Friday 4-29 Old 86 Park

 

Relaxing Day

We had a very relaxing day. 

It was a hot day, it got up to 81 degrees. We had to turn on the air conditioner and a fan. It was blue skies and wind. 

After lunch we left Table Rock State Park for our next campground, we only had 15 miles to go.

As we were leaving Larry dumped the tanks and I recycled our cans. Their container was designed with a manual crusher that you had use before the can would fit into the container. It has been a long time since I had use a can crusher, the last time was when we were at J-5 in the Rio Grande Valley, which was over two years ago. Once we were done we were on the road.

We weren't going to be near a Walmart for awhile so we had to back track a few miles. We only needed a few things. It was a big store and well stocked. It had everything we needed. Once I put the items away we headed to our next park, which was 20 miles from Walmart.

Our next destination was Old Highway 86. It's a Corps of Engineers park on Table Rock Lake. It's across the lake from where we were. It's a beautiful park with restrooms, showers, playground, boat ramp, dump station, dumpsters and beach. It doesn't have hiking trails. We will only be here for a couple of nights. The sites are large and beautifully maintained, the parking pad is level and our site backs right up to the lake, it is very pretty.

Camping at Old 86 Highway Park

Once we got the Minnie setup for the weekend Larry got on the computer and made reservations for our next park. It's going to be Roaring River State Park. Then we read. I played my computer games. I did the Solitaire and Mahjong Daily Challenges. Then I did the Event: Solitaire World Tour of 30 games. I didn't complete all of them because I got stuck on a spider expert one and a free cell experts one. I played them for 5 hours, 21 minutes and 29 seconds, which put me 10th place in my group.

I didn't do too well in getting my steps because I was playing my computer games. After dinner I walked around the campground for an hour and a half. I ended up doing 18,000 steps. I was going to do more but a little front came through with rain. I ended up coming in 8th place in my group.   

Thursday 4-28 Hiking & Rain

 

We had a super day.

The weather forecast today was isolated showers. We woke up with overcast skies with the temperature of 54 degrees. I crawled out of bed a little before 8:00 and made mini waffles for breakfast.

The weather report said it should rain in the afternoon. That was great news, we can go hiking. The trailhead was .8 mile from our site, there are 4 loop trails with 5 connections. The connections help you get to the different loop trails. The red trail was 3.1 miles, blue 3.3 miles, orange .7 mile and green 1.3. There were two ways for us to get to the trailhead. We could walk the Table Rock Lakeshore Trail to the maintenance buildings by the boat ramp or take the Chinquaapin Trail. We decided to take the Chinquapin trail, we picked it up across from the bathroom. We hiked through the amphitheater and down to the park office. Then we got onto the Lakeshore trail at the picnic area to the maintenance building. We crossed the highway to the trailhead parking lot. We hiked the red trail. The trails are marked with its color on the trees. The trail was very nice and not too challenging. It went up and down in elevation and through a forest, at places it was very thick. We hiked along a creek and crossed the creek in different places. There were a few places on the trail where it was muddy so we had to figure a way around or walk through the mud. We were about a mile into the hike when we met a lady. She said she was lost and didn't know how far it was to the parking lot. We told her she was a mile away and just follow the trail. During the hike it thundered a little and it started to sprinkle a couple of times. The trees protected us and the sprinkling wasn't hard and didn't last long. Larry found a watch that had fallen off someone's wrist. When we got back to the parking lot we walked across the highway and got on the Chinquapin trail. we took it back to the campground. By the time we got back we had hiked 5.5 miles. Today was cloudy, not a good day for pictures.

Hiking with friends

 It was too early for lunch so I played my computer games. Before I went to bed last night I did the Solitaire and Mahjong Daily Challenges. While waiting for lunch I played the Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Spider and 5 Klondike). It took me 57 minutes and 59 seconds, which put me in 14th place in my group. Larry read.

We had a salad for lunch. After lunch I took a three hour nap. I was going to go for a walk but the weather report was correct, it started to rain about 2:00. It lasted an hour or so. But I slept through it. 

For dinner we had bacon sandwiches on dinner rolls. After dinner I walked the Lakeshore trail, it took me an hour and a half. While I was gone Larry went over and took a shower. When I got finished walking I went over and took a shower. I ended up doing 26,715 steps, which put me in 5th place in my group.        

Wednesday 4-27 College of the Ozarks (Hard Work U)

 

Awesome Day

We had another gorgeous day of sunshine. It got up to 76 degrees. 

We started the day with pancakes. Then we put things away because we were going to Point Lookout, which was 6.5 miles away. We wanted to visit the Ralph Foster Museum, a museum on the Ozarks History. It is located on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Hard Work U).

College of the Ozarks or Hard Work U is a Christian college, all students must work at one of 100 campus jobs or industries to pay for part of their tuition, the rest is paid by scholarships provided by government programs or donors. The students graduate with no school debt. They have to be full-time students, work fifteen hours a week and two 40 hour weeks a year. They live on campus and are responsible to pay room and board of $9,000 a year. The university was founded in 1906 by Presbyterian minister Reverend James Forsythe as a high school. In 1956 it became a Junior College and in 1965 it became a four-year bachelor's program. In 1990 it became a four-year college. 

We parked the Minnie in the Ralph Foster Museum parking lot. The museum is a huge three story building full of displays. Ralph Foster was one of the true pioneers of radio. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, a strong conservationist, a man close to nature and love his fellow man. On the first floor they have: the original Beverly Hillbillies Car,  a Rolls Royce, Cameos, Dolls, Clocks, Circuses, Si Simon Music Room with different musical instruments and performers from the Ozark area, Rose O'Neill (a famous artist, cartoonist, illustrator and writer) and Primitive Americans. It also had Edwards Art Gallery, that has beautiful quilts, paintings and art. The second floor had a huge gun and firearm collection, Natural History, African Animals, North American Animals, 20th Century American Conflicts (different wars) and Native American Artifacts. Third floor was Natural History, Birds, Butterflies and Moths, Rocks and Minerals and History of the Ozarks. Each bird, butterfly, moth, rocks and minerals were marked with a name and number. You take the number and match it to the same number in a book and it tells you a little bit about the item. The museum was very good and and displays were huge. There were students on each floor to answer any questions you had. We had a great visit.

Entrance gate

 

Beverly Hillbillies Car

 

Franklin Roosevelt Hall Hanger

 

One of the birds display

 

An oak sideboard by Furniture Marker F. Hoffman in 1860

Afterwards we went to the Minnie and had lunch. After lunch we walked around the campus. The campus is gorgeous and has a lot of different buildings where the students make different items and sell them. Buildings like: The Fruitcake and Jelly Kitchen, Edwards Mill, Stained Glass and Candle Shop, Horticulture and Landscaping, Gaetz Tractor Museum, College Creamery and The Keeter Center (Restaurant). There were other points of interests we walked by. We went into the Edwards Mill, where they have a working grist mill, it is based on a 1800s-era, water-powered grist mill. They make their own pancake mix, muffin mix,  and cornbread mix. On the second floor there was a weaving studio and basket weaving area. The general store also sold other products that were made by students in other shops. We bought a bag of malted pancake mix. We went next door and visited the Stained Glass and Candle Shop. We walked through the shop and saw a few stained glass projects in the works and others that were completed and for sale. Next we walked to the Gaetz Tractor Museum, unfortunately it was closed. We walked around a little more. We wanted to go to the College Creamery and we weren't sure where it was. We walked by the main fountain, where a couple of students were putting a row boat in the pond for a couple who were getting their pictures taken in it. Larry asked the two girls and they both were more than happy to tell us where to go. They said the ice cream was delicious and to take advantage of the free samples. The College Creamery was located in the motel by the Keeter Center. We bought a couple of scoops, peanut butter cup and coconut chocolate. They were big scoops and delicious. The motel was gorgeous. It was made out of wood and the staircase had a beautiful wood railing. The elevator had glass windows allowing you to see the area below and around as you go to your room. On the way back to the Minnie we walked by the fountain, there was a beautiful swan swimming in it. When he saw us walking he propelled himself through the water to get to us. We have never seen a swan swim so fast. A lady said he probably saw the bag we were carrying from the Edwards Mill, where they sell swan food. He was probably disappointed we didn't have any food for him. We had a super time.

Edwards Mill and General Store

 

Part of the Mill

Basket Weaving materials

 

Some of the stained glass items for sale at the Stained Glass and Candle Shop

Swan swimming to us

 

Pancake & waffle mix we bought

When we got back to the campground I played my games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. Then I did the Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Tri Peaks and 5 Pyramid). It took me 25 minutes and 21 seconds, which put me in 6th place in my group. 

Larry and I read the rest of the day and evening. I finished reading the 17th book of Guido Brunetti. 

I only got 6,000 steps walking around Hard Work U so after dinner I walked the lake trail for an hour and a half. Then I finished up my steps by stepping in place. I ended up doing 26,000 steps, which put me in 4th place in my group.                   

Tuesday 4-26 Moving On, Visitor Center & Fish Hatchery

 

We had a super day. The sun was shining with no wind. It got up to 61 degrees.

I slept in until 8:15. Then I made oatmeal for breakfast. Afterwards we decided to walk the lake trail to the Dewey Short Visitor Center. It was open today from 9:00 to 4:00.

As we entered the center we were greeted by two people with big beautiful smiles and a good morning. The lady said that the 20 minute movie was just beginning and that there were going to be 80 elementary students coming in the next half hour. The movie was about the construction of the dam and the surrounding area. It was a good film but obviously quite old and needed to be updated, the lady at the desk agreed. After the movie we walked around the center and looked at the displays, they were on three different levels. The lady was right, we were invaded by 80 children but they were well organized and the children were well behaved. There was an adult assigned to two to four children. They had two buses, each child wore a tee shirt, one bus wore green and the other wore orange. The Corps of Engineers had setup games for the children. In the field outside they went over the safety of wearing a life vest and how to save people with life rings. The displays were about the history of the dam and the function of the dam. There was a display, where you can experiment using bicycle types of pedals to generate power, by turning the pedals you could see how much power is needed to get a hair dyer, light bulb, blender and coffee grinder to work. We always like hands on displays. There was an observation deck where you get a great view of the dam and Table Rock Lake. We had a fun visit.

The gates for the power plant

Table Rock Lake

Standing on the observation deck

After walking around the visitor center we hiked the trail back to the Minnie. By the time we got back it was almost time for lunch.

After lunch we put things away because we're going to move on. We're not going too far, just to the another loop in the campground. Yesterday, we decided we were going to stay a little longer here because it's suppose to rain Thursday. Larry went on the computer to extend our stay but our site was not available through Thursday. He made a list of sites available for the three nights. We walked around and found one we liked. We moved from site #178 to site #114. It's perfect. It's level and we don't have to use any blocks. We have a path right behind the Minnie that goes to the Lake trail.

Before moving to the new site we decided to go to the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery. It was 3.5 miles from the campground and right below the dam. It is the largest trout-rearing facility operated by the Missouri Department of Conservation. It produces more than a million trout each year. They raise both rainbow and brown trout and release 80 percent of the trout into Lake Taneycomo. The rest go to other Missouri trout management areas. The hatchery takes the water from the bottom of Lake Table Rock, which is an average of 48 degrees year round. This temperature is ideal for the fish. The construction of the hatchery started in 1957 and production of the trout began in 1958. 

The facility has a huge aquarium that takes up a whole wall, it is stocked with rainbow and brown trout. There were other aquariums with turtles and different snakes that are found in the area. Outside of the visitor center they have raceways with trout in them. You can feed the fish for a quarter, I forgot my quarters. The trout do get fed twice a day. As you walk around the raceways there are signs about the trout and what the facility does. The facility has fishing areas, hiking trails and garden with different plants with sign to identify them. It's a nice facility.

Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery 

Rainbow and brown trout on display

 

The raceways

 

Rainbow trout in the raceway

On the way back to the campground we stopped at a observation point because we saw the Showboat Branson Belle sailing on Lake Table Rock. We watched the Belle turn around. This was interesting because one of its paddles slows down  and the other one speeds up. Once it gets turned around they both run the same speed. 

Showboat Branson Belle turning around

After parking the Minnie at our new site. We relaxed with a book. I did my computer games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. Then I did the Event: Two Game Tango of 20 games (10 Free Cell and 10 Pyramid). It took me 2 hours, 25 minutes and 11 seconds, which put me in 18th place in my group.

After dinner Larry and I went for a walk. We walked around for a half hour. We walked to the marina. We hiked a small section of a hiking trail that goes to the other campground., we were surprised that it wasn't too wet. The weather today had dried it up. When we got back to the Minnie Larry went inside. I continued walking for another hour and a half. I ended up doing the whole lake trail to the visitor center and marina. I ended up doing 27,000 steps, which put me in 3rd place in my group.

We had an outstanding day.     

Monday 4-25 Too Much Rain

 

Camping at Table Rock 

It rained heavily through much of the night and into the early morning. I don't know how much rain we got but I am sure it measured in inches. The rain went away before I got up. It ended up being a beautiful day with sunshine. It got up to 59 degrees and a lite breeze.

The rain was gone and the sun was shining so after breakfast we decided to go for a hike. We got to the trail across the road from our site and our bubble was burst because the trail was too wet, there were huge pools on the trail. We decided to walk the lake trail to the visitor center. It is a paved trail and at a couple of places there were puddles. When we got to the visitor center we walked around the area to the entrance of the parking lot. They have two double gates, the center has the Corps of Engineers symbol of the castle. When the gates are open the castle is cut in half. It's a very nice gate. The volunteers campground is located by the entrance gates. We walked around for an hour and half.

When we got back we relaxed with a book. I played my computer games I did the Solitaire and Mahjong Daily Challenges and Event: Tri Peaks Mini of 5 games. It took me 8 minutes and 5 seconds, which put me in 16th place in my group.

In the afternoon I walked the lake trail. I ended up doing the whole trail, which was 2.2 miles from the marina to the dam. By the end I had walked 4.5 miles for an hour and a half. After dinner we went for another walk on the lake trail. We walked to the marina. Larry walked with me for 45 minutes and I continued walking I went to the Showboat Branson Belle. Then I turned around. I ended up walking for almost an hour and a half.

Showboat Branson Belle

 

Table Rock Lake Dam

 

Dewey Short Visitor Center

It's amazing, no matter when you walk the lake trail there are people walking, jogging, bicycling and walking their dogs. As we walk by people we say our hellos and everyone is very friendly.

By the end of the night I ended up doing 31,000 steps, which put me in 6th place in my group. 

 

Sunday 4-24 Walking, Laundry & Rainy Day

 

We had another rainy day. It rained on and off all day. We woke up to rain. Then around 10:00 am it went away for a bit. Then it started to sprinkle around 3:00. By the evening we had steady rain. At times the rain came down hard.

After lunch we went for a walk. We walked the paved trail to the dam and the Corps of Engineers Visitor Center. We took an umbrella with us just in case the rain came back. The visitor center is very nice, it has a couple of floors and a beautiful observation deck that looks over the lake and dam. Unfortunately the visitor center is closed on Sundays and Mondays, who would have thought a visitor center on a lake would be closed on a weekend day, the good news was we could walk around the grounds. It had picnic tables, restrooms and good views of the lake. On the way back we walked the paved trail to a point where Larry thought we might be able to find a hiking trail, we found the trail on the other side of the road and we walked it back to the campground. If is doesn't rain we're planning on hiking this trail tomorrow. We ended up walking about 3.5 miles.

Our campground has a laundry right across the street from our site so after our walk I did a couple of loads of laundry. It is not often you find a campground with a laundry. The washer cost $2.00 and the dryer cost $1.25, which is very reasonable. The laundry room had a couple of signs that said it took 30 minutes for the washer and 45 minutes for the dryer. The dryers worked excellent, all the clothes were completely dry at the end of the cycle. While I was taking the laundry out of the dryers Larry came over with the umbrella, it had started to sprinkle. He helped me carry the clothes and held the umbrella so we wouldn't get wet. Thank you, Larry.

It's time to do laundry

If it wasn't for taking a walk I wouldn't have gotten any steps. I ended up only doing 10,000 steps. It was a bad week for doing steps. I ended up doing 146,290 steps for the week. I came in 9th place in my group.

We spent most of the day reading. Larry started and finished a book. I ended up finishing the 16th book and starting the 17th book of Guido Brunetti series. I got all caught up in my Solitaire and Mahjong Daily Challenges. I did the Event: Klondike Adventure of 20 games. It took me 1 hour, 20 minutes and 37 seconds to complete, which put me in 23rd place in my group.

 

    

Saturday 4-23 New State & New Campground

 

Welcome to Missouri

After spending almost a month in Arkansas we decided to move north to Missouri.

Larry got up earlier than normal, he couldn't sleep. He was up around 5:00 am. He got me up around 7:30. There was a donut shop nearby so we decided to buy a couple of donuts for breakfast. Then we went to Walmart. It was a small Walmart but it had what we needed. After shopping I put everything away. Then we had our donuts and were on the road.

Our next destination was Table Rock State Park, 110 miles from Mountain View. The route was two lane highways. At places the roads were very curvy and up and down a mountain pass. It was a little scary for Larry because not only was it really windy the lanes were narrow and without shoulders. On some of the roads we were backtracking, we had driven them when we went to Tyler Bend on the Buffalo National River. We got to Table Rock around 11:30 am. We knew it was somewhere near Branson but we did not know it was right next door.

When we arrived Larry stopped by the office to ask about checking in. The lady said she could check us in. While he was in the office he picked up the campground map and the hiking trail map. We had no problem finding our site. 

Table Rock is a huge campground with more than 150 sites. Yesterday when Larry was looking at the website he was surprised that any sites were available on a Saturday, there were five. Our site is right by the restroom and it has a great view of the marina and the lake.

We don't know how long we will be here but our current reservation is for three days. Once again rain is forecast for all day tomorrow. After setting up we relaxed, it was in the lower 80's, too hot for us to walk around. Larry turned on the air conditioner and got the fan out and running. We relaxed around the Minnie. Larry read. I started doing my Solitaire and Mahjong Daily Challenges, I hadn't done them for about a week so I have a bit to do to catch up. I did the Event: Free Cell Mini of 5 games. It took me 11 minutes and 17 seconds, which put me in 17th place in my group. I'm excited about having internet.

For dinner we had burritos made with pork sausage. We barbecued the meat on the grill. It was very windy and we weren't sure if we could keep the grill lit. Never fear, we have a cookie sheet to use as a wind break. Larry held the shield while I flipped the meat in the pan. The wind didn't blow the flame out. 

There is a paved walking/hiking trail that goes from the marina to the dam, it's 2.2 miles one way. The trail is right behind our site and after dinner we walked it to the marina. The marina is big and is very nice. It has a restaurant and store. After walking around the marina we walked back to our site. Larry decided to go inside and I continued on. As I was walking I saw a lot of people, some were on the trail, others were picnicking, kayaking, jet skiing and boating. There was a beautiful riverboat called Showboat Branson Belle. I was surprised that it actually cruises on Table Rock Lake. It's located in a park where there are shops and games for tourists. It was busy because there were a few tour buses. I walked around the area and then went back to Larry. I didn't get all the way to the dam. It was another. .6 miles from the Showboat Branson Belle. I was tried and sweaty. By the time I got back I had been walking about an hour and a half. 

Showboat Branson Belle

 

Table Rock marina

 

Boating on Table Rock Lake

I rested and then went outside to do some of my steps. I only did 19,000 steps because it started to sprinkle. I haven't done that well this week. By the end of today I only did 136,276 steps and should have been at 150,000 steps. But that's ok.              

Friday 4-22 Ozark Folk Center & Mountain View

Welcome Sign

We had a beautiful sunny day. It got up to 81 degrees. 

The rain is gone and the roads are dry, it was time to move on. We spent eight days at Buffalo National River at two different campgrounds. We had a great time hiking their trails. Our next destination is Mountain View to go to the Ozark Fork Center. 

We left Buffalo Point around 8:30. On the way out Larry dumped the tanks. He had already filled the water tank so now we're good for awhile. The Ozark Folk Center was about 50 miles away. The road was through a few small towns and up and down the mountainside. As we drove we saw some ranches with cattle. We also saw a few turkeys. Larry pointed one out as it was running across the road. We saw three more in a field, two of them were beautiful toms with big tail feather that they were showing off, unfortunately I could not get a picture. 

The Ozark Folk Center is part of Arkansas state parks. We were here back in 2013 when they were rebuilding the center. It's a beautiful facility with around 20 buildings. There is an old school house, old cabin (Shannon Cabin), theater (seats 1,000 people), gift shop, restaurant and a Picnic Swing (merry-go-round). The craft buildings are: Woodsmith, Jewelry, Paper crafting, Herbs, Dolls, Brooms, Art cabin, Blacksmith, Leather, Pottery, Glass, Quilting, Old Time Print Shop, Woodcarving, Fiber Art, Knives, Copper and Apothecary. Each buildings is staffed with an artist who demonstrates their craft, the items they make are also for sale. When we walked through the copper building the gentleman demonstrated how he put color into the copper. The potter demonstrated and explain the process of making a pie dish. The gentleman making brooms demonstrated how he makes the pot broom, which is used to scrub out a pan. The gentleman in the print shop demonstrated making a ticket and talked about the history of his machines. The other people explained their skill and a project that they're working on. A lady from the quilting building was working outside and explained the plants they grow to make natural dyes of different colors. Through out the day Dave Smith sang folk songs on the Blacksmith stage, which was the old blacksmith shop. He was very good. The artist were very friendly. We had a super time.

