The Coordinates will take you to an overlook on the river. There is no physical cache but at this location you will observe how manmade structures alter the flow of streams and rivers and the impact they have on the geologic features in the area. The signs at the overlook do not include the answers needed for the cache but are well worth reading.
The park closes at dark so please keep this a daytime only cache.
The Indians called it Washita, "the river of sparkling water" or "good hunting grounds." The first French settlers renamed it "Ouachita" in the early 1700's. No matter how it is spelled it is pronounced “WAH-shi-taw.” It is the longest (605 miles) and largest river in the Ouachita Mountain region and flows in a southeasterly direction through Arkansas and Louisiana.
Vocabulary
Headwaters - the source of a river.
Tributary - a river or stream flowing into a larger river or lake.
Drainage Basin - the entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries.
Rapid - an increase in the water velocity and turbulence of a stream.
Meander - a bend in a stream or river formed when the moving water erodes the outer banks and widens its valley.
Drainage Basin
Most of the 25,000 square-mile drainage basin lies in the upper Coastal Plain of Arkansas and Louisiana and in the alluvial valley of the Mississippi River.
Headwaters
The Ouachita River originates as a tiny mountain stream where two creeks converge in the Ouachita Mountains at the base of Rich Mountain, the state's second highest peak, not far from Mena and the Oklahoma border.
The Upper Portion
In this rocky terrain in the Ouachita Mountains the river is a narrow, fast moving stream with occasional rapids. The steep gradients cause the stream to move fast and erode the stream bed. As the elevation drops there are sparkling shoals downstream but also some longer and deeper pools of water. This portion of the river includes rock bluffs that tower over the clear water with intriguing rock formations and a canopy of overhanging trees along much of the river. The upper portion flows freely through the Ouachita mountains into the western end of Lake Ouachita. This reservoir was formed when Blakely Dam was completed by the Corps of Engineers in 1953 to aid in flood control and to provide hydroelectric power. At this point the water slows and fills the surrounding land to create coves and bays, eroding the edges of the river as it expands outwardly.
The Lower Portion
Once the river leaves Lake Ouachita it winds alongside Hot Springs through Lake Hamilton, created in 1931 by Arkansas Power and Light Company to generate electricity for the region. The gradient in this area is not so steep and the stream does more work eroding the edges of its banks. The river continues it's journey into Lake Catherine, then southward into Louisiana gathering waters from various tributaries and creating meanders at the lower elevation until it becomes a tributary of the Red River.
Navigation
It was this river that provided access upstream in 1804 for the Hunter and Dunbar expedition that was sent by President Jefferson to explore the "Washita" River and the "boiling springs." They were the first to scientifically map and describe the Ouachita River valley.
In order to log this earthcache, you will need to email your answers to 9ivesgone@gmail.com. Please do not post any answers with your log.
Photos are not required but always appreciated.
Remember: This is a daytime only cache.
1. What is a headwater?
2. How and where does the Ouachita River originate?
3. Where you are standing how far is the span across this portion of the lake directly in front of you?
4. Based on your observations and the amount of waterflow in front of you, how has this river been altered?
5. What is the elevation where you are standing?