We had been holding out just fine, with plenty of water, food and firewood. And there was still just enough warm water left in the hot water heater for all three of us to take a much-needed shower. Today was the Christmas parade in Jasper, and we were to supply the trailer and truck for Amber's brownie troop float.

At first, I wasn't too sure if we could even get the wide trailer down from Aspen's meadow and along the road to Boxley, but the road crews had been out overnight and cut out all of Cave Mountain road, and the going was easy. We traveled through a wasteland of fallen trees and downed limbs - parts of the to of Cave Mountain looked like a tornado had passed through.

The day proved to be a spectacular day all around, with bright sunshine and very warm temps in town for the parade. I was surprised to see so many floats and others participating in the little parade from the school, around the square and to other parts of town. One of the highlights for sure was when we all detoured and passed through the driveway of the old folks home - many of the residents were out on the lawn, waving and enjoying the singing and the floats and other festivities. The parade was a great success, even if this one moment was the only thing that happened - it was really nice to be a part of. And for the very fist time ever, the high school marching band led the way - this was their first year to have a band, and they did pretty darn good!

Amber's fellow brownies and their parents decked out our trailer, and sang songs and waved to all of the folks lined up along the route. The green bomb of ours bore a green wreath on the front grille, with a red/white/blue & stars ribbon on it. There was an American flag taped to the cell phone antenna, and red/white/blue streamers elsewhere. I was proud to be driving this rig, and celebrating our great American spirit. Aspen played a part in it all too - he was on the float, with a red bow around his neck. The only problem that he had was that the big fire truck was right on our tail the entire time, and kept blowing his horn and sirens - poor Aspen did not know what to think, and spent half of his time hiding inside the fake fireplace on the float, and trying to climb up the chimney!

Amber and the SuperDog on the float

After the parade was over, and just as we were driving off to head back to the cabin, we found out that Amber's float had won FIRST PLACE!!! That was really quite a shock to us all. While it certainly wasn't the most elaborate float in the world, the girls put a lot into the float, and they certainly did deserve the trophy.

We made it home just fine this time, but it was sort of sobering to drive back through a totally dark landscape once again - no one in Boxley or up on Cave Mountain had power.

12/2/01 Still no power. This would be the fourth straight full day without power, nor any hopes of it. The sun rose into a bright blue sky, and the temps rose up into the low 60's. I had had enough of it all though, and made a quick trip into town to buy a generator. I simply had too much business piling up, and no telling how much more that was lost in the airwaves.

Much to my surprise and delight I was able to figure out how to hook up the generator directly into the main circuit box inside the cabin (thanks for a tip from a guy at LOWES!). I fired up the noisy thing, flipped the switch for the hot water heater, and 30 minutes later we had 50 more gallons of very hot water - this pleased my girls immensely!

Once we all had taken hot showers, I shut down the water heater and was able to power up just about everything else in the cabin, including the computer. There were more than 200 e-mails waiting for me - yikes! I was tired and worn out and not up to digging into all of them, much less trying to update the journal, so I made a quick post, answered a few of the more important e-mails, and shut everything down for the night, hoping all would be back to normal in the morning.

Oh yea, while I was in town, Pam and Amber got to witness one of the most wonderful events in the natural world, and one that I have never seen myself. There were FOUR mature bald eagles flying around above Fox meadow, swooping down low and doing all sorts of acrobatics. And then two of them got together in mid air and mated - what an incredible sight!!! And for those of you who have never watched National Geographic, they do it in the air, talons interlocked, falling towards the earth at a high rate of speed. At just the last minute - and in this case just above Fox meadow, they separate, and the deed is completed.

12/3/01 Still no power. It was disappointing to wake up once again without power, but at least we could get to some of the routine cabin shores that we had not been able to do in the past five days - like run the dish washer and wash clothes. I fired up the generator once again, and the cabin came to life. Amber went off to school as usual - her little shuttle bus was even running today.

By the middle of the day the power company finally made it out to Cave Mountain, and that wonderful juice was once again flowing through the power lines. Electricity is such a wonderful thing!

It was another warm and sunny day, and we didn't even bother to build a fire in the fireplace.

Clean clothes, clean carpet, and the internet - such simple pleasures of life!

But it was short lived. Soon after dark the power went off again. This time it came back on the same day, but it was a bit disheartening.

12/6/01 Soon after we crawled into bed last night the power went off again. I had to leave the cabin around 4am to do a television show at 6am in Fayetteville. Without a reliable battery-operated alarm clock, I would up spending most of the night tossing and turning and waiting for 3-something so that I could get up. It was really foggy when I left the cabin, and it was a slow drive into town. After standing around at the television studio for 20 minutes, and just five minutes before my live segment was supposed to begin, I realized that I was at the WRONG television studio - I was at ABC and was supposed to be at NBC. Oops. Fortunately the other studio was quite literally just across the street - I ran out the door, across the dark parking lot, and up to the correct studio. A minute later I was sitting there talking to the live TV cameras.

The was the beginning to a very long day. After heading back to the cabin to do a few chores, Pam and I loaded up the van and drove to Ft. Smith to give a slide program to a large auditorium packed with 300 American Express investors. Pam's mom came down to stay with Amber - we did not get home until almost midnight.

PROGRAM NOTE: My only public slide program left this month will be on Tuesday, December 11th, 7pm at North Arkansas Community College in Rogers. Everyone is invited to attend. On Thursday December 13th I will be giving a short talk about the new Haley book at the Boone Country Library in Harrison at 5:30pm (no slide show). Haley will be there too and everyone will have the chance to meet her (we will have plenty of books and calendars on hand!). It is also open to the public. And for those of you in central Arkansas, I will be at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Little Rock on Saturday, December 15th at 1pm. Again, Haley will also be there.

12/8/01 It is almost midnight, and I have had a couple of hours to sit back and breathe a little bit for the first time all week. The sunset today was quite spectacular - the colors were very intense, but didn't last too long. It is clear overhead, and the temp is dropping - down to about 32 degrees right now, with a low expected in the 20's. The cabin is all lit up with Christmas lights and toasty warm. We put up the big tree on Wednesday (before the power went out), and Pam and Amber decorated the rest of the cabin during the week. Our tree reaches high into the great room air, topping out up in the loft level somewhere (the ceiling in the great room is 23 feet tall).

Tonight's sunset

This past couple of weeks have been rather hectic, and I expect the one coming up will be more of the same. I do hope to be able to spend a bit more time enjoying the woods - winter is the best time of the year to get out and hike in the Ozarks! And Amber and I are still looking for that first bowl of snow ice cream...

12/9/01 Today would be the first day of my new routine. I woke up sometime before sunrise, went downstairs and started a cup of tea (a bag of Earl Grey in a cup of HOT water from our newly-turned-on hot water dispenser in the water cooler). Then I broke up a few dead twigs and spread them across crumpled up newspapers that I had placed on the top of the coals in the bottom of the fireplace, added a couple of larger logs, lit the paper, and closed the fireplace doors. While the flames grew I returned to my cup of tea, removed the tea bag, added a dash of sweetener and a gulp of milk. Then I headed down to the hot tub, disrobed, and danced around a few seconds on the lower back deck to "prime" my body for the steaming bubbles.  Sitting back in the tub sipping on that wonderful warm drink, surveying the wilderness world all around me, and watching the first rays of the new day light up the trees above me - that's a feeling that was both quite soothing and yet invigorating at the same time (perhaps it was the dancing around naked in the frigid air that was the invigorating part!). By the time I was done with my tea, had dried off and went back into the cabin, the fireplace was roaring and my lovely wife was awake to greet me. This was how my day began, and I believe the way I will start off each day that I can now for the rest of the winter.

