Cormackphotos

Longpool

2012-02-07T22:41:00.002-06:00

Saturday was a perfect day for going out and getting waterfall pictures. A storm had passed by the day before, which meant there might actually be water in a few waterfalls. So the question was, where to go? I decided to visit a certain waterfall that I've been to several times before. But during each previous visit, I've never seen it really flowing.

That waterfall is Longpool Falls, in the Ozark National Forest north of Russellville. For some reason, I've had awful luck at these falls. Every visit, the falls would be barely flowing (even in the Spring when waterfalls should be running full-tilt). But I hoped the rains the day before would have the falls running, and I drove towards the Ozarks...

I arrived at the Longpool Campground and started on the short trail to the falls. The trail runs along a hill above Big Piney Creek, which was muddy and flooded after all the recent rain. I finally arrived at the Lower Longpool Falls, and was pleased to find a nice amount amount of water going over the falls...

I really like this small waterfall, I think it has a lot of personality even if it isn't very tall...

From here it gets a bit tricky trying to reach Longpool Falls. There isn't much of a trail, so you have to carefully make your way past the gauntlet of large boulders and slick rocks that stand between the bluff and the creek. The rocks around the waterfall are incredibly slick, so I slowly made my way past them and found a spot for this shot...

And another shot of the 44 foot-tall Longpool Falls:

I slowly made my way along a few boulders to get this shot of the creek just below the falls:

It was starting to get dark, but I stayed long enough to get a few more shots of the Lower Longpool Falls. This is above the falls:

And one last shot:

Saturday night

2012-01-31T21:53:00.002-06:00

Met up with Zack on Saturday, and we drove south to visit a spot in the Flatside Wilderness. The hope was that we would catch a decent sunset over the Ouachitas, and he had an idea for a spot. We weren't going to Flatside Pinnacle, the usual spot to go in the area. But instead we stopped along the Winona Scenic Drive near another mountain, that had some good views.

It wasn't that long of a hike to get there, but it was steep. There was no trail, and there was a considerable amount of rocks and trees and thorns to pass by first. I was out of breath, but did enjoy the view.

The sunset was nice...

But as soon as the sun set, the temperature seemed to drop about 20 degrees. It was getting quite cold by the time we got back to Zack's Jeep. After driving back north towards Conway, we stopped to get a few shots. One of the stops was at the old St. Boniface Church, which is about 20 miles south of Conway. This is a neat old church, built back in 1906. It was cold, about 32 degrees, so we didn't linger too long to take pictures. But I was amazed by how clear the sky was, and how many stars you could see there...

Foggy night at Two Rivers Bridge

2012-01-24T22:28:00.002-06:00

The other night, I looked out the window and saw that a very thick fog had descended over my apartment complex. So I naturally grabbed my camera and headed out the door. I tried to decide on where to go and take pictures...

While the Big Dam Bridge is close, I've taken pictures of it in the fog many times already. But the Two Rivers Bridge is also nearby, and I haven't gotten any pictures of it in the fog. So I crossed over the I-430 bridge and made my way to the foot of the bridge. The fog was still thick at the river, and I started to take a few pictures. I was pleased to see that even on a cold and foggy January night, there were a few people out strolling on the bridge.

I made my way across the bridge and started taking pictures of the bridge from Two Rivers Park. This is a view from the base of the bridge, with the lights getting caught in the fog...

And a wider shot of the bridge, covered in a shroud of fog...

I walked back to the bridge, startling about 7 deer that were drinking out of the river. I crossed over the bridge and got a few more shots:

The fog was lifting by then, and it was getting late. Time to head back home....

NWA

2012-01-20T23:28:00.007-06:00

Last weekend, I made the drive up to Fayetteville to see my brother and do some sightseeing around Northwest Arkansas. First, we drove up the freeway to Bentonville to visit the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The museum is nestled in a valley, the buildings situated above spring-fed pools.

The museum is impressive. There are a lot of famous works on display, including one that cost $35 million to acquire. But one thing that really struck me while visiting the museum is how neat the architecture is. The galleries are set in a series of interconnected buildings with massive windows. It's nice that you can view the surrounding bit of nature while walking through the galleries.

We were a bit rushed going through there, but I stopped to get a bunch of pictures of the buildings...

The artwork in the museum is surprisingly good. But one thing I noticed was the distinct lack of photography there. Now I might be biased, but I tend to think that photography is an important and noteworthy addition to the art world. There is even a photographer whose work in the early 1900s has become famous and well-known in the art world, and who is from the Arkansas Ozarks. But you don't see very many photographs at Crystal Bridges, which is a shame.

Granted, Crystal Bridges might have a bunch of photos in its collection, but hasn't put them out on display yet. But of course, if the museum would like to add to its collection of photography, I think I know of a few local photographers who would be happy to help. If Alice Walton is reading this, I would be happy to sell some pictures to the museum, and at a cheaper rate than $35 million (prices start out at $34 million, but I'd be happy to negotiate!).

But anyways, the museum is neat and worth the visit to Bentonville. It doesn't cost anything to go in, and I want to go back when I have more time to look through everything there again...

After that, we drove back to Fayetteville and got dinner at a great Thai restaurant on the square by the courthouse. From there we headed over to Bud Walton Arena on the University of Arkansas campus to watch a basketball game...

The Razorbacks beat LSU 69-60.

On my way home the next day, I made another visit to the University of Arkansas campus and got a few shots of Old Main:

From there I managed to find Hwy. 16 and took the scenic way home, following the Pig Trail back down to the freeway.

Junction Bridge

2012-01-10T22:26:00.002-06:00

Here are some shots from a trip to Junction Bridge on Saturday night. It was cloudy and cool, but pretty comfortable out for a January night. And even though it was overcast, there was still some nice light in the sky at dusk.

And a view of the skyline. The Junction Bridge has to be one of the best places around to get pictures of downtown Little Rock.

And one last shot, with the city lights reflecting on some low clouds:

Best of 2011

2012-01-02T20:34:00.006-06:00

Well 2011 is over, which means it's that time of year where I make the three people who read this website suffer through my own version of a "best-of" list. 2011 was actually a pretty good year, I took a lot of pictures and spent time with some good friends exploring a few different parts of the state. And yeah, I think I got a few decent pictures out of it. So without further ado, here are my favorite pictures of the last year:

#25

August 8: Downtown Little Rock, Arkansas.

A huge summer storm came through town, dumping a lot of rain and lightning. The storm was enough to cause the power to go out in my apartment. So as the storm passed, I sat in the dark. With nothing else to do besides look out the window, I grabbed the camera and headed towards downtown Little Rock. I went to the top of a parking deck and got a few shots of some lightning, and also managed to catch a plane taking off from the airport.

#24

October 9: Hickson Lake, Dagmar Wildlife Management Area, Arkansas.

This is one of my favorite places to take photos, and luckily it's a fairly short and easy drive from Little Rock. Hickson Lake is lined with tons of cypress and tupelo trees, and if you catch it with good light it can be amazing. This was a trip on an early Sunday morning, which I was extremely hesitant about since it would mean being awake on an early morning. But we got here just before the sunrise, and watched the sleepy lake come to life.

#23

May 14: Sweden Creek Falls, Arkansas.

This 80 foot-tall waterfall is located in the Ozarks, just north of the Buffalo River. It was a cold morning, but luckily there was some nice water going over the falls. The waterfall is beautiful, but I thought that it wasn't the easiest to get pictures of. There are a lot of trees around it, and some debris left-over from the ice storm a few years back.

#22

January 17: Center Street, Little Rock, Arkansas.

I had the day off from work and decided to get a few pictures downtown. This is the old Centre Place Building (built in 1917). In the distance is the Metropolitan Bank Building, which was built in the 1980s. The Centre Place Building is one of my favorite buildings in downtown Little Rock, and luckily it hasn't been torn and down and replaced with parking lots, like so many other old buildings in downtown....

#21

October 28: Roark Bluff, Buffalo National River, Arkansas.

This is easily one of the most scenic spots in the state. And luckily we managed to catch it with some good fall color. It had been a dry fall (and summer), and the river was very low. But it did help to make some nice reflections of the bluffline and the fall colors...

#20

April 23: Longpool, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas.

This was a perfect day for pictures: cool, cloudy and with a bit of fog along Big Piney Creek. This was in the spring, so I naturally assumed that there would be water at Longpool Falls. But after hiking to the waterfall, I was disappointed but not surprised to see that the falls were hardly running. I don't have a good history with Longpool Falls. I've been here several times and have never seen it with much water. Oh well. I did like how this picture turned out - this was taken in the campground, near the trailhead to the waterfall.

#19

December 26: Subiaco, Arkansas.

I have family that lives nearby, so I've driven by Subiaco hundreds of times over the years. But I've never stopped there to take any pictures. So after Christmas, I had the camera with me and decided to make a quick stop. It was a cold and rainy day, but I went out and made a few pictures while trying to keep the lens free of raindrops. Subiaco is a neat old place, sitting on a low hill surrounded by old barns and pastures.

#18

October 26: Sam's Throne, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas.

I took a few days off from work and went camping up in the Ozarks with my friend Zack. We were extremely lucky to be up there during one of the best years for fall colors. On the first night, we camped at Sam's Throne. This is one of the neater places to camp in the Ozarks - you have one of the best views in the state just a short walk from your tent. The morning after this shot was taken, we both woke up before dawn and walked out to this overlook. The plan was to hopefully get a good shot of the sunrise, or of some nice fog at least. But a rainstorm was moving across the valley below. Before we knew it, the rain was right over us. A lightning bolt hit Sam's Throne, and we wisely decided to head back to the car for safety. In the pouring rain, we headed down to Jasper for a breakfast at the Ozark Cafe. After a very filling breakfast, we headed out to get a few other shots (some of which you will see below).

#17

June 29: Springfield Bridge, near Bono, Arkansas.

The Springfield Bridge is the oldest vehicular bridge in the state. It was built way back in 1874, and was used for over a century before being replaced in 1994. The bridge isn't in the best of shape now. The wooden beams are rotten or missing in places. But it turns out that there are plans to preserve the bridge. Which is good, since there's no telling how much longer it will last...

#16

October 27: Hedge's Pouroff, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas.

This is a view from Hedge's Pouroff, which is along a bluff that sits 110 feet above Boxley Valley and the Buffalo River. It was still pouring down rain, and the distant mountains were covered with fog. While the weather wasn't great, the conditions were perfect for taking pictures. I think this day might have been one of the better days of the year for taking pictures.

#15

April 16: Little Punchbowl Falls on Bear Creek, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas.

This is just one of several amazing waterfalls along Bear Creek. This one drops down into a large pool, which was filled with emerald-green water. We visited a few other waterfalls along this creek (you'll see another shot from this creek below- spoiler!). This is really an amazing area - with some of the most unique waterfalls in the Ozarks. Unfortunately it's a bit of pain to get here, since you have to bushwhack up and down a steep hill to get to the creek...

#14

October 28: Erbie, Buffalo National River, Arkansas.

After spending the night at the Erbie campground, we ended up crossing the Buffalo River at the low-water bridge there and found this large field. The mountains that surrounded the field had a small bit of fog that was dying off in the early morning sunlight. There was an old tractor parked in the field, which made for a nice subject for a few pictures.

#13

May 21: Cornelius Falls (aka Bridal Veil Falls), Heber Springs, Arkansas.

I drove to Heber Springs in May to get a few shots of this neat waterfall. The waterfall is about 40 feet tall, and is located on private property. But luckily, the city of Heber Springs has gotten an easement that has allowed access to the falls. So now everyone can see the falls. The city has even built a viewing platform over the falls. So thanks, city of Heber Springs!

#12

April 30: Smith Creek Nature Preserve, near the Buffalo National River, Arkansas.

Smith Creek is an amazing area - the creek flows past huge boulders and a few small waterfalls. It isn't part of the National River, but is instead land preserved by the Nature Conservancy. I made this visit with my Aunt in the spring. We enjoyed the creek and the views, but didn't really like the long uphill hike to get back to the trailhead.

#11

March 29: Downtown Little Rock, Arkansas.

I headed out after work to get a few pictures of downtown Little Rock. It was another cold and rainy night, and I spent most of this night using an umbrella to try to keep the rain from getting on the camera. This is a view overlooking the Chester Street on-ramp onto I-630.

#10

May 13: Goat Trail along Big Bluff, Buffalo National River, Arkansas.

This is the view from the Goat Trail, which is 340 feet above the Buffalo National River. Now this was taken during one of the most bizarre camping experiences I've ever been on. To get to the Goat Trail, you hike about 3 miles on the Centerpoint Trailhead. We had set up camp that night, and had a good campfire going. I had heard a few coyotes off in the distance, and was then surprised to see a few flashlights in the distance. Somehow, someone was coming down the trail at 11:30 at night. At first, I naturally assumed that it was some sort of crazed serial killer coming down the trail. But it turned out to be a large church youth group from Tulsa. Apparently they decided, for some bizarre reason, to hike this trail in the middle of the night. They didn't know they had been hiking for three miles, or really where they were going. After standing around our campfire for a bit, they turned around and headed back up the trail. Which I can't imagine being any fun, since they were hiking 3 miles uphill, in the dark. But at least they didn't kill us!

#9

April 15: Brushy Grotto Falls, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas.

I took off work this day and met up with Matt and Zack in Conway. We drove up into the Ozark National Forest and ended up finding some new waterfalls. We hiked a few miles and went through several drainages. I thought it was a somewhat annoying hike, since there were countless thorns along the way, that would grab and cling at you while you tried to walk by. But it was worth it, since we found some cool waterfalls. This waterfall pours into a grotto, which eventually empties into Brushy Fork Creek. For directions to this waterfall, visit Zack's site here. For some reason, he didn't include some other waterfalls we saw that day, which I decided to name after FC Dallas soccer players.

#8

May 29: Downtown Little Rock, Arkansas.

This is a view of downtown Little Rock, crowded with cars and people during Riverfest. In this shot you can see the Centre Place Building, which you may remember as a building shown before as #22 in this post...

#7

April 16: Triple Falls at Camp Orr, Buffalo National River, Arkansas.

Like Longpool Falls, I have made several visits to this waterfall and have never found it running. My little joke is that it should be called Trickle Falls, not Triple Falls, whenever I try to drive there. But this spring was I amazed to actually see these falls running full-tilt. This is one of the coolest waterfalls in the state, and I'm so glad I was finally able to see it running with water in it!

#6

January 24: Big Dam Bridge, North Little Rock, Arkansas.

My apartment isn't very far from the Big Dam Bridge, so I'll occasionally head out there when it looks like there might be good conditions for pictures. This was one of those nights. It was about 10:00 PM, and I headed out to take some trash to the apartment dumpster. But as I got outside, I saw some of the thickest fog I've ever seen around here. So I threw the trash away as quickly as I could, and ran up the stairs for the camera and tripod. It was very cold that night (34 degrees), but the fog was thick. I stood at the bridge taking several pictures, and for some reason the blue lights on the bridge seemed to show best in the fog.

And I'm happy to say that this shot was selected to tour the state this year as part of the Small Works On Paper Exhibition. Not to brag too much, but this is the fifth time I've had a photo selected for SWOP, and the fourth year in a row...

#5

October 28: Parker-Hickman Farmstead, Erbie, Buffalo National River, Arkansas.

This is the oldest building within the Buffalo National River, built back in 1840s. Zack and I had camped overnight at Erbie, and this was our first stop that day. We had hoped that there would be some cool fog that morning. There was some, but it was quickly dissolving away as the sun came up. I tried to get a few shots of the old home before the sun came up. I ended up taking pictures of the home framed by this tree, which had some nice fall colors on it. Of course the vine on the tree is actually poison ivy, so I didn't dare get too close to the tree...

#4

April 30: Smith Creek Nature Preserve, near the Buffalo National River, Arkansas.

Another view from the trip to the awesome Smith Creek. This small creek has risen to the top of my favorite places to visit in the state. It helps that it's right by Boxley Valley, and the Buffalo River. I can't wait to head up there again...

#3

October 27: Road heading down to Kyle's Landing, Buffalo National River, Arkansas.

After a hot and dry summer, people were predicting that there wouldn't be any good fall colors in 2011. But somehow, the trees ignored the skeptics and managed to have one of the best years for fall foliage in recent memory. This was taken on a cold and rainy day in October, on the bumpy dirt road that heads down to the river put-in at Kyle's Landing. We headed down here after having breakfast at the Ozark Cafe, and we made several stops because the views kept on getting better and better. I ran through an 8-gig memory card taking pictures of the falls colors out there that day....

#2

August 12: Downtown Little Rock, Arkansas.

Dusk over downtown Little Rock, framed by the I-30 bridge. There was a storm moving in, which helped to produce the clouds seen in this shot.

#1

April 16: V-Slot Falls on Bear Creek, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas.

This has to be one of the coolest waterfalls that I've been lucky enough to photograph. The creek is divided by a boulder, which creates a V-shaped waterfall. Below the falls, the creek has carved out a small slot canyon. There are several waterfalls on this creek, but unfortunately it is a difficult hike in to get there! My knees just ache looking at this picture, because they remember the beating they took to hike out of this spot...

