CONVERGING RIVERS EXPEDITION!

 I had the great joy of participating in an outing with several ladies, that involved kayaking from Buffalo City on the White River, to the town of Norfork, Arkansas, which is also on the White River.  It is a distance of 12 river miles.  My assignment for the event was to be the shuttle driver, which meant I needed to go straight to the take-out location, and wait for the drivers of the pickup trucks to arrive with their emptied out trucks, because these pickup drivers had already dropped off their passengers and kayaks, at the starting point of Buffalo City.  (This included the kayak I was using).

I arrived in Norfork well in advance of what was necessary, so I could take photos and get in some walking.  The Norfork River empties into the White River, in the little town of Norfork, Arkansas.  A vehicle bridge and a train bridge cross over the Norfork River, to lead into Norfork's main street (AKA, Arkansas Hiway 5)

I wanted to drive down River Road, adjacent to the Norfork River, because its narrow pavement is competely encased by trees and bluffs, forming a scenic green tunnel.  When the river is high, sometimes the deck is covered by water, so I wanted to check it out.  Thankfully, it is now fully functional, and provides the handicapped-accessible fishing dock, allowing access for those in wheel chairs, to fish from this location:

There is also a bench for quite contemplation of the beauty here:

There is an overlook on the top of this bluff, accessible from Highway 5.

My next stop was a commercial outfitter dock on the Norfork River.  I have fond memories from this outfitter,  of a family outing  with my husband, his brother, and his brother's wife.  We had a most enjoyable excursion, trying to catch fish, with the help of a knowledgeable guide.  

A short distance away is the Norfork  public access on the White River.  There used to be a car ferry at this location, but it is no longer in operation.  

It is easy to see why the historic 1829 Jacob Wolf  House (www.arkansasheritage.com), located on a hill above the confluence of the Norfork and White River, had such a pivotal role in the early development of this area.   It is the last remaining two-story dog-trot public structure in the United States.  A while back I was attending a special open house event at the site, and was surprised to see one of my college sorority sisters, who lives in Little Rock, had made the long drive to the event, because Jacob Wolf was one of her ancestors!

When the pickup drivers and I made it back to Buffalo City, the other kayakers were thankful to see our return, so the kayaking could commence! I took this photo shortly before putting away my iphone into a waterproof box.  It shows Cindy, with camera in hand, preparing to take a group photo.  We are very blessed that Cindy is an OUTSTANDING photographer with a good eye for detail, and uses her waterproof camera to capture things along the river, that others frequently don't notice!  

This is the group photo.  I am the one in black pants.  Notice we all have life jackets, and wearing our lifejackets while kayaking, is a requirement for participation.  

One of the ladies took this photo, shortly after we launched.  

Here is another photo I did not take, because my iphone was in my drybox!

We stopped at Shipps Ferry for a break to stretch our legs and do the necessary things ladies need to do!

One of these ladies remembered to bring her collapsible chair to sit on, during the lunch break!

 

These access points along the White River, are maintained by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (www.agfc.com) and we all appreciate the good stewards they are being with the tax revenue, that supplies the funds to maintain these rest stops.   

We were very thankful for the clean portable toilets, with hand sanitizer,  at Schipps Ferry!

The entire landscape at Schipps Ferry is covered by kudzu, and I got these three to pose in front of it, because I have been at special events where a wall of ARTIFICIAL green plants is used for a photo backdrop, but this is the real thing!  The photo below shows me posing in front of a wall of kudzu, preparing to launch back into the river.  

 

Patti took this group photo at our lunch spot.  Notice the background is kudzu!

Some of the group used their kayaks as their seat, to enjoy their lunch break.  

After lunch, it was time to put the lifejackets back on, and get back on the river.

We all made it safely back to the take out location in Norfork, and started the process of loading the kayaks back into the pickup trucks that had been parked there, while we were on the water.   

Darrah put a red flag on her blue kayak, because it is longer than the others.  

Darrah also had a very helpful tool that I had never seen before.  It fits over the back tire of the truck, so a person can reach inside the truck bed, to hook up the straps of the tie-down that secure a kayak into the truck.  Darrah is also the one who took me back to Buffalo City, where my car was located, so I am VERY THANKFUL for her kindness to me!

At my advanced age, (which you can't tell because I am covered up in a red hat and red life vest), I treasure these days that I am able to be out kayaking with friends!  I try to get the maximum enjoyment of each outing with a mindset that this may be the last time I get to do this.  And, of course, one day it will be!  When that happens, I will just paddle my way through the pearly gates of heaven!  (Referring to Revelation 21:21 imagery)

This expedition gave me "12 MILES OF PADDLING SMILES"!  Tricia

BRANSON PINK JEEP EXPEDITION!