The temp was in the upper 20's, with the new sunshine warming things up rapidly. We decided to take advantage of the crisp air and go out to see if we could find any frost flowers. These little jewels of the winter forest only pop out several times a winter, and only in certain places, and they only last for a few minutes, perhaps as much as an hour when it is really cold.

After Pam attached three red bows to the gate, we wandered on down the hillside to a spot where I knew the special "frost flower weeds" grew - these are the plants where the frost flowers come from, and as far as I can tell, they only grow on this one hillside out here (as well as in many other locations throughout the wilderness).

Pam had never seen frost flowers before, so I was really anxious to find some. But the sun was up and the air was warming in a hurry, so we might not be able to find any. But even before we got close to the special weed patch, I spotted one of the bright white jewels far ahead - "there's one!!!"

We got down on our hands and knees to examine its delicate construction, careful not to come close to touching it for fear of destroying it. As we looked around we found another one, and then another, and then three more, and then eventually dozens of them. We were like kids in a candy store, and I guess that is exactly what we were - to me the wonders of nature are as good as any candy, and there certainly is a great deal of kid left in me, thank goodness.

I brought the digital snapshot camera along just in case, and soon was back down in the frosty leaves trying to get a picture of one of the frost flowers. This particular one had green grass wrapped around it. I carefully pulled some of the dead leaves away from it, had Pam stand in the sunlight to cast a shadow (delicate things like these frost flowers easily get blown out by harsh light). I shot a couple of photos just to check my exposure, then got ready for the "real" shot. As my finger was pushing down on the shutter, Lucy came screaming through, and stepped right exactly on top of the frost flower, smashing it completely. I could only laugh - Aspen had done that dozens of times - just their way of being noticed I guess!

Pam found another nice frost flower for me to photograph, so we shot a few images of it as well, just in case those first test shots of the other one did not turn out. Of course, I guess I could also publish the action shot that I got of Lucy's paw...

A frost flower - pre-Lucy

I had always heard that you can only find frost flowers on the first morning that it is really cold. Yet I had seen them off and on throughout the winter, at least for the first couple of months. We got to thinking about that and realized that there is a bit of truth in that "only once" information. By their very nature frost flowers destroy the plant that they form in - the moisture that forms the frost flowers comes from within the plant, and the base of the plant stem is ripped to shreds as the moisture turns to ice and expands. So naturally each plant can only produce one frost flower, being destroyed in the process. The plant dies each year anyway, but what a wonderful way for them to go out!

Towards the end of the frost flower weed patch we came upon what was left of a tree - about eight feet tall. It had obviously been home to many juicy bugs, as woodpeckers had drilled quite a few holes in it. Kind of like the dying frost flower weeds, Momma Nature made sure that this dead tree had more than one use, even in death - to feed woodpeckers, and also to provide music to the wilderness with their drumming.

12/14/01 Just a quick note to let you all know that we are still alive and kicking. It has been a very long and exhaustive week, and I simply have not had the time to do anything interesting outside of work, nor write about it. I've been working from well before daylight to late night every day, often not even getting home until near midnight. Pam has been going full blast too - such are the lives we all lead during the holidays!

But one thing happened to me on the way home from town tonight that was so funny I just had to take a minute to tell you about it. I saw several large whitetail deer bucks next to the road as I was getting close to the cabin - they were out in an open area - looked like they were having a meeting or something. It was quite dark, with no moon, yet thousands of bright stars up in the clear sky. They took one look at me and bolted, rushing off in all directions. As soon as they had disappeared from sight I turned back to my driving and saw a very large coyote standing right in the middle of the road - he was so close to where the deer had been meeting that he must have been a part of it all. He immediately turned tail and began to run ahead of me. He was grey and black and quite beautiful. I sped up. He sped up. I sped up more. He sped up more. He turned around and looked back at me a couple of times and I swear there was a great big grin on his face, as if he was saying "just try to catch me if you can!" I sped up a bit more. I looked down at the speedometer and noticed that I was going 29 miles per hour, and wasn't gaining a thing on this guy. As we approached the Faddis cabin the terrain opened up a bit, and he darted off to one side, then stopped and stood there for just a moment - "I BEAT YA, HA HA HA!!!" Yep, he sure did. Then he bounded off into the darkness.

We have had some great programs this past week, including one at the Northwest Arkansas Community College in Rogers where there was a feeding frenzy after the show (we were selling posters at $10 each), and one last night at the library in Harrison when Haley Zega joined me - there were 65 local folks there to meet her. Just one more appearance for me this year - tomorrow at Barnes & Noble in Little Rock at 1pm - Haley will be with me there too. (It will be a very long day for me as I have seven other stops to make during the day!)

Book and calendar orders have been brisk, with many stores running out. Some people who have been calling or e-mailing in orders are concerned about shipping times - we process and ship every order the same day (EVEN during power outages!), so you can order all during the week next week and still get your stuff in time.

After tomorrow it would appear that I would get to take a few days off and rest up a bit, but with all of the rain we have been having, the rivers and WATERFALLS are flowing well, and it will be time for me to hit the woods with digital camera in hand to photograph waterfalls for the new waterfall guidebook. I still have 35-40 waterfalls all over the state to photograph, so I am hoping for a lot more rain in the next couple of months. I can always rest up next summer.

NEW RESIDENTS. Even though most of the people in Jasper already know about this (small town gossip I guess), Pam and Amber will be bringing home a couple of new residents tomorrow night. We are getting a pair of half-grown kittens! We decided that the rattlesnake explosion around the cabin this past summer was due to the fact that we have had lots of mice here. Get rid of the mice we figured, and the snakes will have to look elsewhere for food. So we put the word out that we looking for an outdoor cat that could hold his/her own. We found two of them, and we are going to get them tomorrow and see what happens. They will be outdoor cats, but will have their own little "condo" to sleep and play in when needed - I'm going to cut a hole in the new workshop building - a hole that is too small for either Aspen or Lucy to fit through - and we will make a place for them to sleep in there. It is unheated, but should provide adequate insulation for them. I just know Aspen is going to have a ball with these new playmates - I wonder how long it is going to take him to learn that they will be able to beat him up? Probably just one or two swats from their paws will do the trick.

Since both of the kittens are ladies, Aspen and I will be further outnumbered once they arrive - FIVE to two!!! Come to think of it, I do enjoy having ladies around the cabin, so everything will work out just fine.

If we continue to get some good rains I will be posting a few pictures of waterfalls here. I am looking forward to getting back out into the woods, and to taking pictures once again. And will REALLY be glad when I can get enough waterfalls photographed to get the book finished! Of course, I will still have to draw 75-80 maps and do write-ups of all of them, but I can do that on any sunny day...

12/16/01 Its 3 in the morning and I can't sleep. I've been up for a while, stoking the fire, checking on the cats, and looking for a camera bag that I cannot find. It has been raining all night - absolutely MUSIC to my ears! But it is quite cold and rather nasty outside. I am anxious to get back into the routine of chasing waterfalls, yet also can't make up my mind which ones to charge out and go find - there are so many, and they all will be running nicely today.

