Day 10, June 11, Thursday.
Another Blue Heaven along the Littlest Buffalo River
I had meet Gordon several years ago on the NANFA forum as he was inquiring about native fish for his home aquaponics sytem. This lead to a friendship and visit a couple years ago. Isaac and myself returned bringing Cyan along for another swim in the headwaters of the Little Buffalo flowing adjacent to his property. Along with his farm he has cabin rentals too and calls all My Blue Heaven.
The Little Buffalo is indeed little and easily forded by the submerged crossing upstream.
Downstream, as were a couple years before, a series of Hornyhead mounds were active. Alive today with Ozark's minners and fancy shiners and stonerollers.
Duskystripe!
We captured one to show his tubercules macrostyle.
Even the sleek Ozarks had tiny sharpies!
Sometimes you come across sad endings. Mother Nature can be brutally harsh. Recent heavy rains probably made the crossing terminal for this new born. A very sad, odd sight contrasted to our experience from 2 days before.
Some of Gordon's aquaponics at work. Indoors he raises Cherry Tomatoes and Bluegills in a looped system.
Us three alongside Gordon and Susan. The Watson's did not get to cool in the Buffalo water today being too busy with their ripening blueberry harvest, but last time Gordon did so and later Isaac, Gordon and i spent a good bit of time trying to seine Stonerollers, i seemed to have lost my ability! We were really after one of the super high males Studfish to show Susan. You don't get too many chances with them quicksters, they are quite adept at diving under the leadline.
Crossing the little Little Buffalo, the beginnings of the long drive home back to Tennessee.
The sign noting our limited range of Ozark adventures on this visit, much more to explore another time.
The beautiful Ozarks, a fine place to be. And so ends our NANFA 2015 fishy adventure through Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Granite State calls and in a month a new world of water, land and culture await.