Oct - Dec 2003

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OCTOBER 2003

I was looking for an "Outdoor Adventure Partner"; at least that is what I put as my tag line for my personal ad.  Boy I didn't know what I was getting myself into.  After a few nights of chatting online, it was time for our first meeting…  We met for lunch and conversation, unaware of what was to come.  The Adventures begin…

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NOVEMBER 2003

Our first bike ride together…  Wendy, my sister, gives Mike grief about not having a "Real" bike.  Mike decides then that he isn't riding with these girls again till he has one.  After the ride we spend the rest of the day and part of the evening at Gator's on the river, listening to Karaoke, drinking beer (a lot of it), and having a good time getting to know each other.  And after several years of no male attention, I finally got a great dose of it… man I forgot what I was missing!

After dinner at Flying Fish in the River Market we were off to Willy D's.  A must see for all visitors and local residents.  Flying Fish, as I understand it now, is a fish place that serves fried catfish, grilled and boiled shrimp, and who knows what else, but excellent food and neat atmosphere.  Willy D's is a dueling piano bar that has some real characters playing there.  They have two regulars and then there are visiting players that come in a play for a week or two at a time.  There are usually 3 if not 4 players each night.  A guaranteed good time will be had by all.  Mike considers this our first real date…

We leave from Conway to head toward the Ponca area, and the cabin at Buffalo Outdoor Center for a weekend of some hiking.  Our first spot is Lost Valley, there is no water at the falls but we climbed through one portion of the falls, think it was "Lower Eden Falls", then climbed in and around "Cobb Cave".  Climbed through and back into "Eden Falls Cave".  Pretty Cool!

After leaving Lost Valley we head down the road a bit to the parking area for the hike to Hawksbill Crag.  This site is a pretty popular spot for photo ops.  Especially for Tim Ernst, wilderness photographer.  The hike was quite peaceful, but the view from up on the Crag was incredible.  Its time to head to the cabin, for some dinner which Mike cooks, and a movie or two.

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This morning we are up and fixing breakfast… then we are off to Ben Hur, AR and Pedestal Rock.  As we make our way down the trail… we see some strange sites.  A bunch of, well we think, fraternity boys making there way back out.  Carrying huge ice chests, still full of beer, we presume, and also one guy was carrying mass quantities of toilet paper.  Must have gone to Sam’s before the trip.  We got a real good laugh out of that one.  We were sure they were not real hikers

The rock formations were pretty neat; it would be a great place to do some overnight camping.  There are some nice caves to set up camp.

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This is Chelsie, Mike's daughter’s first hike since her accident, Oct. 25, 2002.  With trekking poles in hand, she blazed the trail… dealing with rough terrain and lots of stumbling boulders.  Mike having to steady her, and even picking her up a few times.  Dirty butt and all she did a great job.  Tommy on the other hand wasn't sure about this hiking stuff.  We realize that Tommy needs to get out A LOT more.  This was supposed to be a flat and easy hike…  I'd hate to see what they consider moderate to difficult!

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DECEMBER 2003

We meet Mike's friend Kerry Coe on the trial.  Kerry completes his last section of the Ouachita Trail.  During this hike, Kerry passes his 1000th mile hiked mark.  Congratulations Kerry on both feats!

This is my first time up Pinnacle… on the way down I realize that I really need to do something about my feet.  They are not use to all this activity, and I don’t think they like it!

Tonight is Christmas Eve and after attending services at my church we head to Mike’s parents church to Midnight Mass.  Being a Methodist, the Catholic ways are so different and formal in comparison, but I enjoyed the service.  Tonight I am staying with Mike’s parents so I can get up and be part of their Christmas Morning.  Its so nice to be included into Mike’s families celebration, its like I am already a part of them…  It’s a great feeling.

This morning we wake up, and Mike’s Mom and Dad had gone to his sisters house to watch the Grandkids to see what Santa had brought them.  Later Mike and I open our presents to each other before the madness of everyone else arrive.  We leave and head to Lonoke to pick up Chelsie and Chase then its back to his mom and dads.  After the destruction of pretty wrapped packages its time for lunch then we are off again.  Today is sad in a way…  Tommy is not here, cause I will be leaving early in the morning to go to Hawaii with Wendy.  So instead of stretching and stressing the kid out, we had celebrated Christmas over the past weekend.  Next year it will be a lot different, we will be able to celebrate Christmas morning together…  Back to the farm and to share Christmas dinner and festivities with my Dad, Grandmother and Wendy.  Once everything is put up and cleaned up its time to get some rest for a long day and trip to Hawaii.

The time in Hawaii was spent diving and site seeing.  The weather was not too great, it had not rained this much since 1961.  During the week we climb up Diamond Head Crater, and took the tour at Pearl Harbor.  We made several dives, and one snorkel trip that was supposed to be a swim with Dolphins and sort of a Whale Watching Trip.  We saw some dolphins but never got to swim with them.  Saw a whale, but was so quick and in the distance I couldn’t get a picture.

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