Outdoor Adventures in the Ozarks

     For the past year the most challenging thing about Erbie has been getting there .  The low water bridge over the Buffalo River has been closed for some time, the ‘low road’ NC 2890/NC 2900 off Hwy.7 has been impassible where Cove Creek washed out the road, the ‘high road’ NC 2800 also off Scenic 7 is always subject to water levels at the ford through Cove Creek, and then there’s Compton Road NC 2700 which has been terrible for years.   a home with indoor plumbing        Today we want to check-out some of these routes to Erbie and do a little hiking while we’re at it, that is  if we can get there.   No problem today crossing Cove Creek which is flowing well and maybe a foot deep, after crossing we turn left at the Erbie Church and head down toward the Buffalo to check on the progress of the new low water bridge over Cove Creek.  Good news, the bridge is finished and open for traffic, but the Buffalo River low water bridge is still blocked off with an orange and white road barricade

     We haven’t seen much rain in the last week, and winter hasn’t shown itself, not yet anyway.  I thought it would be a good time to see Victor Indian Shelter which is north of the old town of Victor on North Fork Illinois Bayou.  To get there we’re going to try Sulphur Road just outside of Sand Gap, it’s a big short-cut compared to the long drive down Highway 7 to Victor Road.   Sulphur Road is in surprisingly good shape; in a remote area of the Ozark National Forest, we don’t see any houses on this road. Sulpher Road        The only obstacle encountered is a big tree in the road which we have to drive around through the ditch as it's too heavy to move.  The road does get a bit steep as we come down off the mountain into the North Fork valley.   At the ford across North Fork Illinois Bayou,  we stop and park.  The river is really moving, with little white caps making it hard to judge the depth, I decide this is as far as we’re going, if I can’t see the bottom I don’t usually dri