Well so thanks to anyone who made it to end of this post - I hope you didn't get bored looking at old pictures! I hope that everyone who reads this has a great 2012.

Last shots of 2011

2012-01-01T23:54:00.005-06:00

The past few years, I have tried to get out on New Year's Eve and take a picture of the last sunset of the year. So on Saturday, I tried to do everything right. I made sure the battery was fully charged, and that there was plenty of extra room on the memory card. I even remembered to bring the tripod too. Everything was set.

So I got to the car and started to drive out of the parking lot when I noticed something odd. There was a strange whump-whump-whump noise, and the drive was a bit rough. Which of course means only one thing - I had a flat tire. I parked and got out to see the damage, and yup, the driver side front tire was completely flat (funny that it's the driver side tire, I walked right by it before and didn't even notice it was flat).

So I stood by my car and said several curse words. The sky above me looked like it would be capable of producing a nice sunset. But while I'm no automotive expert, I know that you can't travel too far on a flat tire. I have an air compressor that can inflate a tire, so I plugged it in and considered my options. While the tire slowly reflated, I wondered if I should be risky and try to drive on it to get a shot of the sunset. But I let common sense tell me that I should probably try to get the tire fixed, even if it ruined a photo opportunity. So I ignored the sunset and made the (luckily) very short drive to a place that could repair the tire.

I was surprised to see that I wasn't the only person around who had car troubles that day. The place I chose had a line, and two more cars pulled in after me. After waiting over an hour, I was finally told that the my poor tire was too damaged to repair. So I had to fork over money for a new tire. Happy New Year's Eve to me!

So by the time my car was deemed drivable again, I had long missed the last sunset of 2011. But I decided to take a few shots anyways, and headed towards downtown. I decided to stop in Riverfront Park in North Little Rock, to try to get a few shots of the skyline. Here is a shot of downtown Little Rock and the Junction Bridge:

I tried to find a different angle to shoot the downtown skyline. So here is a shot including a few trees on the north side of the river:

So that's the final picture I'll post that was taken in 2011......

I'd like to thank everyone who has visited this little website over the past year. I'm still amazed that people will venture over here to look at my pictures and read my ramblings.

Here are some of the pictures of previous New Year's Eves. This was taken on December 31, 2010:

The last sunset of 2009:

And 2008:

And 2007:

Clinton Park Bridge

2011-12-30T22:56:00.002-06:00

After work last night, I headed downtown to take a few pictures. I ended up going to the foot of the Clinton Park Bridge in North Little Rock. I set up the camera and waited for dusk to settle over the city.

The Clinton Park Bridge is an old railroad bridge, built in 1899 by the Choctaw and Memphis Railroad. It was opened up as a pedestrian bridge earlier this year, connecting the cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock. This is a view of the bridge, with the Bill Clinton Presidential Library on the left:

Here is a wider view of the bridge:

I then walked across the bridge and enjoyed the views overlooking the river. But I wasn't the only person enjoying the views of the skyline. There is a RV park that sits near the foot of the Clinton Park Bridge. As I stood on the bridge taking pictures, I saw several RVs and cars pull into the RV parking lot. Clearly one RV had claimed the best spot, so I turned the camera on it. I liked the contrast between the busy city on one side of the river, and the quiet RV parked along the opposite shore:

Subiaco

2011-12-29T22:07:00.002-06:00

After spending all of last weekend with family, I headed home on Monday. While driving along Hwy. 22 in Logan County, I passed by the old Subiaco Abbey and Academy, outside of Paris (the one in Arkansas, not France). It is a grand old building, perched right on the top of a hill. Subiaco looks very old and imposing, and the buildings here are home to a school. I admit that I know next to nothing about Subiaco's school or its history. So I'm just going to assume that it's something like Hogwarts.

I've passed by Subiaco countless times before and had always meant to get a picture of. Luckily, I had the camera with me, so I stopped for a few shots. It was cold day, with a heavy rain falling. But I tried to keep most of the raindrops off of the lens and stood alongside a dirt road to get a few shots. This was taken next to the pastures that surround the main buildings, which have a nice collection of old barns:

I followed the dirt road for a bit, which had turned into a muddy soup after all of the rain. My car quickly turned brown as it became caked in mud. The road passed by a few houses, and I made a quick stop at this old barn. It has definitely seen better days...

I turned around and got back onto the main road. The rain was still falling heavily, which managed to wash off most of the mud by the time I got home...

A Bunch of Birds in Beebe

2011-12-26T21:56:00.007-06:00

At first, Beebe seems like any typical small town in Arkansas. It is located only 40 miles or so from Little Rock, and is home to about 5,000 people. But every winter, the town is also host to thousands upon thousands of blackbirds. After a tip from Zack, I headed up to Beebe with John to see the birds. Apparently you can park along the road, just off of the freeway, and be in a field where massive flocks of birds will congregate in a sprawling mass of feathered frenzy.

So we made our way up to Beebe, and found the spot that Zack had suggested as the best place to go. It was a rather nondescript and dull stretch of land. In fact, it was a field that will be soon be turned into a future Wal-Mart. But we set up our cameras and patiently waited for the birds to show up.

I admit that I was a bit skeptical at first. There were barely any birds flying around at all. But as the sun set, more and more birds flew overhead. The number of birds slowly multiplied, and then suddenly the sky became filled with blackbirds.

It was really quite amazing. The birds flew about like waves crashing on a beach. They would form patterns, then turn and swirl around with surgical precision.

As dusk settled in, the birds turned the horizon black with movement.

Beebe, and this flock of birds, became internationally famous when around 5,000 birds mysteriously died almost a year ago, on New Year's Eve (in what is apparently being called the "Aflockalypse." The official reasoning for the massive die-off is that the roosting birds were startled by fireworks, which caused them to fly around in panic, crashing into nearby buildings.

The Beebe birds reminded me of this movie, and luckily the birds here were much kinder than anything Hitchcock could have dreamed of:

Dang, I hope Tippi Hedren never has to visit Beebe!

And one last shot from the night, taken just before dark. This was a slightly longer exposure, which showed the movement of the birds as a slight blur:

After that it got too dark for pictures. I was amazed to discover that, even with the thousands of birds flying overhead, I wasn't hit with any wayward droppings...

Little Rock

2011-12-18T22:21:00.002-06:00

I've been meaning to update this site for a few weeks, but have been a bit distracted. So I'm just going to post a few pictures taken recently of Little Rock...

Awhile back, I met up with Shelby Brewer at the State Capitol to get some pictures of the Christmas lights there. It was a cold night, but here is a shot of capitol at dusk:

The next day, I headed down to War Memorial Stadium to catch a high school football game. It was the 3A state championship game, between Charleston and Barton. I went there to cheer on Charleston, even if I'm not from there or attended high school there. But a good number of my relatives hail from Charleston, so I went to throw my support behind them.

I got to the stadium before the game, and met up with my family. One Aunt was busy making a sign, and I suggested a sign saying "Beat FARTon," which was ignored, for some reason. This is a shot of War Memorial Stadium at the start of the second half.

Barton was winning then, 10-8. But in the second half, Charleston would rally and go on to win the game 31-10.

A few days later, a very thick fog had settled over the city. After work, I ended up meeting Zack and we headed out into the fog for a few pictures. One of the stops was a parking deck, which provided this view of the old Albert Pike Hotel:

And this is the view from the other end of the parking deck, looking west:

After that, we got a few pictures of the Junction Bridge and then went into the warmth of the Flying Saucer.

Ladderbucket Falls

2011-11-30T21:37:00.002-06:00

There have been several nice rain storms have passed by the past few weeks, dumping enough rain for the waterfalls to be running again. Hooray! So early Sunday morning, I managed to be awake long enough to make the drive to Conway to meet up with Zack. We headed north to visit a few waterfalls...

We headed to the Ozark National Forest, north of Morrilton. There is a nice collection of waterfalls in this area, which is great since it's a relatively short drive away. From Conway, it only took an hour to reach the parking area for the waterfall. Which is a bit better than the usual three hours it takes to drive up to the Buffalo River.

The waterfall we were to visit that day was Ladderbucket Falls. It's a 36 foot-tall waterfall set back in a cool grotto. The hike is about 4 miles, and some of the hike was along either a 4-wheeler trail or a logging road. But the hike does turn into a very steep bushwhack when you have to descend from the top of the hill down to the creek. It wasn't easy, and I wasn't looking forward to having to climb back up that hill later on.

We eventually made it to Ladderbucket Falls, which unfortunately had neither a ladder nor a bucket there.

It is a really neat waterfall, and it's a place that very few people have visited or photographed...

Before climbing back up the big hill, we stopped and visited another waterfall along the way - the 84 foot-tall John Mountain Falls. But my pictures didn't turn out, so I won't bother posting them. We slowly made our way up the very steep hill, and eventually made it to the top (just as my legs were letting me know that they didn't appreciate this and would be sore for the next few days). On the way back to the car, we stopped at a smaller waterfall and went to explore it. While navigating down the muddy and leaf-covered hill, I slid and crashed down to the ground. I'm sure this amused Zack and any animals that may have been watching.

Back at the car it was time to head home, with two waterfalls visited and a few miles of hiking completed. Not too bad, even if it meant waking up at 7:00 am.

The Old Mill

2011-11-28T21:52:00.001-06:00

Well I hope all of the people who look at this site (all three of you!) had a good Thanksgiving! I had a good Turkey Day, even if most of it was spent driving back and forth across the state. But I guess it was good that I had to go into work on Friday, which probably saved me from getting stabbed and/or pepper sprayed during some unruly Black Friday sale/riot.

But I did manage to get out and take a few pictures over the weekend. On Saturday, I decided to head out into the rain to take a few pictures. I drove around some, and ended up at the Old Mill in North Little Rock. The Old Mill is probably one of the most photographed places in Arkansas. But it's easy to see why, because it is a neat spot.

The Old Mill is also one of my favorite places to visit. My grandparents used to live a few blocks away from the Old Mill, (and my Papaw got some good shots of it). But it was starting to get dark, so I took a few more pictures and decided to head home. This is one of the last ones:

Flatside Pinnacle

2011-11-14T21:13:00.003-06:00

On Saturday afternoon I tried to get a few more pictures of the fall colors. This has really turned out to be a good year for fall foliage, and I was eager to make another trip before the leaves fall off the trees. I drove over to Flatside Pinnacle, which is one of the most scenic vistas in the state. And luckily for me, it's only about an hour away from Little Rock.

And it's a nice drive out west - once you get passed the suburbs of west Little Rock. The road runs by Lake Maumelle, and into the Ouachita National Forest. You turn onto the Winona Scenic Drive, a dirt road that passes by a some nice views. The fall colors were spectacular along the way:

Along the scenic drive, I passed by several trucks parked alongside the road. This is hunting season, and there were people out there trying to shoot things other than pictures. When I got to the parking area for the short trail that leads up to Flatside Pinnacle, I was greeted by a guy decked out in full camo who told me there were people hunting around there, and I better have on some orange unless I wanted to get shot. Well, now I didn't really want to be shot and have my head displayed on someone's wall next to a few deer. So it seemed like a good idea to follow his advice...

I don't have very many pieces of orange clothing, but I was a bit prepared. The rain jacket I have has orange lining. So I made my hike while stylishly wearing a jacket inside-out. I didn't hear any bullets whiz by while I made the short and steep hike up to the top of the mountain, so I guess I didn't look like a deer to anyone. But when I got to the top of Flatside, stray bullets weren't the most dangerous thing up there. It was the wind.

On the unprotected summit of Flatside, I was greeted by a huge gust of wind. It was strong enough that it seemed like it could easily tug you over the side of the overlook. I inched as close to the edge as I dared, and set up the camera and tripod. The fall colors were great, but the wind was making the trees move and shake like they were being tazed.

And the view looking towards the west, with Forked Mountain in the distance:

It is a great view from here. Flatside Pinnacle sits amidst the 11,299 acre Flatside Wilderness of the Ouachita National Forest. There is a nearly uninterrupted view of rolling mountains laid out below you.

Just wear orange in hunting season so you don't get shot...

I sat up there and enjoyed the view. It was cloudy, so I wasn't sure if there was going to be a good sunset or not. I deduced, in my expert opinion, that it was going to be too cloudy for sun to poke through. So I packed up everything and made the short hike back to the car. So of course, as I was driving home, I noticed a nice sunset developing in the rear view mirror. Of course!

Collins Creek

2011-11-09T23:29:00.002-06:00

Last weekend I decided to make another trip up to the Ozarks for another look at the fall colors. This has really turned out to be a great year for fall foliage, and there were still a lot of colorful leaves hanging on to the trees.

I decided to pay another visit to Collins Creek. This is a popular place to visit, thanks to the steady stream of water that runs over a few small waterfalls. It was warm and sunny when I left home and drove north towards Heber Springs. The creek is located in the JFK Memorial Park, next to Greers Ferry Lake.

I got there in the late afternoon, and wasn't surprised to see the parking lot packed with cars. I walked the short trail to the creek, and then waited a bit for the sun to sink low enough to put the creek in the shadow.

I walked back up to the series of waterfalls on the creek, and was a little annoyed to see it was still a bit crowded. I sat back and waited for the crowds to clear out - there were a bunch of people posing on the rocks getting portraits taken right where I wanted to be taking pictures. It finally began to clear out just before it got dark. I hurried to get a few pictures while there was still some light...

These were taken while standing in the creek. The water is cold...

And a tree caught in a reflection, taken while standing in the creek just above the tallest waterfall...

It was nearly dark now, with just barely enough light to see out of the camera. But I tried to get in a few last shots before it was time to drive back home. This is the view looking down on the tallest waterfall on Collins Creek (which isn't saying much, it's maybe like 5 feet tall). Notice the swirl of autumn leaves caught in the current in the pool...

The fall colors are right at peak right now in central Arkansas. It makes me wish I could take more time off from work. I just might have to call in "sick" tomorrow....

Fall at the Buffalo River - Part 2

2011-11-05T22:04:00.002-05:00

When I woke up just before dawn on Friday morning at the Erbie campground, it was a cold 42 degrees outside. The rain that had fallen so consistently the day before had slacked off overnight, and the skies above were clear. I had hoped that the new day would be cloudy, with perhaps a bunch of fog (the better for photography). But alas, it looked like the sun would soon be up...

So after getting everything loaded up from the campsite, we made the short drive down to the Parker-Hickman Farmstead, which sits by the Buffalo River. This is a great place to explore. There are a collection of neat old buildings here, including the oldest standing log structure within the Buffalo National River. There was some fog lingering around the farmstead, but it was quickly being burned off as the sun rose higher. I tried to rush around and get pictures before the sun fully rose.

This is the view of the home at the Parker-Hickman Farmstead, which was built in the 1840s:

After taking quite a few pictures, we crossed over the Buffalo River via the low-water bridge at Erbie. We drove north, but quickly stopped at this field that was lined with fog-covered hills. The field had just recently been cleared for hay. Most of the work appeared to have been done with this old-timey looking tractor:

The field was dotted with numerous hay bales, and the distant mountains had just a bit of fog (or low clouds) drifting by:

The field was guarded by a rather large barn. This was the fence by the barn, which opened up onto the field...

And the barn:

Near the barn was this old house. Which I presume this is where whoever used to work this land back a hundred years ago used to live. The house is empty now. I walked onto the front porch and the only residents now appear to be wasps. There were numerous nests there, which were thankfully empty of stinging insects...

We got back into Zack's Jeep and followed the road past the Cecil Cove trailhead. We drove north, following a few different dirt roads. I was glad that Zack had a GPS, because I would have quickly gotten lost. We made a few turns, and passed this neat old church. I made Zack stop so that I could take a picture:

It was a nice drive, and we soon found ourselves meeting up with Hwy. 7 again. We turned south, heading back towards the Buffalo River. Highway 7 crosses the Buffalo River at Pruitt, and we stopped there a for a few pictures. The sun was out, so the light was a bit harsh. But this is the view of the bluffs along the Buffalo River, at Pruitt:

The Hwy. 7 bridge over the Buffalo is a neat old truss bridge, built way back in 1931. I've been wanting to get a good picture of it for a few years now, so when there was a brief lapse in traffic I stood in the middle of the road and tried to get a shot:

Zack found a small trail that went off into the woods, which ended up providing a nice overlook of the bridge. I took a few more pictures, but was annoyed with myself because I managed to leave my tripod back in the car. Luckily, the photos weren't blurry:

We drove back into Jasper, just around lunch time. It would have been a perfect time to pay another visit to the Ozark Cafe. But we weren't the only ones out there who had that idea. The road was packed with cars outside of the Ozark Cafe, and the place looked to be full of people. We reluctantly turned around, and decided to head on back home.

But we did take the scenic route back home, heading back towards Steele Creek and Boxley Valley. We again headed down the newly paved road towards Steele Creek, and drove down to the campground. I was surprised that there weren't more people there, but we enjoyed the solitude as we headed down to the river. This is the view of the fall colors along Roark Bluff:

We drove back through Boxley Valley and then headed south through the Ozarks. Since we missed getting lunch at the Ozark Cafe, we instead stopped at the Burger Barn in the small town of Ozone. I order the bacon-wrapped steak burger (which was as delicious as it was unhealthy). From there we made the long drive back home.

