Cloudland Deck Cam, 11/27/03, 7:48am (dark, gray, rainy today - next cam shot will be Dec. 1st)

11/1/03 Very gray and hazy this morning. No wind. Warm. Humid. There are no clouds or fog in the canyons, but the sky is very low. We've been hearing lots of geese flying overhead - the first we have heard this fall. Seems like it may just be one flock that is lost up there in the clouds somewhere, looking for a place to land. I guess their altimeters are off because they either need to go higher to get above the clouds, or down below the ceiling for ground visibility. Or perhaps they just enjoy playing around up there!

Pam and I took off to find the Buffalo River yesterday. I mean, where the Buffalo surfaces between the Boxley and Ponca bridges. Nothing but dry rocks at the Boxley bridge, which has been the case for several months now, and is typical.

It is always to odd and wonderful at the same time to hike down the middle of a dry riverbed, especially for a watercourse as large as the Buffalo. Lots of deep pools where you walk way down into the earth, look around and realize that the normal water level is way above your head. No other way to inspect the bottom of those deep turquoise pools than to walk around during dry periods, or with a mask - but then you have to hold your breath all the time!

The riverbed was broad and bumpy much of the way, but also often narrow and clogged with trees and branches. The smooth stones were quite slippery, but the rougher rocks with porous surfaces were easy to hike across. Dark clouds and damp air followed us the entire way, which made some of those stones all that much slicker.

We hiked downstream past the point where Beech Creek comes in from the left - a very deep hole just downstream there. The river takes a turn to the right at that point, and veers off and away from the highway, which had been close by. Around one corner, then the next, and another - lots of dry riverbed.

And then all of a sudden, there it was - WATER! We could see it a long ways off. The river did not all of a sudden come surging up out of the depth, but rather simply and quietly soaked up through the rocks in reverse. The pool was still and covered with reflections. We found the Buffalo. Mission accomplished!

On the way back we found this very odd mushroom growing straight up into the air (I guess that is how most of them grow, but I could not think of another way to say that). It was only a single stalk. I had already stepped on it when I found it, and realized it was hollow. The photo of it appears as our happy "Hollow Weenie" photo at the beginning of the October Journal. That is the greeting that Amber started off the day with yesterday, so I figured it would be appropriate.

Another splash of color we found on our hike back

OK, back to today. Something caught my eye out the window a few moments ago, and when I looked up, saw an incredible shaft of bright golden sunshine that had broken through the cloud layer and was lighting up a portion of Whitaker Creek. A few seconds later it was gone. There are nine window panes facing south on this level of the cabin, and I tend to spend a lot of time looking out them. Guess I would get a lot more work done without all that glass, but then I also consider it part of my job to see what is going on all the time!

My bride has completed another pastel that I wanted to share with you. This is really only the third or fourth one that she has finished, and I think it is quite wonderful. Can you imagine how good she will be in ten or twenty years?

Pam's pastel of our uncle Jim Zimmerman and friend Father Joe (Catholic priest) on an early-morning paddle in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minnesota
(prints available - go to the fine art prints section of the ONLINE STORE - use "BWCA" for the ID)

We hope to have a lazy weekend to kick off November - no real activities planned. Of course, it is just now 8:45am and I have already put in three hours of work at the computer. I have a bunch of color prints to do this weekend, plus we will have some guests later this afternoon. I also plan to make a quick trip down to the river to being the process of working off last nights' candy. Amber went to town dressed as a mailbox, and she got rave reviews from all the households we visited. It is so nice to be able to hang out with talented people!

11/2/03 Sunny and windy today, still quite warm for November - in the upper 60's and low 70's. We have a rare few hours this morning with just the three of us and no visitors (although some are on the way). Each of us is in a different part of the cabin working on one thing or another, with occasional ventures out into the woods for some fresh air.

Yesterday afternoon I took a quick hike down to the river - I was really surprised at how much wonderful COLOR there was in the trees! Seems like we have a lot more color this past couple of days. The afternoon sun was beaming through the forest and lighting up maples, oaks, and hickories. And then the sun went behind a cloud the colors really came out. I did manage to take along my little snapshot camera and took a few photos.

The trail was covered with six inches or more of fresh leaves - leaves that hid loose rocks and holes. I stepped right onto the side of one hidden hole, which sent my ankle popping and me tumbling head-over-heels onto the ground. Ouch, that one hurt! But unlike the last time I did that, I just kept on hiking, and eventually the pain went away and my ankle was fine - a little bit sore, but fine.

As I got to the lower bench along Whitaker Creek, most of the trees were beech trees, and they had turned the most wonderful shade of orange. In fact many of the other trees above had turned orange as well. The old homesite and chimney next to the creek was engulfed with the beeches.

On the way back up the hill I stopped to shoot a photo of a bed of beech leaves that had an upper layer of fresh maple leaves on top. Some of the larger maples were brightly lit, although most of them had already lost their leaves. But there were many smaller maple trees - some even only three or four feet tall - that were full of brilliant red and orange leaves. Momma Nature is putting on quite a show! We have other stands of maples nearby that are just now coming into their own, and producing some remarkable color. So even though overall it has been a less-than-stellar fall, there IS a lot of color, if you can get out and find it!

On the way back up the hill I stepped right into that hole once again, and with the same foot! But I hit it straight on this time and so no further damage.

We had some company stop by yesterday evening - just in time for a wonderful light show up in the clouds. We took a few photos and then had a quick digital photo training session. One of our guests is getting ready to head to France for six months and needed a little digital camera to take with her. It is amazing how much quality they are packing into a tiny camera these days!

