My girlfriend and I had the whole week off. We hadn’t made any concrete plans, but we talked about going to St. Louis or somewhere similar just to get out of town. In the end, we spent the week lounging around the house, being lazy. Finally, on Friday, she suggested we go to the Buffalo River for the day to swim and hike.
She had never been to Whitaker Point, so she was determined that we check it out. We messed up by not leaving until 7:30 a.m., right in the middle of rush hour. It wasn’t the best start to the day, sharing the road with half-asleep commuters trying to get to work. But once we got out of the city, the drive was awesome. The road was practically empty.
I drive a pickup, but it's getting older, and I’m a bit hesitant to take it too far, especially around the Buffalo River, where there’s barely any cell service. Plus, the last time I was out there, I nearly burned up my brakes going down those hills. So, I decided to take my little Honda Civic instead. The drive to Whitaker Point is great, except for the last six miles—a curvy, poorly maintained gravel road. To my surprise, the car handled the hills well, although the rough road kept me under 20 mph the whole way up the mountain.
Once we reached the top, there’s a nice two-mile hike out to the point. The last time I was there, I was in great shape. This time... not so much. Still, we made quick work of the hike, passing the only other group heading out along the way. I was surprised that during our entire time there, we saw only two other groups. The place is usually packed on weekends.
School is starting back up this week, so that might explain why the area was so empty. Whatever the reason, it was perfect.
We didn’t spend much time taking photos. Normally, you'd stand where I was in the image above and take pictures of everyone, but we didn’t bother with all that. By the time we arrived, we were already exhausted, and the hike back was weighing heavily on our minds. With the temperature rising by the minute, we decided it was time to head back and make our way to the river.
I took several more photos in this area, but it feels almost cliché to post them since this is the most photographed spot in Arkansas. They're a dime a dozen, and a quick search for Whitaker Point will flood you with thousands of identical images.
I'll give you three, lol. The photo above is taken from a rock just above the overlook that is so popular. I enjoy sitting up here to relax, and usually, I can watch everyone taking pictures. Today it was just us. If you like to people-watch, this is a great place to hang out.
After finally making it down from the mountain, we headed to the river. I didn’t want to travel too far east to the lower part of the river, so we stopped at the Steel Creek Campground area. This far upriver, the river is little more than a large creek. I had hoped that with all the rain we had during the week, the water level would be higher, but to our surprise, it was barely more than a trickle.
I’m usually in this area during the spring, when the water flows much stronger. Fortunately, we found a few deep pools near a low-water bridge outside of Ponca, where we could take a quick swim.
Getting out of the city was nice, but I realized something today: I think I’m turning into a city boy.
I was born and raised in Southeast Missouri, the middle of nowhere. The nearest mall was an hour and a half away, and there was nothing but farm fields as far as the eye could see. I never liked hunting, but I loved fishing, camping, and hanging out in the country. The thought of living in a city, surrounded by so many people, was always a frightening prospect. I never imagined in a million years that I would want that.
Though I always wanted to move closer to a larger population, my goal was to live just outside the city, so I could have more options when I wanted to get out of the house.
When I was about 35, I finally made my move. My kids were grown, and after my wife and I split up, I needed a change. I moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas—a small city of about 70,000. My brother lived there, and he convinced me to give it a shot. Initially, I was hesitant, but to my surprise, I loved it. Renting an apartment and not having to worry about maintenance or mowing the yard gave me much more free time.
After about four years, I decided to take it a step further and moved to Northwest Arkansas. The population here is closer to 600,000, and jobs are plentiful. The area is quickly evolving into a larger metro, consistently ranked as one of the top places to move in America. Apparently, people are listening—about 35 new residents arrive every day.
Before I left Missouri, I would’ve never considered living in such a large population center. It’s been two and a half years since I moved to Northwest Arkansas. Initially, I came here to be closer to the Buffalo River and enjoy outdoor activities. But as time passes, I’ve noticed my desire for those outdoor adventures has waned. I still enjoy hiking and biking, but now I do them in the city. With so many trails and things to do here, heading out of the city just doesn’t appeal to me as much as it once did. In the past, I would’ve stayed at the river all day, but we were back in the city by 1 p.m.
I no longer find the hills as appealing as I once did. I think I’m becoming a city boy now… Yikes!