When I got back to my apartment, I gathered up the various memory cards from the trip and downloaded a total of 14 gigs worth of pictures. I hope that y'all enjoyed the pictures from the trip!

Fall at the Buffalo River - Part 1

2011-11-03T21:41:00.006-05:00

So it was pouring down rain by the time we reached Zack's Jeep. We decided to head out from Sam's Throne, and began driving down the very steep and curvy road heading north towards Jasper. We had all of the Ozarks spread out before us, with peak fall colors and cool light. The only thing was to decide where to go next.

So it shouldn't come as a complete shock that our next stop was, of course, the Ozark Cafe in Jasper. After a cheap and filling breakfast (I had pancakes, in case you were wondering), we headed back out onto the road towards the Buffalo National River. We soon turned off of the paved road and headed down the bumpy dirt road that heads down to Kyle's Landing and Camp Orr. And it was awesome. The fall colors were great, with their colors saturated by the steady rain. And occasionally, some fog would drift through the scene:

We made slow progress on the road, because there seemed to be something great around every turn...

We finally made it down to the parking area at Kyle's Landing, and got out for a few pictures. I took some but none turned out, thanks to there being countless drops of water on the lens. But here is another shot of the road, heading out of Kyle's Landing:

We reached paved road and then headed down to Steele Creek. We were both surprised to see that the road to Steele Creek has been paved recently. The last time I was here, in July, it was just a dusty dirt road. So of course, we stopped and got some more shots of a road heading off into the foggy fall colors...

The Steele Creek area along the Buffalo River is one of the prettiest places in the state. And the fall colors there looked awesome...

And here's the view from along the river. This was awkwardly taken while trying to shield the camera with an umbrella...

By now soaked through, we got back into the car and headed back onto Hwy. 74. We dropped down into Boxley Valley. Our first stop was the low-water bridge on the Buffalo. But as I went out to take pictures, I found the camera lens was completely fogged up. From there we got back into the car and drove to a nearby barn, and I impatiently waited for the lens to defog. I got tired of waiting and changed lenses and got this shot instead...

The next stop was the Beechwoods Church and Cemetery, which is near Lost Valley. By now, luckily, the lens had sufficiently defogged. This is a shot of the cemetery, which is the oldest in Boxley Valley.

And the dirt road that leads to the church:

And then it was back again to the Jeep. We drove across the valley, and then turned and drove up Cave Mountain Road. We eventually found the parking area that leads to Hedge's Pouroff, which provides a spectacular view of Boxley Valley and the rolling Ozark Mountains. I just couldn't believe how good the fall colors were:

It was still pouring down rain, and the camera would quickly fog up everytime we got in or out of the car. But the fall colors were so great that I wanted to stop at every barn that we passed...

From there we decided to head off somewhere a little bit different, a small dirt road that seemed to head straight up the side of the hill. It was Walker Mountain Road, which steeply went up and then ran along the top of the mountain. Occasionally, you could see bits of Boxley Valley below. The fall colors were just brilliant along the road, and we got out for a few more pictures:

We followed the dirt road as it snaked through the woods, and eventually hit paved road again at Low Gap. By then we had spent several hours standing in the rain, and were thoroughly soaked. As much fun as being out in the rain had been, it seemed like it might be a good time to find somewhere warm and dry. So where to go? Back to the Ozark Cafe for a late lunch! They didn't seem to mind serving people covered in mud with dripping wet clothes, luckily.

After a good burger, we had seemed to dry out some. While eating, we overheard some of the old locals there saying that the fall color this year was the best they had seen in years. We couldn't help but agree.

So it was back to the car and the rain. We weren't really sure where to go next, but eventually drove to a few other places along the Buffalo River. This was at the put-in at Hasty:

And yes, we made many "don't be hasty" comments here.

It was starting to get late in the day, so we decided to drive over to the Erbie campground along the Buffalo. This is the barn located along the long dirt road heading to the campground:

We were planning on camping at Erbie that night, and when we headed down to the campground, there wasn't a single other person there. Erbie has a very large campground, and it was a bit odd to not see anyone else there. Which I guess shouldn't be too surprising, since it was a rainy Thursday night. But at Steel Creek the night before, there were two other people in the camping area, a couple from Texas. We managed to bump into them a few times during the course of the day. It was so often that we assumed they thought we were stalking them.

But since we had a plethora of options at Erbie, we settled on this campsite. I think it might be one of the better campsites I've stayed at, with this great tree growing in the center of it. The tree would come in handy, since it provided a bit of shelter while we tried to get a stubborn fire going in the rain...

Before it got dark, I walked along a trail that led from the campground to the Buffalo River. In the dying twilight, I got this shot of an old tree growing on the river bank:

Sam's Throne

2011-10-31T23:00:00.002-05:00

I asked for a few days off from work last week, in the hopes that my time off would coincide with the fall colors up in the Ozarks. It's always a crap-shoot when asking for time-off during the autumn season. There's no telling when the trees will decide to show off their best color. You just have to hope that luck is on your side and the trees are at their peak.

But Zack Andrews got the same time-off from his work, and we made plans to head up to the mountains. Hopefully, the trees up there would cooperate with our schedules. It has been really dry around here, and people were questioning if we would even have decent fall colors, after the long drought of the summer.

So on Wednesday morning, I met up with Zack in Conway and we headed up to the Ozarks. As we drove up in the mountains, the fall colors got more and more spectacular. This is a view of a hillside near Lurton:

We had planned to camp at Sam's Throne, an awesome overlook in the Ozark National Forest. We got to the campground there and quickly got everything set up. Then we headed down to the overlook and ended up taking a ton of pictures. The view is great, as were the fall colors...

We headed over to the main overlook, which provides views of the "Sam's Throne" mountain. According to local legend, it was actually named after someone named Sam. Sam Davis, to be exact. Back in the 1820's, he apparently went out onto the mountain here and gave some fiery sermons. He also is said to have buried gold out there somewhere, but people haven't been able to find it in the decades since.

But the views looking out towards Sam's Throne were awesome, especially with some nice fall color in the trees...

Sam's Throne has become known as a good spot for rock-climbing. But I think I'm more happy with enjoying the view from the edge of the bluff.

After taking a bunch of pictures of the view at Sam's Throne, we decided to head back to the car. We went and drove around Mount Judea, stopping at a few different places. This was a barn that we drove by...

We headed back to our campsite at Sam's Throne, and enjoyed a nice campfire. I was a bit annoyed that the campsite here had amazing scenery, but no good phone or internet connection. My favorite soccer team, FC Dallas, was set take part in a playoff game that night against New York. But since we were deep in the woods of the Ozarks, there was no way to follow the game. I would later find out that my favorite team lost the game 2-0, so it sounds like I didn't miss much.

But early Thursday morning, we woke up early and headed back out to the overlook to Sam's Throne. Our hope was that there would be some cool fog drifting along the mountains at the overlook. There wasn't - in fact there was a storm cloud moving closer to us. We sat and watched as a huge cloud formed and gathered in the valley below us. It quickly moved up to Sam's Throne, dropping a few bolts of lightning. One of those lightning bolts hit Sam's Throne, which made both of us jump. Zack turned to look at me and ask, "are we still alive?"

The lightning was a little close for comfort, so we both agreed it was probably wise to head back to the car. Along the way, the storm cloud moved over us and it started pouring down rain. The rain would last for nearly the entire day, but we ended up getting some good fall color pictures in the drenching conditions.

Up next, pictures from a few stops along the Buffalo River....

Pedestal Rocks & Falling Water Falls

2011-10-30T21:59:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday, I drove up to the Ozarks to see how the fall colors were looking. My destination was the Pedestal Rocks Scenic Area, located north of Russellville in the Ozark National Forest. There are two trails here - one runs out to Pedestal Rock, and the other runs along Kings Bluff. Both are loop trails, and to do both is a four mile hike.

When I got there, the parking lot was packed with cars. I managed to find a spot for my car, and headed off into the woods. I decided to do the Kings Bluff trail first, and pretty much had the entire trail to myself. The Kings Bluff trail isn't all that popular, for some reason. There are some neat rock formations, and a very tall bluff to see. But for the nearly two miles of hiking, I only saw one other person the whole time.

The Kings Bluff trail goes into the woods, which saw some significant damage during the 2009 ice storm. But the trail ends up on the top of Kings Bluff, which is over 100 feet tall. There is even a waterfall here, and when it's running is one of the tallest in the state (at 114 feet). But of course, after the lack of rain here, there wasn't much of any water going over the falls.

The trail runs along the bluff, offering up views of some neat rock formations.

The fall colors weren't as colorful as I had hoped, the trees here were still mostly green. But a few trees had some nice color...

After finishing the Kings Bluff trail, I went over and started the Pedestal Rocks trail. After more hiking in the woods, I eventually found the trail's namesake: Pedestal Rock...

The views from here are great, with sweeping views of the rolling Ozark Mountains. The trail then goes by several other neat rock formations, like this smaller pedestal:

After finishing the hike, I got in the car and made the short drive to Falling Water Creek. This is usually a great creek to visit, since there are some great waterfalls to see along the road. But since there hasn't been much rain here lately, I assumed the waterfalls would be completely dry. But when I drove by Falling Water Falls, I was surprised to see that there was still a small waterfall flowing.

While it wasn't much, I went to take a few photos of the falls. As I was walking toward the falls, I noticed this bright green caterpillar inching its way across a rock...

As I was trying to get a few pictures, the poor caterpillar seemed to have lost it's footing. It suddenly rolled off of the rock, and dropped down into the bed of leaves on the ground. I decided to let the poor caterpillar be, and went off to take a few pictures of Falling Water Falls. This is the view from behind the falls:

And one last shot of the falls:

Pizza Hut Park

2011-10-19T23:10:00.002-05:00

Last weekend I made my third trip to Texas this year to catch a soccer game. The MLS season is winding to a close, and this was the last regular season home game for my beloved FC Dallas. They were playing the Vancouver Whitecaps, who are one of the new teams in the league this year.

I brought my camera to the game but didn't really try to take many pictures. Most of the game was spent trying to drink out of the "Brek Shea for MVP" mug that I got from the beer garden, and answering a few occasional questions about the rules of the game (like what an offsides call means). But this is a shot taken after Dallas scored a goal, showing a few nearby fans using their vuvezelas.

Stupid vuvezelas!

FC Dallas are currently tied for 3rd place in the league, with only one regular season game left. They have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, which means that I face an unfortunate dilemma in the next few weeks. The playoffs just happen to occur at the exact same time that the fall colors in the Ozarks and Ouachitas are at their peak conditions. So I'm going to be torn between watching the playoffs, or going out to the woods and trying to get a few decent pictures. It really makes me wish that the campgrounds around the Buffalo National River had satellite tv with Fox Soccer Channel and ESPN.

Dagmar Wildlife Management Area

2011-10-13T22:04:00.002-05:00

The Dagmar Wildlife Management Area preserves nearly 8,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests, streams, ponds, lakes and bayous. It's also a great place to go to take pictures. The highlight of the WMA is Hickson Lake, which is easily accessible by a dirt road (that is very well-maintained, except that it will definitely get your car dirty). The entire Dagmar WMA is also extremely easy to reach, located just off I-40 near Brinkley. It's one of my favorite places to visit in the Delta, especially since it isn't that far of a drive from Little Rock.

Last week, Barry Hamilton suggested making a trip there over the weekend. He wanted to get there at sunrise, and I was immediately skeptical. I'm not a very big fan of being awake that early in the morning. But I agreed to meet up with Barry and his friend Lee at 5:30 on Sunday morning.

Now regular readers of this site will be shocked to hear that I managed to accidentally oversleep, so I was a few minutes late in meeting up with them. But we were soon quickly making our way east, just as the distant sky began to lighten with the upcoming sunrise.

We made it to the WMA with plenty of time to spare, and followed the dirt road that runs alongside Robe Bayou. The road ends at Hickson Lake, which is lined on all sides with hundreds upon hundreds of tall trees. This is a view of the lake, taken just before sunrise:

And another view...

The banks of the lake are crowded with both cypress trees and their knees. I was standing along the edge of the lake when I took this shot, and I soon noticed a large snake skin laying among the leaves and mud. It looked like it was left by a fairly big snake, and I sincerely hoped that the snake wasn't around anymore....

And another view of one of the large trees along the lake. This tree certainly looked old, and actually some of the cypress trees around here are believed to be around 1200 years old.

Hickson Lake is a very popular spot for fishing, and there were two boats out in the lake while we were taking pictures. After sunrise, the light on the trees and lake began to get harsh, but I managed to get one last shot of this fishing boat along the shore...

Clinton Park Bridge Again

2011-10-11T21:58:00.003-05:00

Last week, the camera and I made another visit to the recently opened Clinton Park Bridge. On this trip, I started out on the Little Rock side of the river and parked by the Clinton Library. There is a new wetlands park, which sits just below the bridge and the library. It provides a nice view of the bridge, reflected in the still waters of a small pond.

It has a great view, but you do have to contend with vast swarms of tiny insects, which hover along the wooden boardwalks. There was a small crowd of people walking along the boardwalks, and everyone was frantically waving their arms around in a feeble attempt to disburse the bugs.

I waded through the sea of bugs and headed towards the bridge. This is a view from under the 112 year old Clinton Park Bridge...

Two Rivers Bridge again

2011-10-08T22:06:00.002-05:00

Last week, I went over to the Two Rivers Bridge and met up with my friends Matt, Zack and John in order to take some pictures. We met up in the parking lot, which was surprisingly packed on a weeknight. There were a lot of people out there walking the bridge, or riding their bikes across.

We unloaded our various camera gear and set off across the bridge. Zack and I ended up crossing over the bridge and ended up at Two Rivers Park, which sits on a peninsula between the Arkansas River and the Little Maumelle River. We chose a spot that had a nice view of the bridge, with the lingering colors of the sunset. It was also a prime spot for mosquitoes, who set upon us like they were enjoying some sort of buffet.

Some new lights were recently installed on the bridge, and so now the entire span of the bridge is bathed in light. This night, the lights were some sort of purple-pink, but the lights will probably change colors like the nearby Big Dam Bridge. Here is a closer view of the bridge:

The new lights form a long band of color that traverse the bridge - it kinda reminded me of the video boards showing ads that line the sidelines of soccer stadiums.

Here is a view from the other side of the bridge, looking towards Two Rivers Park:

The new lights do make quite a change. Here is a picture of the bridge, back before the lights were installed:

Clinton Park Bridge

2011-10-04T23:38:00.002-05:00

Little Rock seems to love pedestrian bridges. Last weekend, the fourth pedestrian bridge in the city opened up - the Clinton Park Bridge. Before being coverted into a pedestrian bridge and officially re-named, it was the Rock Island Bridge. The Rock Island was built way back in 1899, but went out of service in 1980.

The bridge's new name comes from the fact that it sits right by the Bill Clinton Presidential Library. The bridge officially opened on Sunday, and I paid a visit to the bridge that evening with my Dad. It was a quick tour, and I did have my camera. But I neglected to bring the tripod, so I didn't take too many pictures. This is the view from the North Little Rock side, with the bridge, library and moon in view:

My first reaction is that the views of the skyline are ok - not as good as the Junction Bridge. But it's nice to have something new around to take pictures of...

Up On The Rooftop

2011-09-30T22:55:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, I decided I needed to head out to take pictures. It was perfect conditions - it was nice and cool outside, and there were some nice clouds in the sky. If my timing was good, there might just be a neat sunset out there.

So I decided to head to downtown Little Rock and visit another parking deck. This one provides a decent view looking off towards the west, which would hopefully provide some nice views of the sunset.

And indeed, it did turn out to be a nice sunset. But I wasn't in the best spot to get a good view of it. This is the view I had, looking towards the Metropolitan National Bank Building and the spire of the Cathedral of St. Andrew.

And then I waited for dusk to settle in over the city. The view from this parking deck overlooked the top of a row of buildings (which front Main Street), with a scattering of some of Little Rock's taller buildings.

While this isn't the best place around to see the modest Little Rock skyline (that would be the Junction Bridge or Fort Roots), it would make for a perfect shooting location for an action movie. It would be great for a scene where the hero cops (one who plays by his own rules and always getting in trouble with the commissioner, and his partner who is just weeks short of retirement) are chasing a bad guy through downtown. The scene would start with a car chase - where the bad guy's car would improbably smash through a randomly placed fruit cart vendor, and then through a large piece of glass that two guys are trying to carry across the street. Somehow the bad guy would escape and make his way up to the rooftop, where the hero cops would give chase.

The bad guy would run across the rooftop, seen above, with the downtown skyline in the background. But then, he would jump across a narrow alley, rolling to a stop just as the two cops come to the edge of the roof. The two cops would see that the jump is too much for them and hesitate. Then the older cop would say that he is just too old for this sh#t.

Flatside Wilderness

2011-09-20T22:01:00.004-05:00

Last week I was in deep discussions with Zack about a possible photo expedition over the weekend. Eventually, we decided to visit Flatside Pinnacle, which sits in the Flatside Wilderness of the Ouachita National Forest. Once that was settled, the debate then turned to what time to head out. I, naturally, opted to depart in mid-morning - the better to sleep in some. But Zack, for some bizarre reason, wanted to leave early enough to catch the sunrise from Flatside. He thought that there might be some nice fog that morning. So I reluctantly agreed to be awake before sunrise on Saturday morning.