I'm not sure if I have seen both of our new pets or not. They both look exactly alike - yellow and white and about half grown. It was well after dark when I arrived back from a quick trip down to Little Rock, and it was raining. Aspen and Lucy found one of them right away - Lucy did fine, but Aspen proved he can be a bully and chased the cat off of the front porch. Later in the night, one of the cats took up a perch on top of the log railing out on the back deck - a spot where she could look into the cabin and see all that was going on. She seemed quite comfortable there, although it looked like she would fall off and crash down ten feet below at any moment. The wind was blowing and it was raining pretty hard, and the temp was in the upper 30's - this was one tough cat for sure! Amber has named them Tiger and Lion, but she was not sure which one was sitting on the railing (she wanted for them to have ferocious names). Still later in the night, I checked on the cats to see if they were snuggled warmly in the bed in the workshop, but only found one there - and she was wet. Just now this morning, I checked again, and still just found one cat in there. I'm not sure if we actually only have one cat, or if I have seen both of them at different times, or if the other one is hiding somewhere. They/she seem(s) to be comfortable here already, and I think will make a nice addition to Cloudland.

Tiger (or Lion?) on the railing in the rain

It is later now - just breaking daylight - and the rain has let up. The river below is singing a lively tune, and there are clouds gathering low in the valley. There is a fire roaring in the fireplace, my cup of tea laced with Equal and Irish Creme Coffeemate is about empty, so I guess it is time for me to gather up all of my camera gear and head out. My normal camera gear weights 42 pounds, but the digital camera that I am using for the waterfall guidebook pictures only weights about 10 ounces, and the tripod is about four pounds - so my entire stash weights about five pounds! Oh how I do love digital...

Before I could head out to chase waterfalls, I had to cut a small door in the workshop for the cats' passage - one that would be too small for the dogs, so the cats could always escape. I really didn't want to cut into the log siding or the metal door, so I decided to cut a hole into the floor - I had wanted to do that anyway, as a place to sweep sawdust into. While I was picking the spot and getting the tools out, both cats came up to me and began to get friendly. For a couple of barnyard variety cats they certainly do make friends in a hurry. I hope that will not be the case for them with the mice here!

Anyway, upon closer inspection I realized that one of the cats was not a lady like we had been told afterall - we had one boy and one girl! That made both Aspen and I feel a lot better - now it would be four ladies and three guys, a ratio I think all three of us can handle.

Once I got the floor-door cut out, I motioned for the boy cat (Tiger) to come over and have a look. I was worried about getting them trained to use it. He took one look down into the dark hole (the ground is about a foot below), and jumped right on down into it. He sniffed around a minute, then reached right on up and pulled himself back up into the workshop - yippie!!! Lion (the lady) came on over and wanted to see what was going on. She too immediately began to peer down into the hole, and was just about to jump on down when the big hairy noise of a monster appeared in the hole - it was Aspen! The little kitty did not find that amusing at all, and took off for the far corner of the workshop. That would be enough lesson for now.

A few minutes later, while giving Amber a lift from the front door out to the workshop, I slipped and busted my ankle. Popped it pretty good, and I could feel the swelling begin even before I struggled to my feet. This one was a serious pop, and one that I did not need to have happen right now when I was about to begin a lot of waterfall chasing. It usually helps if I walk on the injured ankle, so I headed on up to the office, where I finally found that camera bag that I had been looking for at 3am this morning. The ankle didn't feel any better when I returned to the cabin.

OK, kitty door complete, now it was time for me to shove off and go find some waterfalls. It had rained all night, and continued this morning. It was obvious there were lots of waterfalls everywhere. In fact Pam had shown me a couple of 100 foot plus falls that had appeared and were spilling over the tall bluffline over on the other side of the Buffalo River. Very impressive indeed. There would be hundreds, even thousands of wonderful waterfalls all over the place today, but most of them only live for a few hours when the wilderness is flooding. Those are not the ones that I want to put in my guidebook. Instead I want to include the ones that are real waterfalls much of the year. I wait for flood conditions to photograph them because unlike human supermodels - where the camera lens ADDS weight, waterfalls usually look SMALLER when photographed. So in order for them to look as impressive as they are in person, I need more water than normal for good pictures.

My first stop was Hide-Out Hollow, which is located on the opposite side of the ridge from Hemmed In Hollow, and just down the road a couple of miles. It is an easy one-mile hike to get there, and few people ever visit it. I knew the falls were running full tilt long before I got to the edge of the canyon - the noise rose up and filled the forest with that magical music of falling water! I had only been on this trail a couple of times, and had never photographed this waterfall. When I got to it I was quite impressed with the amount of water in it, and the height of the falls - it was a lot taller than I had remembered!

Here is my standard routine when "processing" a waterfall for the guidebook: First, I set down my camera gear and take out the GPS unit and turn it on. It takes several minutes for it to lock in a position (there will be GPS coordinates for each waterfall in the guidebook, along with a map and directions). Meanwhile I get out a 100' measuring tape and fill up a little mesh bag at the end of the tape with small rocks. Then I get on over to the very edge of the falls, right next to where the water is spilling over, and lower the bag of rock and tape over the edge. Once it reaches bottom, I stabilize it somehow and go off to one side so that I can get a good look at where the bag of rocks has come to rest - it seldom is ever exactly where it should be, and I make note of its location so that I can add the necessary height once I get to the bottom of the falls.

Once I reel in the tape, the GPS has made a fix, and I input a waypoint into it for the exact waterfall location, then put all of that stuff back into the camera bag. The next step is to find the best spot to take the photograph from - I normally like to be at the base of the falls, if I can get there. Sometimes I can't get to the bottom, so I simply have to use what I am given.

Today there was a narrow ledge on the other side of the stream that fed the falls that looked like it ended at a point where I might be able to jump down enough to make it to the bottom of the bluff. Oh yea, this waterfall measured out at 41 feet tall, which is a pretty good-sized waterfall for around here!

Before I got to the far end of the ledge, I had to duck walk about 30 feet through a low-hanging overhang - only banged my head two or three times. Once I reached the end, I had to put my tripod and camera bag down and lower myself over the edge until I found a foothold at the bottom. All of this was a bit tricky because it was not only raining on me and making things very slick, but there weren't too many handholds around, and a slip would result in a 20-30 foot fall to the jagged rocks below. I was thankful to find this one spot where I could get down though, and was soon exploring the area underneath and behind the thundering waterfalls.

Lots of rubble behind the falls. Fresh rubble.

I spent about ten minutes surveying the area to see where the best vantage point would be. I not only have to find a good spot with a clear view of the falls and one that makes it look good, but I also have to think about how I am going to position myself in the picture (which I do for scale if I can). Sometimes I can get close enough to the falls with the camera that I can simply set up the picture, then walk over and take as many pictures of me as I like with a little remote control that I carry. Most of the time though, the camera is too far away for the signal to reach, so I end up having to use the self timer on the camera, and then running for dear life in order to get into position in the allotted ten seconds before the camera fires.

I found a good spot behind the waterfall, way in the back of the large overhang there, and set up the camera. This was an unusual vantage point, but I though it was a good one considering the name of the falls ("Hide-Out" Hollow). It also kept me out of the rain.  At first it was a little bit foggy in the area, but after 20-30 minutes of shooting pictures the fog drifted away and I was able to get a clear shot.

Hide Out Hollow Falls

It was not fun running across all of that rubble on the ground in order to get into the picture - especially with my aching ankle - but I managed to make it into the picture for most of the shots. One of the greatest things about digital cameras is that you are able to look at the picture you just took to see if it turned out right.

Once I was satisfied that I had a good photo for the guidebook, I wandered around a little bit at the base of the bluff - I had never been down here before. Close by the falls there was the ruins of an old homeplace - it had been built right into the base of the bluff. The stone foundation was still there, and part of one wall. They must have had a great view of the waterfall all the time, but man I bet it got noisy rainy days!

The hike out was an easy one, although much of the trail was flooded and running six inches deep with water.