11/05/03 Just a brief update this morning. We had a lot of rain overnight - a glorious inch of it! Lots of fog this morning, and very wet air. TONS of yellows and oranges peeking through the misty landscape, and it is so inviting for a hike. The temp is 50.

I had a 21-hour work day yesterday, which included 11 hours of driving over to Jonesboro and back to be part of the grand opening of a big doctor's clinic there (they have 82 of my prints on the wall). I also put in a full day of work here at the cabin before leaving to head that way. Man it is a LONG way across Arkansas! Lots of rain on the way back, and more when I got home.

It will only be a 20-hour work day today, and only four hours of driving. Hum, it must be getting close to holiday season! I don't really have time to sneak off for a hike, but maybe I will anyway - "Honey, I need to hike up to the office and may be gone for a while." Thank goodness my bride understands that my "office" is the great outdoors!

Speaking of the great outdoors, for those of you in the Springfield, MO area, we will be giving a program at the Springfield Nature Center on November 14th at 7pm. All three of us will be there, and I'll be showing both the Arkansas Waterfalls and Arkansas Wilderness shows (and, of course, have all 12 of our publications for sale). When I first contacted the Center about doing this program, they said no programs but MISSOURI programs were allowed - not enough local interest. Well here it is still more than a week away and nearly all of the reservations have been taken. They still have a few seats left this morning, so if you are interested in coming, be sure to give them a call at 417-888-4237 to reserve your spot (they will also compile a waiting list since folks do have to cancel from time to time). The seats are free, they just are limited to in number. It has been five years since I have given a program in Springfield, so it will be great to meet everyone.

I did get to sneak out and got one shot!

11//7/03 Most of Newton County was without power all yesterday morning and into early afternoon. We fired up the generator here so had no problems - it will run nearly everything in the cabin with only the slight inconvenience of having to listen to the hushed road of the generator just outside. So nice to be able to fire that thing up and continue working! In the past we have just been dead in the water. Once the main power grid came back online again our DSL service shut down - now that really hurt! We were unable to access e-mail or any web sites for the rest of the day and into this morning. I got an old-fashioned dialup connection account established this morning and am using it until they figure out what is wrong with our DSL.

In a very odd bit of fate, I must tell you about my "Jonesboro connection" this week. I had never been to Jonesboro in my entire life until the other day, Tuesday, when I went over for the book signing and clinic open house. On Monday night, I saw a huge explosion in the eastern sky as I was slipping into the hot tub. Turns out it was a meteor that was breaking up over JONESBORO! The next day, right after I left to head that direction, I got an order through the online store for a copy of all my books and calendar (two copies of some of them). The person who ordered all of this was from JONESBORO, and said he had been trying to buy them at the local Hastings there for a long time but they never stocked any of my books. Well, at the very moment he placed the order I was on my way to Hastings in Jonesboro to stock them with books! (Of course, his order would have completely wiped out the store - the books manager there was hesitant to put any of the books on the shelf - even though it doesn't cost them a cent to stock them!). Also turns out that this guy was a high school buddy of mine, and I had not seen nor heard from him since high school graduation night! And then last night, when I called in for tech support to try to figure out what had happened with our DSL line, the guy on the other end said that he was in beautiful downtown JONESBORO! All of that in one week - kind of odd.

Right now we have a low ceiling and the clouds are hugging the hilltops surrounding Cloudland. We have a brief window out into the wilderness world, and it is nothing short of beautiful. The temp is 35, and it is very wet outside. We got about two inches of rain yesterday and the night before, but last night and this morning it is just heavy, wet air, and not real accumulation.

I got to spend some time on the tractor yesterday, gathering up firewood and moving it down to the cabin - a chore I have been putting off because I've been spending way too much time at the computer. But now with the cold temps - which I LOVE - I plan to spend more time outside - I especially enjoy chopping wood in the early morning frigid air.

We have a book signing on the Harrison square this Sunday - Books Galore - then we'll be off to Louisiana on Tuesday for a program to the Ozark Society down there, then to Clarksville later in the week, then up to the Springfield Nature Center (that program is now sold out with nearly 200 people signed up, and they are keeping a waiting list) on Friday, then to the Elkins Library for a program Saturday morning, then to the Ft. Smith Library for a program on Sunday afternoon. It will be a very long but FUN week! By the way, for any of you who listen to NPR's "What Do You Know" program, it will be in Ft. Smith tomorrow, and they will be giving away a set of out guidebooks to one of the quiz contestants - that should give us a bit of national exposure.

Since our internet connection is so slow out here today (and no telling for how long), I probably won't be posting any photos - at least until we get our DSL back. I do plan to get out of the cabin and hike around a little bit today, just to get the cobwebs out of my brain.

11/8/03 Cloudy, cool, and windy at first light today. We had thick fog all day yesterday, and light rain, although none of that showed up in the rain gauge. It was late in the afternoon before I got to get out of the cabin and go hiking, and I had a fine hike down to the river and back.

The trail was still covered with leaves, although they were wet and compressed. I decided to take an alternate route and not use the trail at all. Around here that means going straight down the hillside, which is what I did. I guess it was more of a controlled fall than actually hiking, but I really enjoyed the feel of the hillside under my foot and being able to interact with the trees and the boulders along the way (i.e., holding on for dear life!). I came across a lonely leaf that got stuck in a bare branch on its way down to the forest floor. Come to think of it, perhaps this little guy WANTED to get hung on that branch, and had been reaching out and clawing the entire trip down from above trying to latch onto something. Looked like a tiny stub on the branch speared the leaf, or more than likely punched through a miniature hole in the leaf. At any rate, the leaf was there all by himself, waving in the breezes, and getting a great view of the steep hillside all around us.