When I saw this photo on the 2023 Official Branson Vacation Guide, I knew immediately it was something I wanted to do!  I first heard about pink jeep tours when I was in Las Vegas, and participated in the tour they offer to Hoover Dam.  (See "Hoover Dam Expedition", February 20, 2012, in the archives of this blog)

 The opportunity came to reality when I attended the Select Traveler Conference, at Chateau on the Lake,  in Branson, Missouri, on my birthday.  I can tell you from first-hand experience, that getting to go on a pink jeep adventure, makes for a fantastic birthday outing!

The Branson company brought all seven of their pink jeeps to the Chateau, to pick up our very large group.  Normally, guests go to the Pink Jeep office at 3310 West Highway 76, to start their tour. However, since you can see our hotel in the background in photo above, it is apparent, exceptions can be made!

I was so thankful to get to sit in the front seat--that is me pointing to the door sign.  I also took a photo of our driver, Barry, and my fellow passengers in the back.  The clear vinyl curtains were in use on the day of our tour, since it was still nippy outside.  In warmer weather, the vehicle will be more "open air", so guests can enjoy some Ozark Mountain "wind therapy" on their adventure. 

Did you know there are several legends as to the origin of the distinctive seven slots in a jeep grill?  Several of them  are listed on the official Jeep website, but the one I have heard for decades (I used to own a jeep) is that the Jeep was the first vehicle to drive on all seven continents before any other vehicle.  Remember---Jeep was originally a military vehicle. 

As we left the Chateau, I felt like a celebrity, because a videographer was filming this "parade" of pink jeeps, as we drove down the beautifully landscaped driveway of Chateau on the Lake resort.  Our first right turn took us out onto the land on the north side of Table Rock Dam, called Moonshine Beach, shown in photo below.  It is not immediately apparent that these vehicles start out,  as stock Jeep Wranglers. However, they are then  fully customized, over the course of nine weeks, to equip them to seat passengers on an elevated viewing platform behind the driver. 

Moonshine Beach is adjacent to a peninsula where you can see Table Rock Lake, on both sides, as seen in photo below.  The photo below also shows a row of colorful rubber ducks on the dashboard.    If you are a Jeep aficionado, you probably know the meaning of the ducks lined up on the dash board.  If not, let me explain:  During the depressing days of the COVID19 pandemic, a person who wanted to spread a bit of cheer, started leaving rubber duckies on Jeeps that appealed to them.

The phenomenon caught on via social media "share" posts, and now there is a whole line of merchandise to support these "random acts of kindness". The "Official Ducking Jeep Est2020" page on Facebook lists 71K members, and the Instagram page called "DuckDuckJeep" shows 48.2K followers!  Both of these social media sites list a variety of similar groups, if you look in their search box.

In the photo below, notice the "hand" logo with the two outstretched fingers.  Some say this is the official Jeep "wave" to give to other Jeep drivers.  Legend says it originated when Jeeps were first used for military transport, and the two fingers extended were a reference to a "V" for victory salute, for the U.S. military troops.  If you look closely, you will see the palm of the hand outline is a graphic of the iconic round headlights and seven slot openings on a Jeep front grill. 

Another stop the caravan made was to go to the scenic overlook on Hiway 265.  This is a popular place for both tourists and locals to visit, and its access is open to everyone.  (That's me you see in the mirror, and the long "river-like" body of water in the foreground is called Lake Taneycomo).  Table Rock Dam is visible in the distance, with Table Rock Lake behind the dam.

You can see the for miles from this location, including the beautiful Chateau on the Lake, sitting on a distant hilltop. (See photo below)

Next we accessed the private property on Baird Mountain, through a locked gate.  Several years ago, I took a "Ride the Ducks" tour that also drove up to the top of Baird Mountain, but since then, new "4-wheeling" roads have been developed for customers on the Pink Jeep tours. 

The new roads go through a hardwood forest, that will look completely different, once all these trees are leafed out.  An advantage of going when it is still winter, is you can see the "lay of the land" better than when you are driving through a "green tunnel", where only a few feet on either side of the road can be seen through the undergrowth. 