My next destination was Broadwater Hollow, a little stretch of short waterfalls and cascades that can be easily reached by car, if you know right were to go (that is the reason for doing the guidebook - so that folks can find these waterfalls easily!).

The rain continued to come down, now a little more steady. I found a good spot next to the raging river, and set up the camera on top of a slick rock that was tilted at about 20 degrees. Thank goodness this shot was close enough so that I could use the remote control because there was no way that I could have negotiated the rugged terrain next to the creek in less than ten seconds.

I carry an umbrella to shelter the camera from rain, but I could not figure out how to attach it to the tripod in order to keep the camera dry while I was away from it. So I had to sacrifice my bald head and removed my hat and positioned it on top of the camera, with just enough hanging over the front edge of the lens to shield it from the rain. It isn't uncommon to see me standing next to a tall tripod with nothing showing on it but my hat! Looks sort of funny.

In order for me to show up well in the small black and white pictures that will be in the guidebook, I have to wear white or very light-colored clothes. I don't have any long pants like that, so I try to always wear shorts, even in the winter like today (the temp was in the low 40's). What that means is that while I am taking the pictures, I don't have a raincoat on, and when it is raining like it was today, I get soaked in a hurry. No matter - I absolutely LOVE taking waterfall pictures!!!

Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. It was raining so hard that I only took a few pictures of this one, double checked the exposure and cropping, then quickly packed up and headed back to the van.

One of the many cascades in Broadwater Hollow

While I was driving to my next waterfall, I decided to take a slight detour and hike down into Indian Creek to see if a tall waterfall that I knew about in there was running. WOW, was it ever running! It was a short hike to get to this one, but it was a bit tricky making my way down the very steep slope to the base of it. Since I could see that a fog bank was rolling in, I decided to try to get the picture taken first this time, instead of doing the measuring and GPS stuff.

I quickly found the best spot and set up the tripod. There were a couple of problems with this vantage point. First, the tripod was set up on a 45 degree slope that ended at the canyon wall - the tripod was fine, but there was no place for me to stand to work the controls. There was a fine sheet of water pouring off of the bluff overhead that made the view to the falls not entirely clear - but it was by far the best view, so I didn't worry too much about. And then I realized that in between the big part of the waterfall and a smaller side falls there was also a sheet of water coming down - that is where I had planned to put myself for the picture - now I would be just a little bit blurred as well. I figured that might actually help the picture out a little!

Just as I was about to charge off to take the first picture, the fog moved in. I missed it by "that" much! I went ahead and took a few photos anyway, just in case that was all that I would be able to get. The falls were running nicely, and I really wanted this scene in the guidebook. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. The fog actually got thicker, and the rain came down harder.

I only had one thin layer of capeline on under my raincoat, and neither provided much warmth. As the chill soaked into my bones, I tried to jog in place, but that was a difficult thing to accomplish on that 45 degree slope. I tried to occupy my mind with other things - like that incredible beauty there was just downstream from this waterfall. The Indian Creek drainage is perhaps the most scenic real estate in Arkansas - but it is also very rugged country, and dangerous. The national park service claims that there are more injuries in this short canyon than in any other part of the national park. It is tough going at time, but boy it sure is gorgeous! I went ahead and climbed on up to the top of the falls and took my measurement and did the GPS thing. And I had an accident of sorts - my steel measureing tape broke, and I lost the end of it and the bag of rocks in the pool at the base of the falls - I will have to go back and get it later, when the water level drops (my first measurement showed 36 feet, but I think that I needed to add a few feet to that - I'll get another, more accurate measurement later too).

The rain and fog continued, and I nearly froze out, so I decided to pack it in and head back to the car. I was soaked through and through, and was on my third set of rain gear. Don't tell anyone this, but instead of just sitting there in the van waiting for the fog to clear, I decided to drive on into Jasper and get a slice of pizza and a coke. Of course, the main reason that I was doing that was so that I could run the air conditioner in the van to help dry out my rain gear and camera equipment. Hum, that pizza was pretty darn good though!

I returned to the parking spot an hour later but the fog and rain were unchanged. I sat there for another thirty minutes, and then all of a sudden, it got lighter outside - the fog was retreating at last! I sprang into action and slipped and slid on down the hillside until I was once again back in front of the thundering waterfall.

One thing that I had noticed right away was that the waterfall was actually running more than when I had been there earlier. And the spot that I had picked for me to stand was now behind another curtain of water. Somehow it would have to do. With daylight slipping away, and the fact that the fog could return at any time, I worked frantically to get the shot set up. And then I discovered a new enemy - the wind was blowing a fine spray of water right on into the camera! All I could do was wipe off the lens as best I could with lens tissue (always come prepared!), push the self timer button, and run for dear life. Which I did about a dozen times, returning to the camera, checking the photo and wiping away the moisture in between each shot.

The falls at the head of Indian Creek - with and without fog

On the drive back to the cabin I could see lots of tall waterfalls/cascades in the hills all around - some of them hundreds of feet tall. And every little seep was thundering - this was a great deal of water coming down, especially since the ground was already saturated. PERFECT conditions for waterfall photographers like me!

The road from the main dirt road on into the cabin was covered with up to six inches of water in places - I've never seen anything like that around here before. We've only had two or three inches of rain this past day, but I guess the conditions were just right for most of it to stay on the surface and not be soaked into the earth.

I was one tired, soaked and chilled puppy when I pulled up to the cabin just after dark. My ladies had the cabin all snug and warm, with a big fire going, the Christmas lights on, and dinner in the oven - what more could a guy ask for! I always enjoyed being single, but wouldn't trade it for the world now.

It is much later as I am writing this, the steady rain continues - with a bit of thunder and lightning too. I am trying to "recycle" my clothes, camera gear, and myself, and get some chores done before getting up in the morning and doing it all over once again. All waterfalls in Arkansas will be running great tomorrow, and it will be a tough chore trying to figure out which ones to go photograph. My plan is to concentrate on some of the larger ones that are high up in the drainages - ones that will run down quicker once the rain stops. Then I can move lower down as the waters run off in the days ahead. I've got plenty of water now for great pictures, but now the sun will become my enemy - I have to have cloudy skies for good waterfall pictures. So you can stop your rain dance, and switch over to a cloud dance please!

12/17/01 It was difficult to get out of bed today. It had rained most of the night, and that gentle sound continued on as daylight approached - there are no more perfect sleeping conditions than being in a warm loft nest listening to the rain. But I had waterfalls to chase, so I packed up and headed out. Just before I left, Pam handed me a pile of band aids "You might need these" she told me. Unfortunately, she would be proved correct, as she normally is.

The big waterfall at King's Bluff was my first stop today. There was water everywhere when I got there, after a short hike of a mile. Three, four, five beautiful waterfalls lined the canyon below the giant thundering falls. These side attractions were some of the most scenic that I had seen in a long while.

The big momma falls was really cooking - much more water than I had ever seen there before. I had difficulty finding a good vantage point that would show off the falls, give me a spot to stand in the picture for scale, and far enough away so that the wide-angle lens on my camera could get it all in. This waterfall was reportedly more than 100 feet tall - a height that I doubted. (I would soon find out though, as I had a new 100 foot measuring tape with me.)

The spot that I chose was off to one side, backed up against the bluffline. It was one of the few places under the bluff that was not being poured on - there was a lot of water coming off of the bluff, and much of the bluff was a solid wall with not much overhang to hide under. I used my trusty hat once again to shield the lens from the water, and it all worked out just fine. My camera lens didn't quite cover all that I wanted to get, but it got most of the falls.