Still some color on the way down, but not nearly as much as in previous trips to the river. Both Whitaker Creek and the Buffalo were running nicely and making all sorts of music. The temp was 37, but by the time I had turned around and headed back up the hillside I was already sweating and had to remove my outer layer. It was a warm hike back up to the cabin, which I made in the dim minutes of twilight just before it got dark. Love breathing in that cool air!

When I shut down the computer last night and ventured out into the cold for a soak in the hot tub, the sky had cleared and the stars and a nearly-full moon were shining down and lightning up the wilderness below. There were new clouds being born down in the canyons, and they were gathering up to form a sea of white down there - looked really weird in that moonlight, but quite beautiful just the same.

By first light this morning it was cloudy once again, and no sign of the sea of white below - I guess they all grew up in a hurry overnight and were now full-fledged clouds. Soon after first light the sun burned through the cloud layer and it is now sunny, but still a bit chilly out.

Today is opening day of the regular gun deer season. So far I have not heard a single shot. I know a lot of folks are afraid to go near the woods during deer season, which is too bad, because we have some great hiking weather during that time. There really is no reason to stay home. I won't get back up on my high horse about hunters, but I will just pass on this one story about a phone call that I got a couple of days ago (I always get dozens of these calls each year). A guy said that he was going to take his wife on her very first backpack trip into the Hurricane Creek Wilderness Area on the Ozark Highlands Trail. She had called "the state" and someone told her to STAY AWAY FROM THE WOODS because it would be deer season during their hike. He was calling me to see if that was true. His wife was terrified. I asked him where they were from, and he said "Memphis." I informed him that certainly there would be more people murdered in Memphis this weekend than would be killed by a deer hunter in all of Arkansas during the entire deer season! So if his wife was so afraid of being killed, she had better get out of town and into the woods - she would have a BETTER chance of survival in the woods with all the deer hunters! This is a fact that applies to any city in this country. OK, 'nough said. Just get out and hike!

My ladies are off early this morning and up to Missouri. I am slaving away on the computer today, making a batch of color prints and updating computer software. At some point I plan to take an hour or two off and head out into those dangerous deer woods for a delightful hike.

But first, I wanted to pass on a couple of "family" things that you might be interested in. Here are a couple of photos of Amber and her Halloween outfit.

The good folks at the Elk Information Center in Jasper did a review of Pam's new book in their weekly column (Newton County Times), and here is all of that text (taken from THE ELK BUGLE, by Ruth Wilson - this piece ran just below a photo of 11-year old Shelby Stattler, who had just killed a big black bear with a crossbow!):

I leafed through Pam Ernst's new book and decided right away that daughter Amber is a pretty smart cookie. One of Amber's pieces of advice was that you should always have a tall person hike in front of you because they knock down all the cobwebs.
    With lots of good advice, clear directions, maps, nature facts, and more this is a fun book to read whether you take the trails or not. And, no, I did not make a mistake. Arkansas Hiking Trails for Children and Families is Pam's book, not Tim's.
    I'd been waiting its arrival for several weeks and really enjoyed my first cursory look. We've got it in stock now at the Elk Center and you really should come by and get one. In fact, you should get two. A lot of folks you know would be delighted to get the new Ernst book for a Christmas gift.
    Don't be misled by the fact I keep calling it the kids' hiking book. These are hikes for the family - one where you can take grandma and grandpa as well as the kids. Some of them will even accommodate a wheelchair or stroller. Get it. Read it. It's fun. Then go do the trails. I'm a firm believer that there is little you can do to promote good health that is more effective then frequent hiking.

What else can I say - I DO think my kid is one smart cookie!

By the way, Pam has already started on her next book project. She has stacks of maps, brochures, and other info spread out all over the cabin. Looks like it is going to be one busy winter for us! Once we get into the meat of this new project I will let you know what it is - I know some of you will be able to contribute ideas.

And here is a rundown of our upcoming programs that are open to the public:

November 9th, book signing at Books Galore in Harrison
November 11th, slide programs at the Ozark Society meeting, Shreveport, Louisiana
November 13th, slide programs at the University of the Ozarks, Clarksville
November 14th, slide programs at the Springfield Nature Center, Springfield, Missouri
November 15th, slide programs at the Elkins Public Library, 11am, Elkins
November 16th, slide programs at the Ft. Smith Public Library, 2pm, Ft. Smith
November 22nd, slide programs at the Rogers Public Library, 3pm, Rogers

Pam will be with me for all of the above, and have her book available.

11/12/03 Finally cooling down a bit here tonight, late. I was just out hiking in the dark and the breezes coming in out of the north are sweeping away the moist, warm air that has been hanging around for awhile. Still lots of crunching going on - love the sound of that thick layer of freshly-fallen leaves underfoot!

There is this little maple tree, actually just a baby, that has been growing up next to the trail on the way to the office. I have had my eye on it somewhat over the past few months - it was not there last summer. Young trees often have full-sized leaves, or even larger - I hear that is so they can compete for much-needed sunlight to help them get bigger. The leaves on this little guy turned brilliant red last week, and remain that way, even now in the middle of November, while much of the rest of the forest has fallen and is now into winter dress. A wonderfully bright spot of COLOR and happiness in the wilderness! When I hiked up to the office to check on a late UPS shipment, I put a spot light on this little guy and took his picture. Even in the darkness he is smiling.

