worked hard and did a terrific job. We had most of the trail finished by 1 or 2 in the afternoon. It is steeper than most hiking trails, but much better than what had originally been laid out (many "trails" going up to rock climbing sites go literally STRAIGHT up the hillside - after all, they are rock climbers - which is not only painful to hike, but very bad for the trail itself since it will wash out quickly).

The trail is located about 1/2 mile east of the Haw Creek Falls Campground turnoff on Hwy. 123 (towards the Big Piney River). I highly recommend that you stop and hike up to this neat bluffline anytime you are in the area.

The weather was just about perfect - cloudy at first, but later the sun came out and it warmed up nicely. But still cool enough so that you could work hard and now get all sweaty.

The entire weekend was put on by the Petra Rock Gym in Springfield, MO. The deal was that if you signed up and worked on the trail, you would get to climb and use their demo gear for free. And the forest service provided the tools and other support. It was a win-win situation for all involved. A textbook way to get something done on public land! Users of the resource should be responsible for the facility and contribute some sweat equity, and the government should encourage and support such efforts. This has worked very well with our Ozark Highlands Trail Association for nearly 20 years.

As the sun began to drop and chilly shadows covered the campground, two pretty neat things happened. First, there was a HUGE cookout for all the volunteers! I mean more food than I had ever seen at a campground before. Everyone went through the line, then back for seconds, and many for thirds - still hardly a dent in the food. And it was really good food too.

And down alongside the creek where Haw Creek Falls usually is (only a trickle today), there was a good old country wedding going on. Right before the ceremony someone from the party walked through the campground and invited everyone to join them, and several of us did. It was a very nice ceremony, although the bride and her maids were all about to freeze solid - their dresses were quite thin, and it was COLD! I felt compelled to do something, so I ran back to the car and found a copy of my ARKANSAS PORTFOLIO picture book that I autographed and gave to them as a wedding give. Only problem was that I had to ask several people how the bride spelled her name (none of them knew) - and finally had to ask her personally. They were a great group of folks from nearby Lamar, and they passed out birdseed to shower the happy couple with.

Not wanting to end up ice cubes in the morning, Pam, Carrie and I drove on back to Cloudland to spend the night. Actually we all came back to jump into the hot tub to get warm! And it was a delightful soak too, with the bright moon shining across the wilderness. Hum, let's see, it was just me and two beautiful wood nymphs in the moonlight - there was a great deal of steam rising in that cold night air!

10/8/00 Another very early wakeup call and off back to the campground to meet the climbers. No snowstorm this time. There were a lot of chattering teeth around the campfire. But soon the sun broke through and there was a mob of slowly-warming rock climbers hiking the new trail up towards the big bluffline.

The gym folks set up a number of "top ropes" for folks to use to climb the different routes. Pam and Carrie had not done very much outdoor climbing (actually I think Pam had done it once or twice and Keri had never done it), but showed their true grit and adventurous spirit by taking one of the first ropes set up and doing the climb. I stood around and marveled at all the prep work, the equipment, and finally at the amazing way that these women moved effortlessly right on up that giant rock face. I really do admire rock climbers for their athletic ability, but I have no idea how in the world I will ever be able to do that myself!

Carrie on her way up the bluff at Haw Creek

I had to break away from the mob scene at the bluff and head into town for our hiking club meeting. We had a good group show up to hear all about the 16 different species of bats flying around in Arkansas. Very interesting stuff. And I found out that you can participate in a research project about bats - by putting up several bat houses and keeping records about how much they are used. So in the very near future there will be bat houses and bat research going on at Cloudland! And then you will be able to truly say that Ernst has gone BATTY! Stay tuned.

10/9/00 The weather people sprayed gloom and doom for this morning, with temps way down in the teens predicted. Never got below 32 degrees at Cloudland (my weather station records high and lows each day). As I drove back out to the cabin today after spending the night in town, I noticed that the forest looked greener than it did last week. A few trees here and there were maybe turning a little, but mostly just green. I will take a closer look and give an official report later.

Right now I am back in my office typing away and digging through a pile of paperwork. Outside it is a PERFECT DAY - blue skies, temps in the 50's, and no wind. I plan to spend the rest of the afternoon sawing/chopping wood, cleaning up the fireplace, and generally getting ready for a six-month burn in the living room.

By the way, I have been spending a great of time lately looking into telescopes - I plan to buy one and install it up at the star deck very soon. At this point I am trying to figure out if I just want something that will automatically point to and track the stars and planets, or a serious one that I can use for real study and even photographs. The ones that I have been looking at are in the $500 - $5000 range, made by Meade and Celestron. We will be attending a big star gazing party at Mt. Magazine in a couple of weeks and will get to try out a number of the different scopes, so I am going to wait until then to make a final decision. But if any of you have advise to pass on, I would love to hear from you.

Oops, the shadows outside are getting longer. I had better post this and get to chopping wood!!!

ONE NOTE: Please know that I appreciate all the stuff that you send to me, especially the e-mails. But please, NO MORE copies of the AWESOME MONTANA FIRE PICTURE!!! I have received quite literally dozens of them, perhaps even approaching 100 now. For those of you who have not seen one - it is an image taken during the fire season out west with a burning hillside and two deer standing in a stream in the foreground - a stunning photo for sure. But it takes me a long time to download the silly thing when you sent it to me (my access is VERY slow out here). So please keep in mind that if you do ever send me an image, make sure it is a compressed jpg file, and NO LARGER than 25k. And also note that any e-mail that has FWD in the title I automatically delete without downloading or reading - sometimes I get 25-30 of them A DAY or even more, and I just simply don't have the time nor desire to read through them. Personal e-mails are fine, but NO MORE FORWARDED JOKES OR LISTS PLEASE!!! Thanks a bunch.

10/10/00 What an incredible fall morning in the wilderness today! I was in the tub long before sunrise - 37 degrees out. It was quiet and still, with that special crispness in the air. Lots of birds playing in the limbs above. And then the silence would be shattered with a fat acorn crashing down on top of the tin roof.

I hung out at the cabin until the bright yellow sun peeked up over the far ridge and lit up the wilderness. Looked to me like the forest has taken a small step backward as far as fall color goes - very green out there. I think all the trees are resting up and getting ready for a brilliant display later this month.

A crisp early fall morning at Cloudland - still mostly green

On the way up to the cabin I came across this large brown mushroom that had been partially eaten by one critter or another. The chomp marks are rather small, so I suppose it was a squirrel or something.

Someone already had his breakfast! Note the acorn on the ground for scale.

And here is another picture of the pair of green acorns that have been on the ground for at least two weeks now - still green, but I detect a bit of yellow making its way in.

Still kind of green - how long will it last?

And when I checked my e-mail this morning I found some good advice on telescopes (thanks to all!), plus FIVE more copies of this fire picture. Plus several e-mails from you all asking to see the picture. So here it is:

"Awesome Montana" fire pic by John McColgan

Please note that I do enjoy getting special notes and poems from you all, and it is OK to send them along, but please copy your text into an ORIGINAL e-mail and send it along - as long as it is not too large. One problem with those forwarded e-mails is that they also can contain a virus - one reason why I automatically delete anything with FWD in the subject area before reading or downloading - I suggest that all of you do the same. Also, often times if you open one of them your e-mail address will be automatically added to a SPAM list and sold to no telling how many spammers. I think we all get enough SPAM already. By the way, you will never get any junk e-mail from Cloudland!

It was well after dark when I returned from a trip down south to stock a couple of bookstores. You can now find them in the HASTINGS bookstores in Conway and Russellville, plus at the Pack Rat and Hastings in Fayetteville. It is a slow process getting the bookstores to order big books like this one, but they are losing potential sales every day that they don't have them on the shelf.

