Missouri and the Wilson Creek National Battlefield

  We entered Missouri around noon or so yesterday with a vague plan to make it into the Springfield area. We also decided to forgo the main highways and stuck mainly to the back roads. My plan was to stop along the way if we saw anything really interesting to look at or photograph, however that's easier said then done on small country roads with no shoulder or pull offs for a motorhome and connected toad. So we just enjoyed the scenery and pressed on. We did however stop in Old Town, MO. and shot this cute little post office. One of the locals saw me snapping the pictures and said "your taking a picture of our post office?" I explained to her I enjoy shooting old and unique buildings. She then proceeded to tell me about an even smaller post office in town! That would have been great, however it just happened to be a bit out of our way, and you can't just whip in and out of places with an RV, I thanked her for the chat and we moved on down the road.

 We ended up calling it a day in Ozark, MO. just south of Springfield, at the Ozark RV Park. We paid for 2 days as Sheryl wanted to visit the Wilson Creek National Battlefield. We got up Friday morning and headed over to the Battlefield. The Battle for Wilson Creek is mainly known for being the first major battle of the Civil War west of the Mississippi River and also for the first Union General to be killed in action during the Civil War.

 This home belong to the Ray family who just happened to be caught in the middle of the battle. the Family took refuge in the cellar as the battle raged around them. When it was over and both army's had retreated the area, the family emerged to find hundreds of wounded soldiers from both sides on and around their property. Their home quickly became a makeshift hospital for the wounded.

 One of the several areas the battle took place.

 Confederate Cannons of Guibor's Battery located on the crest of "Bloody Hill"

Union Cannon at Totten's Battery.

Sheryl is really interested in historical Civil War locations, so this was a great place to visit for her. As an added bonus to the visit, she talked with the site librarian who researched and gave her some family history from her past Missouri relatives.
Tomorrow we are off toward Western Missouri/Eastern Kansas making our way north up the border. So until then......................

White River Kayaking

We came to Cotter Arkansas after we left Gilbert specifically to Kayak the White River and of course for a change of scenery. However with Sheryl's back being out we were wondering if she was going to be able to do it. Well after a few days it began to heal and feel a little better each day. While not being completely healed and still a bit sore, she decided it was time to hit the water! 

 We entered the White River at Wildcat Shoals, off Denton Ferry Rd. and paddled the river for approx 2 hours back to the RV park. Once again the park owners were great and drove us to the put in area and drove our Jeep back to the RV park.

 Along this stretch of the river, the western side is mainly wilderness, while the eastern bank is mainly homes.
The water is crystal clear along the entire river, making for even more beautiful scenery below us.

 A thick layer of fog blankets the river from early morning to mid afternoon and and can make for some eerie forms as it's clearing.

 In several places along the river, there are boulders and rock fields that stretch across the entire river, making for some interesting navigation. Here is Sheryl stuck on one of those rocky areas lying just below the water. She did quite well getting herself unstuck using the ole scooting method I showed her....lol. In all fairness, I ran aground also in the same area, but was lucky enough to get unstuck first and able to get the picture.

 Floating along into the river mist.

 Sheryl enjoying the slow current carrying us downstream.

Yours truly always looking for the next shot.

Like the Buffalo river, the White is a great paddle. For all you fishermen out there, the White River is touted to be one of the best Trout fishing rivers in the U.S. We saw many people fishing and talked to folks here at the park that had caught their fair share each day.

Tomorrow we leave and start making our way toward Topeka KS. for the wedding. We are still trying to decide which route to take through MO. We are wanting to avoid Branson, so may just putt along the back roads and see what we can run across. So until then..............................

Flippin, Arkansas

 Yesterday, Sheryl and I went out in search of Wal Mart and to just go for a Sunday drive exploring the area. During our travels we found ourselves in the small town of Flippin Arkansas and of course we just had to laugh and the more we drove around town, the more we laughed at the different signs. I don't know why, but they just really struck our funny bone. Here are a few of our favorites.

 Get your Flippin Shirts.

 Flippin Church.

 Flippin Boy Scouts.

 Flippin Jail.

And of course my personal favorite.

We all feel like saying those things sometime, but the people who live here get to Flippin live it everyday....lol. We had a fun and humorous day out, Sheryl's back is getting better, slowly but surely and she can at least get out now. We have a few more days here and may just be able to get the kayaks wet out on the White River. That's it for now, enjoy the humor and we'll see you in a day or so.