My alarm clock went off at 4:45 am, and it took me a few confused minutes to remember why I was supposed to be awake before noon. But I slowly got around and grabbed the camera and headed out the door. Flatside is a great place to take pictures. It's conveniently located to both of us - only about an hour's drive from Little Rock. And it's amazingly scenic. The view from Flatside Pinnacle is of countless rolling hills, all covered in trees.

So I met Zack and we set off into the wilderness in the dark. To reach Flatside, you drive down part of the Winona Scenic Drive. This is all a dirt road, but it's in fairly good condition with just a few bumpy spots. I was driving, so I cringed every time a rock would shoot up and bounce around the undercarriage of the car like it was in a pinball machine. I imagined the rock hitting the fuel tank, the engine, the transmission, the flux capacitor, or whatever else was vulnerable in the car.

But we made it there safe and sound, just before sunrise. The trail at Flatside has recently been fixed up, and re-routed so it gradually works its way up the mountain. But the steepest part of the hike remains, and it quickly reminded me that I haven't done much of any hiking in several months.

The new trail wasn't the only change at Flatside. There was a fire there, which burned off a lot of the undergrowth along the trail. Even on the top of Flatside, there were places that had been scorched. We weren't sure then if the fire was from a lightning strike or from a Forest Service controlled burn.

But we got to the top of Flatside just in time for sunrise. My pictures didn't really turn out, so when the sun disappeared behind some clouds, I went and took some pictures of the view.

And it's a great view - this is looking west across the Ouachitas.

From there we decided to go and explore a nearby bluff, which we thought might provide another good view. This area had also recently burned. The ground was still a blanket of black ash, and it was littered with the charred husks of burned trees. But amongst the scorched ruins was new life - mostly in the forms of bright green ferns. We pushed our way through the burned area, and I managed to get a good deal of soot and ash on me.

But it was worth the hike (and dirty clothes). The view was awesome. And it would be a great spot to catch the sunrise again.

There wasn't as much fog as we had hoped for, but there was still enough to add some character to the scene.

We did stop to get a few shots of the bright green ferns that were growing up in the blackened and seared landscape.

From there we got back to the car and continued on the Winona Scenic Drive. We passed a few signs saying that there were going to be prescribed burns in the area, so that must have been what happened at Flatside. We made a few other stops, but I don't think either of us got any good pictures. We drove around aimlessly while trying to find a good view of Forked Mountain, then explored a few places along Hwy. 7 south of Russellville. After getting lunch in Russellville, it was time to head home. After having woken up at 4:45, I was looking forward to a nice nap.

Small Works On Paper 2012

2011-09-11T22:27:00.002-05:00

I'm very pleased and humbled to report that one of my pictures was chosen to tour the state next year as part of the 2012 Small Works on Paper exhibition. SWOP is part of the Arkansas Arts Council, and it will visit ten cities across the state. The opening will be at Laman Library in North Little Rock.

The picture chosen was taken in January of this year, during a very cold and foggy night at the Big Dam Bridge:

The 2012 Small Works on Paper is scheduled to visit 10 cities in Arkansas:
January: North Little Rock - Laman Library
February: Hot Springs - National Park Community College
March: Bentonville - Northwest Arkansas Community College
April: Fort Smith - Fort Smith Regional Art Museum
May: Forrest City - East Arkansas Community College
June: Helena - Delta Cultural Center
July/August: Pine Bluff - Arts & Science Center
August/September: Conway - UCA Baum Gallery of Fine Art
October: Stuttgart - Arts Center of the Grand Prairie
November: Hamburg - Ashley County Museum

This will be the fifth time I've had a picture included in Small Works on Paper, and the fourth year in a row (I imagine they're getting pretty tired of me there). This is the shot currently touring the state as part of the 2011 tour:

Taken along Route 66 in Newkirk, New Mexico.

And the one from 2010:

Taken at Collins Creek...

The one from 2009:

Also taken at Collins Creek.

And the shot was in SWOP 2006:

Taken at Petit Jean State Park.

Friday Night Lights

2011-08-18T21:32:00.002-05:00

Last Friday night I went to downtown Little Rock and met up with my friend John. The plan was to try to take pictures of the International Space Station as it scooted along, high above the sky over the downtown skyline. We decided that the best place to set up would be along Riverfront Park in North Little Rock, so we drove over and parked by the I-30 bridge.

The Space Station plans were ruined thanks to some clouds moving in, which blocked the view. But luckily, they did look pretty cool right after dusk. This is the view of the Little Rock skyline, framed under the I-30 bridge.

There were a few flashes of light in the clouds off in the distance, which meant that a storm was on its way. A quick check of the radar showed that a pretty massive storm was making its way towards the city. So the plans then quickly changed into trying to get some pictures of lightning. Since the storm was coming in from the west, we debated a few possible shooting locations.

We ended up staying downtown, and going to a bridge that runs above I-630. This is an ideal shooting location - since you get some decent views of the skyline and of the state capitol. So we set up the cameras and tripods, and waited for the storm to move closer.

It would end up being a pretty big storm. The dark clouds making their way over the horizon were lit up like fireworks by the lightning. As the storm got closer, we were greeted by heavy winds. I read later on that there were wind gusts of 60 miles per hour reported during this storm. They were definitely strong. As the winds rushed down the freeway, pieces of random trash and debris floated along the road. A piece of cardboard drifted across the freeway as if it had a mind of its own.

It wasn't the best conditions for taking pictures. I took a lot of pictures while up on that bridge, but most of them turned out blurry because of camera shake from the wind. But as the storm got closer, so did the lightning. I got one shot with some lightning in it, which somehow ended up being in focus. This is two bolts of lightning, with the I-630 and the dome of the Arkansas State Capitol:

And then the rain hit, which meant it was time to head back to the car. By the time I reached the safety of my Pontiac, the rain was coming down in buckets. In the dry safety of the car, we drove through the soaked streets of downtown in the midst of the heavy downpour. We drove back over and went under the I-30 bridge again. I hoped it would be a good and dry spot where I could maybe just perhaps get some pictures of lightning over the skyline. But the rain was coming down too hard, and the wind too strong, that it never really worked out.

We then drove back over the river and ended up in the parking deck by the River Market. The worst of the storm had passed, but there were still plenty of lightning up in the sky. We both set up the cameras and tried to get a few more pictures. None of my mine turned out, no surprise there. But I ended up getting at least another shot of downtown:

A little lightning in Little Rock

2011-08-14T22:20:00.003-05:00

Last Monday evening, I was trying to take my usual after-work nap. But I was rudely awaken by some loud claps of thunder. Because I live in an apartment complex, anything loud like thunder results in a loud chorus of car alarms to break out. The thunder and car alarms weren't all that conducive to napping, so I gave up and went to watch the storm pass by.

My poor apartment complex was battered by the storms, with heavy rains and lightning. It has been extremely dry here this summer, and the rain we got that day was more than triple the amount that we had gotten all summer. The storm was also strong enough that the power in my apartment went out, around 6:30.

A bit of panic set in, where I wondered if the loss of power was due to the storms, or because I forgot to pay the electric bill. But a quick look out the window showed that my neighbors were also without power, and they were all now standing on their balconies watching the rain fall down (there isn't much else to do when you lose electricity).

After the worst of the storm had passed by, I was still without power. So I went across the street to get dinner (at Firehouse Subs, yummy). I took my time there, with the distant hope that when I returned the power would be back on. Which, of course, it wasn't. I went up the stairs of my apartment building in darkness, and decided that I didn't really want to just sit in the dark for the rest of the night. I grabbed the camera and tripod, and slowly made my way down the pitch-black staircase and started driving towards downtown.

The storm was still producing massive amounts of lightning. I tried to think of a good place I could quickly reach that would just maybe have a good view of downtown and the distant storm. I decided to visit one of my favorite parking decks, which has a decent view looking towards the east (where the storm was).

I parked on the ground level and took the elevator to the top. I've been busted a few times by security guards while out taking pictures on parking decks, so I'm always a bit nervous. When I got the top floor, I saw someone leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. I don't know if it was security or not, but whoever it was didn't turn around when I quickly walked by. It was probably someone out trying to watch the lightning too...

I quickly set up the camera and started taking pictures. Trying to get a good photograph of lightning is a matter of luck. You have to hope that the storm you are trying to take pictures of will produce lightning, and that it will have lightning in the exact area that you are pointing the camera at. Then you have to hope that the camera is actually in the process of taking a picture during the very brief few seconds when the lightning strikes.

There were some large and bright lightning strikes that hit while I was out taking pictures. But of course, they always hit while the camera was not taking pictures. I did manage to get a few strikes, but they weren't very big ones. Here is the best lightning strike I got...

There is a streak of light in the shot, from a plane taking off from the airport. The storm was already well past downtown and the airport when this was taken, but the lightning still seemed pretty close. I don't know what I would do if I was in a plane taking off, and saw a lightning strike from the window. Probably crap my pants...

I was a bit torn, I wasn't sure where to point the camera. There were still a few good bolts of lightning coming down. But in the sky behind me, the storm had broken up. The sky was a deep blue, with the clouds carrying the last remnants of the storm. I moved the camera over for a few shots...

And then went back to try to get some more lightning pictures. None of those turned out, so I then took a few more pictures from the top of the parking deck.

I drove back home and found that the apartment was still without power. I was displeased to see that a truck from the electric company was parked across the street at the IHOP. Apparently they decided to give up on restoring our power, and went in for some smiley-face pancakes instead.

But I was reminded of the sometimes serendipitous nature of photography. I was pleased with the pictures I took out there (and hoped they were in focus). But if my power hadn't gone out, I wouldn't have even bothered to go out and take pictures of the lightning. Instead I would have just lazily watched a few hours of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia re-runs, and then called it a night.

Two Rivers Bridge Again

2011-08-13T00:30:00.003-05:00

I made another trip out to Two Rivers Bridge, the newest pedestrian bridge in Little Rock. I tried to time it so that I got there at dusk, when there would be some nice color in the sky to go behind the bridge. I got there, found a spot to set up the camera, and waited for dusk to settle in.

While the Two Rivers Bridge doesn't have the same colorful lighting scheme as the Big Dam Bridge, it does look neat at night.

The lights also somehow manage to shine on the steel section in the middle, so that it seems to glow from within.

(In this shot you can see the I-430 bridge and the Big Dam Bridge in the distance).

The bridge was full of people that night, even if it was another hot and sultry summer evening.

Two Rivers, One Bridge

2011-08-10T23:02:00.003-05:00

Went out a few weeks back to visit the newest pedestrian bridge in town, the Two Rivers Bridge. The bridge's name is a kind of a misnomer, it doesn't actually go over two rivers. However, it does run into Two Rivers Park, which sits on a peninsula between the Arkansas River and the Little Maumelle River.

The bridge was designed by the same people who did the Big Dam Bridge, just downriver. The bridges are similar in style, and I hope that the unofficial nickname for the new bridge is maybe the "Little Dam Bridge," or perhaps the "Baby Dam Bridge, or if you're feeling British - the "Wee Dam Bridge."

The significant difference between the two bridges is the addition of steel section in the middle of the bridge that is reminiscent of an old rail bridge. It's a nice touch...

This visit was made on a warm summer day, when the high temps were up around 100 degrees. But it cooled off around dusk, and there was a nice breeze coming in from the river. It was actually pleasant to be out on the bridge, and there were a lot of people out there enjoying the views from the bridge.

And the views are nice, probably surpassing the Big Dam Bridge as the best place in Little Rock to watch the sunset.

And here is the sunset that night, with Pinnacle Mountain in the distance...

On the opposite side of the bridge, you have a view of the Arkansas River and the distant I-430 bridge and the Big Dam Bridge. Here's a shot of the lighted Big Dam Bridge, framed by the I-430 bridge...

And here's a wider shot of the two bridges again...

Scott

2011-08-04T21:32:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, it has really just been too hot to go out and take pictures. The high yesterday was 114 in Little Rock, which was the highest temperature ever recorded since they decided to keep track of that sort of thing. It's the kind of heat where the local tv news decides to cook eggs on the sidewalk, or bake cookies on the dashboard of a car.

So when it's this hot outside, you really are wise to not be away from air conditioning too much. I learned this valuable lesson Tuesday afternoon, during my drive home from work. It was about 106 degrees or so, and one of the tires on my car decided that it finally had enough of the heat. It called it quits, blowing out in a quite spectacular fashion.

My commute home from work is about 15 miles, and of course, the tire picked the very worst possible spot to blow out. I was driving north on the I-430 bridge when the tire decided to end it. Since it's not very wise to pull over on the side of a bridge, I tried to make it to the Maumelle exit on the freeway. But when I made it over the bridge, I saw blue smoke in the rear-view mirror, and thought it best to pull over there on the side of the interstate.

I got out of the car to inspect the damage, and the tire was shredded. So it was time to change the tire, in 106 degree temps. Oh yeah, did I mention that heat index that day was 118 degrees?

Now I haven't actually changed a tire since I was 16. So I spent a few minutes digging the spare tire out of the car. Now my car is only two years old, and I have barely paid any attention to the spare that sits in the trunk. The only time I really looked at the spare tire was when I was buying the car, when the saleslady showed me the tire with a brief wave of her hand. So now I was standing on the side of the road, sweating profusely, trying to figure out where the car manufacturers had hidden away all the necessary parts to change a tire.

After pulling out various jacks and handles, I laid them out on the hot pavement and set out to change the tire. It took me about 20 minutes or so (although it seemed like I was out there much longer). I would have had it changed much earlier, but I had problems getting the spare tire on. Turns out I was trying to put it on backwards. After getting the tire safely on, I went into the car and cranked up the air conditioning. As I looked in the rear-view mirror, my face was bright red and my eyes were bloodshot. Changing a tire in 106 degree weather (with a 118 heat index) was not how I wanted to spend my afternoon.

But I had been out a few days before to take pictures, when it wasn't quite as hot (in the upper 90s, which is quite chilly compared to my time spent on the side of the freeway). I had gone out to visit the small town of Scott, which sits about 20 miles to the east of Little Rock. Luckily I wasn't driving, so there wasn't any car trouble.

Scott is a really neat place. While the suburbs are slowly encroaching on the town, it still retains an air of an old farming community. There are numerous old farm buildings, barns and plantation homes all around Scott. I've been out there many times and still find new things to take pictures of.

We went through Scott, and then drove through the farmland south of town. There were acres upon acres of farmland, mostly corn and rice. The corn looked a bit rough in places, slowing burning into a rusty brown in the heat of the summer. But amongst the endless rows of farmland, we stopped at this old church along the road. It looked to have been abandoned, with tall grass growing up beside the church.

The front door of the church was left open, so I decided to take a quick look inside. The entrance was serving a congregation of wasps, who decided to attack my head and face like kamikaze pilots. So I quickly left the church, and may or may not have been screaming like a little girl as I ran.

We passed by another church and decided to stop in the heat to take a few pictures. This old church was also closed, and probably doesn't see too many other visitors.

There is a small cemetery sitting just between the church and farmland. While the grass looked like it had been mowed recently in a few places, there were parts of the cemetery that were covered in tall grass and weeds. Some of the grave markers were from the 1920s, but were all but hidden by tall grass.

A tornado passed by Scott a few months ago, and I regret to report that it damaged or destroyed some neat photo locations. The road, which ran through a line of old and distinguished pecan trees, was hit. The tornado took out several trees, and left many others damaged. The road was lined with fallen trees and broken limbs.

This is what it looked like last year. But this view is irreversibly changed, thanks to the missing trees and debris still laying next to the road.

Another casualty were the two old sharecropper cabins that stood next to the road by the pecan trees. This was taken during the visit last year, when the cabins had gotten a fresh coat of paint:

But they're gone now, a victim of the storm. Now all that is left is a hole with a small pile of debris. Which goes to show that we really need to make sure to get pictures of these old buildings, since there's no telling how long they will be around...

Roark Bluff

2011-07-15T23:14:00.002-05:00

I asked for, and was granted, a day off from work last week. I got Friday off, which resulted in the luxury of having two 3-day weekends in a row. As my mini-vacation approached, I realized that I should do something proper with the time off (besides just being lazy and sleeping in at my apartment). I thought about embarking on another camping trip. But the downside to this idea was that it would take place in Arkansas during the summer. The temperature was running dangerously close to 100 degrees, which really isn't the ideal time to be anywhere that isn't air conditioned.

I managed to find someone else crazy enough to go camping in the summer - Zack. We agreed to meet up in Conway on Thursday afternoon, and then drove up to the Buffalo National River. The plan was to camp at Steele Creek, which is one of the prettiest places along the river. An added benefit to camping here is the proximity of the Ozark Cafe in Jasper. Whenever things got too brutally hot, we could always make the drive to the air conditioned comforts of the best restaurant in Jasper.

We drove up to the Steele Creek campground, and managed to snag a good campsite. When you go camping in the heat of the summer, one of the luxuries that you seek out is shade. The spot we claimed had a good deal of shade during the day, which made it like the Taj Mahal of campsites.