We had a great trip down into Louisiana yesterday to give a program to the Ozark Society in Shreveport. Our day began at 5:22am, and ended at 3:30 this morning when we got back to the cabin. Such a long drive literally from one end of Arkansas to the other, but it was well worth it to meet and see so many great folks. There were several Journal readers in the group, and it was an extra special treat to meet them. (Robyn and Jamie, I could never tire of writing in your books, and only wish that we all had more time to visit!) Arkansas is certainly one terrific place to live and play in, but one of the reasons why that is so is because we have so many great neighbors all around us! Some folks have the "let me in and then lock the gate behind me" attitude, but we ALL came from someplace else, and this beautiful land is for everyone to share.

My bride was back up again at 5:30 this morning to get Amber up and off to school (along with Pam's mom who came down from Missouri to help out!). Pam has been running all day since, and is in town tonight at class. I've been trying to keep my eyes open all day, and so far have managed just fine, most of the time. Whenever I felt myself slipping off I would steal away out into the woods for a few minutes to breathe some fresh air, and get hit on the head by a falling leaf or two.

We've had some really strong winds these past couple of days - up in the low 50mph range. Limbs and furniture all over the place, and it even blew a screen off one of our windows. Lots of music in all that wind too. How come Momma Nature is always in tune? But is has been dry, quite dry here, and not a single drop of rain at the cabin all week. I asked our good friends down south last night if they would please push a little hurricane or two up our way from the Gulf - that is what we need to get the waterfalls up and running. The rivers are coming up nicely now that the trees are going dormant, but we still need a good jolt of heavy and sustained rains to really do the job.

A colony of mushrooms popping up out of the leaves

Most of you know how I feel about veterans, and it looks like our daughter shares that view. Unknown to us she submitted the name of a friend of ours who served in Viet Nam, to be honored yesterday at her school. She brought home a candle with his name on it to light. THESE are the sorts of heroes our children need to be around and look up to, and it is great that our little Jasper school recognizes this. I will repeat what has been on the banner here for the past couple of days - we owe every single breath of freedom to our veterans, so THANKS guys and gals, for all of your sacrifices, and for that of your families!

11/17/03, late. Seems like ages since I have had the time to sit down and write something here. We've been on a program marathon for the past week, as many of you know from first-hand experience. It was GREAT to meet and speak with so many of you that we visited with from four different states. I had no idea there were SO many of you out there, and that you were so friendly!

Tonight there is a storm raging on, and has been for several hours. I've been asking for a lot of moisture to blow up from the south, and that is exactly what we are getting now. Only problem is that there remains a small hole or crack someplace in the cabin superstructure that leaks when we have powerful rains blowing in from the south - Pam's computer gets hit the hardest, and right now it is living under a plastic tent.

Our rain gauge is on the blink, but I would say that we have easily received several inches of rain since just before dark. The roads were flooding and covered with piles of leaves being pushed along by a sea of water when I went out to get Amber from the bus at 4pm. Thank goodness for all of this rain - we really do need it! Of course, you know what that means - WATERFALLS A PLENTY! No doubt they will be running tomorrow, and probably for a while to come.

FALL COLOR. Son of a gun, we've seen a couple of areas in this past week that have just been BLAZING away up here in the Ozarks! The first stretch was along the road from Ponca to Jasper on Friday - everything as far as you could see popped an incredible shade of yellow and orange overnight. The oaks and hickories were the ones on fire. And then yesterday, we drove along the Pig Trail National Scenic Byway from Brashears to Cass and the colors there were quite remarkable - and lots of REDS thrown in with the yellows and oranges. No doubt all of that color is gone now with this big storm, but it was great to see , if only at 60mph.

Speaking of yesterday, we had our largest program of the season so far at the Ft. Smith Public Library. Standing room only crowd, and they were lined up both before and after the show to snatch up the great book deals. Any of you that have seen us this past week know what I am talking about. It was a scene that was repeated at every stop in our tour this past week.

We expected just a handful of folks at the University of the Ozarks photo club program in Clarksville, but they packed the house and bought EVERY SINGLE picture book that we brought with us! What a fine facility they have in Clarksville, and so many wonderful people too. And just as an aside, we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in town before the show - in and out in about ten minutes! Good grief the service there was FAST!!! And the food was great too. We plan to make that a regular stop anytime we pass through Clarksville in the future.

Our next stop was at the Nature Center in Springfield Nature Center in Pam's old stomping ground. The show had been "sold" out for awhile, but since the weather was so bad (38 degrees and rain) we figured only a handful of faithful would show up. As usual, the Nature Center staff did an outstanding job of getting the word out and we had a full house. They told us there were at least 40 calls on Friday wanting tickets, but none were available. Seems like half the house were Journal readers, and it was just terrific to see so many of you all!

We were mentally and physically exhausted when we rolled into the cabin just after midnight after that show. It takes us about two hours to unload the truck when we get home after a show, sort out all the equipment and books, then restock the books, and load everything back up again. We were on the road by 8:30am the next morning, headed to the Elkins Library for yet another show.

I love to help support small community libraries like this one, especially one so nice as they have! The library itself is scarcely larger than a bedroom, but there is a large auditorium attached where we had the show, a Senior Center, and a really neat park just across the street. Once again I wasn't expecting much of a crowd, but folks started showing up an hour before the show, and nearly every seat was full. There were going to do a raffle to help raise money to expand the library, and we donated a couple of picture books. Amber bought five chances on the centerpiece of the raffle - a beautiful handmade quilt. Hum, it would be way too large for her room.....

And then our final stop for the week was at the Ft. Smith library. More Journal readers and tons of friendly faces. This turned out to be our longest program yet - we were there nearly four hours from start to finish.