The 3/4 moon was bright and high in the sky, so I decided to get out and take a hike in the  moonlight. It seemed quite chilly at first, but as I made my way through the nearly-black forest, it was actually very warm and pleasant. I'm not sure if it was the thickness of the forest that I was hiking through, or the fact that my eyes had not adjusted yet, but it was REALLY dark out! I could hardly find my way, and probably would have run into many trees had it not been for Aspen's white butt moving just ahead of me. I tried to take a picture of the darkness, and here is what it looked like:

I stopped up on the hillside to let the few rays of moonlight penetrate my brain, and allow my eyes to adjust a bit. It was absolutely still out - not a wisp of wind at all. And it was completely QUIET - not a single night bug could be heard! Had they all been froze to death, or were they just going to bed early? It was really strange standing there in the darkness, with no forest sounds at all. Not even a crashing bear.

The darkness of the deep woods was replaced by the incredible brightness of the East meadow - I almost needed sun glasses it was so bright! No problem seeing deer feeding out across the way, or bears crossing, except that there were neither - no sign of life other than the Superdog running far ahead.

It was also VERY cold out there in the open meadow! I had not realized just how warm it really was in the woods. I guess all the limbs and tree trunks helped to hold in the heat of the day, while all of that heat is free to escape up into the atmosphere out in the open areas. So that is a good point to remember - if you are ever stranded out in the wild and have to spend the night unprotected, it will be warmer in the woods. It will also be warmer higher up on the hillside - cool air settles. Often times it is 10-15 degrees colder down on the river than it is up at the cabin. So there you have it - an actual social redeeming value you have gained from reading this journal!

And for the first time in a long while, we made it completely through the lane that connects the East and Faddis meadows without a single wildlife incident. I was expecting a bear or coyote to jump out at any moment. I did step in something soft and mushy, and had to back up and get down on all fours to see what it was. I thought at first that it was a giant pile of bear scat. But it turned out to be the leftover pawpaws that I had piled up there for the picture the weekend before last. Sure felt like bear scat. "Um, must be bear scat..." Nope.

Really bright once again once we got to Faddis meadow. Aspen especially liked it here. I stood under the large hickory tree in its shadow, and watched with great delight as my dog romped back and forth across the meadow. It was on a similar night last September that I did the very same thing - only without Aspen - and decided that I needed a dog to share the moonlight with.

We plunged back into the warm forest once again. I got to looking at all the patterns that the moon shadows made on the forest floor. There were thousands of them - different shapes; some bright white, others pure black. I dug out the digital camera and tried to photograph them, but nothing showed up. I would need a "real" camera and an exposure of several minutes to get any detail in the forest floor. Hum, perhaps I should do that some night. All of those patterns were kind of strange because I am so used to seeing them moving and dancing all around - but no wind tonight, so they were very stationary.

The moonbeams streaming down through the tall trees was really something to see and hike through. My eyes were fine now, and I could see out into the forest quite well, and hike without the aid of my dog's white butt. Oh if I could only capture all of this on film! Impossible with today's equipment. But some day, I hope.

Then I remembered the flash on my little camera. Bringing out a flash in the moonlight does nothing to help capture the mysterious light, but I could play with it and see what happened. I pointed the camera up and snapped a picture. Then another. And another. The great thing with a digital camera is that you can actually SEE what your picture looks like instantly. And while what I shot had nothing to do with moonlight, it was interesting.

Looking up into the moonlit forest

Anyone standing by and watching me the next few minutes would have been assured that I had food poisoning or something. I got down on my back in the leaves and pointed the camera skyward. FLASH. FLASH. FLASH. This little camera really blasted the night. It was like an explosion every time.

It was warm and my creative juices were flowing and I crawled around in the leaves for about twenty minutes, stopping and turning over and blasting the trees. When my knee landed quite painfully on a large acorn, I got another idea - acorns in the sky! I spent the next ten minutes really crawling along the forest floor, collecting acorns. Then I proceeded to toss them up into the air and blast them with the flash on the way down.

One big problem with a digital camera, especially when the flash is on, is that you really have no idea when the actual picture is going to be taken, nor have any control over it. Once you push the button it may be anywhere from one to four seconds before the flash fires and the picture is taken. This proved to be my downfall, so to speak. I was showered with acorns for quite a while, and kept on taking pictures until the batteries in the camera died.

Another great thing about digital is that you can take as many pictures as you like and they don't cost you a penny! Only battery power, and since I have rechargeable ones, even that are free. But I never did get the definitive "acorn falling out of the moonlight sky" picture that I wanted. But here are a couple of examples. And I swear that I had NOTHING to drink or smoke before or during any of this!!!

The acorns are coming!

10/11/00 Clear blue sky this morning, and white sunlight. As I sat on the back deck sipping my mocha, a single tiny cloud formed way down in the valley. It grew to a respectable size, but then shrunk back down again and almost disappeared. Then it came back strong, only to diminish once again. Sitting out on the deck observing cloud activity is a major job out here. I'm pretty good at it.

10/12/00 One super spectacular sunrise this morning. There was a heavy cloud bank that extended across the sky, nearly to the eastern horizon. Just enough room below the edge of the black clouds for a firery red ball to peek through. And right before it did, flames of color spread out and lit up the bottom of that dark cloud bank. Quite remarkable. Only problem for me was that I only got to see it all at 70mph, as I was speeding down the highway trying to get home after a road trip.

It was very warm outside today, and not very fall like at all. Although the blue sky did help show off more black gums that have turned brilliant reds and oranges. This is still the most colorful tree out here right now - not any dazzling color from others yet.

Deer. I have been seeing TONS of deer. Mostly does, but the last three that I have seen were bucks, and one really nice one. In fact, this big buck was not the least bit weary of me or my truck (or Aspen inside barking at him). He was at the edge of a field, standing tall and broadside to us right under the low branches of several oaks. I guess he felt protected there. He trotted along the edge of the field a hundred yards, then came right back again. And he never flipped his white tail in the air once - this is what deer do when danger is around.

Bow season for deer has been open since October 1st, and the muzzle loader season begins in just over a week. The regular gun season starts November 11th. Things might be different in the deer woods this November - dogs will not be legal for hunting deer for the first time in a long while. The locals are not the least bit happy about it.

While I spent most of the day working in the office, I did manage to break out long enough to enjoy the last rays of sunshine on the peaks from the back deck. The quality of light was just amazing, and nearly as colorful as the sunrise had been. The sun was low - about to disappear behind the far ridge - and the shadows were long, with only the tips of the stacked ridges illuminated. It was a very peaceful and serene scene. The wind was dead still, and no bugs or birds of any king out - playing, working or singing. It was actually a bit odd - all that splendor right there in front of me and not a sound could be heard.

A while later, after the sun went to bed for the night and darkness settled in, the moon rose. Burnt orange and huge. And moving ever so slowly. Tomorrow is really the full moon, but since it hits full size at 4:53am tomorrow, it was actually a bit fuller tonight than it will be tomorrow night, when it will be 15 hours past full. It's one of those times when it looks pretty much full for two or three days in a row. Good thing for the Old Farmer's Almanac (and not all of the online sights that have this stuff posted).

Oh yea, I didn't get to take a picture of them, but it looks like our little pair of green acorns are beginning to turn brown. I will try to get them on film before the color change is complete. But it looks like they lasted about two weeks - that's much longer than I would have ever guessed an acorn would have stayed green after it fell from the tree. Most single acorns that fall green only last a day or two before changing to brown. I guess that in this case, having a mate kept these guys greener longer. Hum, I wonder if there is anything to that?

And speaking of acorns, at one point today I had to stop what I was doing an run outside to see if a war had started - a gust of wind came up, tossed the oak branches around, and sent a batch of acorns crashing down on my tin roof.

