Jim Dailey

The First Designated National River in the United States:

At slightly more than 150 miles long, The Buffalo National River is one of the most beautiful, scenic and free flowing rivers in the nation. It is one of the most stunning natural treasures to see with its towering limestone bluffs and one of the most fun filled National Parks with its canoeing, rafting, horse back riding, camping, hiking … and just plain old sight seeing.

This weekend my buddies and I hiked to the catwalk of Big Bluff overlooking the River.

It was a little warm, making the hike pretty tough … especially the three miles “uphill”. Even though the entire area was packed with people, most of them were out in canoes, enjoying the river. In fact, as seen from above, one might compare the river traffic to holiday Interstate vehicle traffic. Below are a few pictures of Big Bluff and the Buffalo River as seen from several hundred feet above.

Twin falls … sometimes called Triple Falls:

A Wonderful Place to stay after a tough, hot hike:

Thanks so much to a special friend for allowing us to have a comfortable place to stay for the night. Check out the view from the deck … wow!!! And, even though the owner calls it a “cabin” … you decide for yourself. Regardless, a Big Thank You to Mr. Dunn.

I said it was warm … even the snakes were out.

A perfect night for star gazing:

I forget how beautiful our night sky is … what a perfect way to end the day after a hike and dinner at the 1909 Ozark Cafe on the square in Jasper Arkansas.

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It all started rather innocently in December 2010 …

Here’s the story. Three friends … JC, Bryan and I were backpacking and camping along the beautiful Richland Creek in North Central Arkansas. It was the last night on the trail, dinner and adult beverages were consumed, the campfire was a bed of coals and we were thinking warm sleeping bags. As random as this might seem JC announced that his wife had given him three glow lights … clearly we had to do something with them. Looking around we spotted a scraggly Cedar tree overlooking Richland Creek, activated the glow lights, hung them on the tree and The Annual Charlie Brown Christmas in the Ozarks Tradition began.

Founders: Jim, JC, Bryan Year two

By Year four our numbers had increased and we were forced to locate a larger camp site. In addition, a new Charlie Brown tree was Christened.

Charlie Brown Tree 2013

Charlie Brown Year 5 happened this weekend.

Our group continues to capture the imagination of many and a hardy few actually put on a pack, a Santa Hat, help decorate the tree and enjoy this unique way to celebrate the spirit of Christmas and the awesome beauty of the Richland Creek Wilderness area.

First we made a short hike to the original Charlie Brown Tree

Notice the red bow placed there in 2010

We had eleven brave souls participate this year along with scores of well wishers … some even promising to consider next year.
All I can say is “you will love it”.

Whenever I get to this point in my blog entry, I figure I’ve said enough and pictures tell the story. Included below are a couple of shots of Richland Creek, the decorating, the campsite and other memorable moments. I hope you will enjoy … and consider joining us next time.

House size boulders, Turquoise Water

Santa’s Helpers

Serious Business

Daryl is proud of his work.

JC makes a pretty cool Santa.

All of Charlie Brown’s Helpers.

Above left to right … back row DJ, Bryan, JC, Charlie’s Tree, Daryl, Daniel, Jim, Randy. Bottom row Morgan, Napoleon, Eileen, Jeff, John holding another Charlie Brown Tree.

The end of a perfect day.

DJ and Morgan … is it time to go home?

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If one has read other posts of mine, it’s most likely obvious I and three other buddies take a hiking trip each year to some magnificent part of the United States … usually a National Park.
This year, our Fall adventure was to Crested Butte, Colorado where we enjoyed this unique, historic old mining town and the incredible mountain trails in the area.

We arrived on a sunny Saturday followed by a day of heavy snow on Monday and then a magnificent week of crisp, blue sky hiking.

Beautiful setting for this Historic City

Treacherous Drive

Dark Canyon Aspen

The above photo was taken on our fourth day of hiking. This was a relatively short hike of four miles but a hike with a rewarding view of one of the largest Aspen groves in the United states.
Below … four friends at this magnificent overlook of one of the world’s larges living organisms.

Friends at the Dark Canyon Overlook

Below are a few more random shots including a marker at a cemetery near the top of Kibler Pass and a shot of the 2000 foot deep Black Canyon near Montrose, Colorado.

I could go on and on but the pictures truly do tell the story of a wonderful trip.

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This trip was photography focused … We had the usual Colorado activities … enjoyment of cool high altitude mountain air, fine food, shopping, hikes and festivals. However, this time we spent more time photographing the beauty and details of the majestic Rocky Mountains. Enjoy!!!

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We were just going to Saturday Afternoon Mass …

What started out as a Saturday afternoon heading to Mass, turned out to be a serendipitous adventure in Downtown Little Rock.

Going to Mass at the historic Greek Revival Saint Edward’s Catholic Church is a treat by itself … the Architecture, the altar carved by German craftsmen, the leaded glass, the choir, the ritual and the fact that for over 100 years it has continuously operated in the original settlement of Little Rock. Our already pleasant downtown adventure did not end with a church service.

After Mass we drove the few blocks to the River Market District, found a parking spot, walked around for a bit on an unseasonable cool July evening and had dinner at Dizzy’s … another treat in itself.  Owner, Darla, has managed to create her own eclectic flavor of art, atmosphere, food and hospitality.

A great dinner behind us we were about to head West when Patti suggested we drive by the Bernice Garden on South Main  …  this time, a treat far beyond our expectations.  There was music, street vendors and more activity than I have seen on Main Street in the past 50 years.  These pictures with my Iphone (I was wishing I had my Canon camera) provide a sample of the full of life and commerce in this SoMa neighborhood.

With the River Market District, Argenta in NLR, Heights/Hillcrest and now SoMa, the heart  of our Capitol City is beating like a teenager once again !!!

It truly makes me proud to be a citizen of Little Rock  …

check out: thebernicegarden.org and southonmain.com  …. also …   somalittlerock.blogspot.com

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Perfect Fall Weekend at the Buffalo National River …

One can almost set his/her calendar for the first weekend in November and expect to see dazzling Fall color in the Arkansas Ozark Mountains.  This year my buddy, Daryl, and I camped at Steele Creek on the Buffalo River, hiked/bush-wacked to a water fall area and had a delicious meal at Low Gap Cafe. Low Gap, located on Arkansas 74 between Jasper and Ponca is the least likely spot one would expect to find a menu like this …

The Bluffs and Hills were Stunning …

Personal Creativity … While the waterfall was almost non existent due to below average rain, we were rewarded with the beauty around us and the unique creativity of an earlier hiker.  I spent more than thirty years in the furniture business and promise i’ve never seen a chair like this  …   Talk about the era of Assemble it yourself furniture!!

The Shot below is one of my favorite … early morning fog, the glow of our sun and the Ozark Mountains.  Wow!!!

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