At Welcome to Heardmont we typically like to focus on what we’ve done to update our rambling 80s rancher, but every once in awhile I like to sneak in a few posts for fun and a glimpse into what life is like for two 20-somethings in Arkansas.
Since it was too beautiful to stay inside this weekend, we decided to borrow a friend’s canoe and head out to the beautiful Buffalo River for some canoeing and camping fun.
My husband is pretty hardcore when it comes to camping. I think he likes the challenge of it, but you definitely won’t find us “camping” at a campsite with an RV and our satellite dish. What kind of do-it-yourselfers would we be then? 😉
We set out Saturday morning with our camping companion, Molly. Of course it’s tough to take photos on the river with non-waterproof cameras, but here are a few iPhone snapshots of our trip!
The river was a little low, but we only had to get out of the canoe and push it a couple of times. I must say, Stephen is an expert when it comes to navigating rapids and keeping the canoe from turning over! We canoed for about 4-5 hours and then picked a place to set up camp for the night.
The best part about our riverside campsite was this beautiful view of an old barn on the bluff above us. The worst part? Definitely the rocks.
We made sure to drag the canoe way up on the bank for the night and to turn it over so it would drain out before the next morning. I think this embankment protected our little tent from the strong winds that night.
Once the tent was up, Molly snuck into this shot of our little family of happy campers.
There was already a fire ring from previous campers at our site (awesome). Dinner consisted of cheesy brats, instant veggies and rice, and trail mix.
A cute dog, a toasty fire, and wine from a plastic cup. That’s my kind of camping!
The next morning, we woke up to this beautiful view. After breakfast, we packed up camp, paddled across the river, and hiked up the trail to check out the old barn on the hill.
Turns out the barn was actually still used periodically by campers on horseback. I was amazed horses could hike up that steep trail!
Once we got back to the canoe, we had about an hour of floating and paddling left before we reached our destination. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and we had fun watching turtles sunning themselves on the riverbanks and letting Molly swim along beside the boat.
We were blessed with a beautiful weekend, and I’m ready to proclaim that spring is finally here in Arkansas! I hope your weekend was just as lovely and thanks for reading!
P.S. I did something I never do and entered our bathroom and closet makeovers into a contest! It’s the Designer in You contest hosted by MSN and the winner receives $5000 towards a room makeover in their home. I would appreciate any votes (click the links above and hit the thumbs up – it’s that easy). Just think of all the fun DIY projects we could do at Heardmont if we won! 🙂 Thanks!