It is into the night now, and I am back up at the office slaving away. I must tell you that my internet server did something weird with my e-mail setup today, and I am having trouble making things work just right. So if you send me a note and it is not answered for a while, that is why. Also I will be coming and going a lot this weekend and so may not get much time to "work" online.

By the way, I will be having a poster and book signing event in Fayetteville at the Duck Club Gallery (art and frame shop located on the main drag in town), from noon to 2pm on Saturday. No slide show though.

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th and the official full moon. Hum, I wonder what will be swirling around in the wind? I encourage each and every one of you, no matter where you live, to get out sometime after sunset and roam around a bit, take in the night air and the moonlight (if it is not cloudy - supposed to be here), and if you find it suitable, howl at the darn moon - how often do you get to do that on a Friday the 13th?

10/13/00 It was a very long night. Part of it was my fault. I tried to beat the Friday the 13th jinx and installed a new operating system in my computer - big mistake. It is a beta version, not ready for public release yet, and it still has a LOT of bugs! Oh welll, good thing that I had everythign backed up.
And the wind was blowing outside just enough to send mini bombs crashing down on my tin roof every few minutes - man, those acorns were really LOUD all night!

I gave up on sleeping about 5am and crawled into the steaming bubbles of my water sanctuary. This was about the time that the moon hit its peak for the month, although a heavy cloud bank obscured most of the brightness. The clouds were moving - a front with some rain coming in I hope - and they were broken up so that I could see a few stars in the holes. At one point, the three stars of Orion's belt all shown through this one hole directly overhead. And then Saturn and Jupiter poked through. It was an interesting sight. It was very warm out, and when I climbed out of the tub, I stood there in the dim moonlight and the breeze and drip-dried. I suspect any critters that were up and looking got a bit of a chuckle.

I'm off to Ft. Smith this morning to stock the Books A Million store there with the new picture books - 60 of them. You can keep up with which dealers have the books now by going to the main Arkansas Spring book info page.

Looks like it is going to be one spectacular sunrise again this morning - I hope you got to see it!

It has turned out to be one gorgeous fall day here in the Ozarks, although a bit warm for me - in the 70's. As I have been driving around this week I have not seen much color anywhere, other than the black gums and smaller bushes. Looks like everything is just waiting around for something to happen. It is still a bit early yet, but things should begin to move in the next week or two. Looks like some areas won't have too much color - many trees brown or already lost their leaves. But there are still many areas of the state that are still mostly green and healthy looking, so I am expecting some great color.

But I'm afraid that two weeks of being green has finally taken its toll on my little acorn pair. In just the past two days they have gone from bright green, to dull yellow, to brown today - just a spot of yellow remains. So here is the last in the series of the little pair of nuts:

Brown at last!

Tonight is the official full moonrise - the Hunter's Moon. Many folks are calling it the Harvest Moon, but that is in September. Did you know that each and every full moon has a name - and the same one each year? Farmer's Almanac.

One correction: The "Harvest Moon" is the one that is closest to the fall solstice, which occurs in September. I guess the October moon could be the harvest one, but it is often the one in September, as it is this year. There is so much to learn about those guys overhead!

And speaking of the moon, I don't recall a more incredible moonrise as the one tonight. I was up on the star deck in Aspen's Meadow, playing my guitar, and remembering John Denver - yesterday was the anniversary of his tragic death. There was a cool breeze and pleasant smell in the air - a textbook fall evening.

Anyway, I was sitting there in the darkness (the sun had already gone down) playing my favorite Denver songs, when the far skyline caught fire - it was the brilliant, burnt-orange full moon rising. I have witnessed many of these out here, but this one was so very beautiful, and special. You see, just as the moon was rising, and I was playing and singing the songs of my soul, three incredible stars fell from the sky and landed in my lap. It was Pam and Amber, and the moment would become one of the greatest in my life. Some things are just meant to be, and the three of us are such.

As the music and words of "My Sweet Lady" drifted out, I looked into the eyes of the love of my life and asked her to marry me. As choked up as I was, I thought the words would never come, but they did, as free and natural as a leaf falling to the ground.

Then a horror came over me - I was sitting down and not on my knees! So I quickly knelt down and repeated the music and the promises and the question (I added a verse to Denver's song with my plea).  Through all the tears and the moonlight and the poor guitar playing I think she said yes. I'd waited so very long for this moment to happen, and it lived up to all of my expectations.

Many of you have told me that I would never find my soulmate, my partner for life, that it was just not possible in this day and age, and especially with my situation out here at Cloudland. Thank goodness I did not listen to you! And to those who say it is much too soon for any of this to happen, I say that I have already waited more than 30 years (ever since I first saw Marlo Thomas in "That Girl" on TV, I have searched for my  lifemate), so how much longer do you want me to wait? No, it is not too soon - I knew the moment I saw Pam standing here at Cloudland. In fact, I believe that I even made a note here in the journal about the puzzle of my life finally being complete. Sometimes you just know.

There is a great line in the movie "When Harry Met Sally" when Billy Crystal said to Meg Ryan "When you finally realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want that to begin as soon as possible." I agree.

Now as far as an actual ceremony goes, we have no immediate plans, nor is there any need to. That will happen when the time is right. Amber is our biggest concern there. She loves it  at Cloudland. And while we have a good school system here in Newton county and the school bus comes by every morning, my biggest worry is that she would not have any playmates nearby. I do believe that she is going to grow up to be one extraordinary person - no matter where she grows up - but I certainly don't want to rob her of childhood. For now things will remain as they are, and we will just see what happens.

Anyway, it was one wonderful moment up there on the star deck in the moonlight - you should have been there! Come to think of it, three was the perfect number, so never mind.

Later in the evening we lit the first fire of the season and roasted marshmallows in the fireplace. Then spent some time in the steaming bubbles of the hot tub, while the bright moon rose and shown down on our new family. It was a perfect day.

10/14/00 The cabin quickly filled with the sounds of new age music, and laughter - lots of laughter. We sipped hot chocolate and munched on cinnamon biscuits and soaked up the morning. This was the first day of Cloudland as I had meant it to be. Oops, then reality set in and I had to hurry off to do a book and poster signing in Fayetteville.

The puzzle is complete at last!

Trying to get Aspen and his girlfriend Lucy together for a picture proved difficult.

Pam and Amber went on a hike around the loop, picked up acorns and hickory nuts, and sang and smiled and explored the wilderness. They also snuck into my office and worked for a couple of hours un-boxing books and getting them all ready for me to sign - I do believe that we are going to be a great team! Later we had dinner with Pam's parents in Springfield - we really didn't have to say much, because the third star that had fallen the night before landed around Pam's neck, and there was no question what it stood for. I had purchased a very special millennium diamond from Underwoods's in Fayetteville (the diamond matches the sparkles in Pam's eyes). It is a near-flawless stone, one of the rarest in the world with a perfect cut (0) and color (0), and engraved with a serial number that is also attached to three stars that I had named for us (once I get that telescope we will be able to punch in the coordinates and actually see them). Parents are very important in a relationship you know, and I could not have asked for a better pair (I'm sucking up now). More on them later.

10/15/00 It was late and after dark when I returned to Cloudland, and I could tell that it had just rained. In the headlights I could see blazes of color in the trees along the road here and there - I do believe that fall had begun to move over the weekend, but I would not know for sure until the light of day.

10/16/00 It rained off and on all night - often times VERY HARD! It was foggy and misting out when I got up and slipped into the hot tub. And warm too - 63 degrees. It had rained an inch, and felt like more would be on the way. I had expected a fog bank down in the valley, but I believe the hard rain kept it from forming. Instead the clouds were hanging at just about cabin level. I could see out into the wilderness under the clouds, but it was still pretty dim out so I couldn't really see what the color was doing. After hiking up to the office for a couple of hours work, I returned to the cabin for a better view.

