KG - on the road on another  recent road trip. Living the dream - living the dream...

Saturday, 03/31/2012
I am been waiting for this hiking adventure all week. I set the alarm on my iPhone for 3:40a.m. My plan was to arrive at Mount Nebo and to be at Sunrise Point before the sun came up to take some hoped for incredible sunrise pics.  I left the  'Ridge at 4:15a.m. with my vanilla flavored coffee heading to my next great hiking adventure. I stopped in Greenwood for my hiking ritual Mc'Ds #6 breakfast meal with a large sweet tea, because that is how I roll. Traveling down Hwy 10 East to Hwy 27 North.  Then according to Google Maps on my iPhone, I was to turn on County Road 143 to reach my final destination of Mount Nebo. I kept looking for County Road 143 and I never saw it. I turned back when I reached  Dardanelle knowing I had missed my mark. I left early enough t o allow for me to get lost which turned out to be a good idea. I found the road I was looking for turned out to be a dirt and gravel road so I knew then I needed a backup plan and quick. I drive back to Dardanelle and stopped at a convenience store. When I was driving up I noticed a a couple guys at the gas pumps with a fishing boat attached to their truck. I knew these local guys would know how to get to Mount Nebo. Yes - I was right. I was close within 10 miles. Now I was on Hwy 22 West and was turning left on Hwy 155 to that would lead me to Mount Nebo State Park. 

I pulled into Sunrise Point with about 15 minutes to spare before the sunrise I anticipated appeared before me.  I setup my tripod, begin adjusting the manual settings of my Nikon and started making moment memories with the lens of my camera. It's was a beautiful site for me to see, it was MUCH more than I has expected and was hoping for to view. 

Sunrise Point is one of the beautiful places in Arkansas. This point of presence has a view of miles as you gaze over the treetops and you see valleys and meadows below and more hills and mountains in the distant. I felt like a little kid knowing he was going to get a new toy and couldn't wait until it was time to go to the store. Our God that we serve and love so MUCH truly blessed me with this great day for me to do what I love. 

I shot pics at Sunrise Point for a little over an hour. I made a cross out of two thorned limbs that I found. It just worked out like that and wasn't planned. I purpose and try to leave a cross on every hike and trail that I go on. Since Easter Sunday is this coming weekend, this symbol of love and forgiveness and placing it where people could see it was of a greater importance to me. 

Now it was time to go to next place of interest, Gum Springs Trail.

There is a waterfall located on this trail that is approximately 30' in height.  I knew there would be some water since there was some recent rainfalls in the last couple of weeks. The trail descends down towards the waterfall as you follow the water that feeds the waterfall. It's a beautiful hike down as you pass numerous mini falls. It's probably a little more than 100 yards down as you work your way to the waterfall. Well not MUCH water flow from the waterfall but hey - it's a waterfall. 

I had fun earlier at Sunrise Point taking pictures of myself using the self-timer and my camera placed on my tripod. I had 10 seconds to be in the camera shot. Now it was more challenging as I had to maneuver my way very quickly to be behind the waterfall. The picture posted above is my best pic behind the waterfall. Thinking back I should of set my camera setting to automatic because of the lighting conditions at the falls. I learn quickly when it comes to photography, lesson learned.

I have been taking my bible with me in my backpack on my hiking adventures. This time I decided to take pics of it when I was by the waterfall area. I love my bible, the Word of God - notice the word MUCH on my bible. Love it, it's me.

As I made my way back up the trail, I took my time capturing the beauty of the mini falls and various run offs.  I love the adventure of hiking. I love the outdoor experience of hiking. My brother Ricky took me on my first hike last year of which I am so appreciative and so thankful. Ricky also has taught me how to capture the outdoors through the lens of my camera and turn it into art. Thank You so MUCH - Ricky. 

Saturday, 03/24/2001
Traveled early in the morning to Petit Jean Mountain State Park. Destination for this hiking trip was Cedar Falls.  Cedar Falls is one of the tallest if not the tallest water fall in Arkansas. It is located at the end of Cedar Falls Trail. I took  the scenic route from the 'Ridge, traveling AR Hwy 10 East, to AR Hwy 27 North to AR Hwy 154 East to Petit Jean Mountain Road.  I left the MUCH hiking headquarters @ 5:45am so I could get ahead of the soon coming crowd of outdoor lovers and families venturing out on a picture day.  On the way as the sun was coming up I was able to capture this beautiful moment of golden sunrise as a low lying fog moved across the road.