After getting everything set up at the campsite, we headed down to the river. There hasn't been much rain here this summer, and the Buffalo River was running very low. As dusk settled in over the Ozarks, we set out to take a few pictures. This is a view of the bluffs along the Buffalo River, near where Steele Creek usually flows in (it was bone dry that day).

This shot was taken while actually standing in the middle of the Buffalo River. It wasn't very deep, but I had to try to stand as still as possible in order to not ruin the reflection the water. And also I was extremely scared that I would drop my camera in the river.

This shot was also taken while standing in the middle of the river...

We both woke up early the next morning (sometime around 5am) and headed back to the river. There is a short trail that leads to an amazing overlook along Roark Bluff, about 200 feet above the river. To get there you have to cross the Buffalo River (which was an easy crossing considering the water was low), and then hike into the woods along a faint trail. The trail runs through woods, which I assumed were full of snakes.

We made it to the overlook, which sits on a narrow stretch of rock sitting high above the river. This is not a place to visit if you are scared of heights. It's also not a place to visit if you don't like blood-thirsty bugs. I plucked several ticks off of my legs while out on the bluff that morning, happily flinging them over the edge into the abyss below.

The hike through tick-infested woods was worth it, considering the amazing views you get. Roark Bluff runs for nearly three-quarters of a mile, and is the longest bluff along the Buffalo River.

It is an awesome place to go, but you have to be uber-careful. If you venture too close to the edge, one clumsy step could be fatal. This is a wider shot of the view...

And a shot from almost the same exact spot, taken last autumn:

But before the sun came out, we retreated back to our campsite. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in the shade of the campsite, cooling off in the waters of the Buffalo, or basking in the air conditioned luxury of the Ozark Cafe. It was a nice and lazy day, even in the heat and humidity of an Arkansas summer.

4th of July

2011-07-06T22:49:00.002-05:00

Independence Day is a great holiday - my office was kind enough to give me a three day weekend, and I delightfully slept in on as many days as I could. But the holiday is one where you must reflect on the effort made by our forefathers back in the 1776, who revolted against English tyranny so that today we can sleep till noon, then drink beer and shoot off explosives. USA! USA!

There is a fireworks display on the 4th of July in downtown Little Rock. So I headed downtown, and stopped to get a few pictures. This is a view of an old church, and the newer AT&T building, with it's competing steeple:

Eventually, I made it to Riverfront Park in downtown North Little Rock. There is a spot there along the river, just by the Baring Cross Bridge, that provides a nice view of the skyline. I thought it might be an interesting angle to take pictures of the fireworks too. Eventually a small brigade of photographers were there, and the cameras and tripods were strategically placed. Of course, as people walked along the River Trail by us, they asked the question that one usually hears when standing next to a camera on a tripod: "So you out taking pictures?" I'm always tempted to say, "No, actually I'm baking a cake right now."

But it finally grew dark, and the fireworks show began. The best thing about this view was that the fireworks were reflected in the buildings along the skyline. This is my favorite shot from the night:

Springfield Bridge

2011-06-30T22:40:00.003-05:00

I had the sad and sudden realization that I hadn't made any pictures lately. Actually it had a been a few weeks since I had even picked up the camera. So I was determined to head out last night after work, and try to get a few pictures of something. I decided to pay a return visit to the old Springfield Bridge, which isn't that far of a drive from home.

I drove to Conway and met up with Zack, and we then drove north. The bridge is located near the small community of Bono, which just really consists of a church and a few homes. But it would have been the perfect opportunity to play some U2, but sadly I didn't have the Ipod, or even my Achtung Baby cd, so the opportunity was wasted. What was I thinking? Clearly, it was a lack of planning. At least the camera battery had a decent charge in it.

As we got to the bridge, I realized why I hadn't been out to take any pictures lately. It's because it's summer in Arkansas. It was about 94 degrees, with high humidity. So that meant that after a few minutes of being outside, I was already drenched in sweat. Actually saying "drenched" is putting it lightly. It was more like someone took a bucket of sweat and dumped it over my head.

And with that lovely mental image, I present instead this shot of the bridge. It is really a neat place to go and get pictures of, even in the summer heat of Arkansas.

The bridge is old - actually it's the oldest vehicular bridge in the state. It was built way back in 1874. It served traffic for over a hundred years, before being replaced by a new bridge just upstream in 1994. After that the old Springfield bridge was abandoned, and left to rust and decay.

To visit it now, you have to very carefully make your way onto the bridge. Several of the wooden planks on the deck are gone, leaving deep holes. Most of the remaining pieces of wood on the bridge deck are severely rotten, which makes trying to cross the bridge very nerve-wracking. I could easily imagine the boards I was walking over suddenly and without warning breaking apart. Which would probably send me straight down into the muddy waters of Cadron Creek below. Luckily everything held up, and we were able to explore the bridge. But it is in pretty bad shape - no telling how much longer it will last. It would be a shame if the bridge became too unstable to cross.

Here's another shot of the bridge, taken a bit farther back:

It really is a neat old bridge to visit, and it is a great location for taking pictures. Hopefully it can somehow be preserved.

On the way home, we stopped to get a few pictures of this old barn. The area around the barn was overgrown, and was surely home to countless ticks, chiggers and snakes.

Junction Bridge

2011-06-21T22:47:00.002-05:00

I headed off to visit the Junction Bridge last week, just after a summer thunderstorm had passed over. It was still raining, but it was light rain. It wasn't enough to soak anyone foolish enough to be out taking pictures, but it did result in a few occasional drops of water on the front of the lens.

As the storm moved off to the west, you could see an occasional bolt of lightning drop down. I wasn't lucky enough to get any lightning in my pictures. Instead, I just had to settle for a few short golden streaks from the scattered lightning bugs floating around...

Tyler Bend

2011-06-09T22:09:00.002-05:00

My birthday was last weekend. So in honor of my life slowly spiraling down the drain of being a "30-something," I wanted to do something fun. As the big day approached, I made plans with my cousin for a float trip on the Buffalo River. My Aunt and her friend joined in, and we tried to all meet up at Tyler Bend on Friday.

Since this trip involved three Cormacks, the worst of the family luck bubbled up to the surface. The weekend would turn out to be incredibly hot - with highs in the upper 90s. Perfect camping weather!

I took off work on Friday so I could get up to Tyler Bend early enough to claim a camping spot. Last time I tried to camp along the Buffalo River on this weekend, the campgrounds were all full. I managed to get up to the Buffalo before noon, and luckily there were a few vacant campsites left. But most of the good ones were taken, at least, any campsite with a decent amount of shade. I claimed one, and then languished in the hot temps. Luckily the river was nearby, and the water was cold.

My family arrived in the evening, and we got our collection of tents set up. Things cooled off considerably after the sun went down, and it actually got a bit chilly overnight.

I woke up around 5:30am on Saturday morning, and peered through the tent. A heavy fog had drifted over our campground. What to do? Go back to sleep, or try to get a few pictures? I sleepily hauled myself out of the tent and got the camera. As much as I dislike being awake this early, it was good conditions for pictures.

I walked over to the river, which was still and silent in the early morning fog. The only thing making noise were a few birds, and the crunch of my feet walking along the rocks by the river. I strolled along the river, trying to find a good spot to get a picture of the fog and the bluffs.

There was a good spot ahead. But some people who were floating the river had decided to set up camp right along the gravel bar near where I wanted to get pictures. They had literally set up camp right by their canoes, and looked to be sleeping right on the rocky shore of the river. I tried to silently sneak past them, and set up to take this picture...

Next I walked over to a nearby field, where a few hay bales were sitting amongst the fog.

I headed back to the campsite, walking along this path through the woods...

I made it back to the tent, and was able to take a nice little nap. A few hours later, we were at the canoe outfitters. After waiting for a few bus loads of people to be carted away, we were driven to the put-in for our float - Baker Ford. From there we would float for about six miles to Grinders Ferry.

I wasn't brave enough to take my camera onto the canoe. Instead I bought one of those waterproof disposable cameras (for $8 at Wal-Mart). The camera didn't take many good pictures, and it cost almost $15 for it to get developed. This didn't make me miss using film. The crappy disposable camera only had 27 exposures on it, so I ended up paying about a dollar for picture, and all the shots were grainy.

I will share one of the shots from the crappy disposable camera. This was taken shortly after we started our float, when we had stopped to swim some in the river. A strange river convoy passed by us - it was a guy, laying on a raft next to a canoe. The canoe only had a dog sitting inside it, like it was the captain of the ship. Both the dog and the guy seemed to enjoy the trip:

We took our time and lazily drifted down the river. While it was hot, I didn't seem to feel it while being on the river. Although I ended up getting an awful sunburn, it was a perfect day on the Buffalo River. I was sad when we eventually reached the end of the float (we were out of beer, anyways).

On Sunday we packed up the campsite and parted ways. I headed back home towards Little Rock, but did stop along the way to get a shot of a barn. This was taken right off of Hwy. 65, near Leslie:

Riverfest Fireworks

2011-05-31T21:45:00.003-05:00

The largest fireworks display in the state is set off each Memorial Day weekend in downtown Little Rock, marking the end of Riverfest. It's always a great opportunity to get some good pictures, if you don't mind dealing with the thousands upon thousands of people all crowding together downtown.

This was the first Riverfest weekend in recent memory where it didn't storm, or even threaten to rain. So on Sunday, before the fireworks, a massive throng of people were descending on the usually quiet streets of downtown Little Rock. As it started to get close to dusk, just about every single available parking space was taken. But still, long lines of traffic were snaking their way through.

I got there early, and luckily had already snagged a good spot. I had met up with my friend John, who managed to find an awesome spot for us to get some pictures. It was on the top of one of the buildings in downtown, and it did provide a nice view of the Main Street bridge (where the fireworks are shot from).

We got there just at sunset, and were rewarded with some amazing views of the city.

Just look how many cars are packed down there, which made me glad I was safely about 20 floors above the packed streets.

The fireworks finally went up around 9:15, and even though we were a few blocks away, it was still loud enough to make my ears ring.

When the show was over, I tried to get a few more pictures to show off the great view up there. This was taken looking towards the River Market area.

Note the line of traffic still trying to get onto Second Street from the freeway.

And a view looking down towards the Pulaski County Courthouse:

And the view looking west towards the Metropolitan National Bank Building, the Regions Building, and the state capitol off in the background.

Cornelius Falls & Bridal Veil Falls

2011-05-26T22:36:00.003-05:00

Last Friday, another big storm passed through Arkansas and dumped several inches of rain. It would be more than enough to get some good waterfalls going, and I thought that it would be criminal to miss out on what might be the last good weekend of Spring to get pictures.

I didn't want to use up too much gas, or put too many miles on my car, so I opted to try to hit a place that was fairly close to home. I finally decided to drive up to Heber Springs and visit Bridal Veil Falls and Cornelius Falls. I knew that there would be plenty of water in the falls, but I just hoped that the sun and clouds would cooperate with me.

When I left Little Rock it was mostly sunny, with a few big fluffy clouds floating around. Since you really need cloudy weather for waterfall pictures, I thought that my day would be spent waiting for clouds to block the sun. I wasn't in a hurry, so I took my time on the drive up there (always being mindful of the speed limit in the town of Guy), and lazily stopped for a few pictures along the way.

This was taken along the side of the road, where a pond sits below a few neat old barns...

When I finally drove into Heber Springs, it was still bright and sunny out. So I went through a few more gallons of gas and lazily drove around the countryside. Along the way, I stopped over and visited Collins Creek. There was a good amount of water coming in from one of the side streams that flows into the creek, which meant that this area did see some heavy rain the previous day. But it was sunny, and I didn't bother trying to take any pictures.

Eventually I decided to just head over to Bridal Veil and Cornelius Falls. And somehow, my timing miraculously worked out. Some clouds drifted over, and I ended up with great light for the remainder of my time there.

As far as I know, both Bridal Veil Falls and Cornelius Falls sit on land owned by the city of Heber Springs. The falls had once been a popular park, but vandalism had led the city to close the park. When I visited there last year, a locked gate blocked access to the parking area. But now the city has apparently been working to open the park back up. There is even a new viewing platform that provides a nice overlook of Cornelius Falls.

And you can tell it's new - in that it's not yet completely covered with graffiti.

From there it's a very short hike down to Cornelius Falls. The trail is steep in parts, but easy to follow. After just a few minutes of hiking, you are right at the base of Cornelius Falls, which is probably about 40 feet tall.

It's a scenic little spot, and really easy to get to as well. I'm glad that the trail here has been opened back up.

There was a lot of water coming over the falls - much more than when I was here in 2010. But with the extra water meant a lot of wind and spray from the falls. I tried to get a shot of the creek just below the falls, but had to battle with drops of water hitting the lens.

A few more shots of Cornelius Falls:

From there I hiked back up the hill and then headed over to Bridal Veil Falls. The trail here wasn't as easy to follow, I don't think Bridal Veil sees as many visitors as it's neighboring waterfall does. I slipped down the hill and crossed the creek, just next to this neat little spot:

After crossing the creek I ended up wading through a thick mess of undergrowth (which was mostly poison ivy). There wasn't much of a trail here, or at least one that I could find. But it didn't matter since the falls were just a few yards away.

Bridal Veil Falls is a pretty little waterfall, and is maybe about 20 feet tall.

The creek runs over these rocks just below Bridal Veil Falls...

And a view of the falls, with a mossy rock...

And one last shot of Bridal Veil Falls.

Carwash Falls

2011-05-24T21:46:00.005-05:00

After visiting Sweden Creek Falls, it was sadly time for us to head back home. The conditions were still perfect for waterfall conditions, so we tried to think of a good waterfall that we could visit as we made our way south. Having just hiked over five miles that morning, we both quickly agreed that it would be one that wouldn't involve a lot of walking to reach. So we decided to take the long way home, and visit a waterfall that you not only drive right up to - but actually drive right under.

Carwash Falls isn't very tall, but it is pretty unique. It's where the creek tumbles over a bluff, and lands right along a country dirt road. You can drive your car right under the falls - hence the name. It's a waterfall that I've been wanting to visit ever since seeing a picture of it a few years ago. I really wanted to get an awesome shot of the Vibe under the falls, but would instead have to settle for a picture of Zack's Jeep (which is a shame, my car does need a good carwash).

To get there, we turned onto a forest service road in Deer and headed south. The road passed through miles of forest, before eventually running along the top of a high ridge. It then dropped down and began to run parallel to the Big Piney Creek. Eventually we found Carwash Falls and stopped for a few pictures. From there we continued on south, and then forded Hurricane Creek (which the Vibe would have failed at crossing). There was a family camping right at the spot where the road fords Hurricane Creek. As Zack's Jeep pushed it's way through the water, the entire family headed out and stared at us in disbelief and looked at us like we were crazy.

Sweden Creek Falls

2011-05-23T22:45:00.001-05:00

When we got up to the Centerpoint Trailhead, it was cloudy with a light drizzle coming down. In other words, it was perfect conditions for some waterfall photography. There are several amazing waterfalls nearby, but we decided to pay a visit to Sweden Creek Falls, which is located only a few miles north of Boxley Valley.

I had been up at Sweden Creek Falls a few months ago, but it was in the dead of winter and there wasn't much water going over the falls. I was eager to see the falls now that it's spring. And we both hoped that the falls would have a decent amount of water going over them, since it had rained there a few days before.

We parked at the trailhead and began the hike. It's only a 1.8 mile long hike to the falls and back. This was relatively easy compared to the three miles we had just hiked heading back uphill to the Centerpoint Trailhead. Well, it was easy except that my legs were already starting to get sore from the previous hike.

The trail runs downhill along an old road, and passes by an abandoned home. From there the trail drops down and runs along the base of a bluff. Shortly after that, you reach the falls. I think both Zack and I were happy to see that the falls were running quite well.

And the falls are awesome - they are over 80 feet tall. The only problem with this spot is that it is tricky to get a good picture there. Trees line the trail, which makes it hard to get a good unimpeded view of the falls. This shot was taken after crossing the creek and then heading up the side of the bluff, over slick rocks.

After taking a few pictures, I crossed the creek and went back to the trail. This was taken along the opposite bluffline from the previous shot. The area was covered with a thick layer of ferns.

And then we started back towards the trailhead. But first I stopped one last time for a shot of the falls, seen through the dense screen of trees that surround the waterfall.

We made it back up the hill to Zack's Jeep, and started back towards the main road. Along the way we stopped at this old truck, left to rust in the woods.

I have gotten a few different pictures of this particular truck over the years. This was taken at my last visit, on March 13:

And then another visit, back in November of 2007:

From there we opted to visit another waterfall on the way home. This is a waterfall that wouldn't require any long hikes to visit. In fact, it was one that you could actually drive up to (or actually, drive under) the falls.

Goat Trail on Big Bluff

2011-05-19T21:38:00.015-05:00

Last Friday, I was toiling away at the office and slowly counting down the hours until closing time. But around 10:00, I got a message from Zack asking if I'd be interested in going on a camping/hiking adventure with him up in the Ozark Mountains. He wanted to hike the Goat Trail, which sits high above the Buffalo River.