Dark and cloudy at first light today, but LOTS of color! That is Beagle Point hidden in the clouds.

FALL COLOR REPORT. From my cabin, the wilderness is about 50% color right now - what a HUGE change in just two days! There are still many green trees, but also brilliant orange, red, yellow and all colors in between too. I'm not sure what the rain will do to the color - sometimes it will stop the progression and even reverse it some. But we might be far enough along so that the color just continues. If that happens, the peak of color in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness area will be sometime this week. I can't speak for other parts of the forest because they are probably in different stages, but I suspect there will be some good color this week in many parts of the Ozarks.

Looking up Whitaker Creek from the back deck

Some of the best color is right around my cabin and office. And it is interesting that not only are there bright red and yellow maples, yellow hickories, orange and red oaks, red dogwoods, but also still many BRILLIANT red black gums just now coming on - this tree is often the first to turn color, usually in September. And there is a lot of ground cover in full fall dress too, like sumac, sassafras, persimmon, and poison ivy. All of those usually turn sooner and are gone by the time the big trees come on strong. Yep, it is already one spectacular fall going on up here, and it will only get better! And of course, today the colors are more intense because everything is damp and misty and foggy, all bringing out the rich colors. Where is my camera!!!

Poison Ivy!

The sun is out now and I can see blue sky thorough the red and orange leaves above the office. I have not had much time to go out and breathe in the fall air and soak it all up lately, so I believe that I will head out here in a few minutes for a short hike. Fall is splendid in the Ozarks, and the next two weeks will be the best of it all! I hope that each and every one of you get the chance to get out and soak up a bit for yourself. And if you see a guy and girl walking hand in hand with a giant smile on their faces, say hi.

WOW, what a wonderful hike I just did! As I was messing around at the cabin getting ready to go, the sky turned from bright blue to black to white and back again - there were lots of thick clouds running around up there along with the sunshine. And the wind was blowing pretty good.

As I plunged into the forest I immediately discovered that there was a great deal of dramatic color RIGHT NOW! Holy smokes you should have seen the black gums, maples, oaks, hickories - you name it and there were entire trees brilliant color. One species that I had not even noticed in a long while was elm - they were bright yellow! And oh my gosh the huckleberry bushes! And the oaks - some of them were pure red, others orange. Pictures - digital snapshots or otherwise - simply would not do any of this justice.

Blackgum and blue sky

The coverage is in the 40%-60% range with many green trees still, but they just added to the contrast. I do believe that today I saw more shades of color than I have ever seen before! One area was full of sassafras - one tree had all yellow leaves while the one right next to had all orange ones. Very striking color indeed!

Sassafras leaves

The overall views were pretty darn nice too, especially because of the brilliant red black gums scattered all over the place. And the yellow hickories, and the orange and red oaks, and the green ones too - oops, I already said all of that didn't I. Well, it was just so spectacular! LOTS of color to come for sure, but today was magnificent. And I heard from the UPS driver that there was color between here and Fayetteville too, so it looks like fall IS happening this week in the Ozarks - and next week too I'm sure.

And here is a little critter that I came across on my hike - about three inches long and as big around as your thumb - do you know what he is?

The wind that blew through yesterday brought many acorns down - my deck had been cleaned off the day before, but this morning you could hardly walk across it barefoot without screaming! I do believe that there is such a great "mast" crop this fall that the squirrels only have to sit at the base of their own tree in order to gather enough nuts for the winter - haven't seen a squirrel at my place in a long while. Going to be some FAT squirrels come spring!

Acorns on my back deck - one day's worth

The clouds soon disappeared and were replaced with an incredible bright blue sky. Walking up to the office was pure pleasure indeed - everywhere around me there was color, not only of the leaves, but of that sky, and the sunshine beaming through. I must say that my commute to work is no trouble at all!

For the first time in a very long while, and only after hours of struggle, I saw part of my desk! Needless to say, I spent most of the day in the office, but I guess it was worth it because now I won't feel so guilty about going out and playing in the woods.

Actually what I did all afternoon was work in the woods, or up in Aspen's meadow. I have been putting off digging and burying the power line that runs across the meadow out to the star deck for a long time (for fans in the summer, telescopes at night, and blenders for bushwhackers at any time), and today was the day. the work was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be - probably because the recent rains loosened the soil.

The work went faster too because of the location - it was a textbook autumn afternoon in the Ozarks, and I was surrounded by the blazing color of dozens of trees. One thing that I noticed though - the other hillsides did not seem to be as advanced color-wise as those in front of the cabin are (I could see a long ways down into Boxley Valley). Some brilliant color to be sure, but much more green. That means that there will still be plenty of color left for the weekend. I suspect much of the state will still be green, and it may be another week for other parts of the Ozarks - it is difficult for me to tell from out here. So the best bet is to GET OUT and enjoy every day that you can!!!

Funny thing about being up in the meadow today - I did not see Aspen for a long time. He must have been sniffing out every little mouse and bunny trail that he could find. Or maybe he was over in the thicket dancing with a she bear. He did come back later with this large grin on his face. Hum.

It is pitch black outside now. I just hiked up to the office from the cabin. There is no breeze at all, but there were SUMMER bugs out singing! That is a bit odd. It is not warm at all, and in fact feels like a crisp night coming on. The sky is filled with a zillion stars, including the three Cloudland stars (Pam, Amber and Tim). I can't wait to set up a good telescope out here and spend some time really getting to know the night sky. One thing that I am looking for is a scope capable of adding a CCD recorder (a digital camera). If that ever happens, I will be able to post a few astro-pics here. There is a big meet up on Mt. Magazine in a couple of weeks, and I plan to be there to look at all the telescopes that they have set up there.

10/18/00 It was still dark after I had my soak in the tub and headed up the hill to work. Moon shadows covered the forest floor and danced all around. But since the sky was getting lighter with each step, the contrast of the shadows was very low. The further I walked, the less the definition between moonlight and daylight became. When I reached the office, I just kept right on hiking - it was crisp and delightful out, so who wanted to go to work?

As I got deeper into the forest I was startled by a loud scream - a barred owl in a large oak high overhead was not at all happy about me being there. Or perhaps he was just saying "Good MORNING!"

Eventually the moon shadows disappeared completely, but then the ground began to turn a bit red. I looked up  through the canopy of multi-colored leaves and could see clouds way up there that were glowing from the rising sun. I walked on. Within a few minutes there were normal shadows on the ground, replacing the moon shadows. "I'm being followed by a moon shadow, moon shadow, moon shadow..." Hum, it seems that I am singing a lot more lately.

The temp has remained in the hight 40's this morning, and there was a heavy dew. The office was a bit chilly inside as well. No problem for me though - every time that I sit down in my big office chair, Aspen jumps up and snggles in, wrapping himself around just above my waist.

And here is a quick first aid note from a journal reader in California. It has to do with having a heart attack when you are alone. It that happens, and your heart stops, you only have a precious few seconds before you will pass out. If you realize what is going on, you might be able to save yourself. The trick is to take a series of very deep breaths, and expel the air by coughing as long as you can, then another deep breath. Supposed to keep this up until you can get to the hospital. So if you ever are wandering around out here in the wilderness and see me running around coughing loudly and taking deep breaths, you might want to begin CPR.

FALL COLOR REPORT. Looks like things are progressing nicely here at Cloudland. Still lots of green, but tons of blazing color. Parts of the forest are nearing peak - 75%-80% coverage, while other parts are still down below 50%. The maples are coming on strong now, but still have a long ways to go. As I look our from my deck I can see a number of trees that quite literally look like they are on fire - black gums. This has been the best year for them EVER! I will be driving around a bit this afternoon and will post another report tomorrow.

I CONTINUE to get copies of that fire picture e-mailed to me (three more today), but at least none of them seem to be from regular journal readers anymore - THANK YOU all for not clogging up the phone lines. And speaking of phone lines, I am trying to get some feedback from anyone who has used a satellite dish for internet connection - if you or someone you know has one and would like to let me know what you think of it, please let me know. Right now there are two kinds - one that uses your regular phone connection for all outgoing stuff (VERY slow posting) and the dish for incoming (much faster); and one system from Microsoft that uses the dish for both. Only problem with this Microsoft system is that you can only use it with THEIR COMPUTER, and you are forced to buy the computer from them! Boy, that really sucks. I can't stand Microsoft, and don't use any of their software.

I must pause here for a moment and pass on a letter that was sent to  my brother Terry. It is from a sailer who is serving on a navel ship that is supporting the USS Cole now after the attack. This is not junk mail, but rather an example of what it means to be an American. I hope that you will take a few minutes to read it.

"It wasn't until a few days ago though, that we started doing something that
I feel may be the first thing I've seen in my short Naval career that has
truly made a difference.  Right now we're supporting the USS COLE and her
crew in Aden.  When the attack occurred we were a day away.  Just by luck we
happened to be on our way out of the Gulf and headed towards the Suez and
could get here in a relatively short amount of time.  I know what you all
have seen on CNN, because we have seen it too.  I just want you all to know
that what you see doesn't even scratch the surface.  I'm not going to get
into it for obvious reasons.  But I will tell you that right now there are
250+  sailors just a few miles away living in hell on Earth.  I'm sitting in
a nice air conditioned state room, they're sleeping out on the decks at
night.  You can't even imagine the conditions they're living in, and yet
they are still fighting 24 hours a day to save their ship and free the
bodies of those still trapped and send them home.  As bad as it is, they're
doing an incredible job. The very fact that these people are still
functioning is beyond my comprehension.  Whatever you imagine as the worst,
multiply it by ten and you might get there.  Today I was tasked to photo rig
the ship and surrounding area.  It looked so much worse than I had imagined,
unbelievable really, with debris and disarray everywhere, the ship listing,
the hole in her side.  I wish I had the power to relay to you all what I
have seen, but words just won't do it.  I do want to tell you the first
thing that jumped out at me - the Stars and Stripes flying.  I can't tell
you how that made me feel...even in this God forsaken hell hole our flag was
more beautiful than words can describe.  Then I started to notice the mass
of activity going on below, scores of people working non-stop in 90 plus
degree weather to save this ship.  They're doing it with almost no
electrical power and they're sleeping (when they can sleep) outside on the
decks because they can't stand the smell or the heat or the darkness inside.
They only want to eat what we bring them because they're all scared of
eating something brought by the local vendors.  Even with all that, the USS
COLE and her crew is sending a message guys, and it's that even acts of
cowardice and hate can do nothing to the spirit and pride of the United
States.  I have never been so proud of what I do, or of the men and women
that I serve with as I was today.  There are sixteen confirmed dead sailors
who put it on the line for all of us, and some of them are still trapped
here.  Please take a minute to pray for their families and say a word of
thanks for their sacrifice - one made so that we can live the lives that we
do.
All of you that serve with me, thank you.  All of you that have loved ones
that serve, thank you."

10/19/00 While there is a great deal of fall color across the Ozarks right now, I have found many hillsides of oaks that just turned rusty brown with not all that much color. I do believe that the rain we got recently has actually dulled some of the color, but I still think overall we will have and are having a pretty darn nice fall here.

First thing I had to do today was get my TV room switched into an auditorium. A group of young-minded Elderhostel folks came out for a slide show (and hike to Hawksbill Crag). They have been spending the week touring around the Ozarks, with base camp at the Ozark Natural Science Center. Once I got the auditorium all set up, I remembered that I needed to bake up some homemade Cloudland cookies, so I quickly got a batch of dough put together and in the oven.

Fresh, warm Cloudland chocolate-chip oatmeal cookies!

While on my way up to open the gate for the incoming group, I took the long route through the woods. I came across a couple of hikers on the trail who seemed a bit lost. They looked a bit bewilered to see another human out there in the middle of the woods (couldn't see my cabin or road). And it really got worse when I told them that I had a batch of cookies in the oven and that I had to go so they would not burn!

The Elderhostel group showed up right on time, and the warm cookies on the counter disappeared quickly. After watching the new spring slide show, we sat around and talked a while. These nice folks were from all over the place, including Wisconsin and Louisiana, and several spots in between. Aspen seemed to like them.

Elderhostel group in front of the fireplace at Cloudland

Just as they drove off another group showed up. One green truck, then two, then three. All from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. I knew a couple of them - one was the main bear guy for this part of the state, and another was a legendary hunter that I had known for many years. We talked about the mast crop, bears, deer dogs, and I even managed to sell a couple of books. Nice folks. I was proud to show off my new wildlife license plate that I had just got this week. Most of the money from these special plates goes towards non-game species, and it is a really great program. This years' tag features a whitetail deer, next will be a humming bird, but the next will be a black bear - my favorite!

10/20/00 Another textbook spectacular fall day in the Ozarks!!! Clear blue sky, little wind, blazing color. While on a hike a little while ago I realized that the ground was covered with new fallen leaves, and acorns. Man, I have NEVER seen so many acorns before! Looking down I did not really see them at first, then I saw dozens, hundreds, thousands! Yet I never saw a squirrel. I wonder if they are so stuffed from it all that they are all stuck inside their trees and so fat that they cannot get out of the hole!

A great mast crop like it is this year sure does help out the wildlife, especially deer and squirrel. But it makes them more difficult to hunt. Like for instance deer will not move around very much - because there is plenty of food right where they are. And when deer don't move much, they seldom get shot at. Tomorrow begins the black power deer season here, which runs through next weekend. I have heard a number of folks in the area shooting today - sighting in their guns. These primitive weapon hunters are generally a better caliber of hunter and outdoorsman, not saying anything against the normal gun hunters, but it just takes more skill generally to get your game this way. Archery hunters are even more talented. I have spent many thousands of hours in the woods with a bow in hand. I never killed much, but did learn a great deal about the forest, the wildlife, the earth,  and especially about myself. I doubt that many city dwellers who have never hunted could ever come as close to the earth as dedicated hunters do. Sounds kind of strange, but I do believe that is true. I don't know why, I guess it is because you really have to become one with the land the wildlife to be very good at hunting. While I no longer hunt or eat game (I simply don't like the taste of the meat), I fully support hunting. After all, if we did not have hunters paying the bill to stock and manage wildlife for the past 100 years here, we would not have any wildlife to see - they would have all died out long ago (many did, and hunters brought them back). Oops, I had better not get any further into that speel.

The Superdog with his favorite toy, or what is left of it

But if you are out in the woods this weekend, make note that you will see folks in blaze orange vests with guns. Do be respectful and nice to them - they are just like you and me, and are out there enjoying nature just like us. It would be a good idea for you not to be too horny though!

Speaking of being out in the woods, our hiking club will be having out annual Hare Mountain Hike In. We expect 50-75 backpackers from all over the region to attend. It is always a grand time with wonderful folks and terrific food. YOU are welcome to join us, no matter if you are a member or not. This has been the first backpack trip for many novice hikers in the past, and is a great trip too for families. My future bride and daughter will be there this year, so I am especially looking forward to it.

Later in the day I heard the first geese of the season - flying south for the winter. That is normally a sign of the coming of winter. There is something wonderful in the sound and sight of these magnificent critters way up there, flying in formation and singing out to the world below. And not only do they provide this treat each fall and spring, but they leave behind those tiny feathers or "down" that help keep us toasty all winter. With all of the modern marvels, man has still not come up with an insulating material that can match goose down.

