SPRING BREAK

This week the 13.5 inches of snow in NW Arkansas melted just in time for spring break.

The temps were still a bit nippy, but we persevered with a promised overnighter to take Nate to see the elk herd up at Boxley, Arkansas.

These pictures were made along the way as we saw some interesting rock outcroppings that needed exploring. Mike and Nate are pretending to be thirsty at the waterfall.

Nate is a fearless explorer.

We were in the north central part of our state in the Boston Mountains. That's high country where the White, the Mulberry, the Buffalo, the Kings, and the War Eagle rivers all get their start.

We arrived in the Boxley Valley in misting rain, so we had to use our "ba knock lee ers" from the back seat of the car.

This day, the elk were so far away they just look like a herd of cows; by March they have dropped their antlers.

The two white specks on the right are trumpeter swans. The tree line toward the back of the pasture drops off to the Buffalo River.

There are probably 200 elk who live in the valley at Boxley; perhaps 300 live in the outlying counties. Mike says nothing pens the elk at Boxley "in", but they stay. Perhaps they know of the "no hunting" status of the valley.

The elk are here in Arkansas as a result of a swap. We gave Colorado some fish, and Colorado (and Nebraska) trucked some elk to Arkansas. Between 1981-85, there were 112 elk released. The elk have done well here and the herd has grown. In fact, they are doing so well that in 1998, Game and Fish began to issue a few permits for hunters in the land beyond the valley.

These pictures were taken on a hiking trail called "Lost Valley Trail" in the Boxley valley where Mike and Nate hiked a mile in/a mile out. Notice Nate's walking stick. He used it to mark the 8' wide trail so they could find their way back out. Nate is always thinking about how things work...

Mike said everyone they met on the trail had a smile because of Nate's enthusiasm and oversized hat. They also befriended a really nice guy who was a wildlife photographer. He has a great website if you'd like to go there and see his beautiful pictures of the elk and wildflowers in this area.

http://arkansaswildlifephotography.com/index.html

Nate packed his own suitcase for this excursion and he was ready for any opportunity. He had Leggos, a DVD of "Wall-E", some assorted toys, two library books, some "getting dirty" clothes, and a big ziplock of asthma meds.

Unfortunately, Nate was not all that impressed with the elk. He would have been if it had been fall. Last fall Mike and I camped beside a field that had elk and right at bedtime and in the early morning, their bugling sound is impressive. But they only make that unique sound when the rut is on in the fall.

When we came in for the night, we gave Nate an early Easter basket with the new "Pistachio" DVD. That was fun to watch. And on the trip home, we stopped at a friend's farm and saw new baby calves.

When Papa asked him what his favorite thing was that we had done, he replied "going hunting!"

We love grandparenting.