I requested, and got, the rest of the day off and just a short time later we were driving north towards the Buffalo. To reach the Goat Trail, you have to hike three miles along the Centerpoint Trail. We were going to camp along the trail that night, so we also had to bring along tents, sleeping bags, food and various assorted pieces of camera equipment.

The hike down was quick and easy, thanks to it being mostly downhill. We made good time, and finished the three mile hike in about an hour or so. We only passed four people on the hike, all of them coming back up the trail. One group said that they had hiked the three miles down, and then just turned around and came back up without going out onto the Goat Trail. We both thought it was somewhat strange to make that hike without visiting the trail's star attraction. But as odd as that was, seeing other people made bizarre hiking choices on that trail would turn out to be the theme for the weekend.

After three miles, you pass through a wide clearing that marks the spot where the Goat Trail branches off from the Centerpoint Trail. It is a perfect camping spot, and it came already equipped with some fire rings. We quickly set our camping gear aside and headed down the Goat Trail. It felt a lot lighter to just be carrying the camera equipment...

The Goat Trail runs for about a mile out to Big Bluff. At first the trail runs through the woods, but it quickly meets up with a bluff line. Trees block your view for most of the hike, but once you get out on the bluff the trees are gone and you are greeted with a panoramic and breathtaking view of the Buffalo River.

A view of the Buffalo River from the trail - note Zack in the picture for scale.

The Goat Trail runs along a natural ledge, which is almost as if someone put in a sidewalk along the bluff. Big Bluff is about 560 feet tall, one of the tallest on the Buffalo River (depending on which source you trust, the tallest is the 590 foot-tall Ludlow Bluff near Rush). The Goat Trail runs about 340 feet above the river. It's definitely high enough to make you a little scared of heights.

The Buffalo River curves around a large bend here, passing by a few (relatively) small bluffs.

The Goat Trail reminded me of the time I visited the Grand Canyon. The view here is so vast, so impressive, that it is difficult to really capture it with a camera. It's really something you have to see in person, since the sheer size and scale of the bluff doesn't translate well in a picture.

And the Big Bluff, like it's name suggests, is massive. At 560 feet it towers high over the landscape. For a bit of comparison, the tallest building in Little Rock is only 546 feet tall (the 40-story Metropolitan National Bank Building). The Goat Trail, at 340 feet, is taller than the fifth tallest building in Little Rock (the 331 foot-tall Union National Bank Building).

Now just imagine a bluff that is taller than every building in this picture....

Actually if you were able to magically scoop up the Arkansas State Capitol and drop it down along the Buffalo River at the base of Big Bluff, you would still have 110 feet of empty space between the Goat Trail and the top of the dome. It's seemed almost impossible to grasp the size of the bluff. The views were still awesome though.

As the Goat Trail makes it's way along the bluff, it is blocked by a foot-thick buttress of rock. To get around it, you have to either crawl through a hole in the rock, or bypass it by taking a trail that runs close to the edge of the bluff. The hole isn't a natural one, it was actually carved out of the rock around 1910, in order to make a somewhat safer trail for area school kids to take while walking to the Centerpoint School. Seriously, kids walked along the 340 foot tall bluff every day to get to school.

The Goat Trail runs past a few alcoves, which were claimed by several buzzards. They got angry when we approached, and they took off and flew in circles high above us. But speaking of animals, the Goat Trail did actually get named because of goats. Apparently in the 1950s, a few goats escaped from a nearby farmstead and wandered around the ledge. The stench from their droppings, it was said, lingered for many years. And on that pleasant note, let's return to our story...

As we were up there taking pictures, two kayakers appeared on the river. We waved at them, even if they looked like tiny dots on the horizon. When they got closer they waved back, and then pulled up to camp across the river from the bluff.

When I left Little Rock earlier that day, it was warm and sunny. But up at the Buffalo it was cold with a light rain/drizzle. There was a touch of fog drifting along the tops of the mountains.

We probably spent about two hours up there taking pictures and soaking in the scenery. But since it was starting to get dark, we reluctantly headed back to our campsite. I got one last picture before we left...

I bought a new tent that I was eager to try out. It's one of those one-person tents, which was light enough to make it a nice thing to have on a 3 mile hike. So I attempted to get it set up and no surprise, started having some difficulties. One of the things that I hate about camping are tent pegs. Those damn things never work right, and it's always nearly impossible to get them to go into the ground. I gave up on them, the ground there had maybe a half-inch of dirt before you hit solid rock. I tried banging the pegs with a rock, which only helped to bend them, before they would just lamely fall over.

I was ready to give up and just sleep in the tent without it being put up. But with Zack's help we were able to rig it up - using some nearby rocks to tie the guy lines onto. He only called me a noob a few times during this...

After that, we set out to build a campfire. It had rained the day before, and it was drizzly all of that day. So any firewood that we found was a little wet. It took awhile to get a fire going, but eventually we had a pretty good one blazing away. We sat back to relax, have a few drinks, and lazily look at the fire.

Occasionally, I heard some animals off in the distance. Coyotes! I could easily imagine them attacking the campsite and trying to eat my tent.

We were planning on going back out onto the bluff early the next morning, eager to catch an awesome sunrise. So by about 11:00, it was about time to call it a night. But suddenly, in the distance, I saw some lights. I immediately thought it was the light of the campfire reflected in the eyes of some blood-thirsty coyotes. Oh crap, here they are!

But no, the lights were from flashlights. It looked like someone was hiking down the trail towards the campsite. I logically assumed that it would be one of the following:
1). Sexy lady hikers who needed to warm up by the campfire.
2). A murderer.
3). Coyotes, who somehow learned how to operate flashlights.
4). A bizarre combination of the above.

It seemed like it took forever for the hikers to make it down into the clearing by the campsite. As they got close enough, one of them yelled out a "hello!" and we hollered back. It turned out to be about 15 teenagers, part of a church youth group from Tulsa. For some reason, known only to them, they decided to start hiking the Centerpoint trail at night. They didn't know where they were going, or what was on the trail. They seemed to be equally surprised to find out that they had hiked three miles, and that they were this close to the Goat Trail. They did also seem startled when we told them of the probable proximity of coyotes...

They came in and crowded around our campfire to warm up (it was about 45 degrees that night). They told a few ghost stories, and then turned around and began to hike the three miles back to the trailhead. It was about 11:30 when they left, so they probably got back well after 1 am.

I couldn't imagine hiking that trail at night, or just heading off into the woods without knowing what you were getting into. It was really bizarre.

The next morning we woke up before dawn and headed back out onto the Goat Trail. The hope was that we would catch some cool fog along the river, or at least a nice sunrise. But neither of these things happened. We did stay awhile and enjoy the nice view again. I did try to do a panoramic shot from there - this is three shots stitched together:

Then we hiked back up the hill and started to gather all of our camping equipment. With everything packed and ready to go, it was time for the long hike up back to the trailhead. What had been a deceptively easy hike the day before was now a long slog up the hill (with the added fun of the weight from the backpacks!). But we made it back to the car after about an hour and a half or so. We didn't see our friends from Tulsa out there still, so at least they made it back safely.

But the morning was cloudy and rainy, which was perfect conditions for waterfall photography. So after happily discarding the packs in the back of Zack's jeep, we headed out to visit a nearby waterfall...

Erbie

2011-05-15T22:03:00.003-05:00

We apparently didn't get our fill of old barns while we were in Boxley Valley. So we drove east, heading towards another spot with a plethora of old buildings. On the way, we stopped to get a picture of this barn that sits along Hwy. 74.

The road was covered in a thick fog. This is along Hwy. 74 where the road curves around Horseshoe Canyon.

Our next stop was the Parker-Hickman Farmstead, near the Erbie campground. This old farmstead is a collection of several well-preserved buildings. All of the buildings sit far enough away from the Buffalo River that they escaped any damage from the recent floods. But the heavy rains did wash out the area around a low-water bridge over Webb Branch, so it was only passable with high-clearance vehicles.

It takes a few miles of driving along a dirt road to reach the farmstead. Luckily the road was in good shape, and it passes by some neat barns along the way. We stopped at one for a few pictures...

Eventually, we made it to the farmstead. We didn't want to press our luck driving across the low-water bridge. The rain had scoured the dirt from both ends of the low-water bridge, leaving deep ruts. So we parked and walked across the bridge, which had about 6 inches of water running over it from the creek.

The farmstead is comprised of an old home and several barns. The old home was built sometime between 1847 and 1849. It is the oldest structure within the boundaries of the Buffalo National River.

The lean-to on the side of the building was added in the 1920's, and served as a country store.

The last family to occupy the home was the Hickman family, who started living there in 1912. They built most of the barns and other buildings in the farmstead.

Gradon Hickman was the last person to call this place home. He lived here until 1978, just a few years after the land surrounding his home was protected as the Buffalo National River. In 1982 the Park Service purchased the property and in 1984 the buildings were stabilized and preserved. The house is still open for anyone to go inside and have a look around.

Another view of the old home, with a small stream that cuts through the property:

I had some difficulties getting this picture. I decided to shoot this angle, trying to get the creek and and the house all together in the shot. But I realized I should probably use a polarizing filter, which I had left in my camera bag. And of course, I had stupidly left the camera bag in the car. So I had to walk through the 6 inches of water on the low-water bridge to retrieve the filter.

I grabbed a filter out of the bag and crossed back through the water and went back to the camera. Only then did I realize that I ended up grabbing the wrong filter - I got a neutral density filter instead of the polarizer filter. So back I went, crossing back across the creek. This time I just grabbed the camera bag so I didn't need to make any other trips through the water.

And one last shot of one of the several barns at the farmstead:

From there we drove back to Hwy. 7 and went north into Harrison for dinner. We dined at a Thai restaurant, which was actually pretty good. I felt bad though, since my soaked shoes left wet footprints all over the dining area.

Boxley Vallley

2011-05-14T22:53:00.003-05:00

From Smith Creek, we drove down the hill and into one of my favorite place in the state. Boxley Valley is just an amazing spot - there is a perfect combination of history, natural beauty, and wildlife. It's all located along what has to be the most interesting stretch of road in Arkansas.

I've been here dozens of times, but I never tire of stopping to take pictures of the old barns and homes that line the road through Boxley. Our first stop on this visit was the Edgmon barn, which was built around 1920.

The conditions were perfect too - the light rain had left some fog drifting through the valley, hugging the tops of the mountains. The light was perfect for taking a few more pictures...

A few cows, grazing in the fog:

And the same cows, with the old Boxley Church (built 1899) in the distance.

After that we drove over to the Lost Valley trailhead, just to see how things looked. The campground and trail at Lost Valley saw some significant damage after the floods. The wooden footbridge over Clark Creek was destroyed. The flood waters actually ripped the middle section of the bridge out, carrying it downstream a few hundred feet.

At the time we visited, Lost Valley was still open. People were camping there, and hikers were going in and out of the trail. But that wouldn't last for long, sadly. As of this writing, Lost Valley is closed until further notice. Along with the destroyed footbridge, there was considerable damage to the trail itself. According to the National Park Service, it's going to cost $250,000 to get everything back to normal. And to make matters worse, the Park Service is going to permanently close the campgrounds at Lost Valley. Hopefully the trails can be quickly rebuilt...

Smith Creek

2011-05-10T21:18:00.003-05:00

The other weekend I drove up to visit an Aunt, who lives deep in the Ozarks. On Saturday, we set out with the cameras to do some exploring. Our first idea was to visit a state park in Missouri. But the floods of the week before washed away those plans. A storm dumped about a foot of rain across the Ozarks, causing some severe flooding. The place we that thought about visiting saw some damage.

But then again a lot of places saw some damage. The Buffalo River in Boxley rose to over eleven feet, which is about 8 feet higher than normal. The heavy rains around there managed to wash out the historic covered bridge in Ponca, the wooden footbridge at the Lost Valley trailhead, and damaged several roads and river put-ins.

We ended up heading through Boxley Valley anyways, and saw some evidence of the recent floods. As we drove across the bridge over the Buffalo River, we spotted this poor canoe. It must have been caught up in the flood waters and ended up wrapped around this sign. Mind you, this sign sits about 20 yards from the river. It's a testament as to how high the river was, and to how strong that sign is.

We decided to pay a visit to Smith Creek, which flows through Boxley Valley and empties into the Buffalo River. It is a very scenic little area. The creek runs and tumbles over some huge mossy boulders, creating a few nice waterfalls.

Smith Creek isn't part of the Buffalo National River, instead it's a preserve that is maintained by the Nature Conservancy. The previous owner of the property (who also owned the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs) had intended to build a house there. But instead the land was given to the Nature Conservancy, which now preserves the creek and a large underground cave system. About three million bats are said to hibernate in the 3-mile long cave during the winter.

The creek is easy to get to, just a short (but steep on the way out) hike. This is one of the neater stretches of the creek...

There are some other waterfalls just above here, which are blocked by the boulders in the creek. This is a view of one of the falls. To get this shot meant climbing up the side of a large boulder.

And another waterfall, along this same small stretch of creek:

And a few more views of the falls. You can barely just see the white from another waterfall, under the boulder on the left-hand side of the picture.

We got back on the trail and went around to the next really scenic stretch of Smith Creek. It's where the creek rounds a bend, rushing past a massive house-sized boulder.

And a view from creek-level. The huge boulder in the previous shot can still be seen in the background here.

The rocks were extremely slippery around there.

It had started to rain, so we decided to head back to the car. We visited just a few of the neater things to see in Smith Creek (there are several other waterfalls out there). As we made our way up the steep hill back to the trailhead, we heard an elk doing a bugling call. When the Buffalo River flooded, it must have forced the resident elk population in Boxley to head for higher ground. The river must have still been too high for them to get across, and they were still hanging out along the side of the hill nearby.

Longpool

2011-05-03T20:46:00.003-05:00

Dear National Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture,
I would like to issue a formal complaint regarding a recent visit to the Longpool Recreation Area, in the Ozark National Forest of Arkansas. The complaint centers around the waterfall there, called Longpool Falls. You see, I have visited this recreation area many times before, but have never been able to actually see this waterfall with a decent amount of water flowing though it.

My most recent visit was on Easter weekend. I stupidly assumed that the large amount of rain dumped over Arkansas beforehand would be enough to get the falls going. In fact, it was actually raining on the day I visited the falls. I just knew the falls would be running! And to cap it off, it was a perfect day for waterfall photography. It was cloudy, with the rain from earlier helping to saturate the new Spring growth. Also, a layer of fog was rising off of Big Piney Creek. I was thrilled. No, actually, I was almost downright giddy when I headed off to the falls with the camera and tripod.

I eagerly hiked the trail to the falls, with visions of waterfalls dancing through my head. But as I rounded the bend of the trail, my dreams were viciously destroyed. The lower Longpool Falls, which is the one you first see when hiking the trail, were barely running. It would be a stretch to even call it a trickle. It was almost like the tiny bit of water percolating down was cruelly mocking me.

Longpool Falls, why does thou forsake me?

To the Sirs and Madames reading this, I do not intend to sound like a Negative Nellie. On the contrary, the trip to Longpool did result in a few other pictures. Just sadly, none of the waterfall. The rainy and foggy weather created a neat atmosphere to point the camera at. This was the view along the trail:

And the opposite view, looking back downhill...

And the view from the road running through the campground:

And I will admit that Big Piney Creek did look beautiful in the soft light and fog.

But I remain again thwarted and disappointed in my attempt to view this waterfall when it actually has water falling in it. Therefore, I ask the National Forest to please correct this issue. The next time I plan to visit Longpool, I request that the waterfall there be running. If that would require dumping millions of gallons of water above the watershed, or somehow diverting water from the Big Piney to the falls, then so be it. Please spend as many taxpayer dollars as necessary to see this happen.

I know this request will be given top priority. But to be on the safe side, I will also be sending copies of this letter to the governor of Arkansas, the six members of the Arkansas Congressional Delegation, to President Obama, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and to Bono.

Yours truly,
Mr. Brian E. Cormack

Triple Falls (finally!)

2011-04-28T22:42:00.002-05:00

After climbing out of Bear Creek, we returned to the campground and lazily sat around the campfire. After lunch, we all debated where to head out next. One of the other photographers up there, Bryan Simpson, decided to drive around and try to find some interesting barns to take pictures of. I always love a good barn, so I headed off with him.

We drove down a few different dirt roads, looking for something interesting. Eventually we ended up in Boxley Valley, which has a ton of neat barns in it. We stopped for a few pictures, but none of mine really turned out. As we headed out, we decided to pay a visit to Triple Falls, the waterfall near the Camp Orr Boy Scout camp along the Buffalo National River.

I was happy to make the trip. Triple Falls can be reached via a very short and easy hike (which was nice compared to the miles of bushwhacking done that weekend). And with the recent rains, it actually meant that all three of the waterfalls there would be running. On my previous visits to this waterfall, I have had bad luck. I've actually never been able to get up there when the falls have really been running well. The old joke was that it should be called Trickle Falls, since that is what I usually see it as.

The only problem with a waterfall visit was that my tripod was back at the campground, I had forgotten to pick it up. Luckily Bryan had a spare that I could borrow.