Today was going to be a rest day (yea right), but it is now almost 10pm and I have not stopped for more than a minute all day. Tons of stuff to do this morning to try and catch up, then we had a meeting for several hours to set up our final plans for the Swimming Holes of the Ozarks guidebook that Glenn Wheeler has been working on (not finished yet, but it will be early next year, and on the shelves next spring). As soon as all that was over I got to work on some big prints, which I am still in the middle of tonight. When it rains, it pours, and that is the only way I love to work!

Many of you have sent e-mails this past week about the programs, and while I will reply to each one of you, I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for not only your kind comments, but for making the effort to come to these programs. I know you all had better things to do than to sit and listen to me ramble, but it did mean a great deal for me to have you there and I cannot thank you enough. Often these programs are a labor of love, and knowing you are there really makes it all worth while.

It was great to see my ladies get some much-deserved recognition at these programs. They both have worked so hard on the Kids guidebook, and on getting all of my stuff packed up and unpacked and sorted out for the shows. And, of course, they are the ones that had to deal with the hoards of folks lined up at the sales table! Pam is one smart cookie and now has positioned me away from her so that I don't get in their way!

By the way, we will be at the Rogers Public Library this coming Saturday at 3pm - same program, and the SAME great book deals! We have other public programs in Tulsa, Harrison, Hot Springs, and Benton later on.

The last print of the day is out of the printer now, so I think I will pack it all in and call it a day. I have not set foot in the woods in early a week, but hope to get back out again sometime this week many times. I might even go find a waterfall or two...

Kind of froggy today: butterfly bench, Aspen, cabin (above); Amber's b-ball court (below)

11/18/03 Warm this morning, the rain has stopped, but it is still quite wet outside. The Buffalo River is up and running and making lots of noise. It's not really flooded, but a lot higher than it has been in a while. Very muddy though.

Looks like my bride did way too much heavy lifting this past week and now she is paying for it. Her back is in very bad shape, and she is unable to do much. Few things hurt worst than a bad back! So it was my turn to take Amber to the bus this morning, and we had a grand time of it.

Today is crazy hat day at school, and Amber wore what I can only describe to you as a really CRAZY hat! They also were required to bring three cans of food in order to participate in the crazy hat thing. Amber, being the wonderful child that she is, decided that she needed to bring much more than just three cans of food, so we loaded up her gym bag with all sorts of cans. While I was in big favor of this, it would come back to haunt me later.

As we were pulling away from the cabin in the darkness, a giant pair of eyes glowed in the middle of the road up ahead - turned out to be the Fat Cat - he got caught up at the tractor shed yesterday before the storms began, and was just now making his way back down to the cabin.

Before we got even half way out to where we meet the little school bus, we were stopped dead in our tracks. A large tree had been blown down across the road. I tried to move it, but the base of it was held firmly in place by four strands of barbwire fence that the tree had grown around over the past 40 years. I was going to have to go back to the cabin and get a chain saw, but it looked like that was going to put us too late to catch the bus, and we would have to drive all the way to school. Then Amber jumped out of the truck and announced that we could just run to the bus. Huh, run a MILE just to catch the bus? OK, kid, you got it!

It was still pretty dark outside, but the road was easy to follow. We both sort of did a slow jog, keeping up a good pace, but not really pushing it. Remember, this was her idea. By the time we reached our destination both of us were soaked in sweat, although Amber informed me that her deodorant was working pretty well! We stood around in the dim light and talked and laughed and giggled until the little feeder bus arrived. She was happy as a clam.

Oh yea, remember all those extra cans of food? Yep, I got to jog to the bus with all of them!

It was a very nice walk for me back to the truck. There was a cool breeze blowing, and it was light enough for me to see out into the forest as I hiked along. A chorus of peepers kept me company part of the way. And then I came across that fragrance that I often find out in the wilderness. Normally I can only smell it for a short distance, like it was coming from a single plant or two. But today I could smell it for probably 1/4 mile along the road. And I finally decided exactly what it smelled like - a fresh cucumber. Not the meat of a cucumber, just the outside skin of a cucumber. It is very FRESH smelling, and there is nothing else like it out in the woods. Anyone have an idea what the heck this fragrance is from?

I made it back to the truck, turned around and headed back to the cabin. As I got close to home I once again saw the fat cat in the road - this time he was running as fast as he could AWAY from the direction of the cabin. That was odd - they guy never misses a meal, and Amber had just filled up his bowl before we left. Then I saw Lucy in the distance, and understood his predicament. Lucy doesn't really get along with either cat - she just tolerates them because she has to. And once in a while, without any warning, she will simply haul off and chase one of them down. No reason. I guess that is why that once in a while, without any warning, one of the cats will haul off and swat Lucy across the face when she walks by. No reason...

Time for me to go take care of that downed tree.

11/19/03 Crisp and cool this morning just before daylight. A beautiful sky filled with stars. Just as Amber and I were pulling away to head out towards the bus, we disturbed a large owl that was in a tree right next to the cabin - we saw him fly away into the woods along the path of our headlights. Little did we know that he had just done a dastardly deed.

Later this morning Pam yelled down at me to go get Aspen. He was under that very same tree, and had half of an 18" koi in his mouth - a bright gold and black one. A struggle ensued, which included a good bit of growling and snarling and snapping. (Aspen got into the act too.) Our beloved Halloween was gone, but I really didn't want for Aspen to eat the entire fish. No doubt it was the owl that had swooped down in the darkness and grabbed this fish, then carried it to the nearby tree for the feast, which was interrupted by our headlights. The fish hang around in suspended animation right now, and are easy prey for critters like the owl. Can't blame the owl. Can't blame Aspen for trying to finish off the meal. Looks like we are going to have to provide even more cover for our fish from now on.