And as luck would have it, just as I got all set up and ready to take the first picture, the darn SUN came out!!! Sun I did not need today. But it only stuck around for a few minutes, and then it began to drizzle once again.

Once my pictures were taken, I went back up on top of the falls and began to reel off the 100 tape. Son of a gun, it never hit bottom. When I went around to the side to see how far the lower end was from the base of the falls, I was surprised to see it hanging up in the air a good ways from the canyon floor. That meant that this waterfall was indeed more than 100 feet tall - the only one that I know of around here that is that tall (other than Hemmed-In Hollow, and one other right around the corner from HIH). I would have to come back with another tape to get an accurate measurement. I am getting a 250 foot tape to measure Hemmed-In Hollow, so I'll use it here too.

The 100 foot plus Kings Bluff Falls

Since I was in the neighborhood, I drove on over to Falling Water Falls, and took a snapshot there. As you can see, the water was all the way across the streambed - something that seldom happens.

Falling Water Falls

As I was driving towards my next destination, I got to thinking about another potential waterfall down near the Big Piney River. I had never seen it, but figured there must be a waterfall of some sorts in this location by the way the bluffline runs and the fact that there is a nice stream coming from the bluff. So I veered off of my route some and headed towards this mystery spot. Along the way I could see dozens of giant waterfalls way out there in the distance - spectacular cascades that only live a few hours a year, or perhaps only every couple of years.

I parked the truck (Pam let me drive the truck today, and I would really need it later) and hiked on up towards the bluffline, walking just above a thundering creek - some really wonderful sights in this little creek. The bluffline here is quite remarkable too.

When I came around the corner at the base of the bluff I was kind of taken by surprise. Before me was one of the most beautiful waterfalls I had ever laid eyes on! The bluffline made a sharp turn right where the creek spilled over it. There were several giant boulders (small cabin size) that had broken off from under the bluff and were now sitting just below the bluff. Those boulders had opened up a cavity in the bluff, a grotto of sorts. And one of the boulders was right in front of where the waterfall was landing in a nice pool of water. I had always thought that I would name a waterfall after my wife - it would be one of the best in the state - and I decided that this just might be the one. So for now, it is called Pam's Grotto.

Pam's Grotto

I could not find a good way to get up to the top of the bluff to take a measurement, so I will have to come back to measure it (it will be somewhere in the 30 foot range). Hum, perhaps I will bring Pam with me and see what she thinks about it!

The clouds above began to break up as I sped towards the next waterfall - one of the largest in the Upper Buffalo River area - Bowers Hollow. I resisted the temptation to detour over to the Burger Barn at Ozone for lunch, and instead devoured two cans of Beanee Weenees that I had bought at the Nail store - health food for waterfall chasers for sure!

Blue sky - NO, NO I don't want blue sky!!!

Even though the sun was shining now I pressed on towards Bowers Hollow because I knew that this waterfall was so deep in the valley that the low winter sun might not mess up my shot after all. But the giant mud hole in the road into the trailhead nearly did - I was so glad that I was driving the truck! Lots of downed limbs across the road too from the recent ice storms. I guess everyone who had been into this area since then had walked in.

It was a wet and soggy hike into Bowers Hollow, but within an hour I was standing next to one of the most powerful waterfalls in the Ozarks. It was a splendid sight indeed!

I made my way across the creek (fell in when the log I was crossing on broke in two), then hiked along the top of the bluffline until I got to a point where I could climb down the bluff. I worked my way along the base of the bluff - being showered from above. The creek below was just incredible, with whitewater everywhere. There were a number of waterfalls pouring off of the opposite bluff that were quite spectacular too.

When I finally arrived at the base of the big waterfall, I looked around for a good shooting shot. There was a large overhang there that would provide good protection from the sheets of water, so I set up the camera under there. But first I wanted to go behind the falls and see what it looked like on the other side, and I got drenched in the process from all the spray that was drifting behind the falls. I had found the best spot the first time, so I returned.

Then something quite odd happened. I was out in front of the camera location bending down to pick up something, when it felt like someone pushed me over. I was on an incline of sorts, and I immediately went down and began to tumble. It felt like someone was on top of me, pushing me into the sharp rocks. There was an incredible sense of weight on me (perhaps too many cans of Beanee Weennees!). Anyway, the rock pile ruble tore at every part of my body that touched the rocks, ripping holes in my skin. When I finally came to rest up against a large boulder, I was dazed and in extreme pain. But that feeling of someone having just pushed me really puzzled me - I had not been on unstable footing, nor was there any other reason for me to have lost my balance and gotten thrown to the ground.

As I looked around to see what had happened, I noticed blood on the rocks around me, and my left arm was in a very strange position - it was twisted behind and over my head, and it throbbed. My first thought was that I had dislocated my shoulder or something like that, but I was able to return the arm to its normal position without too much trouble.

There seemed to be a great deal of blood all over the place, and looking at my hands I discovered where it was coming from - there were puncture holes in several of my fingers, and that red stuff was flowing out of them pretty good. Some of my fingers hurt really bad, and I could not move a couple of them. My mind sort of shrugged off all of the wounds, and instead concentrated on that nagging question of who in the heck had pushed me! Of course, there was no one there to push me at all. Or was there? I don't want to get into all of that supernatural stuff, but the spot where I had parked my truck was very near where the little girl that I wrote about in the Haley book had been murdered. Was that her spirit that pushed me down, and was she trying to tell me something?

Anyway, I collected myself and got up. There was blood all over me now, and it was still flowing. I made my way down to the creek and tried to wash up a little bit, hoping the cold water would slow down the blood flow some. And then I realized that my left arm - the one that had just been twisted in back of my head - did not hurt at all. I found a package of kleenex in my pack and wrapped make-shift bandages around the wounds, although it took me a long time to get the bleeding stopped. Oh yea - that pile of bandages that my dear wife had given me just hours before - it was sitting neatly on the seat in the truck!

OK, I was alright, and probably would live to fall again, so I turned my attention to the task at hand - taking a picture of the waterfall. I was just a little nervous about doing this one because once I tripped the camera shutter (pardon the pun) I would have to race across the very rock pile that had just cost me a pint of blood in order to get into position for the picture. Every time that I thought about doing that the pain of the fall intensified. But that is what I came to do, so I adjusted the camera as best I could, and shot the pictures.

You should have seen the place when I got through. There was blood on the rocks, on the tripod, on the camera bag, on the camera, and all over me. Needless to say I had not done a very good job of getting the bleeding stopped. I returned to the creek and washed up once again, bound up the holes with more kleenex, and headed back.

Seems that my hands had taken the brunt of the fall - a natural reaction when you are falling - to put your hands out to protect yourself. But now I needed them to climb out, and to work the GPS unit. I managed to do all of that OK, and was quickly back at the top of the thundering waterfall. There I found an ever better photograph to take, so I once again set up the camera, and shot several pictures. This view below looks the best to me, and will probably the one that is used in the guidebook.

Bowers Hollow Falls

As I was packing up my gear, I looked around and saw a tiny sliver of the moon shining through the trees. That was a great sight, although it also made me realize that it must be getting DARK if I could see the moon! Yikes, I still had an hour hike to do! So I quickly crossed the stream once again - this time without falling in - and climbed up the steep hillside, going around dozens of downed tree limbs from the ice storm.

Once I made it back up to the old logging road that provides access to this area, I kicked it into high gear. I hurt all over and my stomach was growling, but it was a nice hike out, especially with that crescent moon and the wilderness twilight to keep me company. I must say though that by the time I reached the truck, I was very glad to see it.

