Cruising Down the River - Family Field Trip #2

Cruising down the river

on a "Saturday" afternoon . .. .

ok, so we definitely weren't cruising. It was more like drifting down the river, into rocks and into tree branches. But, fun was had in the process. Early Saturday morning, we packed up the van with lunches, about 40 bottles of water, towels, and three sleepy kids. We headed towards the metropolis of Yellville, Arkansas to Buffalo River Float Service where three canoes were waiting for us. (That was along with a bus full of about forty other people getting on the river at the same time, and that doesn't account for the three busses of people from Wild Bill's Outfitters going to the same place!)

Our float trip would begin at Maumee North and go ten miles down river to Dillard's Ferry (at the Hwy 14 bridge). The trip is slated to take 5 1/2 hours. I think it took us about 7 hours.

My sister, Ann, and her husband, David, went with us for the day. They are like master canoeists - never steering off course and zooming down the river. John and I both had difficulty several times, especially when it was windy. We'd get blown to one side of the river and then not be able to easily get back into the main current. We stopped several times to get in the water and cool off. Did I mention that it was really hot? The kids loved swimming and floating in the current. I liked it too. Until I went down a section of water with large boulders (that I should have noticed and didn't) and banged myself all up. My knee hurt the rest of the day, and I have some colorful bruises as souvenirs. We especially liked stopping at Spring Creek, which flows into the Buffalo, because the water is very cold.

Below are some pictures of our day:

Ann, Hannah, and I in the lead canoe

Samuel learning to paddle

Doesn't David look like a professional?

Samuel floating down the river

I had to swim over and pull Hannah back to right side of the river.

Screaming to death COLD!!!

Master canoeists (is that a word?)

Beautiful scenery

Family Field Trip

So, here goes another blog. I know, don't fall down in surprise or anything. I'm attempting to chronicle some of our summer activities. We're not taking a big vacation but instead are attempting to take lots of smaller "Family Field Trips."

On Thursday, we loaded the kids in the car and headed to Prairie Grove National Battlefield, a Civil War battle field about 15 miles from our house. We recently read an article in our local paper about the updated visitor center and thought we'd check it out. I've driven past the battlefield on the way to other places, but I honestly don't ever remember stopping.

Here's the commemorative plaque giving information about the battle, fought on December 7th (hmm. . . . a famous date in history??)

Inside the Hindman House Visitor Center, Samuel really liked the exhibits on weapons.

The kids all tried to lift a 10 pound cannon ball, but it was really hard to do!

Hannah wasn't really into reading about the battle, and she was not happy at all to learn about the medical instruments used to amputate wounded limbs. (The boys, however, thought they were cool.) Maybe she should have skipped this part.

Jacob and Samuel checking out some guns.

There was a little desk and a set of post-it notes and instructions that encouraged young visitors to leave a note about something learned or liked. Samuel and Hannah both wrote notes.

Responses were not surprising . . .

The tiny gift shop area did have some costumes. Samuel is sporting Union blue, and Jacob is all smiles as Johnny Reb.

It was hot out, but we did walk around a bit and look at the memorials, houses, and signage outside.

Boys love to climb on things.

Hannah decided to wear a dress on this outing. She thought this was a good opportunity to pose for some pictures.

We also did the driving tour, stopping to get out at this overlook. The kids are checking out the information about the fighting that took place in the field below. John read aloud the information for each stop , but the kids had pretty much lost interest by this point.

Floating Sans Canoe

Buffalo Float Trip

one of the many beautiful scenes along the Buffalo River

John and I have talked off and on all summer about going canoeing on the Buffalo. Neither of us has ever canoed much, but we've really enjoyed the few times we've been. So, a couple of weeks ago when there was an article in the newspaper about floating the middle section of the Buffalo, John decided to turn thoughts into action, and he booked a trip. We decided that it would be best to leave Samuel and Hannah behind with grandparents so that we would just need one canoe. (Canoes really only fit three people.) Also, we weren't sure what this section of the river would be like for smaller children.

We drove to the town of Harriet (which is next to Ralph) to Crockett's Canoe Rental, which John found online. It was pretty much a hole-in-the-wall place, but the people were really nice. We followed a canoe-carting Suburban back to the Hwy 14 Bridge (about 10-15 minutes back the way we had just come) to park our van. We then got into the Suburban and drove back through Harriet and then about 15 minutes past the store to Maumee, where we put in. It was a long and windy drive - - hot too because the air conditioner in the Suburban didn't work.


