Springing into Spring… in the Ozarks!

Yes… last year I totally missed spring. This year, determined not to!

SO… I boarded a jet (thanks to daughter Shannon for arranging!) and flew away to meet my sister, Koral Baker Martin, in South West Missouri. She’s a pro nature photographer and we love shooting together.

She thinks some areas in Arkansas are just amazing… the Ozarks, Boxley Valley and Buffalo River. She’s so so right! We were thinking about have one of our Photo ShareShops there,  and after this trip… no doubt!

So what’s there to see? LOTS!

The river and its amazing, soaring sheer walls of color are alone amazing. But for me, the wildflowers (remember… SPRING!) were the best.

Or.. um… maybe the elk.

The herd we saw was about 40.  They were pretty much content to watch us watching them.  They love to enter the fields that lay alongside the Buffalo River.   Wildlife counts have the elk population at near 1,000 just in this area.

They are magnificent animals.  We watched and shot them for hours. (Um.. like, 500+ images?  Computer burning up!)

But then again… I remembered…  it was spring.  And I wasn’t going to miss it again.  Back to the bogs and forests.

As we wandered, we realized it still was a bit early, and the flowers weren’t out like they will be in a week or so.  Still, the Bloodroot were starting to bloom, there were a few Dutchmans Breeches, and then… then!

WOW.  A trillium I’ve never seen before nor have you most likely.   It was a (after an hour of my sister doing online searches)… are you ready?

It was a Trillium Pusillum var. Ozarkanum, or Ozark Wake-Robin.

Totally a peak thing to get this unique flower!

One last thing you should see about my visit to this amazing place.

Hawksbill Craig!!

Ya wanna get the “way too high willies” while viewing a totally amazing vista?

THIS IS IT!

HUNDREDS of feet up in the open air.  It’s also known as Whitaker Point.  Notice I’m not close to the edge?  The wind was a steady 20 mph and gusting to at least 45… and it was thundering big time!   I’m not going out to the edge with a fully loaded pack in those conditions.  Too much “sail area” and weight from gear!

Amazing view, and other amazing vistas along the way.

Wanna see it?

So, got a fun trip with Koral in with some work (watch for “splash” images upcoming) and found an amazing locale for a great Photo ShareShop.     I hope you will join us when we get this scheduled, tentatively for spring 2019.  (We found an AMAZING lodge to center from!)

Hope you can join us to do what I did this year…

                                                              Springing into Spring… in the Ozarks!