Compton Trail & Hemmed-In Hollow

Curtis and I went hiking with Sue yesterday in the mountains of northern Arkansas. We started our hike in Compton , AR at the Compton Trailhead and hiked down to Hemmed-In Hollow. The hike down was 2.5 miles and the best I can tell, from internet research, the total elevation is around 1,300 feet. It was an extremely steep climb, but the waterfall was well worth it. Hemmed-In Falls is the largest waterfall between the Rockies and the Appalachians with a height of approximately 200 feet. The hollow itself is about a mile long, ending in the Buffalo River. It is tight, steep, has a beautiful stream flowing through, and while in the hollow you just feel completely hidden from the rest of the world. Below is a link to some of the pictures we took. Let me know if you have problems viewing them by sending an e-mail to jegoslee@sbcglobal.net.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=nos1qyw.6h80juwg&Uy=-3od3bv&Ux=1

I also rode in the Tour De Loco in Mt. Vernon, MO on Saturday. I didn't take my camera with me and really didn't have time to stop for pictures, anyway. We, basically, rode a loop starting in Mt. Vernon and looping down around Aurora, Freistatt (it was, by no means, a direct route around Aurora and Freistatt), west to Sarcoxie, north and back east around Stotts City, and then back to Mt. Vernon. It was a VERY scenic ride and I saw some of the most beautiful Amish country I've ever seen in my life. A large portion of the ride was on county roads in Lawrence County - roads with no shoulder, no stripes, and that were almost too narrow to qualify as two lane roads. I met several Amish families in their buggies and saw their homes and farms as closely as I've ever seen them before. Their properties, I think, would be best described as "pristine". It was absolutely breathtaking. I didn't quite complete the entire ride of 65 miles. This ride actually started an hour later than most organized rides do this time of year. We started out at 8 am and the temperatures and the humidity escalated quite quickly. I made it to mile 56, where there was a rest stop, around 1 pm and got a ride from a SAG (support and gear) unit there. I was starting to feel light-headed and just weak, in general. I really think it was the heat and humidity that did me in. On the ride back to our starting point, I was extra thankful for the SAG units, since those last 10 miles would have been the most gruesome as far as the hills were concerned.

I'm taking the day off from work today in an attempt to recover from my weekend. I didn't feel too bad last night before going to bed, but I seem to have quite a bit of muscle stiffness today. That, coupled with my allergies, has me feeling exhausted and in need of some R & R. I didn't have much time for card-making this weekend, but I was able to squeeze in enough time to get one done. This card was made using the new 'Baroque Motifs' stamp set and inks from the 'Earth Elements' collection. The paper is from another one of those jumbo economy packs purchased at Hobby Lobby. I've been trying to challenge myself to use some colors and patterns that, normally, would not appeal to me. I have tons of non-SU paper that I need to use up or part with. Since I hate to part with things like that, I'm making an attempt to try to use some of it. TTFN!