Spring Valley State Park

Yesterday afternoon, after I had posted the Blast from the Past, I loaded Emma into the car and we headed for Spring Valley State Park. Spring Valley is really a day use part of Rockhound State Park. It is two miles further on from Rockhound. As I made the right hand turn to Spring Valley, I noticed this sign:

this was the first time I've seen a road with a 17% grade! Sure glad I had the car and not the motorhome.

It's hard to see, but the road is in the left 1/3 of the picture and goes right up into the Florida Mountains. As you go up the first grade, it is impossible to see where the road is going, so I had the car in second gear. As I topped the first hill, the view of the valley and Deming in the distance was cool.

I continued on up to the picnic area and trailhead. It would have been better to do this trip in the morning as far as pictures are concerned. Emma and I started out on the Lover's Leap trail, but it is a primitive trail, and I was not comfortable going very far without my walking stick. If I try this trail again, I think I'll leave Emma at home. I'll need to concentrate on my steps and Emma is a little too exuberant for that kind of a hike for me. I could just see myself taking a header as she went one way, and I slipped on the loose rocks another way. :)

When I got back, I filled the water tank and disconnected the water hose. Temps last night were below freezing and will be in the twenties for the next several nights. I don't mind doing that as I really get better water pressure with my pump than with the pressure in the park. Better pressure is especially nice for showers!

Tonight was the Monday evening potluck, as usual. Once again, the food was very satisfying. One change from previous weeks was that some thoughtful person had started a fire in the wood stove in the Rec Hall. It's really getting chilly and windy. I made sure to pick a spot not too far from the stove.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Why, why, why???

I had an interesting conversation with a five year old in the campground this afternoon. Five year olds have a propensity for asking the age old question...why? Here's how it went:
"Why do you have a motorhome?".....So I can go where I want to.
"Why do you have a car too?"....Because the motorhome won't fit in the grocery store parking lot.
"Why don't you have a boat?"....Because it won't fit behind the motorhome & car.
"Why does your dog lick so much?"....Because she's excited.
"Why are you going to Missouri?"....Because I can. Then he got down to the nitty-gritty.
"Why do you have grey hair?"....Because I'm old.
"If you're old, why aren't you in a nursing home?"....They've got to catch me first!

What fun! I haven't been grilled so much in a long time. He soon moved on with his companions to the two dogs next door. His older brother came back to report that the puppy had chewed up the tablecloth. I told him that's what puppies do when they're left alone. The older brother then wanted to know how I could afford to buy groceries if I just drove around the country. A brief discussion ensued and the young man had an "aha" moment as he told me that he figured out that I get money from being a principal and they put the money in the bank (since they wouldn't give me cash) and I have to go to the bank to get the money. Good figuring for an eight year old. It was an enjoyable encounter with some of Arkansas' youngsters.

This morning I, with Emma in tow, went to meet the park naturalist for a scheduled nature hike. We got there about fifteen minutes early, so I took Emma down the trail I thought we'd be taking to expel some of her energy rather than just standing around waiting. A few yards into the trail was a sign pointing to a 1/5 mile loop. I was sure we could accomplish that little hike in time to return for the guided walk. How wrong I was! With cloudy skies and rain coming down, my sense of direction was not the best and the short loop turned into a rather lengthy hike. There were lots of trail intersections and I hadn't brought a map with me. Needless to say, we missed the guided hike and I almost began to wonder if we'd ever get out of the woods. We ended up no where near where we started, and fairly soaked. It was a good hike and I'm happy to report that I cleared out all the cobwebs for later hikers. ;) There's nothing like a few hundred wet cobwebs in the face to invigorate your day.

I've decided to stay an extra night at this park. I'll be going to town to find a laundromat tomorrow and I want to stop and see Pickles Gap and Toad Suck....

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Sierra Club hike??

After spending a good portion of the morning helping to set things up at headquarters for the Songbird Festival weekend, I headed back to the rig to relax for a while before getting ready for the evening hike. I was to be the birding expert for the hike that was lead by a member of the local Sierra Club.
We would be hiking the trails at Warbler Vista. When I do my weekly bird census there, it takes me three hours to do the three+ mile hike, and this hike was scheduled for three hours. So I figured that was about right.

Many of the people that had showed up for the hike had binoculars and one gentleman had a camera with a huge lens. Obviously they were hoping to see some birds and a golden-cheeked warbler or two. I told the leader that I would bring up the rear, and we headed out. It became very obvious in short order that this hike leader was not interested in birding. He was definitely on a mission! I think that mission was to cover as much territory in the shortest amount of time possible. That doesn't make for very good birding in a habitat where frequent stops to listen for bird songs is mandatory.

Now, I have lead quite a few hikes, and to me rule number one is that you don't leave anyone behind. As I was bringing up the rear, the couple ahead of me was unable to keep up and worried about it. I told them not to worry, and we took a pace that they were comfortable with. The leader kept on going and soon we were out of sight and sound of them. This couple was most interested in birds and we were able to identify, by sound, a few warblers. We continued on the route I take for my census. We arrived at the end of the trail at the Sunset Overlook without finding the main group. It turns out, they added an extra trail to the hike and arrived only a few minutes after we did at the overlook. I can't imagine that they got to really see and enjoy much at the pace they were taking.

We still had a one mile hike back to the vehicles, and once again the main body of the group took off in hot pursuit of the leader. By the time we all made it back to the parking lot, only two hours had passed and everyone was really ready for a chilled bottle of water that was in the back of the pickup I was driving. I must say that it was the quickest hike I've ever taken down these trails and the least productive bird wise.

I'm thinking this was more like a forced march rather than a leisurely hike. ;)

I'll be up very early tomorrow and heading out to headquarters to see if I'll be involved in some strictly birding tours.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy