Posted in Mountain Scenery, mountains, The River, tagged Bee Bluff, Boston Mountains, Buffalo River, clear, high, icicles, near Ponca, Roark Bluff, Steel Creek, water on January 14, 2015| Leave a Comment »
There were long icicles around and about Roark Bluff at Steel Creek today and water was still high enough to float today. The ice in the sickles appeared aqua-blue in the late light today or maybe it was minerals. The temperature started at 15F at 6:30 AM but rose to 50F by 2 PM; beautiful day in the mountains:
Posted in The River, tagged Buffalo River, canoeing, canoeists, ponca, Roark Bluff, Steel Creek, the Buffalo River, Wrecking Rock on October 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »
During the 1960’s and until the later-1970s a duple of rock about a mile below Ponca and above Roark Bluff gave problems to canoeists of the day. Even though the Buffalo River is rated as a Class 1 and occasionally Class 2 River, these rocks caused problems for about 50% of the canoeists. The issue was a large rock in the middle of the river which forced canoeists to the right into a rocky bank. Experienced canoeists had little problem going to the left of the whole obstruction. Going between rocks was also possible but required good ferrying and stopping skills.
During the floods of the late 1970s to the mid-1980’s the rocks where moved and buried by the flooding waters; and there is no longer a narrowed passage. Photos follow from the mid-1970’s:
Posted in Caves and Waterfalls, The River, tagged Arkansas, Buffalo River, Elk in Boxley Valley, heavy rain, ponca, Roark Bluff, Steel Creek pour-of on March 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »
I have included some photos of a pour-off of Roark Bluff (250-300 feet high), the crossing at Ponca, Arkansas, and one of many harems of Elk nervous about the rising water and contemplating jumping a fence on State Highway 43:
Posted in Mountain Scenery, The River, Weather, tagged 2013, Arkansas, County, December 29, Klemmer Hole, newt, Ozark Campground Bluff, Roark Bluff on March 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »
We got about and inch of ice and sleet and about 2-3 inches of snow last night and Sunday and it was 6F this morning. Maybe more in higher elevations. I loved the thunder all afternoon Sunday.
Another look back to late December 2013 on a near 60 degree day:
The following are from Ozark Campground gravel bar across from the Bluff:
Posted in mountains, The River, Weather, tagged ar, Arkansas, Buffalo River, Newton County, ponca, Roark Bluff, Steel Creek, turquoise color on March 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Back at Steel Creek on December 28th (about a week after the flood in the previous post), I was taking photos again. The Buffalo River was down quite a bit and the snow melted. These are photos of the Klemmer hole and the Sections of river below Roark Bluff towards the canoe put-in point just above the confluence of Steel Creek. The Buffalo River’s water became that beautiful turquoise color that no other river can copy; about 6″ of Air at the Ponca Bridge; BEAUTIFUL !!!
Posted in Mountain Scenery, The River, tagged Arkansas, Boston Mountains, Buffalo River, buffalo valley, full moon, gravel bar, Klenner Hole, ponca, Roark Bluff, Steel Creek on August 22, 2013| 1 Comment »
I got up at 5 AM and drove over to Steel Creek. I made a short walk to the gravel bar on the old Klenner Hole and waited for the sun to come up. The thermometer in my care read 57F and the fog was very dense. It was a 2 hour wait for the sun the begin to break through the fog. The full moon still shown brightly and cast a blue hue on the countryside.
Photos from the morning follow:
old Kelenner hole on the Buffalo River
Looking downstream towards Roark Bluff
Fog still lays in the Buffalo Valley and against Kilgore Mountain at 9 SAM
Sunbeam at the hill coming out of Steel Creek
Life and Wildlife along the Little Buffalo River 