Our driver told us about a new road that has been built (shown in photo below), that he was not yet allowed to use, because he had not been "tested and certified" for it yet.  According to their website, the drivers are Smith System Driver Safety Trained.  The new road (see the white upward incline through the driver's side window) has a degree of incline steep enough to qualify as a "sky climb", and will be equally thrilling crawling downward!  Notice our driver has a microphone, so that the passengers in the back can hear the geographic and historical tidbits he shares during the tour. 

We drove to the top of Baird Mountain, where there is a flagpole.  Our driver told us their sunset tour includes a very respectful flag lowering ceremony each evening. 

There are great views from the overlook.  The very tall bluff in the foreground of photo below, has been made through the removal of tons of rock from this site, because this mountain was turned into the quarry, to supply the cement, needed to build Table Rock Dam.  The rock was transported via a one-mile-long conveyor belt, between the mountain and the dam site. 

Baird Mountain is said to be the highest summit in Taney County, at an elevation of 1, 234 feet. 

In a nod to "Old Man Baird", an early prospector who lived on the mountain that now bears his name, a replica Ozark log cabin has been built at the site.  One can go inside and see examples of pioneer furniture and tools that a prospector would have needed for a subsistence life, in this remote region.

Seeing a Pink Jeep Tour logo on this old-fashioned wagon, is a reminder to say that the company got its start in 1960,  by a land developer Out West, who would drive potential clients around the area, to show them property for sale.  Our guide told us that this land developer went on a vacation to Hawaii, and was so impressed by the eye-catching, bright pink color of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki (nicknamed the Pink Palace of the Pacific), he returned to the Sedona area, painted his vehicle bright pink, and called it "Don Pratt Adventures".   He had changed his focus from selling real estate, to selling off-road tours, because he realized people were calling him up to schedule appointments---not because they wanted to buy land, but because they wanted to go off-road riding with him!  Later, after the vehicles were all painted pink, the name was changed to Pink Jeep Tours.  The company is now owned by Herschend Family Entertainment (www.hfecorp.com).   Locals may remember that it was the Herschend family that originally developed Silver Dollar City, so it is not surprising that they added Branson to the Pink Jeep tour locations.  The other locations are Sedona, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and The Smokies in Tennessee.

I never want to pass up an opportunity to lift up my arms in gratitude to God, giving thanks for the opportunity to see this magnificent view.  By the way, "city folks" may not know the "barricade" I am standing in front of, is called a "split rail fence", and was a common way for the pioneers to set boundaries for their property and livestock, using the readily-available timber of the Ozarks.

Probably under normal circumstances, there are not this many people at the top of Baird Mountain at any one time, but this was a special event.    Check out the Pink Jeep  website at www.pinkadventuretours.com for details on tour options available in Branson, including customized tours, such as the one I was on. 

The photo below shows the "rock crawl" hills that have been built, on the base of the quarry, to give the Jeeps a four-wheel "work out". 

Although you can't tell it in this photo, the terrain on these hills is not smooth, rather made of up very big rocks that require the driver to proceed very slowly!

At one point on the rock crawl, the driver said I would need to tell him when to turn the steering wheel, because the at the angle he was, he could not see the trail.  That definitely made me sit up and pay attention!

The flat surface at the bottom of the quarry had served as a basin to collect a shallow pool of water from recent rains, so we had fun splashing around in that for a while!

Notice we were even "making waves" for the other Jeeps coming behind us!

There was still a piece of heavy equipment in the bottom on the quarry, that I am assuming was used to make the recently-built "short cut" incline to the top.

 

 

Another stop we made was to the base of the Table Rock Dam, to see the somewhat rare sight of all the flood gates being open, to bring down the lake level.  This is an illustration of why this dam, and others along the White River, were originally built---FLOOD CONTROL!  Table Rock Dam was completed in 1958, at a cost of $65 million.  It was made possible under the Flood Control Act of 1938.  The long delay between Congressional approval and completion, was because of The Great Depression economic struggles, and World War II.  The Flood Control Act was a response to the MISERY caused by The Great Flood of 1927, plus subsequent floods in the 30's and 40's.  I am using that key word "MISERY" to serve as an aid to help me learn one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, "And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their MISERY, they bowed down and worshiped."  Exodus 4:31  Considering the Corps of Engineers estimates that at least 960 million dollars of flood losses have been avoided,  because of the series of dams and lakes in the White River basin, we can be thankful for their development. 

If you are ready to start your own adventure in this beautiful part of the Ozarks, go to www.ExploreBranson.com to check out the hundreds of attractions this area has to offer.  You may be sure that my first outing with the Branson Pink Jeep Tours, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!