I was glued to the computer for most of the day, trying to catch up from a week of being gone. Still dozens and dozens of e-mails to reply to - THANKS so much to all of you who have been sending them in! Always so nice to hear from folks after our shows.

Just before dark I couldn't take it anymore and headed out the door and down towards the river. It had been a clear-blue sort of day, and the temp had climbed into the 60's. So nice to be able to go hiking in mid-November in your shorts and a t-shirt!

I quickly dropped down below the bluffline and plunged into the dark valley below. The sun was low and only lighting up the tops of the ridges, the rest of the wilderness fading into twilight. I've been taking alternate routes away from the main Ladder Trail of late, and it felt great once again to know the freedom of a controlled fall down the steep hillside, grabbing onto everything that I could to help slow me down. All the way down and all the way back up and not a SINGLE spider web! That is one sure sign of winter setting in - the spiders have bedded down.

As I made my way down the mountainside I noticed that many of the trees I grabbed were quite warm, while others were not, some even being on the cool side. I got into this discussion about different trees having warmer or cooler bark in the past, but that was more in the really cold months. These trees today were holding onto that sunshine warmth better or worst than others. Seems like the ones with the small, rough bark were warmer than the ones with either smooth or large rough bark. Young white oaks and mature dogwoods held the heat the best.

There is this large tree that got blown over last year, right across the trail in the bottom near the Buffalo. When it first blew over I could easily walk right under it without having to bend over. Slowly the limbs that have been holding it up off the ground are rotting away, or at least digging into the ground. Every couple of weeks I notice that I have to bend over a little bit lower in order to pass under this old giant. More than once I have left a part of my scalp on the bark. It had been awhile since I made this trek down to the river (I'm back on the main trail once again by this time), and man the old tree had really sunk in far - it was like doing the limbo to get underneath!

HOW NICE to be able to see so far out into the forest these days with all the leaves off of the trees. The wilderness does indeed go on forever.

I came alongside Whitaker Creek and followed it on down to where it flows into the Buffalo. Man this little creek was making a lot of noise, and appeared to be having a grand old time dancing around all the smooth boulders in the way. Not muddy at all.

The Buffalo was up as well, of course, and had cleared up since yesterday. From the looks of the bare gravel bars I would say the water level had only gone down about six inches. So nice to see the river up again, although it didn't really get down too low this summer, not at all until September. I took a few snapshots of the new river, but somehow I was not able to really capture any of the personality from my limited vantage point on the bank. It was funny to see this thick stand of young sycamore trees that have recently clogged said gravel bank - not a stitch of clothes on any one of them! It was easy to make my way on through out to the edge of the river.

Some thoughtful beaver had crafted a perfect walking stick and left it right on the edge of the river - a little too thin for my tastes, but perfect for Amber, so I picked it up and carried it home. Mr. Beaver had stripped it clean from top to bottom, and picked a perfectly straight little tree to work on. My standard hiking staff these days is a "beaver stick" that I found while out looking for Haley Zega many moons ago. While some humans are pretty good at it too, beavers are the best walking stick makers on the planet. And a beaver stick will give you good luck.

11/20/03 We got to witness an incredible display of natural talent today, over and over again, plus I spent 30 minutes doing absolutely nothing. Really. Nothing. It was great.

Lots of bright sunshine and WIND all day today. The gusts were up into the 40mph range from daylight to dark, but it all seemed for naught because no clouds or rain or thunder were blown in. There were zillions of leaves blowing around though, and the canyons below us were at times filled with these golden jewels; floating, surfing, actually climbing up into the air while riding the air currents. And if that weren't enough to distract us from our daily chores, one of those blowing leaves turned out to be a bald eagle.

Three different times during the day we had to rush out onto the back deck to stand and gawk at this marvelous creature. Fully mature, with coal black and pure white feathers. He rode the wind currents like a pro, hardly ever moving a wing. In fact he spent a great deal of time down BELOW the cabin, soaring back and forth and moving along the bluffline. Several times he came in over Mom's meadow, and we got a really good look. This afternoon when he came by he was all lit up by the afternoon sun, which created quite a dramatic scene up against the near-black of Beagle Point as a backdrop. And just about the time it was the most spectacular, I remembered, DUH, I have a camera inside! So I ran into the cabin and grabbed my real camera and put on a long lens. But, of course, the moment I got back outside, Mr. Eagle was gone. I stood there at the window for quite a while, standing next to my tripod-mounted tripod, ready to fire. No more eagle. In fact I have never taken a single eagle photo out here ever, not in five years. Today was far and away the best scene, but I missed it. No matter - that view will live inside my head for a good long while to come. It was a very unusual perspective looking down on this guy while he soared.

My afternoon hike was a good one, as they all are. Very warm today, and I was in shorts and t-shirt once again. Most of the forest floor is brown now, but every once in a while there will be a bright red and orange maple or sweetgum leaf that shines up from below.

I walked along this little creek for awhile as the dogs splashed away, then decided to sit down and take a load off. I found a spot right next to the creek and up against a smooth boulder that angled back just so. I was facing upstream, and could see the waters dancing back and forth over many rocks, and then several quiet pools in between miniature waterfalls that fed them. The creek was making a lot of noise, but it didn't bother me at all.