12/18/01 Even though I still needed to photograph many waterfalls - which were running full tilt today - I was really glad that the bright sun popped up over the Eastern horizon into a bright blue sky. That meant that I could not photograph waterfalls today because of the harsh lighting conditions. I probably COULD have crawled out of bed and spent the day in the woods working, but my bones and wounds needed a rest, and I was glad to get one. Plus, Pam left early to spend the day in Missouri, which gave me a golden opportunity to finally build her Christmas present!

The basement has been crowded of late with oak cabinets, and it was really becoming a mess down there. But before I could install the cabinets in the laundry room, I had to build a wall across one end of the room - up against a concrete wall. It took me nearly all morning to get that accomplished, but it worked out just great. Since I had to use a .22 caliber nail gun to attach the wooden studs to the concrete wall and floor, the cabin smelled like gunpowder all day. And Lucy and Aspen disappeared about the same time I shot the first nail. Hum, imagine that.

It was a spectacular day outside, even though I only got to see it from the back deck. I did take a moment or two during the day to stop and look at all the hawks flying around - there were probably a dozen different ones out there playing and riding the wind currents. At one point when I was out on the deck visiting with some neighbors, I thought I saw a bald eagle flying way down low. I only saw him for an instant, and then no more. It may have just been an extra large hawk, or perhaps my mind playing tricks on me.

I picked up Amber from the bus, and got back to work on the cabinets. This young lady is amazing. First she helped me with the cabinets, then she disappeared upstairs - after asking me what I wanted to drink for dinner. Thirty minutes later she called down and said that dinner was ready. What? She can't fix dinner! But sure enough, the dining table had been cleared, and dinner was all there, complete with a glass of red wine for me! She even made chocolate jello for dessert! I am blessed with not only a terrific wife, but also a splendid child!!! (I even got seconds on the wine.)

After dinner I went back to the laundry room to install the last of the cabinets. By the time I was finished with them, it was clear that my already-wounded hands had taken a further beating - they were black and blue and all swelled up, with a few bloody spots here and there. I guess you have to use your hands a lot when building walls and installing cabinets - but hey, it was my only opportunity to finish my wife's Christmas present, so what the heck. My hands could heal up another day.

Then Amber and I sat down to watch our favorite TV show together - the Gilmore Girls. Oh yea, and Amber popped me some popcorn. "You can't watch TV without popcorn!" she announced.

Just a note here about the new cats. They have settled into their new home just fine, although Aspen has become somewhat of a pain and has chased them up into a tree a couple of times. So the cats pretty much just stay curled up in the bed in the workshop most of the day, then come out at night to play. I guess that is what cats are supposed to do anyway.

It was very late when Pam got home (I do NOT recommend going to the Wal Mart in Harrison these days - she said they only had THREE checkers for the entire store, and she spent 40 minutes in line trying to get checked out). And after hearing all about her day, I led her down to the basement to check on something, and surprised her with the cabinets. Unfortunately my beat up and frail body was not in any condition to receive the complete thanks that she wanted to give me. Raincheck please!

So now we have somewhat of a laundry room now, complete with a work space for Pam. Although like many things out here, it will still be a while before this room is finished - we have a lot of work to do, including painting the floor, FINISHING the installation of the cabinets, and finding something to put on the walls and ceiling. But it will be much more usable now.

12/19/01 I managed to crawl out of bed and made it down to the hot tub before daylight. My hands were still swelled up, and the bones in my fingers ached. Since they are calling for sunshine once again today, I believe that I will take the day off from waterfalls once again, and get back to work on catching up with normal business. My twisted arm is now beginning to hurt - I guess I stretched the muscles out of wack or something, but it kept me up most of the night with the throbbing, and I can't use that arm much for now.

I must tell you that since my hands are so beat up and swollen that it is a chore to type - but I feel like I have laid off of writing in the journal so much in this past month, that I really need to type away today. So that is what I have done, and I have only had to yell out a couple of times because I brushed up against the desk with one of my wounded fingers. They are calling for more rain this weekend - yippie!!! Give me a couple cans of Beanne Weenees and a pile of bandages and I will be off...

12/24/01 It has been a long several days, with most of it spent on the road. When we have been back at the cabin, our internet access from the cabin has been cut off, so I have not been able to write anything for the journal. Seems these days I have to write here at the cabin computer or I can't write at all!

There has been a lot of "weather" here the past few days - mostly high winds and not hardly any rain at all. One night the wind blew so hard that it stripped most everything off of the back decks, and we are still picking it up out in the woods - some of it a couple of hundred yards away.

The cats have been finding their way around and getting comfortable - and Aspen has been chasing them up into the trees. But both cats seem to be taking it all in stride, and we all spent a delightful hour this afternoon watching them playing in the tall weeds just below the back deck (Aspen was tied up to the railing!).

Tonight is a very special night for me - the first Christmas eve ever at the cabin that meant anything to me. Both of my ladies are here with me - Amber downstairs playing, and Pam upstairs in the loft reading a new book. There is a big fire in the fireplace, the cabin is lit up with Christmas tree lights on the tree and up the chimney, Aspen is curled up in front of the fireplace, Lucy is snuggled in her bed.

We just began a new tradition here at Cloudland. We gathered around our brand new "moose candle" (a moose with six candles in his antlers, given to us by Ted and Bonnie), held hands, each made a wish, and then all blew out the candles. Pam said that every one of her wishes had already come true; I said that I was looking right at my wish; and Amber spent a great deal of time coming up with her wish. It was a wonderful moment, one that we plan to do each Christmas eve from now on.

My lovely wife spent several days this past week in Jasper spreading a little bit of holiday cheer to needy children and their parents - none of them will ever know of her great generosity and giant heart. I married well. Amber is following in her footsteps, and has been asking this Christmas not for things for herself, but for items for other people. And tonight Amber wants to play Santa for her mom and me, and not the other way around - she has been planning this all week! I could not have drawn up plans for a more perfect child!

I just took a hike in the moonlight up to the office and back. The half-moon is casting a gentle light throughout the forest - the critters of the wilderness are all snug and warm and safe and happy this night.

Back at the cabin, there are a few tears being shed tonight. You see, Amber found out about Santa a couple of weeks ago, and she is having a difficult time with it. She has come to realize that there is not one, but many thousands of Santas throughout the world, those who will spread the gift of love and peace and joy across the land. But just in case one of them finds his way to Cloudland, she has penned the following note:

"I miss you Santa Claws. I miss you a lot! You have taught me that it is the gift of giving that counts. I still believe in you.
From: Amber Ernst"

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you from Cloudland!!!

12/25/01 It was in the very wee hours of the morning that I got up and took a dip in the hot tub. The temp was a balmy 14 degrees - the coldest it has been out here in a long time. But the water was hot and felt great. There was a breeze blowing too, which brought the wind chill down close to zero. I was really enjoying my time in the tub until it was time to get out. I took my usual walk around the deck, then reached out for the towel to dry off. YIKES!!! I grabbed a towel that Amber had used the day before, which was soaking wet, or should I say completely frozen. But I didn't realize that until I began to wipe my steaming body off - nothing like an ice towel at zero to get your attention!

I woke Amber up - it was still before daylight - because she wanted to place ten different clues around the property that would lead Pam on a hunt for her Christmas present. Amber had been working on this plot for more than a week, and had carefully thought out each clue and placement of that clue. Some of the clues were easy - "the place where you keep your jewels" for instance. But other clues were pretty tough - not tough to understand, but tough for us to PLACE and even tougher for Pam to FIND! You see, many of the clues were not at the cabin, but rather in other parts of the property, like at the fort, up at the office, out on the deck, etc. One clue was even taped inside the giant slide at Amber's fort, requiring Pam to climb up to the top of the fort, then slide down the slide and find the clue half way - something I'm sure Pam didn't get real excited about at 14 degrees!