And a pair of other birds flew down from the north this evening as well - Mrs. Cloudland and Miss Amber. I must tell you that I have been quite surprised and often moved by the avalanche of e-mails that I have received about the three of us this past week. It is SO WONDERFUL to hear from all of you with your great support! I had no idea that so many of you shared my hopes and dreams and were pulling for me to find my lifemate. It does indeed renew my faith in the human race!

Aspen and Amber at home in the loft

The sight of two young women running towards me at top speed with outstretched arms (both yelling "me first")  is a feeling that I have never had before. Life at Cloudland is indeed being enjoyed on a new level these days!

10/21/00 We all got to lay around in bed this morning and listen to the pitter-patter of small raindrops on the tin roof. Then we splashed around in the steaming bubbles out on the lower deck for a while before feasting on a pan full of Cloudland Hash, hot chocolate and giggles. It didn't really rain much - just sort of a heavy dew.

And for the first time that I can recall, we were not the least bit in a hurry this morning. We had to pack all of our backpacks for the hike on the Ozark Highlands Trail, but we had all day to get there. This would be both Pam and Amber's very first backpack trip.

I like to be as accurate as possible, and so I always weight my backpack before heading out on a trip. I hear so many people talking about their pack weighing 70 or 80 pounds or more, but that is almost always a guess, and a wild one at that. Most people simply cannot carry an 80 pound backpack, at least very far. Once my pack gets much above 40 pounds I start thinking about leaving stuff behind. A heavy pack is simply not very comfortable, and what is the use in going on a recreational trip if you are struggling all the time?

I loaded Pam's pack first. Oops, you should have seen the SIZE of it! She did not have her own backpack, but since she is so tall, one of mine fit just right. But it has a large capacity, and I filled it up to the brim. Fortunately most of the stuff was not too heavy, but did take up a lot of room. Her pack topped out at under 40 pounds.

And much to my surprise and delight Amber had already loaded her pack with all of her clothes and stuff, and it too was full. It topped out at under 10 pounds, which was still a lot for her. It did my heart good to see and hear her anxious to carry her share of the load.

Then it was time for my pack. The main problem that I knew I was going to have was the fact that I would have to carry all of our water for the weekend, PLUS water and food for Aspen. I thought that I had a backpack for him, but could not find it (it was Yukon's pack). Plus I had to carry up all of the awards that I would be passing out at the campfire meeting, which included a number of copies of my new picture book (at nearly 4 pounds each), and framed certificates (that glass is HEAVY!). Not to mention a tent large enough for all four of us (counting Aspen). I tried not to mentally add up all this weight.

OK, so my pack tipped 44 pounds on the scale. Whew, that was good. Oops, that did not include any water, the awards, food and water for Aspen, plus several other things that did not get included in my regular pack. Since my pack was completely full, I had to pack everything else into a separate bag that I would hang onto one of my backpack's posts. I sometimes carry a camera bag that way so no big deal. But this bag ended up weighing over 30 pounds. Ooops! That meant that my pack would weight 77 pounds. No problem - the trail would be ALL UPHILL!!! Yikes! I was prepared to make two trips if necessary.

But before we could leave for the hike, we had one more chore to do - bake cookies! That would be our contribution to the pot luck later in the evening. I cannot tell you how much fun it was to hang out in my kitchen and bake homemade Cloudland cookies with Amber! Pam sat there with this big grin on her face. And, of course, several of the cookies did not turn out perfectly, so we had to remove them from the batch and store them in our stomachs.

As we loaded up and drove away the leaves began to fall all around us. It was one of those special times when the trees let go of their colorful cargo, and then a symphony of movement and color begins - it is something wonderful to witness indeed. We had to stop a number of times and let the leaves fall in through the sun roof.

And my oh my the color in the forest was nothing short of SPECTACULAR!!! Fall was at its peak this weekend around here for sure. The maples were charging on full speed, adding brilliant yellow, orange and red to the landscape. Breathless would describe the scene as we moved on down the road.

We all loaded up at the trailhead and hit the trail, Amber in the lead. While it was steep and rocky at times, we moved on up the hillside towards the top of Hare Mountain with relative ease. And I even had everything with me - although that silly extra bag looked weird hanging over the front of my backpack. Amber and Pam did very well, and we only had to stop for air a couple of times.

Three happy hikers!

When we arrived at the top we found a number of friendly faces around the campfire. And then a TV camera appeared (channel 11 in Little Rock) - now that guy REALLY had to pack up a load! He followed me around as I picked out the perfect campsite. There are many great sites at Hare Mountain, and you can have a hundred or more folks camp there and let everyone spread out - there is so much room.

Once again much to my surprise Amber melted right on in with the other hikers, and seemed comfortable with them, and they with her. It turned out that she was the only young person there, but she accepted that very well. She is a lot like I was at her age, and I suspect that she will spend a lot of time in the woods and with other adults. Hum, I wonder if that is a good thing - look how I turned out! Pam and Amber spent some time gathering leaves that would be pasted into a notebook and identified.

The pot luck dinner around the campfire was a great success as always, although I was forced to tie Aspen up to a nearby tree (I don't want him to have human food, and everyone wanted to give him a bite!). Then we all gathered close around the fire and had our little meeting. A number of folks hiked up just for the feed and meeting, then hiked back down in the dark. We had 53 hikers in all, from six different states. And I got to get rid of all those heavy awards! All in all a grand time was had by all.

Hare Mountain Hike In Group

You should have seen the inside of our big tent - it was wall-to-wall bedding! Amber was using a light-weight down bag of mine, and Pam and I had this HUGE double-wide and flannel-lined bag that I recently bought just for my expanded family. Aspen sort of snuggled in wherever he could. We were three peas in a pod (oops, make that four).

10/22/00 Amber and Aspen are both early risers. And they took off to go a visiting while Pam and I got breakfast all set up. We did get some real rain during the night, but it was not heavy, and all remained snug and dry. There was no sunrise, but it was warm. After breakfast we gathered all the hikers that remained and took a group picture. Then we bid our mountaintop campsite farewell and headed on down the trail back to the truck.

The drive home was equally as colorful as the day before - the Ozarks in all their fall splendor!!! I would say that this is one of the most brilliant falls that we have had here, period. Especially when you consider that great mix of colors - like the sumacs and sassafras and other early-blooming things that we normally don't see at the same time as the mature trees. But this year it is all turning color at the same time, so there is a much greater range of color than norma.

Back at the cabin we unpacked and had a bit of lunch, then retired to the basement to watch a movie and take a nap. Before long a knock came at the front door. It was Scott and Carolyn, and they had come out to gather acorns for their eight pet flying squirrels. Even thought we had cleaned off the back deck just the day before, it was covered once again with these giant red oak acorns. The tree of us gladly jumped up and helped gather nuts. Before long we had several bucked filled to the brim with squirrel food.

But there was one anxious moment. While we three were down below the deck in a particularly acorn-rich area of the steep hillside, Pam found a snake. Oops - not supposed to be any snakes out these days. And this one was a beautiful COPPERHEAD! Really, his marking were very bright and colorful. Sorry, but copperheads and little girls and big girls and guy and acorn gathering just don't mix, so we abandoned the great cache of nuts and moved on to the other side of the deck, and out into the open woods.

And the whole while we were gathering the nuts, there were many more crashing down on the deck, and others landing in the forest next to us. In fact, I think each of us was blessed with a nut bouncing off our own heads as well! It does help to have a hard head when collecting acorns. We were all up to the job.

Amber helping out at the computer (cabin computer)

MUCH TOO SOON Pam and Amber had to head back home, but not before they put in a bit of time working in the office, un-boxing a large pile of picture books for me to sign. It is often best to do things together out here at Cloudland, no matter if it is gathering acorns, enjoying a sunrise, eating ice cream, or un-boxing books. I do think that the family that does things together will remain that way for a long time to come. Such will be the case with this one. Of course, there will always be plenty of room for time alone, for I also believe that one needs that as well to be perfectly happy with ones self and all others around you. I designed Cloudland as a place for groups to gather and interact, but there are also many special spots for one to sit and read alone, or lay in the hammock or hike or just to go sit next to a tree and soak up the wilderness.