Out to my right was the open forest, mostly beech trees and white oaks and sweetgums. And quite a few moss and lichen covered boulders scattered about, half buried in the ground, and with fresh, yet dried up leaves piling up all around.

Far out in the distance I could see ridgetops around me. In fact I was surrounded by them, a long ways up there on top. I decided to just sit there, doing nothing, absolutely nothing, for an entire half hour. This is an activity that I HIGHly recommend to anyone, especially those who spend most of their time in cities. I seldom get to do it anymore - mostly because of laziness. How many of you have ever done this - I mean really, honestly, picked out a spot in the middle of the forest and just sat down for 30 minutes and did absolutely nothing. Really, nothing. Really. It is actually a difficult thing to do, but if you can give it a go, you will be rewarded many times over. Try it sometime - the next time you are out hiking, plan an extra half hour into your schedule. Then when you are out there somewhere, get off of the trail - out of sight - and pick a comfortable spot. If you are leery of being alone in the woods, then bring someone with you and have them sit on the other side of a big rock so that you cannot see each other. Try it. I guarantee you will enjoy it. Money back if not delighted!

I was surrounded by a sea of beech leaves, all curled up tight; a forest of beech trees all around; and bits of pure blue above, where I could see it in between the thick overstory.

I decided to see how many different types of bugs I could spot. It was mid-November, but quite warm for this time of the year, so I figured there would be plenty of bugs out. Hum, I couldn't spot a single one. I squinted and looked closer, trying to examine each leaf near me. Nothing. No movement at all. Then all of a sudden an ant snapped into focus, moving rapidly up and over one of the beech leaves. There, I found one! And then I saw another bug - not an ant, in fact not a bug that I had ever seen before. And then a third bug, still different than the previous two. And then another, and another. I saw about eight or ten different types of bugs in all within a few feet of my seat, each one scurrying about at their appointed task. I got to wondering about this - had these bugs been there moving around all the time and I just did not see them? Or did they do like most other wildlife - run and hide when a human approaches, only to resume their normal routine when they feel the coast is clear? I bet these bugs could have cared less about me, and the simple fact was that I could not see them when I first sat down and started looking. It wasn't until I got into the proper "zone" of focus and thinking that I was able to really "see" them around me. Sometimes I wonder if we are not like that in our daily lives, sometimes?

The surface of the water was covered with bug life too - several water striders were busy striding around from end to end of each little calm pool. I'm not sure what the heck they were up to, but they seemed to be having a good time. One of them kept approaching the spot where the creek dumps into the little pool, only to be sent back in the opposite direction by the force of the water. I wonder - do bugs have a good time ever?

Aspen seemed to be having a grand old time in that very same water, but he eventually got bored and came up to sit next to me. He almost always sticks with the water until it is time to go, but he must have sensed this was a time to sit back and relax. Then I got to thinking about Lucy - hadn't seen her in a while. I assumed she was at some important task so didn't bother to call out to her. It was five or ten minutes later that she finally appeared - tearing down the mountain at full speed on her way to, well heck, I have no idea. She ran within a few feet of us before she ever noticed we were there, then came to a screeching halt. After exchanging smiles, she tore off on down to the creek, then jumped in head first and sat there in the shallow water for several minutes, drinking in the wonderful, cool, wilderness water.

While I don't recommend doing this half-hour wilderness watch with other people around, it is certainly fine to have a dog or two for company. They will always give you plenty of entertainment!

Seems like my thirty minutes were up before I knew it, and it was time to head on back to the cabin. I bid the striders and various bugs and beech leaves goodbye, and followed the dogs on away from my little wilderness perch. It was just about dark by the time I reached the cabin, and the wind was still blowing in the 40's - must be something coming our way in the next few days!

By the way, for any of you in the northwest Arkansas area needing some picture books cheap, our last big show of the season is going to be Saturday, 3pm, at the Rogers public library. I'll be showing the Arkansas Waterfalls and Arkansas Wilderness slide programs, AND we'll have the picture books on special at $20 each - some of them are originally $60! PLUS, you get a free 2004 Arkansas Wild & Free calendar with each purchase! (not with each book - only one to a customer) This is just our way to thanking everyone who makes the effort to come out for the show. We take plastic too...

11/24/03 We had a great crowd in Rogers, and got to meet many more Journal readers. Thanks to all who came out! Our next and last big program for the season will be on December 8th at the library in Benton. Pam has been in pretty bad shape after re-injuring her back, but was able to make the trip to Rogers, although it was her only trip out all week. She's been spending her long days on the computer and with a growing pile of maps and books, getting all her ducks in a row for the next book project.

A couple of mornings ago I went running out of the cabin as the eastern sky began to light things up. I grabbed my big camera and headed down the hill to try to find an open spot to shoot the incredible colors the clouds were turning. It was warm, and the wind was blowing hard. There was a tiny sliver of a moon up - the very last day before it would be gone for several.

Goodbye moon...

The clouds at sunrise

I spent most of yesterday at the computer, turning out about a dozen large prints before heading up to Missouri to pick Amber up. On our way home we got to see a pretty darn nice sunset.

Sunset while on the way home

The temp dipped down below 20 this morning - first time it's been below freezing since last winter. I grabbed my camera gear, a pair of gloves, the down jacket, and headed out the door in search of flowers, frost flowers. Seems like they love the first really good cold snap of the season, especially when it is down in the teens. I went right to my "frost flower garden" spot where I always find them. There is a patch of "frost flower weeds" that grow along the top edge of a small broken bluffline near our western property line. I can always count on this spot for the best frost flowers. Much to my surprise, there were no flowers to be found! I looked and looked and looked but nothing. All the conditions were right, and the only thing I can think of is that the wind was blowing too much, although sometimes that seems to help form the intricate designs that are frost flowers. I'll continue my search each cold morning until I can present a good photo here.

