The famed Indian Rockhouse

Today we took the drive to the Lower District

of the Buffalo Riverway

to take a 3.5 mile hike to the Indian Rockhouse,

this huge cave where Indians lived long ago.

We had worked hard on our booklets

and got to stop and get our Junior Ranger badges

at the Buffalo Point Ranger station.

Next stop--trailhead!

We paired off with our usual partners--

Dad and Tuck in the back

Mom and Beck bridging the middle

and me and Jack

usually waaaaay out in front

This was a cool "self-guided" hike

with several different stops along the way.

We were in the Sinkhole Icebox in this picture.

It really was cold down there!

The one wasn't on the map,

but isn't it cool? 

There were a whole bunch of these trees.

This is the "waterfall."

Hmm.

Just a trickle.

Probably more impressive in the spring

with the rains.

This tree was at the base of the waterfall.

Beck and I are standing next to its root ball--

guess it gets pretty boggy down here

for something this huge to fall over!

There was an old zinc mine

Don't worry, we didn't go in

(too far...)

Along the cliffs there was this huge collection

of cairns

We left a few of our own.

There were quite a few waterfalls

not on the map

How about this?

The Ranger warned us not to be fooled.

As cool as this cave is,

we're not quite to the Rockhouse

But, whoa!

This is a cool cave!

We ran all over the place

I photobombed the Littles picture

in this cool window

We finally tore ourselves away

and made it to the real cave we've been waiting for...

The Rockhouse!

We couldn't wait to explore

way...down...there...

Dark.

But worth it.

There were huge expansive spaces too

and another cool window

It was a great view out of the cave too!

It was worth the hike!

But we weren't done yet!

We had daylight to burn

so we hit one more trail--

the aptly named Overlook Trail

What a view!

Total of 5 miles today--

we earned our s'mores!

Discovering Lost Valley

The Ranger said the best hike in this area

of the Buffalo River is the Lost Valley Trail.

It was on Dad's list too

so we drove a few miles down the road from Steel Creek

and found our trailhead.

There are a couple of cool features along the way

so we set off down the path

We found leaves as big as my head

gorgeous fall colors

all sorts of crevasses to crawl through

and a huge river bed

(Jigsaw Blocks on the map)

with a disappearing spring

(meaning it comes and goes along the winding bed)

The further we hiked,

the cooler it got!

Here's the opening to 

the Natural Bridge.

You are supposed to use the rocks

to our right to go around...

...but we prefer to use the tunnel

in the rocks to go through!

How cool is this???

There were even a few spots in the tunnel

where the water was rushing back out

as it reappeared from its

underground course

(it was hard to catch on film).

But we caught ourselves just fine!

We tore ourselves away to walk a little further

and find Cobb's Cave

It was MASSIVE

And finally,

the finale,

Eden's Falls.

I photobombed Mom's selfie.

We really wanted to walk up to Eden's Cave

but it was all blocked off because,

well, COVID.

So we were good Jr. Rangers and respected the rule.

Grudgingly.

We had a lot to chat about on the way back

Like what's for dinner?!!?

It was a nice night in Harrison.

We played football and goofed around outside

and then stuffed ourselves with s'mores.

Mmm.  Camping is fun.

COVID-silver lining...Fall Break!

Usually we have a day off here and there

throughout the year.

But since we started school late

and for whatever other reason,

the school district took away most of these day

BUT they consolidated a few of them

into a full, week-long fall break.

THAT did not sound like something

we should waste!

So after the last of the soccer games,

we rented a camper

and hit the road for Northwest Arkansas.

Our first day in Harrison,

we headed to Ponca and the Buffalo National Riverway.

Our first stop was the Steel Creek Ranger station

where we thought we'd get maps and Junior Ranger books.

But, well, Covid.

It was closed.

And there weren't any great maps.

And we didn't have cell service to look up much

on a phone.

So we decided to set out and explore a little on our own.

Our first look at the Buffalo River

It's pretty!

Lots of cool stuff on the shore to explore

We decided to drive around the campsite

to see if there were any maps...

and we found a Ranger!

She had maps and Junior Ranger books

in her car

and gave us some tips on 2 great hikes in the area.

Score!

The Reed Family luck strikes again.

We found the trailhead

for the Buffalo River trail

and set out for the famed Overlook.

The fall colors were beautiful

How about this with a filter?

(it's through Dad's sunglasses)

We hiked through the woods

and along the Steel Creek,

which we learned is a tributary

of the Buffalo River

There were lots of cool things to climb

and pose near

and get a lovely Christmas card shot with

It was about 1.5 miles there

but we finally reached the Overlook

which made a lovely spot for lunch

Nice view!

Then we headed back

across the creek

and through the woods

and took in all the views

and the sites

It was a nice hike...

but wait until you see where we went next...

We are the Champions

This weekend,

my team pulled out an amazing season.

We were undefeated in the season

(ok, we had one tie)

AND we were undefeated in the tournament!

I was so pumped to get my medal

Pirates with the repeat!

Man, I love this team!

But here's an amazing turn of events:

Jack's team 

(who one only 1 game all season),

made it to the championship of their bracket!

They took 2nd after losing in a shoot out in overtime.

Now THAT'S some heart!

The family champs

with their biggest fans