March Buffalo kayak

Well, I did my 2nd cold weather kayak Saturday.   I did another one on the fall with my friend in Southern Missouri.  We really enjoyed the peace and quiet.  Not many other people on the river.

Well, I did my 2nd cold weather kayak Saturday.   I did another one on the fall with my friend in Southern Missouri.  We really enjoyed the peace and quiet.  Not many other people on the river.

We joined a group of gals from Western Tennessee.   It was nice.  It was about 50 to 55 degrees then, overcast.

Saturday it was 40 degrees when we got to the Buffalo.   About 44 by the time we shoved off from Steele Creek.  But brilliant sunny day right after we got going.

4 of us showed up.  

1 experienced, me and my friend P much less experienced and one of us a first timer!

Well, bless his heart A went over 3 times the last mile and we really freezing! More on that in a minute. 

I realized as I prepared, I have done this same section of the Buffalo another time...30 years ago!  Do we get more cautious and consider danger more as we mature?  It would seem so, as I had a healthy apprehension about preparing Saturday.   While 30 years ago, I barely gave it a thought.

Anyway, I realized we were doing same section when my friend said we would stop about 2/3 of the way through to Kyle's Landing and hike to the waterfall at Hemmed in Hollow.

In 1994 I did this same stretch of the River and hike with a guy I worked with, his wife and their friend.  The friend was experienced and we shared a canoe back then.  

I do t remember much about that trip except the hike - very cool waterfall...tallest between Appalachians and Rockies...and seeing elk on our drive to and from...oh, and we dumped back in 1994...stupid rock!  I remember it was cold, but not THAT cold.  Maybe it was April or later?  Not sure.

But lately, last I don't know how long...you pretty much have to go in early spring to the upper Buffalo, or the water is too low.  Climate change?  Drought?  Not sure, but the change is real.

So, Sat my friend S and I wore were suits.  Our other 2 friends, not so much and the one who tipped...well the last part of his day was tough.

He ended up VERY cold and we hurried and got out and got him to some kind stranger's camp fire.  My other friend had mistakenly left his keys back at Steele Creek, so that was another wrinkle.  Otherwise, the day was perfect and fun.  

Just so you know, in my dry bag on my yak I also had a change of dry clothes and 2 beach towels, one which I lost because I gave them both to the pre-hypothermic friend in need!  Older and more cautious...and PREPARED.  

And boy did I enjoy crocheting on the couch Sunday!

Happy Easter!

March Already

My cute little star magnolia bush is blooming, it starts even before the forsythia.

I gave up some medicine I have been taking long term for years to help with insomnia and depression.  I tapered off in December.  I had read that this medication may contribute to weight gain, thinking if I went off of it, maybe it would help me lose a few pounds.

I think it did help a little but I was worried about the insomnia.  It came back worse than I ever remember it being before I started taking this medicine years ago.  Perhaps that is a function of aging also.

Well, one of my hiking friends the other day said try melatonin, which I have, but not 10 mg try 5 mg.  I think it might be helping, or I am just getting used to being without the other medication finally.  I feel my sleep slowly improving this past week.  Then it will be time for the time change anyway and once it gets hot outside, I can't sleep then either.  Oh well.  

I went on a couple nice hikes that past few weeks.  I have been in my current job position for about a year and a half now and I am finally feeling more comfortable with the workload and technology and feeling more comfortable to take a day off here and there to get a hike in once in a while.  

First hike I did after my New Years hike was more like a walk on a concrete path through the woods and a couple of fields to the Illinois River done by the Walton family.  It goes to WOKA whitewater park in Oklahoma on the Arkansas border near Siloam Springs.  I did not even take a photo until the end, but it is a pretty area.  You can kayak down the Illinois River and detour through this whitewater park and learn skills and they have events there to teach kayaking.  Its a great feature for that little section of the state/s.

After our "walk" we had lunch at a quaint little cafe in downtown Siloam and it was worth taking a day off.  

The next hike was on super bowl Sunday, it is an area called Smith Creek Preserve.  It is a really beautiful valley with a pretty stream and some pretty water falls.  The impression I always get from this area is the beautiful vibrant green moss everywhere.  There was not as much water this time, depends on the time of year.  

We also just did Alum Cove (again - did it in November) and  Glory Holy Waterfall.  Two of our friends had not been here, so that was fun sharing these cool features with them.  The Alum Cove is a natural bridge rock formation and Glory Hole Waterfall is a giant hole formed on top of a karst rock formation that channels water down a rock stream and into this hole and down.  You can climb down around the huge opening of the karst/cave-type rock formation and see it from underneath as well as on top.  It is a real geologic marvel.  Since it was a Saturday (my friends regularly do Sat hikes so I can go more often) there was a lot of people there.  Including a woman carrying her baby in a pack on her chest - she was getting a workout!

Well, hope you all have a wonderful spring weekend!  It feels like spring today so I am going to do some plant moving and raking.  

I haven't done a look-what-i-have-sold post lately, so show and tell time!  My sister and I every couple of months check out the thrift stores.  I found a pair of Sorel boots for $20 and sole them for $80 on Poshmark!  Score.

Here are a couple of my most recent afgans.  I have about 12 or 14 listed on my ebay page now.  Haven't sold one yet.  Maybe I have them too high.  I wish people realized how expensive yarn is now!

Here is a funny meme bringing my love for the Chiefs with my love for yarn.  

Have a great day!