After I gave up on the flowers, I wandered on around the mountaintop for a little while in search of photos. My first stop was at my favorite deciduous holly tree, which is full of bright red berries. I was hoping to get some good macro shots of those fat, juicy berries all covered with sparkling frost - lots of bright RED, but no frost! In fact there was hardly any frost on the ground either. I searched and hunted and walked with my head down to the ground looking for some wonderful frost pattern on leaves or grass, but nothing.

It was bitter cold though, especially with that wind blowing. But I was toasty warm, and even had to unzip my jacket and shed my stocking cap. BRILLIANT blue sky, and bright sunshine. Easy to take that frigid air deep into your lungs, and it tasted great! The dogs loved it too, although for some reason Aspen beat me back to the cabin and made a direct beeline to Pam's feet. Smart dog.

It is late tonight, and the cabin smells of woodsmoke and red beans and rice and sausage. While I have not been able to fully stock our woodpile here, there is enough oak and hickory within reach to keep things toasty warm. I have stepped outside a couple of times tonight, and it is just wonderful out there. I think I'll put this computer to bed and go wander around in the darkness a little bit. The sky is clear enough that the zillion stars above provide just enough light to see to get around - no moon at all.

LATE UPDATE. It's about midnight now, and I just returned from a little stroll in the woods. WOW, what an incredible evening it is outside! It is really dark, but just enough starlight to move around, as long as you do it slowly and watch - or actually feel - every step, and protect your eyes.

Hiking up the road was easy, and while the temp was already down below 30, it was actually pretty warm since there was no breeze at all. While I could not see my feet, I could see the lighter color of the gravel road, which was easy to follow. I eventually ventured out into the forest, but slowed my progress down to a crawl.

I could just barely make out the individual trees, so didn't have problems bumping into them. But I could not see the little branches, so had to keep my hands out in front of my face to keep from poking an eye out. Slow and a little awkward, but man it was worth every inch.

When you are out in the near total darkness like that two things happen. First, the STARS really SHINE BRIGHTLY! Actually, no, they twinkled like crazy, if stars can do that. But since everything else is to dark, even the smallest star was bright and important tonight - helped out by the fact that the "transparency" of the sky was so clear. Orion was especially dominant tonight - as it will be throughout most of the winter - rising in the eastern sky. But even though I know it is supposed to be a hunter, and those three bright stars his belt, to me the formation makes me think of a giant eagle rising up, spreading his wings, and proclaiming all of the wilderness his own.

The other thing that happens out there in the darkness is that your mind focuses tightly on what is INSIDE your head since there is very little (other than the stars) to focus on otherwise. If you head into the night with your head full of confusion, there will be a shouting match inside and you may very well get run out of the darkness just to calm down your brain. On the other hand if you mind is calm and quiet going in, the darkness will allow whatever thoughts you choose to come alive and to the forefront, slowly, and quite clearly. It is almost meditation out there sometimes, although I have never actually "meditated" before that I know of.

You can travel many miles in the darkness and never really get too far away from home. Or in my case, too far away from the tub. After 30 minutes or so of darkness bliss, I slipped into the steaming hot tub and sat back to enjoy more of the incredible light show above.

11/25/03 Not nearly as cold today - 29 degrees just before daylight - but the wind was blowing, bringing the wind chill down to near zero. I was digging into the morning's e-mails when Pam returned from the bus stop around 6:30 - "There are FLOWERS everywhere!" While it was not yet light, I knew it would be soon, so I quickly gathered up my camera gear, put on a pair of socks and sweatshirt, and headed out the door.

My first stop was at the good old flower weed patch that I went to yesterday. Don't know what the reason was, but today the hillside was covered with frost flowers! The sun and I arrived at the very same time, and I got down on the ground to photograph the very first flower that I found, as it basked in the "Ozarkglow" of first light.

If you look close at the top of the ice you can see how the ice busts up the stem of the plant

Pam saw many flowers along the road well past the Faddis cabin, so after shooting a few more photos in my main patch, I headed on up the road. The very next flower that I came to (about a half mile later) turned out to be my favorite of the day.

This flower was nearly a complete circle of ice. And the rising sun was shining through it, lighting up that delicate structure against a dark background. Like all of these photos, I had to get down really low - actually flat on the ground - in order to get the correct vantage point. The temp was so "warm" for frost flowers that I had to work fast or the edges would begin to melt. Thank goodness for digital, since I knew the moment I took the photo that I had a good one! I took a couple dozen photos just in case though...Then on to the next flower.

In the span of perhaps 100 yards I counted more than 150 frost flowers - they were everywhere! Well, not exactly so. They only happened where the special frost flower weeds grew. I present a few more of my photos for your viewing pleasure:

Frost Flowers at Cloudland

Here is some info about frost flowers (stolen from Don Kurz's OZARK WILDFLOWERS guidebook on page 74 - the best wildflower book available ANYWHERE!). The plant that the flowers form on is called "White crownbeard," or "Frostweed." From Don's book: "These are ribbons of ice oozing out of cracks at the base of the stem. Sap from still-active roots freezes as it emerges from the dead stem, growing like a white ribbon as more fluid is pumped out."

11/27/03 HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!! We will be on the road working for the next four days, so the next post will be on December 1st - see the Cloudland Journal home page for the link to the December Journal. Aspen will be in charge of the cabin while we are gone, but will have plenty of security backing him up!