A taste of spring

For my brethren (and sister) in virtually snowbound Madison, Wisconsin:

Just a reminder that spring is indeed around the bend, this picture of a daffodil in full bloom was taken in our front yard this weekend. The crocus and daffodils are starting to bloom, as are a few early tree species. Just so y'all don't think everything was peaches and cream--I was also swatting at my first mosquito of the year the other day...I know, I know--right now you'd take a million mosquitoes rather than any more snow!

We had a forecast for a nice spring day in Arkansas--sunny skies and temps in the mid-50s, so we decided to forgoe our earlier plan of working around the house and drive a few hours to the Ouachita Mountains in west-central Arkansas. For those of you relatively familiar with Arkansas, this is the chain of high hills and low mountains that reaches from the outskirts of Little Rock westward past Hot Springs into eastern Oklahoma. These relatively old mountains have been worn by water and time, but can be quite spectacular in their own right. We went to a part of western Arkansas near the Albert Pike Recreation Area on the Ouachita National Forest to check out some campgrounds and other recreational opportunities for future possible camping trips--and we weren't disappointed!

The rugged hills of this area drain into a number of creeks and small rivers, most notably the Caddo, Cossatot, and the Little Missouri River, which we spent most of our time along. The following set of pictures was taken at the falls of the Little Missouri River:

This falls, though not particularly high, has an interesting origin and history. It is formed in part by an outcrop of novaculite, which is a very hard chert-like sedimentary rock that was used by the prehistoric peoples of the region to make arrow points and other stone tools (remember the 2-week long summer dig I was on last year? That was a novaculite workshop in a different part of the Ouachitas--check out http://www.hsu.edu/default.aspx?id=7270 for more info). The hard, tough nature of this stone also means it is resistant to erosion, and thus contributes to the formation of waterfalls as streams cut through the rocks of the area.

This falls tumbled over several ledges of this hard rock, and the shortleaf pine and eastern redcedar in the rocky hills surrounding the falls accented the clear, bluish-green tinted water and clear blue skies wonderfully. We hiked only a short distance this day, but it was enough to whet our interest in future expeditions to the area:

And now, just so you don't feel too badly about reading of spring in the South when you're still freezing up north, here's a picture of Stephen to warm your hearts...