Douglas County, Missouri
October 13, 2020
I haven’t been totally satisfied with the colors of Fall we have been experiencing this year, so since the leaves here are already falling from the trees and turning brown I suggested that maybe a day trip to the south was in order. My nagging was eventually successful and it was decided that yesterday would be our annual “searching for Fall” day-trip.
We had some errands to run first and that brought us to Ava, Missouri, about twenty-five miles from our home. Ava is also known as “The Treasure of the Ozarks”, a good starting point for the search for Fall.
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Keeping in mind that we did not have time to go someplace unfamiliar, we followed the same route we had taken a few times before. There was one scenic overlook along highway 412 between Gassville and Yellville, AR. This was not a particularly scenic day. The sun was shining brightly and the Fall colors were muted. The view of the White River below is almost completely hidden.
We continued on to Yellville, then took a right turn, south onto hwy AR-14. Twenty-seven miles later we turned east onto AR-268. Once we arrived we parked away from all the campers and hiked down to the river. The water level in the river is lower than I remember it from our last visit. We had arrived at Buffalo Point on the Buffalo National River.
The Buffalo River, located in Northern Arkansas, was the first National River to be designated in the United States. The Buffalo River is 153 miles long. The lower 135 miles flow within the boundaries of an area managed by the National Park Service, where the stream is designated the Buffalo National River. (Wikipedia)
There is a “River of Life” chart at the edge of the parking area looking down on the river below. It shows the type of terrain and the creatures that exist here:
“The Buffalo River has cut deeply onto the bedrock, leaving tall, vertical bluffs standing at river bends. In some areas the river is confined by bedrock; in others it meanders through alluvial bottoms. The channel is vertically stable as the bedrock is either exposed or covered with a thin layer of gravel and sand. The river is characterized by quiet pools separated by short riffles.” (website)
The height of the bluffs across the river can be roughly determined by looking at the floaters in the river:
We turned in the opposite direction to avoid the other folks who were either in the water or walking along the gravel beach area. In this direction the dramatic view of the high cliff has ended:
But there is more interest on our side of the river at this point. A short hike brings us closer to what looks like a couple of small caves in the rocks ahead:
So we look closer but did not feel like wading, so this is a side view of the larger opening:
Then we check out the smaller opening — I don’t think these markings are prehistoric:
That opening was a little too small for us to investigate, so we turned around and headed back up the gravel beach toward the trail. Along the way I noticed a small inlet, but again, very little fall color is visible:
A little color is visible above the rocks across the river:
Before we leave this area I want to mention again that this is only one small area along this river. Eventually I would like to explore other parts of this region, but for today this was the only part we visited.
The article I quoted above speaks more broadly about the geology of this river system:
The rocks of Buffalo National River are entirely sedimentary, laid down in an ancient marine basin. Over its 300-million year history it was variously uplifted and eroded and then again submerged below the sea to receive more deposits. Deposition of the strata was discontinuous, and unconformities have been left in the sequence. Most of the rocks contain invertebrate fossils - trilobites, brachiopods, crinoids, cephalopods. Today the rocks are again uplifted and superimposed on them are high bluffs, waterfalls, springs and hundreds of solution pits and caves. Two features are especially noteworthy; one, the 200-foot waterfall in Hemmed-in-Hollow, which is the highest in the entire region between the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains; the other, the gypsum formations of Beauty Cave. (website)
After we got back from our walk we continued on our drive toward Mountain View, Arkansas then turned north on AR-5 and made a short stop at the Ozark Folk Center. (website) Many of the small shops are open, as is the restaurant. However, we had snacked our way south and were not hungry enough to stop for a meal.
There were no further overlooks until we reached the town of Norfork, Arkansas. They have built a very nice overlook spot there. We stopped and took a few photos, but once again there was very little color.
Looking in the other direction:
Even after a little post-processing, the colors are muted and dry looking:
But I saw something there at the top that I had not seen all day. One of the local residents came out to greet me and stayed long enough for a photo session:
At the end of the day, after driving almost 300 miles, we returned home feeling a little sad that we did not have more time to explore, but knowing that what we have here at home is every bit as good as what we went out searching for.
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Now It's Your Turn
What have you noted happening in your area or travels recently? As usual post your observations as well as their general location in the comments.
P.S. I may be out running errands when this gets published on Friday morning, but I will be back as soon as I can!