It remained cloudy all day and into the night, but no more rain. As I sat there in the steaming bubbles near midnight, I could only see two stars peeking through the cloud cover. Those clouds are just fine with me - the fall color looks so much better with the soft light that they produce.

10/23/00 It was warm and cloudy when Aspen got me out of bed. As I hiked up to the office the entire forest was glowing. What a terrific feeling to be a part of it all!

FALL COLOR REPORT. Looks like the peak of fall color is here right now in my little corner of the Ozarks. All species are showing brilliant color, yet there is still green to be had, which makes for a nice contrast. Maples are coming on strong now - yellow, orange, red. Sweet gums are often all of those colors on the same tree. Same thing for sassafras. Many oaks are orange, and the hickories are bright yellow. Still a few black gums blood read, with yellow elms too. I would say that the trees are 80% turned at Cloudland today, with still more color to come. As the week progresses, most of the rest of the trees will turn as others lose their leaves. Next weekend will probably still be a great time to see color up here, but I suspect not quite as good as now and during the week - it will all depend on what the weather is doing.

10/25/00 I was out on the back deck playing guitar before first light. The superdog was at my side in the swing, trying to add his own special mark to the music. It went something like this: "In the early morning rain, with a dollar in my hand.....ASPEN, LET GO OF THAT PICK!...with an aching in my heart, and my pockets full of sand.....ASPEN, NO, DROP THAT PICK!...I'm a long way from home, and I miss my loved ones so.....ASPEN, DROP IT!!!......In the early morning rain, with no place to go..." You get the picture.

And speaking of pictures, the scene out in the wilderness was kind of eerie. Instead of everything just getting light, it all got BLUE. There was a great deal of haze hanging around, and it kind of looked like the Blue Ridge Mountains out there. As the golden rays of pre-dawn begin to filter into the valley, that blue haze all turned orange and red - black to blue to red within a few minutes. With Orion, the might hunter towering straight up overhead and watching it all.

Fall color and haze out the back door, looking south up the main Buffalo River valley

FALL COLOR REPORT. In the light of day I could see that we have passed the peak in my little wilderness spot now. The trees are 90%-95% turned, with many that have already lost their leaves. There are probably more trees in fall color right now here, but that color is more muted than it was a few days ago, and not as much of that neat green mixing in with it all. I prefer the color just before the peak. In the immediate area of the cabin the scene is mostly yellow from top to bottom. Beginning very low, there are small maple trees that have turned yellow, and this trend continues all the way up the forest canopy, with maples, hickories, elms, and even oaks all being yellow. It really adds a yellow glow the forest as you hike along. Other parts of the forest are just now getting to that really nice pre-peak color, while many places just tuned brown. It will be a great weekend to get out and view the color, but that will depend on your specific area, and what the sun is doing. When the sun is out, your best views will be with the sun out in front of you, and the trees backlit, with all that brilliant color shining through.

The wind blew today, and man when it did the forest turned into a magical place like no other. Many times when I looked up and out the window of the office during the day I just had to stop what I was doing and rush outside and lay down. The air would be filled with a million multi-colored jewels flying by and floating to the ground. This was not the official "leaf fall" today, but it was about as close as it could get.

The leaves piled up on the ground. Enough so that a vehicle going down the dirt lane would leave a mark, and several passes on the trail would leave a trail - I made many passes along the trail between the office and the cabin today, and by afternoon I had a genuine path through the autumn forest. Delightful, just delightful!

And once while on a short hike today I heard something quite odd. High up in the colorful trees came a sound I thought I would not hear again until long into next year - SUMMER BUGS! What the heck are they doing out today - after all the geese have already flown south for the winter, and they are supposed to be asleep. But I guess the stunning sight of the changing leaves woke them from their nap, and they just had to sit up and take notice and proclaim their delight.

Later in the day two of the "Natural States'" best outdoor photographers dropped in for a visit - Chuck Haralson (the official Arkansas Dept. of Parks and Tourism's photographer for the past 18 years), and Bernie Junkund. They reported that the trees down along the Buffalo at Steel Creek and elsewhere in Boxley Valley were really nice.

10/26/00 As I sat out in the steaming bubbles before daylight this morning, I wished on the last star as it faded into the grey sky. I am kind of weird that way - not only do I wish on the first star of the night, but also on the last one seen. And while I was contemplating my wish, I realized that I had no reason to wish any longer. What a wonderful feeling that was! Oops, I forgot - I really do wish that the superdog would quit chewing up my picks! Perhaps he is trying to tell me something about my music.

It has been a very hectic day, and I have spent most of it running back and forth between the cabin and office. On the phone. Answering e-mails. Boxing up book orders. Packing camera gear. en mixing in with it all. I prefer the color just before the peak. In the immediate area of the cabin the scene is mostly yellow from top to bottom. Beginning very low, there are small maple trees that have turned yellow, and this trend continues all the way up the forest canopy, with maples, hickories, elms, and even oaks all being yellow. It really adds a yellow glow the forest as you hike along. Other parts of the forest are just now getting to that really nice pre-peak color, while many places just tuned brown. It will be a great weekend to get out and view the color, but that will depend on your specific area, and what the sun is doing. When the sun is out, your best views will be with the sun out in front of you, and the trees backlit, with all that brilliant color shining through.

In the middle of one of my runs back down to the cabin, I slipped in the leaves and fell flat on my face. Acorns never really hurt too much until you get one smashed into your face! As I accessed the damage and tried to compose myself, I rolled over and was stunned at what I saw. In all of my hurries back and forth, I had not taken a single minute to marvel at the wonder that was all around me. And what a wonder it was! I was laying right in the middle of one incredible stand of maple trees, all in the full blazing glory of fall. Bright reds, oranges and yellows EVERYWHERE.

And if the pure color of it all was not enough, the sun was popping in and out of the clouds, sending shafts of brilliant sunlight into the forest, and this, along with the wind tossing everything around, created a kaleidoscope of color and motion. I realized that the tears were not from the gash on my leg, but from the incredible raw beauty of nature before me. And then it began to rain, lightly. I sat there in awe, taking the earthy aroma of the woods deep into my lungs. To quote Mrs. Cloudland - LIFE IS GOOD!

Please note that I did get everything done that I needed to today (I hope!), but that there will not be another post until Monday or perhaps even Tuesday. Have a splendid fall weekend!

10/27/00 As we were screaming down the interstate from Fayetteville towards Mt. Magazine, the color outside was quite remarkable - the Ozarks in all their fall splendor for sure! And it was raining, in fact storming pretty good, and there were many waterfalls along the roadside.

We were headed down (actually UP) for a big star party up on Mt. Magazine. I had wanted to go in order to get a look at and learn about as many different telescopes as I could, so that I could eventually make up my mind as to which one to buy for Cloudland. The only problem today was that it was storming, and the forecast did not look too good. Since those things are usually wrong, we surged ahead. Also, Pam's dad (Ron) and friend (Dave) were already up there and had big steaks waiting for us on the grill. Pam's parents have this really nice RV (I'm sorry, but I do enjoy them now and then, especially when the weather is bad), which would serve as our base for the evening.

The big event was a yearly one put on by a big star gazing group headquartered in Dover, Arkansas. I had found out about it through Ron, and his friend and co-worker Dave. Dave is the telescope guru, and in fact brought along three of his big telescopes for us to look at and through (plus he is packed with info that I needed to know!).

Soon after we arrived and feasted, it got dark and the sky opened up. It was not perfect viewing weather, but a lot better than anyone had expected. Most of the crowd listened to the weather people and stayed home -[their loss.