Corn husk dolls

Demonstrating how to make brooms

The finished project

Dave Smith

Making a pie dish

Demonstrating how to change the color on copper with heat

Finished project

Old school house

After walking the Ozark Folk Center we needed a place to stay for the night. We had stayed at Whitewater RV Park in 2013 so we decided to go back there. It was not far away and within walking distance of the town square. Larry went into the office and got us a spot. Whitewater is now owned by someone new but they decided to keep the name. Last week there was a big Folk Festival going on, the local rv parks were full and you had stay for three or four nights. This week you can stay for one night. It's not a bad rv park. The spots are in the grass and there are a lot of full time people.

Every Friday and Saturday night Mountain View has live music at the courthouse at 7:00 to 9:00. Tonight it was the Mayor's band, True Country. It was only .5 mile away so about 6:30 we got our chairs and I put on my pouch with a couple of waters we walked to the courthouse. There was a nice crowd. When we left the Minnie we didn't think about wearing a lite jacket because it was hot. But once the sun started going down a breeze came up it got a little chilly. The group had four members and they sang Country songs. They were very good. While they sang people got up and danced. We had a very nice evening.

True Country Band

Having fun line dancing to True Country

The County Courthouse

When we got home I had to force myself to do more steps. I ended up doing 20,000 steps which put me in 6th place. For the week I did 117,263 steps. 

   

              

Thursday 4-21 Overcast Humid Day

 

Overcast Day

The rain came back around 2:00 am and was gone by 7:00 am. The clouds stayed around all day, which made it humid. By mid-afternoon the streets were drying. 

We spent the day reading. Yesterday, I started to read Lord Edward's Archer by Griff Hosker. I finished it today. It was a historic fiction novel about knights, kings and archers. There was a lot of blood and gore but it was very well written. I like reading novels like this. Then I started to read the 16th book of the Guido Brunetti series.

It's really hard to be motivated to do any exercise when you've been sitting around and reading. After dinner I forced myself to go for a walk. I walked around the park for a couple of hours to get some of my steps done. During my walk I saw a deer and met a lady from Houston. By the time I finished my walk I was sweaty and my clothes were sticking to me because of the humidity. I ended up doing 27,000 steps, which put me in 5th place in my group. 

Wednesday 4-20 Another Rainy Day

 

Rainy Day

We had another rainy day. On our spring trips we usually get some rain but this year we have gotten way more than normal. The nice thing is today was not that cold. We had a morning temperature in the 40s and highs in the 60s.

The rain came in around 3:00 am and stopped around 2:00 pm. When it stopped we still had cloud covering with a little misting and at times we could still hear thunder. The rain is suppose to come back in the early morning. 

When it stopped raining I went down and paid for another two nights.

We stayed in the Minnie and read. I did go outside to do some of my steps. I ended up doing 17.000 steps which put me in 6th place with 70,000 steps. I'm 5,000 behind for the week but that's ok. 

We're still having fun. 

Tuesday 4-19 Camping, Hiking & Having Fun

 

Springtime

We had another gorgeous spring day with sunshine and no wind. We woke up to 40 degrees and it got to the low 60s. 

I woke up to fresh cinnamon rolls. After breakfast we got ready to go on a hike. Today's hike wasn't as long as yesterday's but we did go 4 miles. We revisited the three hikes from the campground but we did them in the opposite direction as yesterday. We started on the forest trail and from there we hiked the overlook trail. The sun was shining on the scenery, which made the colors come out prettier. After relaxing at the overlook we went to the trail head by the cabins. Next we hiked the campground trail, which took us back to the B Loop area. We hiked to the amphitheater, which is very nice with a beautiful rock wall behind the benches. We walked by the walk-in tent sites, which is C loop. We took a small trail that runs along side of the main road. It was a little wet at places so we had to be careful not to slip on the rocks. As we hiked we saw a lot of small butterflies, they really like the sun. We didn't see any wildlife. On the trail right before we got to the parking lot we met a park ranger, she was moving a fallen tree off the trail. We stopped occasionally to watch the butterflies and enjoy the scenery. We also saw a beautiful cardinal in a tree. We had a great hike and was back for lunch.

Buffalo River

 

One of the park cabins

 

A couple butterflies

Because it was such a beautiful day after lunch we went outside and read. 

While we were relaxing outside we were admiring what a magnificent job they did on making the park. They put a lot of work in laying stone walls through out the park and the sites. Each site had a step down to its picnic tables, fire ring and tent pad. Because the site steps down they put a retaining wall to protect from erosion. It makes the sites gorgeous. 

   

Campsite Stone Work

When it was time for dinner I barbecued some seasoned pork. After dinner I walked around for a half hour. I ended up doing 26,000 steps, which put me in 3rd place in my group.