The Gorge

There are many scenic gems hidden away in My Corner of the Ozarks. 

On November 4 in response to a notice in the local newspaper, we joined a group of about 20 on a guided hike at Prairie Valley Gorge Natural Area in the Ozarks National Scenic Riverways. 

The guide was Ranger Josh Chilton whose parents lived in Mountain View at one time.

The group first took a winding trail to the top of the gorge to look over the deep valley. 

This gorge, called locally, "the canyon" has been named "Prairie Hollow Gorge" by the National Park Service.  A glade area on top of the bluff has many open land or prairie plants.  It must be managed with fire or eastern red cedar will dominate it, as it does in many Ozark glades.

 

After viewing the gorge from above, we retraced our steps and walked up the valley parallel to a small stream to see the steep rhyolite walls.  Rhyolite is an igneous rock similar to granite.  The igneous outcroppings of the St. Francis Mountains in southeastern Missouri are granite. 

Prairie Valley Gorge empties into the Current River just downstream from Two Rivers, where the Jack's Fork joins the Current.  The lazy trickle of water in the stream turns into a torrent after a heavy rain.  There was evidence of flash flooding in the trees of the gorge.  

Seasons Change

Autumn again.  It's a beautiful season in My Corner of the Ozarks.  

The fall colors reveal the season.  

But dry weather earlier probably resulted in a "duller" color to our hills this year.  





We moved back (home) to the Ozarks 13 years ago.  I had never hunted turkeys in the fall before that.  Spring gobbler turkey hunting is "easier" than finding and calling turkeys in the fall.  I hunted in Illinois in spring and I often traveled to Missouri to hunt in spring with Dad.  But not until we moved here did fall turkey hunting seem likely to be worth the effort.

This is actually a gobbler shot in the spring.  I've since shot five turkeys in the fall season, but no one bothers to take pictures of 8-10 pound juveniles.  When we moved to My Corner of the Ozarks, it became possible to have a chance to harvest a turkey in the fall.  My personal scout always knew where the flocks were feeding and moving when the October season began.  

One October on opening day, my scout told me to sit in a certain fence row and watch for a hen and brood to enter the field from the woods. Sure enough they marched out in front of me with the mother hen leading them all in a row.  I was able to get a double that day.  (Yes.  Two in the same day is legal in the fall.)  

I did not get a permit or go afield this past October.  I have lost my trustworthy scout.  It is just not the same.  In the spring of his 89th year he shot his 68th wild turkey.  Me?  I'm still trying to find Number 21.

I LOVE CAMP DAVID

Every summer we try to gather all our grandchildren for a week of fun.  We now have six grands.  Since one lives in Kosovo, we did not expect to see her at Camp David in August.

But we got to visit Kosovo, as did our oldest grandchild.  We had a brief time in Kosovo with the youngest and the oldest in June.

Wow!  That was a long way from My Corner of the Ozarks.  But great fun!

Five grandchildren made it to My Corner of the Ozarks in August. A year ago we had to move Camp David to Maryland because of Karis' cross country training schedule (See post from Feb. 7, 2017).  This year we were able to squeeze in Camp David between the busy schedules of five youngsters.  (Mimi and Papa don't have busy schedules.)

For the second time in three years, Camp David was held at Bunker Hill Resort on the Jack's Fork River only a few miles from Mountain View.  Now that is in My Corner of the Ozarks! 

Karis, sophomore, is still busy with cross country running. But this year she trained on some Ozark hills.  Olivia (7th grade) and Emily (3rd grade) are very busy with dance.  Camp David was held between various dance camps and practices.  Jackson (2nd grade) plays ice hockey and takes golf lessons.  Cami (kindergarten) is also a dancer.  There is a lot of "movement" when these Davids come to camp!

We gathered up the grands from Illinois and Tennessee and brought them to the Ozarks


On the way to the Ozarks we posed at the site of Fort Defiance at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. 

Meals at Bunker Hill are ample and nutritious and fun.  We had our own table each meal.  All meals were served "family style".  So our family fit right in. 

As always, the river and the kayaks were the most popular activity.  The water was great.  The kayaks were fun.  The children were noisy.  The grandparents were tired.

Even sisters got along well at Camp David. 

The weather was great.  It rained the last day, but we got loaded, had our breakfast together and headed toward homes in Illinois and Maryland.

Only twelve months until the next Camp David.

But wait... we got to have a "mini-camp" for a few hours in Pennsylvania in October. 

Can you believe it!!!

The Marylanders got to meet their youngest cousin (and niece). 


                                                                           

Water Water Everywhere!!

We just completed the wettest April on record.  Saturday the 29th was probably the highest one-day rainfall here.  We left West Plains just as the thunderstorm started.  We made it to Mountain View, but we could not get home.  We needed to cross Jam-up Creek to go south to our house, but all roads south were closed due to flooding.  After the rain let up after about 3 hours we were able to travel south when one lane opened up on Route 17.

We often have a small lake in our back yard.  We live in a karst area.  Most of southern Missouri is underlain by sedimentary rock with cracks, crevices, caves, springs, and sink holes.  Our back yard is a sink hole and that is where we frequently get temporary "lakes".

We had an overnight pond in the backyard on April 21-22.  I put out the "no fishing" sign for a joke.

The pond disappeared in a few hours, as usual.

But on the 29th our rainfall probably exceeded 10 inches.  The next morning the backyard pond covered my garden.

The  rainfall total at West Plains was near 15 inches.  Electricity was down.  Schools were closed for the whole week.  Mountain View - Birch Tree schools were also closed for the week.  There were more "flood days" than "snow days" this year.

News reports had 270 state highway closures in Missouri including sections of I-44, I-55, and US 60.  There were six flood-related deaths in Missouri and four in Arkansas.

Never before had our backyard lake covered the street, but this time the street was closed for the whole week.

Linda could not resist the "lake" when the sun finally came out.  She paddled the neighborhood kids all around Lake David.










Our lake disappeared down into the sinkhole by Friday, May 5.  Our water went into the underground caverns and rivers that go to places like Alley Spring, Big Spring, or Greer Spring.  I finished mowing the grass in our old "lake bed" on May 6.

Of course, in July we will be praying for rain.

Camp David 2016

 In August 2016 we hosted "Camp David" once again.  Pictured are Emily, Cami, Jackson, and Olivia.  Missing was Karis, who was working hard to make the high school cross country team.Camp was August 8-15.  Also missing was Mariam, who was born August 16.

The events of Sept. 30-Dec. 6 prevented me from documenting 2016 Camp David until now.

Camp David moved to Maryland so we could include Karis part of the time.  We enjoyed Ole Mink Farm resort in the Catoctin Mountains and we found out that we were only four miles from the real Camp David presidential retreat.  Of course, the site is off limits to lowly citizens, but we found the gate.

So my corner of the Ozarks missed having Camp David, but we took it to the eastern mountains.

Our (now) six grandchildren are growing and learning rapidly.  We enjoy them and love them very much.