We spent the next five and half hours making our way down ten miles of river. The website information said to allow four hours for the trip, but that didn't include much time for stopping. I think it'd be difficult to make the trip in four hours unless you paddled the whole time, or the river was up and flowing a little faster, or you really don't stop at all. We stopped several different times, once to eat lunch and then several times to play in a neat part of the river or to cool off. Did I mention that it was hot today? I think the temperature was in the mid 90's by the time we got on the water (around noon). The sun was bright (and hot) all day long. In retrospect, I think the trip would have been nicer if we'd started several hours earlier in the morning, but to do that we probably would have needed to spend the night in a nearby campground the night before. Of course, an afternoon float would be just fine if the temperature was just a wee bit cooler!


Jacob had an absolute blast all day long. He loved being the only kid and having more attention just for himself. I think he also loved not being "bothered" by his little brother and sister. He was very responsible and didn't complain that he had to wear his life jacket the whole time he was in the canoe (state law until you're 13) even though it made him so much hotter. We did allow him to take off his life jacket whenever we got out to stop and swim or play in the water. He really did not need it. The average depth of the river was about two feet! Occasionally there were sections that were deeper - like four or five feet deep. There were also plenty of sections where the water was maybe 12-15 inches deep and we had to try really hard not to scrape bottom. After seeing how little water there was (still plenty for a good float), I think we'd feel very comfortable taking Samuel and Hannah as well. You can rent rafts which will hold five people, so we could all float together. Or, we could get two canoes and just split the kids between us.


We were careful to use LOTS of sunscreen, but I still ended up with a few missed spots. I spent most of the day with an extra t-shirt over my legs/knees, which I think saved them from being completely fried. Next time, I'll take extras just for that. I even wore a big hat the whole day. That's big for me; I hate wearing hats. I will admit that it kept the sun off of my face, neck, and shoulders for much of the day.


We'll definitely be floating the Buffalo again!!

Jacob is sitting in the entrance to Spring Creek; the water is VERY cold!

Crazy Cousins!

Team Edward vs. Team Jacob

Several months ago, a parent of one of my students asked if I wanted to attend the midnight showing of Eclipse with a group of girls and moms. Of course, I elected to go! Another teacher friend and I made plans to go out to eat, meeting up with the group of girls & moms. There were about 15 of us all together. It was an evening of fun - - albeit a very late evening! Here are some pics of us while we're waiting:

the moms

LouAnn & me

some of the girls

Just in case you're wondering . . . I'm Team Edward - - Abs aren't everything!

Minneapolis

We spent the last few days of our vacation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The boys and I had actually just been here a few weeks before with McNair's Explorers Club. So, we had some places we really wanted to go with the rest of the family. We also did some things that were new to all of us. This picture below is taken in downtown Minneapolis. It's a bridge that crosses the Mississippi River just below St. Anthony Falls. It was a beautiful day, and there were people everywhere. The river looks so very different here than it does where we usually see it (Memphis or St. Louis).

We spent one afternoon hiking around Minnehaha Park, again in central Minneapolis. It's a beautiful park. It actually reminded me a little of Central Park in NYC. There was a little restaurant in the middle of the park, lots of bikes and buggies you could rent, hiking trails, playgrounds, etc. We hiked the trail down to see Minnehaha Falls (of Hiawatha fame). The trail then led us all along a creek (that flows into the Mississippi just a short distance away). There was a really neat place that had been designed for wading, and tons of people were enjoying the cool water on the warm day.




Fort Snelling was constructed to facilitate trade with the Indians. The fort has been mostly been reconstructed to resemble what it would have looked like when it was being used as a fort. There were soldiers who did a marching drill and cannon demonstration. We learned a lot about the history of the West from a different perspective than what we typically hear "down South."





Of course, a trip to Minneapolis wouldn't be complete without Mall of America. The boys were most excited about going back to the amusement park there. They discovered a love for roller coasters and all sorts of rides that spin you around, turn you upside down, and dangle you over the floor from three or four stories up. John took the boys on rides while I took Hannah to the American Girl store. Of course, we visited the Apple store as well.

I love this picture. The boys really do like each other!! I have proof!