We got to see Jupiter and its moons, and the rings of Saturn for sure, but Dave showed up some really neat stuff that I had no idea existed. It was a terrific learning experience for us. One thing it taught me was that I needed to spend a great deal more time learning before I bought anything. And I will probably build some sort of enclosure for whatever ends up in Aspen's meadow. Shortly before midnight a fog bank rolled in, which shut everyone down (the dew was already pretty heavy).

10/28/00 We began our very busy day quite early, up and peering into the telescopes, while Aspen sprinted around the meadow where we were camped (Pam and I stayed in our little RV - a dome tent). After a wonderful sunrise, and another great feast provided by Ron, we headed down from the highest point in Arkansas and sped towards Cloudland.

Right in the middle of the Pig Trail National Scenic Byway, we noticed that we had become a part of a Mercedes rally - new and old ones along the highway as far as you could see. They were all from Texas, but when they pulled off at a predetermined point, we drove right on by, waving as we went. It was fun to be a part of it all, if unofficially. The trees along the pig trail were very nice, although many of them had reached their peak a few days before.

The rest of the trip towards Cloudland was lined with many spectacular forested hillsides around every corner. A very nice weekend to be out and about.

After a quick shower we hiked on over to Bob's for his big bluegrass festival and BBQ. This is actually Bob's birthday bash that he does every year, but he never tells anyone it is his birthday. We stuffed ourselves on all kinds of great food, and got to visit with over a hundred or so wonderful people. Bob really knows how to put on a party!

As we were hiking away from the group, Pam looked a bit dazed. I asked her what was wrong. It seems that many of the friendly crowd had been reading about her in the journal, and brought this to her attention - how great they thought she and Amber and the entire situation was. And, of course, everyone wanted to meet Amber (who was back in Missouri). I do believe that Pam was a bit unprepared for all this attention. I just had to laugh!

Later, as we crawled into the hammock at our cabin, a steady stream of people passed by, all heading to the back deck to enjoy the spectacular view. This is the first time that Pam has witnessed the mass migration firsthand. We both were enjoying the afternoon so much that we just stayed put in the hammock, waving to all who passed.

And I must say that the afternoon turned out to be one of the most relaxing that I have enjoyed in a long while. The conditions were perfect - the colors were just incredible, all backlit by the bright sun and with the deep blue sky high above; it was warm and there was a cool breeze blowing; Aspen was busy exploring all the new acorns that had hit the ground since we had been gone; and Pam and I were curled up with each other, swaying in the hammock and sound asleep. No finer moment could be had anywhere.

Roy and Norma and Patsy were all down on the bluff doing a bit of rapelling. Bob and Dawna were over at Bob's, and soon Scott and Carolyn and The Wildman and Mary would arrive for the evening's festivities.

But first we had another chore to do. We took a couple of bags and headed out the trail towards the East meadow. We found a perfect spot that was covered with giant red oak acorns, and spent the next while gathering nuts for the flying squirrels. Sometimes it is great to be on top of the highest mountain. Other times speeding down a curvy highway is fun. But sitting there in the leaves on the forest floor was just simply wonderful. Collecting these acorns is not only therapeutic, but you also have the fresh air, the exercise, and get to play like a squirrel!

Before long everyone was in place and the grill was filled with salmon and tuna filets. Another Cloudland feed was at hand. LOTS of great food, and many pitchers of BUSHWHACKERS!

After we felt like everyone was feeling pretty good, Scott and I got out the guitars and TRIED to play a few tunes. I must say that some of what we were doing sounded pretty darn good, but neither of us had had much practice in the past ten years, so the good parts were few and far between - but there was some hope of good sounds to come there!

Later in the evening we all decided to head up to the star deck and see what we could find with my little telescopes. We were able to see the rings on Saturn and the moons of Jupiter, plus a few other things. But nothing like the views Dave had shown us the night before. Hum, I need a really BIG one!!!

10/29/00 The cabin slowly came to life, and before long there were many coffee mugs in use and blueberry biscuits being consumed. The sky was on fire before sunrise with one of the most brilliant color displays that you could ever witness - very nice indeed!

We all hung out on the back deck while Scott roamed around down below gathering more nuts for his flying squirrels. Soon everyone headed out and the hectic weekend came to an end.

It is after dark now, and is raining pretty good outside. We got an inch of rain on Friday night, so things are looking pretty good. There still won't be too much buildup of running water in the forest until all of the leaves come off of the trees and everything shuts down for the winter. Then any rain that falls will runoff without being soaked up by all the living vegetation.

There is still plenty of color around here. In fact the maples are just simply STUNNING!!! Lots of yellow ones, with orange and red one thrown in for good measure. The overall long scene is past prime now, but quite a bit of color left to be enjoyed. I think that other parts of the Ozarks are looking good too, but many have moved past prime with lots of bare trees visible.

And for the first time since early April, the bluffline over across the way on Beagle Point is becoming visible (as the trees over there lose their leaves). That bluff will be a welcome companion and focal point of conversation for many months to come. And there might even be a deer dog or two that wind up in the middle of it and need to be rescued!

It is very dark, still raining and pretty chilly outside, and here I am without a raincoat or flashlight tonight. No matter, I will enjoy the trip back down the hill to the warm and cozy cabin. The cool air reminds me that I have not soaked in the steaming bubbles since last Thursday. I do believe that I will be headed for splashdown very soon. A chilly fall night is just PERFECT for a soak in the hot tub...

10/30/00 There was a lot of noise during the night - mostly rain on the tin roof. It sounded GREAT! But I was wide awake most of the night, and ended up in the hot tub at 5am, getting in a quick soak between downpours. First light showed that the cabin was engulfed in fog, a swirling, ever changing pattern of white against the darkness of the trees. The rain continued on and off. I hung out in the living room, reading, munching a little, and mostly waiting around for something to happen so that I could go elsewhere. Or perhaps I didn't want to go elsewhere. The scene out the window changed every few minutes - from low clouds and views into the valley to total whiteout.

A brief open view, looking south, with heavy cloud cover

The hike up to the office was a delight - delicate color EVERYWHERE. Mostly yellows today. And muted ones at that because there was so much fog. I spent the morning in the office doing paperwork. It rained more - some of it heavy. An inch in all. Man, we really need that rain - another foot or two would be just about right. I know the forest is smiling and soaking it all up.

It was a bit frustrating today because I really wanted to be OUT there in the woods, hiking, soaking up some of the color and wetness myself. But I had chores to do that had to be done. Sometimes you just have to be an adult. Well, not very often, but once in a while, even at Cloudland. So I worked on, stopping to gaze out into the fog and dancing trees as often as I could.

By late afternoon I just had to get out, and so I did. A short walk around the mountain, through the forest, down the slopes, drifting out across flat benches and up steep hillsides. And then I wandered through a stand of maples that had dropped most of their leaves - the forest floor was a carpet of brilliant color!

maple leaves carpet the forest floor

On the way back into reality I passed by the deciduous holly tree up near the Faddis cabin. This thing was completely covered and sagging with bright red berries. I had remembered that Pam noticed this tree on Saturday, and I took her picture there. I had to take another one today - very rich color. And these berries will stick around now for a while, and the little tree will lost all its leaves and there will be nothing but RED. And then one day a flock of little birds will swoop down from above. There will be much chatter and a great deal of movement. Within an hour the branches will be bare. And the little birds will be the ones who will be sagging!

Deciduous holly tree

Darkness came swiftly - not only because of the time change either. The lid just seemed to smack down over the wilderness in a hurry today. Perhaps because I am stuck up at the office without a flashlight once again. No wait, while I was organizing the warehouse for a new shipment of books this morning I discovered a headband flashlight. Yes, I am saved!

November 2000 Journal