I arrived at the Cedar Falls Trail Head at 7:50a.m, there were two vehicles ahead of me. Gosh - I wanted to be first at the big falls. Ha - probably locals and only drove 20 minutes to get there. Cedar Falls trail is a natural descent down in a beautiful setting of dogwoods and redbuds when they are blooming. You follow the trail as you cross over  a narrow bridge over the creek.  The trail follows the creek as you head to see Cedar Falls. Recent rains for several days made this trip a successful as mini waterfalls and runoffs were numerous along the trail.

I was so excited to see the flow of the water knowing I had the potential of shooting some great pics with my camera. When you practice the art of using a tripod, self -timer and manual settings you can really capture some great moments of your adventure or event. After I took my first pics with my camera of the water, I knew it was going to be a great day. The water in the creek past the bridge was flowing very well and made for a beautiful walk on the trail. As I came near to Cedar Falls I could hear what  I was wanting to hear, the mighty roar of the water rolling over the side of the canyon rim. This tall water fall is located in a canyon setting and is quite a site to see. You can actually walk behind the waterfall when the water is not flowing so much as it was on this day. I have been here once before and I was able to stand behind the falls as my brother Ricky took my picture. It's a great experience to feel the force of the water  and fee l the water as it blows back towards you.

I am so happy - MUCH happy how my pics were turning out. I was at the falls two hours shooting pics. It takes time to capture the right artistic effect of running water. I love the outdoors and capturing the beauty of the creation of our God that we serve and love so MUCH. When I was leaving the falls and walking back down the trail, I greeted a lot of people coming up the trail, somewhere between 30 to 40. A variety of people from groups, students and families with their children. I came upon a young couple with their daughter that appeared to be about 6 years old . The daughter must of slipped and fell because she had a scrape on her knee. I quickly saw the panic on the parents face as they searching for what to do. I stopped and told them I had some band-aids with me and offered them to them. The young Dad quickly spoke up and said that would greatly help. An expression of gratitude came over the face of the young mother. When I left the little girl looked  at me and smiled and  said "Thank You" in a sweet voice. I won't forget that moment for a long time. 

On Thursday afternoon after work, Kellie and I traveled up the 'Hill to have dinner with Kortni and her room mate. We had dinner at Buck Nekkid -   http://bucknekkidbbq.com/ - located South of the Mall, next to Home Depot. This BBQ place is amaZing and inCredible. They let you sample the various types of meat before you place your order. They have a unique appetizer - armadillo eggs. You have to get these, they will make you happy.

 Kortni was leaving on Friday with friends on her first college Spring Break trip to South Padre Island, Texas.  They left early (5:30a.m.) traveling to Dallas and then catching a plane to Padre Island International Airport. Lots of prayer during the day for safety as 5 college girls traveled in two cars to DFW airport. During the morning Kortni sent us a text with a pic letting us know they were in Texas. I loved it - that's my beautiful daughter, my buddy.

Later in the afternoon @ 5:21 p.m. we received another text from Kortni - Made it!. Gosh - that was great news and happy for Kortni. That's a big traveling day for anyone.  I am excited that Kortni is gonna have a great time on Spring Break. Kortni loves the ocean, the waves and the beach. Who doesn't -  right?  I  Googled and found some web cams located at South Padre Island. Since it is Spring Break, you can imagine the number of students and people that are at the beach and in the area. WOW - there are many - MUCH many having fun at the beach

Today while worked at her friend's CPA office; doing income taxes and making extra $$$ to support Kortni's traveling habits (ha), I worked outside and did stuff that needed to be done. Spring has arrived early on the 'Ridge and in Arkansas. It was a beautimous and a glorious gorgeous day.  I watched most of the Nascar Nationwide series race in Bristol. Zoom - Zoom...  Tonight we have been watching March Madness, lots of good games and plenty of upsets that destroyed the brackets of many across basketball nation.

This Saturday's hiking adventure - Fern Gully.  This great hiking adventure destination is only 1 hour away from Ft. Smith, AR. GPS Coordinates - 35.6175   -94.00593.  On the way up AR Hwy 215 two turkeys started crossing the road, I slowed down and they ran back into the woods. It's hard for turkeys not to see a red truck. Also a little gray squirrel darted in front of me, I am going to miss that little squirrel they are so cute.

Travel I-40 East and turn on Exit 24 Mulberry. Turn left and travel on AR Hwy 215 going North. You will come into a community called Fern. Turn right and keep following AR Hwy 215. Take the 2nd right - look close for a brown Forest service road sign - 1544.  Travel down this road approximately one mile. On the right, there are  two jeep trails. One that goes to the left and one to the right. Take the jeep trail to the right. Go on this trail for about a quarter of a mile. You will see a small parking area on the left, park here. 