So we made the short hike to the falls, and they were indeed running quite well. I was thrilled to actually see them running like this, finally! But another problem popped up. The ball head on the borrowed tripod wasn't working right. It wouldn't lock down, so I had to try to rig it in a way to get it steady for a few pictures.

And luckily, it worked out!

This is a really pretty waterfall, and a popular spot. As we were leaving, about eight other photographers showed up.

We spent the night again at the campground, and luckily the weather had calmed down. The sun came out and warmed everything up, and the winds died down. It was actually a pleasant night to sit out by the campfire and enjoy some good company.

The next morning we all woke up before dawn again, and set off to find a good spot to catch the sunrise. We ended up at a spot along Hwy. 7, with this view looking towards the east.

And from there, we drove over and made the short hike to the waterfall in Lonesome Hollow.

From there it was back to camp, where we started to pack everything up. I was tired and sore, and hadn't had a shower in a few days (and probably really needed one). So I gathered up my burned shoes, and we departed camp and headed back home...

Bear Creek

2011-04-27T22:00:00.010-05:00

I woke up before dawn on a cold morning - it was about 36 degrees in the Fairview Campground. I'm not a fan of early mornings, or really being awake before noon on weekends, but I'll occasionally drag my lazy butt out of bed for pictures. The brain trust (made up of a bunch of photographers) had decided to head out at dawn and visit a nearby creek that features some amazing waterfalls.

The weather people had predicted that it was going to be sunny that day, so the plan was to hike to the creek before the sun was up high enough to cause any problems. Luckily, some uncontrollable shivering (along with some caffeine) helped get me alert enough to do some hiking.

The creek we planned on visiting is Bear Creek, located in the Ozark National Forest. There are several cool waterfalls along this creek, and the recent rains meant that we would catch them with some decent water flowing through. Bear Creek sits just south of Hwy. 123, near Pelsor. If you have driven to the Buzzard Roost hiking trail, you've actually driven right by this creek.

The trailhead to the creek was just a short drive away from our campsite. We parked along a dirt road and set off, again, into the woods. We passed by a small swamp, which is somewhat unique. You don't really see many swamps up in the Ozarks. Let alone a swamp that sits on the top of a mountain. We walked along the edge of the swamp, and started to bushwhack downhill.

It was steep, but it seemed a bit easier compared to the hike out of Mose Freeman Hollow the day before. Eventually we made it to the creek, right next to a pretty spectacular waterfall:

This is Sidewinder Falls, where Bear Creek zooms down and then makes a sharp turn. In the distance, partially obscured by a fallen tree, is Swamp Falls.

Another shot of Sidewinder Falls:

And a closer view of Swamp Falls. It was hard to get a good shot of these falls from the hill above the creek. There were lots of trees in the way...

We hiked further down, eventually making our way to the creek.

From here you had to cross Bear Creek in order to get to the next waterfall. The spot where I decided to cross was about knee-deep. The water was cold...

But it was worth having wet shoes. Bear Creek is almost literally a photographer's playground - in that there is an awesome slide here (please note that you can't actually slide down this waterfall, that would just be silly. However I have heard of people kayaking down it). A large boulder has fallen onto the creek, causing the creek to split into a V as it falls into a slot canyon.

This is V-Slot Falls, which must be one of the cooler waterfalls I've seen. The slot canyon curves around, and is probably somewhere around 10-15 feet deep.

After taking many pictures there, I packed up and waded back across the creek above the falls. We headed past Sidewinder Falls and went to another waterfall upstream. This is the view along the way:

And after a short hike, we found this other great waterfall (all of these falls were located along a fairly short section of the creek). This one wasn't named in the Tim Ernst guidebook, but we have taken to calling it the Little Punchbowl Falls.

And another view of the falls, which is a pretty neat little spot.

From there we started to make the long hike back up the hill. My legs, which were already sore from being asked to exercise the day before, were protesting whenever the hike reached a steep spot. But the pain was worth it - this really was one of the most prettiest places I've visited in Arkansas.

And sorry this is kinda short, and not filled with the typical wit and brilliance you find here (yeah right!). I've been half typing and half watching a soccer game tonight.

Mose Freeman Hollow

2011-04-26T21:15:00.005-05:00

From Brushy Creek, we headed to explore another spot in the Ozark National Forest that very few people have probably visited or photographed. This hollow is located just east of Highway 7, near Mocassin Gap. We parked the car along a dirt road, and tried to find a good spot to access the creek.

Even from the top of the hill you could tell that the creek was promising. From above, you could hear a loud racket and commotion coming from the creek. Which could only mean one thing - waterfalls. So we started heading down the hill, which was not easy. This hill was typical of the Ozarks - lots of sharp rocks sticking out of the ground, with a good deal of debris from the 2009 ice storm haphazardly laying around. And on top of this, sitting like frosting on a cake, was a thick layer of poison ivy.

The hillside was very steep, and I was already dreading the hike back up the hill. But we made it to the creek, and immediately found a waterfall.

This waterfall is unnamed, and one of the names suggested for it was Lucky Falls. Lucky, being that we were lucky to survive the climb in and out of the hollow. And I might add, also lucky to have not left behind a wallet, car keys, or cell phone down there. And then, also lucky that no one suffered any ill effects from the sea of poison ivy that we waded through.

Instead of trudging back up the hill, we decided to explore more of the creek. The ground above the creek was still very steep, and covered with fallen trees. It was actually much easier to just walk through the creek. So we headed downstream, even walking down this natural water slide.

Which, surprisingly, wasn't slick at all. The only time I slipped around there was when I was safely at the bottom of the falls.

We headed further down and found another good waterfall:

Lower Mose Freeman Hollow Falls:

From there we explored a bit more of the creek, finding a few more smaller waterfalls:

We had put off the inevitable long enough, and it was time to trek back up the hill. The hope was that we would have found a spot to head uphill that wasn't quite as steep. But that never happened, so we slowly slogged up the hillside. I'm not exaggerating in saying that it was one of the most difficult hikes I've ever tried to do. By the time we reached the top of the hill, my legs and knees were already sore.

There was a welcome prospect of having a warm campfire waiting for us, however. We were meeting up with a great group of photographers at the Fairview Campground. We got there before dark, and were greeted with strong winds and cold temperatures. Fairview sits atop a mountain, so the winds are always much stronger there. The temperature dipped down in the upper 30s overnight as high winds buffetted the campground.

I went to another photographer gathering last year at Fairview. It was on that trip that I lost a pair of hiking boots to the campfire. I had set them by the fire in an attempt to dry them out, but a log from the fire rolled out and just happened to land right on top of my shoes.

At the gathering this year, everyone was huddled around the same campfire trying to keep warm. The wind was so strong that you actually had to stand pretty close to the fire to really feel any heat. So it should come as no surprise that the fire again claimed another one of my shoes. An ember escaped the fire and managed to land right on top of my shoe - while I was wearing it. I dumbly didn't even notice that it was slowly burning a nice hole in the top of the shoe.

Brushy Creek

2011-04-20T20:50:00.006-05:00

Arkansas is a fairly small state, so I'm amazed that there are still numerous places out there that haven't really been explored or photographed. After all these years, there are still some spectacular places that are well off of the beaten path - literally, since there aren't any trails through there and it's all a matter of bushwhacking through the woods.

The Blue Hole, in the southern reaches of the Ozark National Forest, is one of those places. Sure it has seen a few visitors before, but it isn't listed in any of the guidebooks, and there are no signs telling you how to get there. It's a place that I had been wanting to visit again, and finally had the chance last Friday.

I took the day off from work and met up with Zack Andrews and Matt Kennedy in Conway. I left before dawn, and hoped that the clouds would stick around. But as we left Conway and headed north, the clouds disappeared and were replaced with a brilliant blue sky. That would be fine, except sunny weather is the mortal enemy of waterfall photography.

But we continued on, intent to explore part of Brushy Creek (which flows through the Blue Hole). There are several waterfalls up there - I had heard of one that looked really neat (thanks Terry!), and we set out to find it. Zack also spent some time analyzing the topo maps and found a few drainages that looked promising.

We parked on the side of a dirt road, and set out into the woods. Quickly enough, we started heading downhill and alongside a small creek. The creek turned into a long cascade, which eventually emptied into a small waterfall. I set up the camera to get a few shots. Luckily it was still early enough in the morning that the waterfall was in shadow. But the sun was beginning to creep in - you can see the light hitting the trees in the top of the shot.

Before too long the sun was out, which kinda ruined the good light needed for taking pictures. But we headed on and explored more of Brushy Creek. There was no trail, of course, but it was fairly level by the creek with just a few hills to scramble over. The worst thing about the hike were the briar patches. There were thousands upon thousands of thorns out there, which seemed intent on catching and snaring anything they could find. I spent most of my time on the hike trying to untangle myself from thorny vines, or from dodging thorns that seemed destined to scratch at my face or eyes. By the end of the hike, my arms and legs were covered in scratches (don't know how it got my legs, I was wearing pants after all). I looked like I had barely survived a mauling during a cat fight.

But we explored a few of the drainages that empty into Brushy Creek. The first had a waterfall that looked a lot like the first waterfall we visited. But the second drainage was amazing - it had a long cascade that dropped down into a small pool that was flanked on one side by a tall bluff. But of course, the sun was shining down and the pictures weren't coming out right.

The third drainage we visited had another great waterfall, where a creek went over a nice waterfall before jumping and diving around a few rocks. But the sun was out, so the pictures were crappy.

But amazingly, as I made my way through the army of thorns towards the fourth drainage, a miracle happened. Clouds appeared and blocked the sun. Yes! It actually looked like a thick layer of clouds had appeared, which would help in getting some good pictures of this great place. I stopped and got a picture of the creek that flows out of the fourth drainage...

The waterfall at the end of this drainage is beautiful. The creek has carved a gorge through the bluff, where it tumbles into a pool surrounded by a grotto.

A view of the front of the falls, which we have named Brushy Grotto Falls:

And from the opposite side:

This is an amazing spot! And luckily the light was cooperating with us, and stayed cloudy.

From there we hiked back to the creek and tried to decide where to go next. Zack wanted to visit some other drainages, but they were on the opposite side of Brushy Creek. To get there meant having to wade the creek, which would be a crossing through waist-deep water. I wasn't brave enough to do that, at least with my camera, so Zack set off to see if there was another waterfall up there. And indeed, there was. He found two cool waterfalls, including one that is over 80 feet tall.

I wanted to backtrack and pay another visit to the waterfalls that we had been to earlier when the light was bad. So I waded back through the thicket of vines. Here is the drainage where the creek cascades down next to the large bluff:

This waterfall isn't named, as far as I know, so I'm going to call it Hartman Falls.

And a closer view of the cascade:

And the neat waterfall that's located in the second drainage we visited:

This waterfall probably hasn't been named yet, so I'll just call it Shea Falls.

And the waterfall in the first drainage:

We eventually all met back up with each other, and headed back up to Zack's jeep. Now where too next? We actually ended up exploring another creek, which has its share of neat waterfalls on it...

Exit

2011-03-31T22:24:00.000-05:00

I tried to get some pictures last weekend, but they didn't turn out for some reason (apparently it's best if pictures are in focus – who knew?). But conditions looked promising on Tuesday night – cold and rainy – the perfect weather for standing outside with a camera. Actually, the rain and drizzle that night looked kinda neat. There was a bit of a low fog, so I grabbed the camera after work and headed towards downtown Little Rock.

The original plan was to get a shot of the fog obscuring the tops of the buildings downtown. So I ended up heading to a spot overlooking I-630, which provided a decent view of the skyline and the freeway. I had hoped that the rain would have blown through by the time the light was good for pictures. But of course, it was raining even harder at dusk. I got out the umbrella, feebly wrapped the camera in a plastic grocery sack, and attempted to get a good picture.

The rain switched from being a light rain to a fine mist. Whichever it was, it did a spectacular job of floating up under the umbrella and sticking right on the camera's lens. At the same time, the wind would kick up and attempt to tug the umbrella out from my hand. Fun times were had.

I ended up finding an old lens hood in my camera bag, which actually was for a lens I don't own anymore, and jammed it awkwardly on the front of the lens. The hood was long enough that, I hoped, it would help prevent some of the rain from getting onto the camera. It sort of worked, in that there was less water to wipe off the lens every few minutes.

The spot I picked out was above a freeway on-ramp where cars would follow a curve from Chester Street onto the interstate. The traffic on the ramp was intermittent at best, but I wanted to have a few cars driving by that would show up as light trails in the picture. So I spent a lot of time awkwardly standing there, holding an umbrella in one hand, waiting for cars to decide to drive down the ramp...

The umbrella really didn't help in keeping either me or camera dry, so after a few more minutes I decided it was best to head back to the dry car. Distant flashes of lighting, which seemed to getting closer, also helped persuade me to head home...

FC Dallas vs. Chicago

2011-03-25T23:49:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, I made a pilgrimage to my holy land of sports – Frisco, Texas. There in the suburbs of Dallas, you will find a cathedral of soccer, the great Pizza Hut Park. At the alter of soccer I made a sacrifice, which was a few hundred miles on the car, many gallons of gas, a hotel room, and the game ticket (although thanks to Groupon we had a good deal on the tickets – half off!).

On the verdant grass of the pitch, I went to see my saints of soccer play, the legendary FC Dallas. The great crusaders nearly made it to the heaven of Major League Soccer last season, playing in the MLS Cup Final. Their loss to the vile Colorado Rapids still leaves a bad sting. But the new season brings hope that they will again return to the promised land, and finally bring home the MLS Cup trophy.

The season opener saw my beloved FC Dallas playing against a rival, the Chicago Fire. The dastardly Chicago team would manage to score the first goal, in the 16th minute. Luckily, the good guys would come back, as FC Dallas would score the tying goal a minute later.

In the second half, a Dallas player ended up getting a red card, so the good guys played the rest of the game down a man.

The game would end as a 1-1 draw. But after the game, there was a small fireworks show over Pizza Hut Park. I didn't try to bring a tripod into the game, so in order to get a shot of the fireworks I had to rest the camera on top of a table on the stadium concourse. It wasn't the best place to set up the camera, but it was the best I could manage at the time...

Smith Creek

2011-03-23T22:31:00.001-05:00

The next stop was to the Smith Creek Scenic Area, which is located on the south end of Boxley Valley. The Nature Conservancy has protected the creek (which flows into the Buffalo River) and the surrounding area. The small creek will sometimes disappear on its path, running through an underground cave system. When it's above ground, the creek travels past and over huge boulders and several waterfalls.

The light was tricky out there. The sun was out, so most of my time was spent standing by the camera waiting for a cloud to pass overhead.

After that, we headed back to the car and went to get a late lunch at the Ozark Cafe...

Sweden Creek Falls

2011-03-18T22:37:00.004-05:00

I can't believe I've never been to visit Sweden Creek Falls before. It's a cool 81 foot -tall waterfall that is pretty easy to reach. The hike in isn't bad, and it's just a few miles away from the Arkansas photographer's mecca: Boxley Valley.

I woke up early on Sunday morning and met up with Matt in Conway, and we drove up north into the Ozarks. Eventually we made it into Boxley Valley, and even saw a few of the resident elk out and about. The elk were right by the road, which usually means that there would be a throng of elkarazzi out trying to get pictures. But the valley was unusually quiet, and we were the only ones snapping pictures of the elk.

Then we drove up a few miles and turned onto a dirt road, which we headed down for a few miles. Sweden Creek Falls is a Natural Area that is protected by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. From the dirt road it's a 1.8 mile hike down to the falls and back. The hike isn't that bad, but the way out is nearly all uphill.

For the first half of the hike, the trail is an old road that runs down the hill and by an old house. Once you get past the house, the trail then follows alongside and under a bluff. Quickly you find yourself at the end of the valley, with the falls ahead of you.

The weather was predicted to be cloudy that day, but I was disappointed to find it bright and sunny when we got to the falls. There was nary a cloud in sight. Luckily, the falls were still in the shade, so we were able to salvage a few pictures.

I spent a lot of time trying to get this shot, and I'm not really sure if it turned out. The sun was above the falls, and was shining down onto this small waterfall (or is it a pour-off?) that was raining down from the bluff above. The small waterfall was catching the light, and putting on a neat little light show. The picture doesn't quite do it justice...

We got a few more pictures, and vowed to return when the falls would have more water in the Spring.

On the drive back from the falls, we stopped and got a picture of this rusty old Chevy. It's been left in this parking lot of trees alongside the road. It looks like it's been there for awhile now...

Actually I'd gotten a shot of this truck before, way back in 2007.

I remember randomly driving down this dirt road and finding the truck - I had no clue that Sweden Creek Falls was just a short drive away...

And a view of the interior...

Don't drink and drive!

Three Springs Falls

2011-03-16T21:42:00.003-05:00

Our next and final stop on this tour around the Leatherwood Wilderness is Three Springs Falls and Cascade. As the name says, the waterfall is fed by water from three springs. The springs join together, then flow over a 14 foot-tall cascade, then swing through a mossy creek bed, and then drop over a 45 foot-tall waterfall.

It's a neat place, and very easy to visit. The falls are actually just a short half-mile drive from Bumpers and Dewey Canyon Falls. The trail to the falls is short (.3 miles to the falls) and an easy hike. There is some lingering debris from the 2009 ice storm here, and the worst of it seems to be around the top of the falls and the creek.

