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Reflections One Morning in Arkansas

16 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Arkansas, Nature, Photography, Weekly Photo Challenge

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Arkansas, Nature, photography, Weekly Photo Challenge

Not so very long ago, we visited one of our daughters at her home in Arkansas. On our way home we spent the night at Petit Jean State Park. What a gorgeous place!

In the morning, before our final leg home, we went down to the lake to watch the sun rise. It was a great way to end a great trip, and reminded us to reflect on the importance of the time we take to spend with family, as we viewed the beautiful reflections of sunrise on the water.

In response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflecting

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Arkansas In Autumn… and Buttermilk Pie

06 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Arkansas, Food, Photography, Sweet Treats, Travel

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Arkansas, Food, photography, Sweet Treats, Travel

Traveling Around Arkansas

Each year, Jim and I take an autumn trip. This year we traveled to southern Arkansas to visit our daughter and her family who live in Monticello. What a great time we had, and what a diversity of landscape we saw. Because we rarely travel the interstate, and because we never go back the same way we went, we put over 1,000 miles on our Fusion Hybrid as we wandered our way around Arkansas and back home to Missouri—it is a good thing the hybrid averages over 45 mpg!

Our first stop, anytime we travel down highway US 63 is Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. It takes about two and a half hours from our house, and by then we are starving for breakfast at the Wood’s Riverbend Restaurant on the Spring River. It is not a fancy place, but the breakfast tastes like home and the view of the river is beautiful any season of the year.IMG_1458

After breakfast, we always go to Mammoth Spring State Park, right on the highway, to take a leisurely walk around the spring and visit the ducks and geese who are always in residence. Sometimes we also see a beaver swimming at the spring and sometimes we see trees on which he has been working!

We always enjoy walking around Mammoth Spring.

We always enjoy walking around Mammoth Spring.

We love meeting the many geese and ducks that reside at Mammoth Spring.

We love meeting the many geese and ducks that reside at Mammoth Spring.

After leaving the restaurant, we traveled down the eastern side of Arkansas to our daughter’s home in Monticello. On the way south we saw rice fields, already harvested…IMG_1485

cotton fields, in the process of being harvested…IMG_1495

and bayou areas..IMG_1496

While at our daughter’s house we took several side trips.

We visited a pumpkin patch, where each of us picked our own pumpkins. We tried to get lost in the corn maze, and just generally had a fun time.

Our grandaughter in the maze at the pumpkin patch.

Our granddaughter in the maze at the pumpkin patch.

We visited the South Arkansas Arboretum in El Dorado. This arboretum and botanical garden is a real jewel. It is Arkansas’ fiftieth state park, owned by the local school system and operated by South Arkansas Community College. What a wonderful way to take a walk in nature. Unbelievably, in an era in which everything costs money, this botanical garden and arboretum charges no entrance fee.

South Arkansas Arboretum is just a great walk in the woods!

South Arkansas Arboretum is just a great walk in the woods!

The many camellias at the arboretum are just beautiful!

The many camellias at the arboretum are just beautiful!

Cane Lake State Park. near Star City, is another place to have a great walk in the woods and visit an oxbow lake.

A walk in the woods at Cane Creek State Park is fun and invigorating.

A walk in the woods at Cane Creek State Park is fun and invigorating.

Cane Creek lake

Cane Creek Lake

But, by far, the most beautiful place we visited was Petit Jean State Park near Morrilton. While there, we hiked, climbed over “turtle” rocks, saw magnificent 500 year old Native American pictographs, and fell in love with the sunrise and sunset of this most picturesque place. Rather than go on and on, let me share some of my photos from Petit Jean…

These are the "turtle " rocks at Petit Jean, an unusual geologic site for sure.

These are the “turtle ” rocks at Petit Jean, an unusual geological site for sure.

Just past the turtle rocks we entered the Rock House cave in which ancient peoples left pictographs for us to discover so many years later.

Just past the turtle rocks we entered the Rock House Cave in which ancient peoples left pictographs for us to discover so many years later.

IMG_1652

One of the several pictographs we saw inside the Rock House Cave at Petit Jean State Park.

Sunrise at Petit Jean State Park

Sunrise at Petit Jean State Park

Looking to the west at sunrise provided as spectacular a view as the sunrise itself.

Looking to the west at sunrise provided as spectacular a view as the sunrise itself.

Once again, the view toward the west, as the geese awoke to the new day was as spectacular as the view in the east.

Once again, the view toward the west, as the geese awoke to the new day was as spectacular as the view in the east.

Sunset was also a moment to remember. We sat on the rock ledge behind the Mathers Lodge and watched the sun set and its aftermath for over an hour.

Sunset was also a moment to remember. We sat on the rock ledge behind Mather Lodge, watching the sun set, and its aftermath for over an hour.

And finally, this trip, as with all good things must come to an end. But not without a stop in Jasper, at the eclectic Ozark Cafe, one of our favorite places in all of Arkansas to enjoy an incredible hamburger.

the Ozark Cafe in Jasper, Arkansas...you won't be hungry for a long time!

the Ozark Cafe in Jasper, Arkansas…you won’t be hungry for a long time!

What a great trip! And what a great recipe I brought home with me…it is simple to make and easy to eat. We love this buttermilk pie!

Buttermilk Pie

DSCN3574

While looking through the book store at Cain Creek State Park, I asked the park ranger if she could recommend one of the cookbooks as a really good example of Arkansas cuisine. She not only led me to a book, but also showed me the recipe for Buttermilk Pie. She said that was the recipe I should make, because she and all her relatives had grown up on it. Her exact wordds, “My Granny made this pie for us all the time.” So here it is…and it is indeed very good!