Using these directions I actually passed up the jeep trails and parked just passed them. It worked out Ok - since the jeep trail had a few big water holes that you had to go through. Always be prepared to make sure you know exactly where you are going especially in a forestry area. I had planned ahead and put the GPS Coordinates,  35.6175  - 94.00593 into the Google Maps app on my iPhone. Every iPhone or most other smart phones have a GPS feature. I did find out today  through my brother Ricky, the GPS  feature on an iPhone only uses one satellite. Regular GPS devices connect with numerous satellites. I am going to ask Santa (Kellie) for a GPS device for Christmas. Ok - now back to finding Fern Gully. Using the Google Maps app, I kept walking towards the Red push pin on the app that was marked using the GPS Coordinates and I walked right to the parking area. Its fun when the plan works and even more fun to have a plan to work.

Fern Gully is known for  a deep approximately 30' gully  type canyon that runs between two huge (GinorMous) boulders. It is quite an experience to walk through.  Really it is one of those indescribable moments and difficult to put in words. When I had walked through the gully the first time I turned around and walked back through. Gosh - it is so neat and a moment for me to experience. The image I have included is the gully, however the size of the boulders cannot be visualized accurately until you experience it yourself.

Watch the YouTube video I have included below. If you love hiking and the outdoors and I know you do, add  Fern Gully to your places to experience soon list. It's a memory maker and  a moment taker.

I created a video with my iphone. Click on the link to view, it's funny. http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=f2875a63f0f33ce45b2f2841c4d4a52e&sid=0AcuWblw0buGjiw

I did not start exploring the gully at first , I knew there was a small waterfall here and I made a beeline to see it and to capture some pics. Yep  - it was a small waterfall but very pretty and flowing very well. I will never grow tired of listening to the sound of a waterfall in its natural setting.
The water was really flowing in the creek. I was really happy about it. Where there is water there are many photo ops available.  While I was shooting this waterfall, a group of college age kids came in to do some rock climbing. They camped Friday night at Shores Lake which is close by. 

Fern Gully is not only known for its unique rock formations and beauty, it is well known and used by rock climbers. As you explore this area you will see anchors in several rock formations that the climbers use to maneuver up to the top.  It is neat to watch the climbers as they  go up the rocks using their ropes and equipment while using their technique expertise. There were eventually three different groups of climbers there  when I left the area.

Back to exploring the creek. I had a goal to continue following the creek all the way to the point it connects to the Mulberry River. I had no idea how long the distance was to get to the Mulberry. I need to increase my GPS skills and learn how to calculate the distance according to the scale shown on the map. I hiked right next to the creek to heighten the adventure. You have to be careful when hiking around creeks, those rocks become very slick. The rule of thumb is try to avoid stepping on wet rocks unless it is only for a quick moment to step on a dry rock. The moss on the creek rocks become like ice. I also use my hiking stick to test the surface of the wet rock. Using precaution and hiking smart allows for a trip next week for the newest hiking adventure.

On both sides of the creek, the huge rock formations stayed with me. I am telling you this place is amaZing. On the left there are more shelter type formations and on the right more huge freestanding rock formations. I kept watching and looking to make sure there were not any bears in woods near me. Bears are cool to look at online but I do not want to meet one going around a corner of a bluff or a turn in the creek. The Black bears in Arkansas are not aggressive unless threatened or unless you come upon cubs and a mother bear. Coming soon to my  hiking gear is a can of Bear mace to hook on my belt. The old saying - "there's bears in them there woods is true".

Well, I did not reach my goal of following the creek to the Mulberry river. The terrain was becoming rough and more difficult and I was getting tired because I was pushing myself hard. Wisdom prevailed  since I was by myself, being safe and injury free are always good. I Iooked around the corner just to make sure I wasn't close to the Mulberry and it was still not in sight. So I decided to end this journey and head back to the gully area. Of course going back was more uphill than downhill. The exercise level increased as I hiked back while looking for any camera shots I might had previously missed. 

Finally - I get on the fitness bike & ride another 30 minutes. Discipline is such a difficult thing to do & harder to stay with & be consistent with on an ongoing basis.

Happy I rode over 8 miles in this 30 minute workout - here is proof people - here is proof.

Our heart should lead in our conversations. Our heart should lead in our thoughts. Our heart should lead in our actions. 