We got all of the clues placed, then went to wake up Pam for the big Christmas morning - the first ever at Cloudland. Pam was a real good sport when it came time to go search for her present (Amber went with her for most of them, but stayed inside the warm cabin when it came time to go slide down the slide!). About fifteen minutes later Pam had come to the end of her hunt, and opened the guest room closet door to find Amber's gift to her - a shiny new blue mountain bike!

It was a grand morning all around, although short lived because we had to pack up and speed up to Missouri to deliver Amber to her dad's place.

12/26/01 Another early morning in the hot tub for me, but the sun did not come up right away - many dark clouds hanging around. The temp was about 25, with a good wind blowing. I had some company in the tub this morning - one of the kittys was there trying to figure out what the heck I was doing. Both of these kittys still look exactly alike, although the male is about twice as big as the female. Still, unless you see them together, it is tough to figure out which one is which. It was the female out with me today. I later found the male up in the front. They both seem to be adapting quite well, although Aspen is still not all that comfortable with them sharing "his" space out here. That will come with time, and after the swat his nose a few times!

Today is a day for bluebirds - they are EVERYWHERE!

I'm going to cut this short and try to get it posted - our computer woes continue, so I have to work fast while it is working!

12/27/01 There was a single, lonely cloud bank stretched across the eastern horizon just before dawn. Its color began as dark grey, then it got lighter, then changed over to pink, and that pink intensified through the entire spectrum of warm color until it was a brilliant red, a sky on fire. Then the red softened, and gradually faded back to pink, and then finally to dark grey once again. Sunrise was on the way, and it had been up to this one cloud bank to notify the world that it was coming. I do believe it did a fine job.

Today was one of the few in a long while where we all stayed at home and didn't drive anywhere. I would much rather stay here than go just about anyplace I can think of. Much of my day was spent messing with the computer - trying to get a stubborn hard drive to work (I actually finally resorted to removing it from the computer, and banging it up against the log wall of the cabin - and it WORKED!!!). I also spent a lot of time up in the frigid office (I have not had the heat on much this winter), trying to play catch up with my paper work.

The rest of the day was spent outside. First, on a quick trip down the ladder trail to the river. All of the holiday feasting had taken its toll on me, and I really needed to get out and produce a bit of sweat. Aspen and Lucy came with me. It was the first real hike since I took my tumble in Bowers Hollow a while ago. My fingers were still a bit scarred up and stiff, but I have regained the use of most of them, at least in part. But they all ache right to the bone.

The forest was silent and warming up quickly in the midday sun. My hike was more business than pleasure, and I spent most of my time looking down at my feet, trying to place them carefully so as not to take another spill. Hasn't been too much traffic on this trail since leaf fall, and the rocks and holes were still mostly covered up with leaves. Boy, this is a STEEP trail! I much prefer to hike it UPhill rather than downhill - I can spend more time looking around and enjoying myself then, when I don't have to be so careful about each and every step.

As I got closer to the bottom the delightful hushed roar of Whitaker Creek could be heard. I was surprised to find so much water running in it - just about the perfect level for a deep wilderness stream. And, of course, the Buffalo was running well too - yet mostly wide and not so much deep. The spot where Whitaker Creek runs into the Buffalo is now more than one, and is kind of blurred since they meet in several different places - one where the Buffalo runs into Whitaker Creek, and another where Whitaker runs into the Buffalo (does that make sense?).

Aspen and Lucy both enjoyed a quick dip in the cool water - I was not interested in joining them - all of the waters that I had jumped into lately have been about 104 degrees.

The Buffalo/Whitaker Creek mixing together

I dug out the digital camera and took a quick snapshot, then radioed up to Pam to turn off the pot of red beans and rice that I had put on just before I left. We both were in a cooking mood today, and we sort of had competing dishes on the stove at the same time - hers was homemade potato soup. When I left the cabin to go on my little hike the smells from both dishes were already beginning to fill the cabin.

My side of the family doesn't visit the cabin much, but my brother Terry had spent the night last night, and we had a long visit late into the night. I guess the deeper meaning of the holiday season revolves around family, and it was a nice visit. Plus he kept the fireplace stoked which made the cabin warm and toasty. And the "flavor" of the fire mixed with the competing dishes on the stove and made the cabin smell just heavenly. Yep, family and food - you just can't beat them!

Oh yea, back to the hike. The main reason that I had come down to the river was so that I could climb the hill back up to get some exercise, so I didn't stick around long at the bottom and soon was headed back up. I kept up a pretty good pace until I reached the three really steep benches. I slowed down quite a bit but never did stop. About halfway up the last one I looked around and saw that both Aspen and Lucy were hanging their heads with long tongues too - that made me feel a little bit better.

The latter that goes up and over the bluff was covered with ice, as was the bluff itself. It took me a few moments to figure out how to hoist my two hiking companions up onto the top of the bluff without slipping and sending all of us crashing down. But we all made it just fine, and before long I was strolling through a very green Fox meadow, reaching out for flower seedheads, crushing them and tossing into the wind. Something really therapeutic about spreading all of those seeds around.

Man, you should have SMELLED the cabin when I got back! Heavily.

Pam took off for a little trail running while Amber and I went out to the fort to get a little practice in with one of her new toys. Actually, I should not call it a toy, but rather a, well, heck, I don't know exactly what to call it. When I was a kid, the main present that I got every year was a new Daisy BB gun (or a reconditioned one). Nothing was as close to me throughout my childhood as my BB gun. Amber wanted one this year, so alongside the fishing rod that I got her, was a Daisy BB gun that just fit her arms perfectly.

After ten minutes of careful discussion about the safety rules of guns in general, Amber shouldered her Daisy rifle with reverence and we marched out to the fort. I set up three pop cans and schooled her on the correct way to hold the rifle, to aim, and to squeeze the trigger. Just before she was about to fire off the first round, I looked up and saw that the two cats had followed us out to the fort and were playing right behind us (the two dogs had run off with Pam). The range was clear - fire away!

Son of a gun, she hit the can on the very first shot! And the second. And the third! That's my girl!!! Next we climbed up into the fort and shot at more distant targets. She is a natural shot for sure, and her future husband had better be a good boy.

After the shooting lesson was over we played around on the fort, and with the cats. The afternoon sun felt really nice, and I spent a good bit of time laying in the leaves, watching the cats practice stalking each other. It was a lazy afternoon at Cloudland, and one that I rather enjoyed.

Lion and Tiger waiting for someone to come out and play

12/28/01 I was up at 3:30 this morning working on the Ozark Highlands Trail Association newsletter. It was a job with a deadline and I needed to get it done. For some very strange reason I work best when behind schedule, and relish the thrill of pushing myself to the limit to get a job done. One of these days I plan to save all of the frustration and simply do a job on time.

I took a break for a soak in the hot tub around 5:30am, and spent 30 minutes mesmerized by all of the stars that were out. The nearly-full moon was setting in the trees to the west. When I had first got up to go work at the computer I looked out my window and could see the silhouette of the cabin in the forest outside - the moon was still up in the sky. But by the time I went for my dip in the tub the shadow in the forest was on the other side of the Buffalo River, and it was of the entire hillside and not just of the cabin. Moonlight is a good thing to soak up.