Gilbert AR. and Beyond

 Gilbert AR. is just a memory now as we have moved on up the road to Cotter AR. We really enjoyed the very small town atmosphere, all the towns people were very friendly and we would stay there again without hesitation. Gilbert is by far the smallest town we have ever stayed in, pop 33 and the five dogs that took up residence on the shade covered streets, yes you had to drive around them.

                                 It's a dogs life in Gilbert hanging outside the General Store.

 The local cafe made one of the best Club Sandwiches I've ever eaten.

 A small creek run just outside of town.

Rural Arkansas.

We are now at the Denton Ferry RV Park in Cotter AR. It's located right on the White River which we were hoping to get a kayaking on. A minor hiccup in lans arose when Sheryl threw her back out yesterday morning while getting the rig ready for travel. I think I'm rubbing off on her as she did it picking up (of all things) a pillow. Well, heres to hoping for a speedy recovery as there are too many things she wants to do and see while we are here in the Ozarks.

Thats it for this installment, so we'll see you next time right back here.

Kayaking The Buffalo

 The weather has been kinda gloomy since our arrival here in Gilbert, AR. Tuesday, that all changed and we were off on our Buffalo River adventure. Our put in was Baker Ford, west of Hwy 65 and we took out at the Gilbert access just down the street from our Campground.

 The river is very clear with a turquoise hue and winds through the Ozark mtns. The flow is slow and steady, but speeds up to a pretty good clip in the narrow areas resulting in some fun little Class 1 rapids.

 The river is lined with high cliffs and deep woods.

We were out for approx 4 hours and had a great time. Most of the time we just let the river float us along at it's own speed with an occasional paddle from us, now thats a float trip!

Tomorrow we leave Gilbert and the Buffalo, travel 50 miles to the town of Cotter and our spot along the White River where we'll spend the next week. So until next time........................

Arkansas and the Buffalo National River

 After much plotting and planning, we made our escape from OKC and pointed the motorhome towards Arkansas and the Buffalo National River area. We drove from OKC (after a late start), stopping in Siloam Springs for the night. Today it was up kinda sorta early for us and we were off, we made it into Gilbert Arkansas, Population 33 and the middle area of the Buffalo River.

 For many years I had wanted to come to the Buffalo, ever since I became interested in Kayaking. The Buffalo National River is approx. 151 mile long, travelling west to east through the Ozark Mountains of North Central Arkansas. It's swift flowing water are clear with a turquoise hue. The river flows it fasted in the western (upper) river and slows to a casual current as it approaches the eastern (lower) section and it's confluence with the White River.

Just a couple of quick shots of the Buffalo, taken at the Gilbert boat ramp. We are staying at the Gilbert RV Campground approx 2 blocks from the river. The campground is pretty nice and well priced (more on that later). We are going to be here in Gilbert for 4 days, then will move to a Campground on the White River (yet to be determined) All toll, we are planning to be in the area for 2 weeks before we head towards Topeka, KS. for Sheryl's Nieces wedding.

Stay tuned for more as we explore the Buffalo/White River area of North Central Arkansas. So until then.............................

Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge, OKC, OK.

 On the eastern side of the OKC metro area is Lake Overhoslster, and OKC's primary reservoir. The lake is fed by the North Canadian River and therein lies the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is approximately 1000 acres and extends for several miles along river to the north of the lake. The lake and refuge is popular boating and fishing area, however, even though it was one of the first beautiful weekend days this year, there were surprisingly few boaters/kayakers out along the river.

 Being I headed out in the middle of the days, this guy was about all the wildlife I saw.

 This part of the North Canadian river seemed to have more than it's fare share of downed trees, many right in the middle.

There are a few smaller off shoots of various lengths from the main river, a calm break from the larger water.

It sure felt good to get the kayak back in the water again, considering it's was last fall since we had them out. This was a solo trip however, as por Sheryl has been fighting a bad intestinal bug that has been going around here and really kicking everyone's butt. Sheryl has a follow up with one of her doctors on Friday and that will determine when we head out, either Sunday as scheduled or later. Hopefully she'll be cleared and we can getaway from here for a few weeks before returning for another quick check up again.

So until next time....................