It's our heart that should be the steering mechanism of our vehicle that we inhabit. Our heart revealed shows who we are and the inside of us as we know ourselves. It has been said that no one knows us like we do. That really is a powerful truth. We know what our hearts are thinking and the conversations we have inside. From the heart our personal attributes come out such as speaking a kind word, bringing happiness, sharing moments of friendship, caring at times when most needed, always loving - always loving. 

In our society we are passing by - "our heart should lead". We have allowed the influence of our society we live in to dictate 
many times what are heart is to speaking to us. Our God that we serve and love so MUCH created our hearts to lead us.  Our heart will always show us and speak to us and lead us to do the right thing. Our heart the most vital organ giving life to the body, fueling the bloodstream and most important the vessel that God uses to lead us in his ways.  

Our heart should lead in our conversations. Our heart should lead in our thoughts. Our heart should lead in our actions.

Mission - find and take pics of Jenson Tunnel. A railroad tunnel still in use today built in 1886. 

I knew the Jenson railroad  tunnel was somewhere between Bonanza and Hackett. I did the obvious Google search and there was not much available for this historic landmark. I started the search on Saturday afternoon to locate this tunnel. There is one thing that helps with searching for a railroad tunnel and that is you have to have railroad tracks. My first obstacle to locating the railroad tunnel was I traveled down a road and it led to a private gated community. Private living communities have a gate  that requires an access code to open for access. 

So I was determined that I would just find me another way to my mission - Jenson Tunnel. I tried a couple little side roads and I ran into dead end each time. So I had a bright idea and that was to work my around it by going around to the Oklahoma side and finding the North entrance of the tunnel. I soon realized that was not going to work for me. I saw a rancher that had just come out of a pasture gate driving his John Deere Gator. I pulled off the road and asked me about how to get to Jenson Tunnel.  He had to be in his 70's and he tried his best to give me directions on how to help get there. 
I thanked him and back tracked around to try a couple other roads that I had not recently tried. I started getting excited when I saw a R/R Crossing sign, I needed a sign and some ray of hope and I found me a sign. I parked my little Red truck and started walking the railroad tracks in search of a hill with a railroad tunnel going through in the middle. After walking about a quarter of a mile, I decided to turn around and get another plan and search for Jenson Tunnel on Sunday afternoon.

Ok - I had a new plan to locate Jenson Tunnel. My plan was to walk the tracks until I came to a hill and then I would find the tunnel. I parked my little Red truck by the railroad tracks and started walking south down the railroad tracks. On the way  I heard a familiar noise and I started getting excited. The sound?  Oh - thanks for asking, it was the exciting sound of a flowing waterfall. It was a small version of  a waterfall, but it was flowing water over rocks.

I saw the hill that I had been looking for fast approaching and I knew when I got past this next turn to the left I would get my first glimpse of the long awaited  and anticipated Jenson Tunnel. 

A great feeling of  gratitude came over me as I stood in front of the South entrance of Jenson Tunnel. An incredible historic landmark of engineered architecture. I paused before I entered into the tunnel to take pics of the inside of this incredible structure. Lots to think about, listened closely to make sure I did not hear the loud noise of a train whistle of  the "afternoon express". There was water dripping from the recent rains high above from the top of the bricks of  the tunnel. There was actually quite a lot of water along the base of the tunnel on each side. 

As I ventured into the tunnel, the brickwork of  the walls and ceiling was really a great site to view. As I continued into the tunnel I was getting the feeling of I wish I would of brought a flashlight. Although I could "see the light at the end of the tunnel", the darkness of the middle of the tunnel was getting blacker. I decided I would use the flash of my camera for light and visibility to help me see better as I walked on the tracks. It was too dark for my flash on my camera and it would not stay open. So I decided just to keep "flashing" the flash of my camera to help me get to the end of the tunnel. 

I made to "the end of the tunnel" and now I was facing the North entrance of this incredible old representation of railroad history and also local history. The tunnel is 1,180 in length and 14' in width. A regular standard railroad car is around 9' 6" wide. That is a close fit if you found yourself in the tunnel and a train was approaching towards the entrance. Ok - let's the change the subject on this one. Lets go back to happy thoughts and a happy place. 

This was a great adventure and a great sense of accomplishment for me. I discovered a waterfall on the way to the tunnel, located the tunnel and captured a lot of memories with my camera. Walked through a railroad tunnel, you don't have the opportunity to do that very often in your lifetime. I will end this post with some more of my best pics of  the day.