After a few more hours of labor I finally put the newsletter to rest and sped into town to get it to the printers. When I arrived back at the cabin I found a dark and quiet home - Amber and Pam had ventured up to Springfield to celebrate Amber's 9th birthday at Chuckie Cheese's - her favorite place in the world to dine. It was a surprise party, and several of Amber's friends from the "old" school were there. (Her birthday is actually on Sunday, and we will have another celebration at the cabin.)

It is dark and quiet at the cabin now, but the moon is lighting up the forest pretty good. (I have just poured myself a glass of fresh Merlot, and downed a handful of chocolate-covered raisins.) The temp is dipping down towards freezing - I hear it may get down near single digits soon - time to haul in a bit more firewood! While it is still relatively warm out I think I will put on my stocking cap and venture out into the night and see what I can find.

12/29/01 I was wandering down along the river late in the afternoon - just the Superdog and me. It was a beautiful winter day, with blue skies and bright sunshine. Well, the sunshine had actually left the valley an hour or two before, and was making its way up the hillside. We were hiking along in deep shadow - the sun sets very early when you are down along the river.

I looked up towards the top of the hill and saw the bluffs and pine trees just below the cabin begin to glow orange. It was the Ozark form of Alpenglow, which I call Ozarkglow, and happens early and late in the day when the sun shines through dust and smog and turns all that it shines on warm colors.

It was much later in the day that I had figured, and there wasn't all that much sunshine left. So I cranked it into high gear and struck off up the steep hillside towards the cabin. I was in a race with the setting sun. Not a race that would leave me in the dark if I lost - there is usually 30 minutes or more of good light left after the sun goes down. But a race to catch some of that golden light, to sit and soak up the warmth on this chilly day for just a minute or two.

I am still mostly out of shape after many months of sitting around doing book business instead of busting brush all day every day, but my feet carried me up the hillside with ever increasing speed. As I made it through the next to last really steep bench, I could see the Ozarkglow at the top of the bluffs above. I charged ahead, although this last charge was not as speedy as the previous ones. In fact I was about give out by the time I reached the middle point of that last bench - I had to pause just a moment to blow - that sunshine was so close now!

And then as if on cue I heard rustling in the leaves below me, turned around and saw Aspen heading towards me. He didn't bother to stop and say hello, just continued on his steady loping pace on up to the bottom of the bluff. He did slow down once to glance back and me with a look of "come on, hurry up you slowpoke!"

Soon we both were at the top of the bluff, and I plopped down in the leaves and breathed in that warm air, closed my eyes and soaked up the brilliant sunshine. Of course, I could have simply stayed at the cabin and sat on the back deck and done the same thing, but it just wouldn't have been the same as having to work for it.

Later in the evening, after the supper dishes were all put away, I laid back in one of the couches and soaked up some more light. Amber was playing in her room, Pam was on the computer, and all of the lights in the main cabin area were off. Only the lights from our Christmas tree were on. They were enough to light up the tall walls and ceilings (along with some light from the fireplace). I laid there and studied this old cabin, doing an inventory of sorts in my mind of how well it has held up these past 4 1/2 years. The logs still looked really good, with hardly any shrinkage at all. Many log cabins shrink 3-6 inches or more, which causes a lot of headaches for the homeowner. Our shrinkage has been less than one inch, and that is even with our 23 foot tall wall! I made the right decision to go with these lodgepole pines from Montana for sure. And the key was that they were already dead (natural kill by bugs, disease or fire), and had been dead for several years, before they were ever cut down to make the cabin. Most of their shrinking, cracking, and twisting was completed before they were ever cut.

12/30/01 I swear this immature bald eagle that came soaring by while I was in the hot tub was singing "Happy Birthday." It was 16 degrees and it didn't take too much lift for him to float through the air. I dried off and went into Amber's room and found her awake with a big grin on her face. It was her ninth birthday.

Pam made a big cake, which we had for breakfast dessert, but there were no additional parties today (Amber had a big time at Chuckie Cheeses on Friday night). We spent most of the day working around the cabin, and getting Amber's and Pam's bikes all tuned up and tested. They went for a ride in the bitter cold afternoon. It was 22 degrees, but felt more like zero. The humidity was pretty high. (Inside the cabin the humidity had dropped to 16%, so I dug out the humidifier and fired it up, which quickly brought it up to 20%.)

Sometime during the night I stepped outside to water the flowers. It was overcast, and the full moon was trying to shine through it, but not having much luck. It was light enough to see to move around without a flashlight though. Just as I was about to do my business, a yellow ball of fur dashed through my legs - good thing Tiger had not come through a couple of seconds later!

It felt like snow tonight, and Glenn Wheeler said that a friend of his had reported heavy snow just over the ridge at Fallsville, but we never got a flake here. By the time I went to bed the sky was mostly clear and the full moon was shining bright.

12/31/01 Ahhhh, the last sunrise of the year was a grand one, with layers of multicolored cloud banks in the eastern sky. The temp was 15 degrees, and not a wisp of wind. The only movement was that of Aspen and Lucy playing in Fox meadow below. The ground was bare - no snow.

Looks like sunshine and blue skies today. We have more cabin chores planned, plus a hike or two, and then another quiet evening at home. Someone asked me the other day "Man, aren't you going to a wild New Year's Eve party?" Nope. I choose to celebrate in the wilderness, and with my family, and that suits me just fine. Come to think of it, being able to do just that is something that I have been striving for all of my adult life, and now I am FINALLY here! This will be the first New Years where I will really feel at home and satisfied with my life. What more could a guy ask for?  (I'm sure there are many more wild parties in Cloudland's future.)

The sun remained bright all day, but the air was quite cold, and I never really got used to it. Could be that I stayed close to the cabin most of the day, with its roaring fireplace and warm ladies.

At one point in the afternoon Amber and I were playing with a soccer ball down on the lower deck (mind you it was 25 degrees, and she was the one who wanted to go out and play!). We had both cats there with us, and both dogs, all watching intently. Circling overhead - a mature bald eagle. And down just past the end of Fox meadow - a flock of wild turkeys scratched around in the leaves (Aspen and Lucy diverted their attention from the soccer game long enough to go play with the turkeys.)

The soccer ball got loose and went over the edge of the deck, and bounced nearly half way to the river it seemed. Amber took off like a shot, over the edge, and into the deep woods after it. This dropoff is way too steep for most adults to manage, much less a former city girl like Amber. But she did pretty good (she was wearing heavy hiking boots to play soccer - "this is why I wore the boots" she told me). She made it down to the ball just fine, but had a bit of trouble with the climb back up. "I will either have to throw the ball up to you - and risk having it roll farther back down the hill - or freeze to death." She finally figured out a way to make it up without doing either.

Pam spent much of the day working in her new workshop, creating neat handmade thankyou cards - I have a feeling there will be some really terrific stuff come out of that place! Her husband was very smart to build it for her! Then she got out her new bike and went for a ride in the crisp air. She decided the wind chill while on the bike was about zero! These are a couple of tough wilderness ladies I have out here for sure!

Amber and I stayed up and watched the big ball drop at Times Square. Then I went off for one last soak in the hot tub for the year. The moon was out and bright, and Jupiter was indeed directly overhead like it had been advertised all week. The wilderness was silent, other than the hushed music of the river far below. It was a fitting end to a remarkable year at Cloudland, one where I found my place in life to be. I intend to carry on my work of showing people the beauty of the wilderness, which will take me to many unknown places far and wide, but I will also spend as much time right here as I can, for it is where I am the happiest, and at peace with the world.

I wish the very best to each and every one of you as we begin a new year, and hope that you too will be able to spend time with those that mean the most to you, AND be able to get out into the wilderness to explore and experience all that Momma Nature has to offer.

January 2002 Journal
 

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