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 Tbsp. flour
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake one hour at 325 degrees. Enjoy!

The recipe for Buttermilk Pie is from the Cane Creek State Park 10th Anniversary Cookbook. It was published in 2002, by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

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The Buffalo National River…and Sugar Quackers

23 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Arkansas, Cookies, Food, Photography, Travel

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Arkansas, Cookies, Food, photography, Travel

The Buffalo River

DSCN0477

The Buffalo River at Pruitt Landing.

There are few places I would rather go for some quiet time and relaxation…out of the normal hustle and bustle of life…than the area around the Buffalo River in northwest Arkansas. The picture above, though right off the highway, is one of my most favorite spots to be in this whole country. 

The Buffalo River flows from its starting point in the highest part of the Boston Mountains, near Erbie, Arkansas, for 150 miles to its end where it joins the White River. Of the 150 miles of the river, 132 miles have been placed under the management of the National Park Service. It was designated as the first national river in 1972. Its designation as a scenic riverway makes it the second longest free-flowing river in the nation, the Yellowstone River being the longest.

Canoeing on the Buffalo River.

Canoeing on the Buffalo River.

It is a floating, canoeing, hiking, fishing, and camping paradise! Within the boundaries of this national river you can find 3500 different plant species, 160 species of fish, 13 of which are unique to the river, and 43 species of mammal. A herd of elk has been restored to the area and is beginning to thrive around the Yellville area.

These beautiful Zebra Swallowtails greeted us as we began a hike into Lost Valley.

These beautiful Zebra Swallowtails greeted us as we began a hike into Lost Valley.

We saw this Pipevine Swallowtail on a hike at Pruitt Landing

We saw this Pipevine Swallowtail on a hike at Pruitt Landing

This

We saw this Moore’s Larkspur along the hiking trail at Tyler Point. The flower to the right of the larkspur is fleabane.

Our favorite activity at the Buffalo River is hiking. The trails range from easy to difficult, short hikes to back-country hikes on which you can take as long as you want. Some of the hikes, like this one at Lost Valley start out quite easy…

Beginning a hike into Lost Valley.

Beginning a hike into Lost Valley.

and most of them get more challenging as you go further, as does this one between Ozark and Pruitt…

Hiking to a higher elevation.

Hiking to a higher elevation.

But the views along the way are always rewarding, like this view last fall of the Buffalo River from our hike at Tyler Point…

The Buffalo River from the trail at Tyler Point.

The Buffalo River from the trail at Tyler Point.

The State of Arkansas and the National Park Service have tried very hard to save the rich historical importance of the Buffalo River region. In days gone by, in a quieter, less frantic time, many people made this area their home. They were miners, loggers, haulers, farmers, storekeepers, and millers. They built busy, robust communities and raised families.

One of the communities that developed over time was Rush. Zinc was discovered in the Rush Valley in the early 1880’s. Though mining for zinc was not always a lucrative endeavor, the price of zinc skyrocketed during World War I and Rush became a boom town, the largest town in northern Arkansas. The National Park Service has preserved this once thriving community. You will see the buildings where they were, as they are…no reconstruction, no remaking of history. It is an intriguing area and worth a visit. Interpretive signs throughout the “ghost town” tell the interesting story of an industrious community.

One of the historic building in the ghost town of Rush.

One of the historic building in the ghost town of Rush.

The Rush livery barn

The Rush livery barn

The Rush smelter

The Rush smelter

Fall is my favorite time of the year. Fall in the Boston Mountains of the Ozarks, along with the Buffalo River, is spectacular. It is our favorite time to visit. I have been to Vermont in the fall and into Canada in late September, but the Ozarks are even more beautiful mid-October. When we travel to the area, we always rent a cabin in the mountains. It is always quiet, always relaxing, always gorgeous.

Fall in the Boston Mountains

Fall in the Boston Mountains

On our visit to the Buffalo River in 2013, we rented a cabin in the mountains. This was the view off our back porch...

On our visit to the Buffalo River in 2013, we rented a cabin in the mountains. This was the view off our back porch…

and this was our favorite way to greet each new day!

and this was our favorite way to greet each new day!

The Buffalo National River is an amazing place. You can find out more about this area and things you can do while there at the National Park website for the river: http://www.nps.gov/buff//index.htm

Sugar Quackers

Mothers raising their children during the boom years at Rush would have made cookies for their children just as mothers do today. Living in the somewhat isolated Boston Mountains, they would have often had to rely on the items they had on hand. These “quackers” would have been perfect and they are delicious. I am not sure why, but they remind me of peanut butter cookies even though they contain no peanut butter…maybe it’s the brown sugar. Our grandchildren love them, and grandpa has a hard time getting what he feels is his fair share!

DSCN3386

This recipe for Sugar Quackers comes from a little cookbook called Mom’s Cookin”, by Les Blair. It was printed by Modern Litho-Print Co. of Jefferson CIty, MO and copyrighted in 1986. I have adapted the recipe only slightly.

  • 1 cup shortening
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 cups old fashioned oats
  • 2 cups flour, sifted
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. vanilla

Cream the shortening with the 2 cups of brown sugar. Mix in the eggs. Mix the sifted flour with the baking soda and blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the oats. Roll pieces of the dough into 1 1/2″ balls. Roll the balls in brown sugar.* Bake cookies on a greased pan for 12 to 15 minutes at 375 degrees or until brown.

Enjoy!

*I found it was easiest to roll them in the brown sugar and then gently smooth the sugar onto the cookies. Otherwise, the sugar just clumps onto the dough and is not evenly distributed.

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