This is a view of the creek as it flows above the falls. There is a lot of moss up there...

And this is the Three Springs Cascade, which is actually 14 feet-tall. You can't see all of it in this shot, however. The creek here curves under this overhanging bluff...

There is another waterfall there, located along the same bluffline as the Three Springs Falls. This other waterfall is where a small creek has carved its way through the limestone on top of the bluff, eventually making a 23 foot-tall waterfall. This waterfall isn't named in the Tim Ernst guidebook, and I didn't see any names (or pictures of it, for that matter) online. The falls need a name, so it shall henceforth be referred to as Ferreira Falls.

The very top part of the falls...

Similar to Cunningham Falls near Falling Water Creek, I decided to name these falls in honor of a player from my beloved FC Dallas. So this fall is named after David Ferreira, who was chosen as the most valuable player in Major League Soccer last season. I'm looking forward to seeing him lead the team to another chance at MLS Cup this year (season opener is Saturday!).

This is another part of Ferreira Falls, where the creek has cut a deep channel through the rocks. From here, the creek curves around and drops over the bluff.

After that we tried to visit two other nearby waterfalls - Blow Cave Falls and Rory Ridge Falls. They are located nearby in the Ozark National Forest, however, it looks like the land around it is private property now.

Dewey Canyon Falls & Bumpers Falls

2011-03-11T22:53:00.003-06:00

Our tour of the waterfalls of the Leatherwood Wilderness continues, with a visit to Dewey Canyon Falls and Dale Bumpers Falls. These two falls are both quite tall, and also amazingly easy to visit. Although you can't see them from the road, they are reached via a short and easy hike.

You get there from parking along Hwy. 341, about 9 miles or so north of Big Flat. You just have to park along the side of the road, and walk just .02 miles to the falls. There is a trail that starts out next to the guardrail alongside the road. You follow this trail down a hill, meeting up with the creek that makes Dewey Canyon Falls. The trail and creek both run up to the side of the bluff, providing you with views of the 88 foot tall waterfall.

Dale Bumpers Falls is just a short stroll away along the same bluff line. This is a shot with both Dewey Canyon Falls and Bumpers Falls. Bumpers Falls is the one closest to the foreground, which is split into two waterfalls. The falls first drops down 27 feet, and then tumble over the bluff into another 71 foot tall waterfall. The 88 foot tall Dewey Canyon Falls is in the background.

This is a shot of the lower Bumpers Falls, which were named after former governor and senator Dale Bumpers. Since a good number of my family is from Charleston, I feel obligated to mention that Dale Bumpers is a proud native of Charleston, Arkansas.

This is a view of the upper Bumper Falls. The damage from the 2009 ice storm wasn't all that bad in this particular area, but I assume this fallen tree was a casualty of the storm.

After hiking back over to Dewey Canyon Falls, I set up the camera just at the top of the falls. The winds were a bit heavy that day, and would occasionally send up spray from the falls over me and the camera. This was the only shot I got from that spot that didn't have water on the lens.

From there we went back to the jeep and headed to yet another waterfall...

Cougar Falls

2011-03-09T22:21:00.005-06:00

Just a few miles away from Funnel Falls, you will find several other waterfalls all located near the road. One of those is the 77 foot-tall Cougar Falls.

The guidebook describes the journey to Cougar Falls as an "easy bushwhack," which unfortunately isn't the case anymore. Damage from the 2009 ice storm has wreaked havoc on this area. The debris around the falls is ridiculously awful. It's nearly impossible to walk to the falls without having to scramble over, or crawl under, the tangle of fallen limbs and tree trunks. But after some effort, we finally made it to the edge of the bluff, with this view of the falls...

And a closer view of the falls. Contrary to the fall's name, we didn't see any cougars out there (be it feline or of the frisky older lady variety).

Funnel Falls

2011-03-08T21:15:00.003-06:00

The Leatherwood Wilderness is a remote and scenic part of the Ozark National Forest. The wilderness contains over 16,000 acres of woods and streams, including dozens of waterfalls (many of them over 80 feet tall). It doesn’t seem like very many people venture out there, even if popular recreation spots like Blanchard Springs and Gunner Pool are located nearby.

One of the more interesting waterfalls in the wilderness is called Funnel Falls. It’s a spot where two waterfalls tumble over a bluff, with one of the falls rushing through a funnel by a natural bridge. The falls can be reached by hiking about a half-mile from the road. Be sure to find the trail that leads down there, otherwise you’re stuck trying to bushwhack down a hillside that is covered in ice-storm debris.

A big storm passed over the state last Friday night, dumping some much-needed rain. The rain was enough to force me to be awake early, where I found myself standing in the chilly morning air just after sunrise at the road through the Leatherwood Wilderness. I headed up there with Matt and Zack, and we set off through the woods towards the falls.

The hike is short, but steep in parts. You head to the top of the bluff, with the waterfalls running past you. We headed down the hill to the base of the falls and started to set up some cameras and tripods...

This is the East Funnel Falls, which are a good 50 feet feet tall.

And a side view of the falls - the creek here twists around and is funneled down by the natural rock formations, hence the name.

This is looking downstream from the falls, as the creek tumbles further down a small valley...

I headed over and got a few pictures of the West Funnel Falls, which drops straight down sheer rock. The falls needed a bit more water in them, but the color in the rocks was neat. It almost looked tropical.

We hiked back up the steep hill to the top of the bluff, and worked our way around to the top of the falls. There is an amazing view there, of the top of the East Falls with the natural bridge. The bridge is tall, and I wasn't brave enough to walk out on it. This is the view of the East Falls with the bridge:

From there we headed back up to the road, and tried to decide which waterfall to visit next...

Capitolized

2011-02-28T21:33:00.005-06:00

Before the storms and earthquakes hit Arkansas yesterday, I decided to make a short visit to downtown Little Rock in an attempt to get a few pictures. Somehow, each picture that I'm posting now is somehow involved with the capitol. I didn't plan that at all, but I'll pretend that it's all some sort of brilliant idea.

Capitol shot #1 is a bit obvious, since it's the actual State Capitol. I was surprised to see that it was open, being a Sunday afternoon. So I headed inside, where the building was empty and eerily quiet. The only other people in the entire building were two Capitol Police officers, who were sitting bored in their little office.

I went to take a few pictures, the shutter echoing off of the marble hallways.

The next stop turned out to be Old State House, which served as the first state capitol in Arkansas. This isn't the most exciting picture, but I thought it was something different at least...

And the last shot was taken along Capitol Avenue, a few blocks away from the capitol building. This was actually taken right by Broadway, looking east...

Springfield Bridge

2011-02-25T21:41:00.006-06:00

The Springfield Bridge is the oldest vehicular bridge in the state of Arkansas. It was built way back in 1874, actually a bit before the first car was introduced. The bridge remains as a sweeping structure, with two steel arches curving gracefully over Cadron Creek. It is the last remaining 19th century cast and wrought iron bowstring arch bridge in the state, and one of only three of this type of bridge remaining in the entire country. Construction on the bridge was completed on July 21, 1874. The cost was a total sum of $12,857. The bridge was replaced by a modern span in 1991, which lies about 400 feet upstream from the old bridge.

The bridge sits along the border between Faulkner and Conway Counties. When you visit it now, it seems like it sits in the middle of nowhere. But way back when the idea for the bridge was proposed, the nearby town of Springfield was the county seat of Conway County. Shortly before the bridge was built, however, the county seat was moved to the town of Lewisburg. Later on, in 1883, the county seat would be moved again to Morrilton.

The area around the bridge is surrounded by farmland and fields. There are a few homes out there, but also several abandoned homes and barns. The bridge sits in a lonely stretch of woods, and it does feel a bit forlorn to visit there. Trash and litter sit along the main road near the old bridge, which isn't a fitting welcome to what is a truly historic spot in the state.

On this visit, I met Zack in Conway and we made the short drive up to the bridge. It is pretty easy to get there, we traveled north out of Conway, through the amusingly named towns of Wooster and Bono (a town, which I assume, is where the streets have no name). We parked along the main road, near the new bridge, and got out of Zack's jeep. We were immediately welcomed by several loud bangs, apparently someone was shooting guns nearby.

It turns out the shooters were standing on the old bridge. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the wisest move for the two of us to walk up to the bridge while people were shooting guns from there. To be on the safe side, I let Zack walk in front so he could take any wayward bullets that might fly in our direction...

The two guys had holstered their guns when we approached. They were older, and they said that they lived nearby. We had a polite conversation with them about the history of the bridge. Eventually, we decided to leave and come back later. As we left, there were more loud bangs as they decided to start shooting again.

We ended up exploring more of the area, following the road to the town of Springfield. We spent some time looking around an old abandoned home, and eventually returned back to the bridge. It was empty, thankfully. We set out to do some shooting of our own, which involved an Olympus and a Canon. This was much more quieter than the hand canons that the two previous users were using...

The old bridge is neat, but it is looking a bit rough. A section of the bridge is missing, leaving a huge gap and exposing the creek below. The wooden beams of the bridge are severely rotten in places, so it's best to watch your step when you're out there...

The view from below the bridge...

And the bridge from the other side...

It's a bit of a shame to see the bridge in this kind of condition. It would be awesome if the bridge was preserved, and maybe even be the centerpiece of some sort of park. But that will probably never happen, since the area here is remote.

There's no telling how much longer the bridge will be around. There is a large dead tree standing a few feet from the bridge. When that tree finally decides to topple over, it will probably land on the old bridge and destroy it.

On the way home, we stopped and got a few shots of this neat old barn...

This is some of the detail of the weathered wood on the barn. Beyond the gap in the wood here, part of the wall had collapsed.

And one last shot, looking through the old barn...

Time Flies: The Old Mill

2011-02-18T21:06:00.005-06:00

This is the first of what will hopefully be an on-going project. The idea is to do a sort of before-and-after series of pictures - which I know has been done before. This my feeble attempt at it...

The Old Mill is the iconic structure in North Little Rock. It was never an actual mill - instead it's a gigantic sculpture. The mill was built as the centerpiece for a park, a novel setting that attempted to attract people to buy homes in the planned neighborhood that was to be built around it.

The Mill was the product of Justin Matthews, who also developed the neighborhood of Park Hill in North Little Rock. He wanted a sort of tourist attraction to be the centerpiece of a new neighborhood, which would be carved out of the rolling hills to the west of Park Hill. Matthews hired Mexican sculptor Dionicio Rodriguez to design and construct the mill, which would sit in a patch of land that was unsuited for houses due to its "rough and unsightly terrain."

Rodriguez used reinforced concrete to create the mill building, and also the bridges around the park. The concrete was sculpted in a faux bois style, so that it was made to resemble wood. Even when the mill was new, it was designed to look old. The idea was to create a place where even Rip Van Winkle would feel at home (a claim used in an ad that appeared in the Arkansas Gazette). Even now, all these years later, it's still a popular place to visit.

The Old Mill - in May of 2009

The picture I'm going to use for the "before" view of the Old Mill is one that is particularly close to me. It was actually taken by my grandfather, Mr. John H. Crossman, Jr. He was a young man then, about 20 years old. I think he took this shot back in the winter of 1934. It looks like there is a layer of snow on the ground - you can see tire tracks in it. I wonder if my grandfather was doing do-nuts there in the foreground before parking the truck to get out to take pictures.

I headed out to the Old Mill a few weeks back, and tried to find the spot where my grandfather stood while taking his picture. I think I did find the spot, or at least one close to it. This is the photo my grandfather took, in 1934:

And the same view in 2011, some 77 years later:

The most striking change between the two pictures are the trees. In the picture taken in the 1930s, the Old Mill looks naked and exposed. The decades since have seen the landscape around the mill grow and mature. In the Spring, the trees provide a thick backdrop to the old building. The Old Mill still looks the same, the decades haven't changed or altered it much. A lot of old buildings whither and fall apart. But the concrete that makes up the Old Mill remains strong, which is good since those old bridges and steps see thousands of visitors every day...

When I went to take the "after" shot, I wondered what must have been going through my grandfather's mind when he was taking the "before" shot. He would have been about 20 years old - did he wonder what his future would be like? A few years later he would marry his high-school sweetheart (my grandmother). A few years later, his life would change again, as he ended up being enlisted in the Navy during World War II, serving in Okinawa. In the 1950s, my grandparents bought a house. Their new home was located just a few blocks away from the Old Mill, in the development that was in Justin Matthews plans when he built the mill. My grandparents raised their three kids in that house. And a little bit later, that same house would see six grandchildren come through. One of those grand kids (my cousin) would actually have her wedding right there, at the Old Mill. Both of my grandparents were in attendance.

More snow!

2011-02-11T21:50:00.004-06:00

Surprisingly, we have had a lot of snow this year in Little Rock. The big storm that blew through town earlier this week dumped almost seven inches of snow here, which is a lot but not nearly as much as the 20 inches that fell on Fayetteville. But the recent snow has helped to turn the winter of 2011 into one of the snowiest winters on record here. The most recent winter where we saw this much snow was way back in the 1980s. I do remember that one year when we got 10 inches of snow, way back when I was in the 3rd grade. The snow, and temperatures below freezing that prevented it from melting, resulted in us missing a few weeks of school. Good times, even if meant me missing weeks of important 3rd grade education, like learning how to subtract (I'll master that one of these days).

But the most recent big snow started last Wednesday afternoon. All the schools and most businesses closed down that morning, since the weather people were predicting massive amounts of snowfall. Everything was closed, of course, except for the place where I work. The office was open, so I drove off to work. When I cruised into the parking lot at 7:25am, the snow was already falling and sticking to the pavement. The snow quickly accumulated, so by the time the office decided to close at 8:15, there was already a inch or two of snow on the roads.

So I was allowed to go home, after being at work for 45 minutes. The roads had quickly deteriorated into a messy state. Cars weren't able to drive up any hills thanks to a sheet of snow and ice. I was stuck at the bottom of a hill on Chenal Parkway, watching cars slowly climb up and then stop and slowly slide back down. I turned around, and managed to find a way out that wasn't blocked by stuck cars. After being at work for 45 minutes, it took me an hour and a half to get home (granted I did stop to buy beer on the way).

That afternoon, I decided to attempt another trip out into the snow. I wish that I live near a neat old barn or maybe a waterfall that would look neat in the snow. Instead I visited a few places that are close to my apartment...

The first stop was this stretch of woods, located adjacent to my apartment complex. The snow was several inches deep, but light and fluffy, so it wasn't a problem to walk through. I only fell down once while out taking pictures.

The next stop was to visit a junk yard, which has hundreds of rusty and desolate looking cars parked there, seemingly forever. I stood at the fence and shot a few pictures as the snow piled on the relics in the old automobile graveyard.

I've been wanting to get shots from here for awhile, but had heard that the old guy who lives there hates people nosing around his collection of rusting and decaying cars. The rumor is that he will come out and yell at anyone who comes close. I don't know if the stories are true, but I didn't linger too long, especially after hearing some warning barks from a distant guard dog.

But perhaps that old man is just tragically misunderstood, like the old guy in Home Alone. I'd like to think that he would come to my aid when two burglars, who have already thwarted my elaborately staged hi jinks, are trying to break into my apartment when I'm all by myself.

The next stop was the Park On The River, located on the edge of Maumelle. This is a neat little park, which runs by a small lake before running down to the edge of the Arkansas River. The snow was deep there, especially along the lake. I went down and got a shot of the lake, part of which had a sheet of ice, and this snow-covered log.

And another shot of the lake...

I was surprised to see another person out at the park, and I quickly assumed that it was a city parks worker. I asked him if it was ok to take pictures out there, since the park was probably closed because of the snow. He looked at me like I was crazy, and said, "sure why not, take some pictures." Turns out he didn't work for the city, and was just some random person who went out to look at the park in the snow.

So I headed down the hill, where there are some picnic tables set up along the Arkansas River. Here is a shot of one of the picnic tables, covered with snow, with Pinnacle Mountain in the distance.

A few minutes later, a guy on a 4-wheeler drove by. He had a country music station playing on the 4-wheeler, and had a dog riding along with him. He stopped by where I was standing to say hi, and said that he wanted to take a ride with the dog in the snow. As I made my way back up the hill, I could hear the dog barking and having a good time in the snow.

About halfway up the hill, I turned around and got a shot looking back towards the river. The tracks are from the 4-wheeler, and the footprints are ones that I made.

Most of the snow as now already melted, and will be gone soon. Now the weather people are predicting highs up into the 70s in a few days.

Big Dam Blues

2011-01-30T21:36:00.002-06:00

Last Monday, at about 10:30 at night, I went to take out some trash to the apartment dumpster. As I stepped outside, I was quickly engulfed in a thick fog. The fog would definitely qualify for being high on the pea-soup scale. It was probably the thickest fog that I had seen in awhile.

So I hurried to the dumpster and then went back to my place and grabbed the camera. It was kinda late, especially since I had to work the next day. But I thought that the fog might make for some interesting pictures. I got in the car and started driving to the Big Dam Bridge. It was eerie - the fog was so thick that I could barely see 15 feet in front of me.

I go to the bridge and set up the camera for a few pictures. The lights on the bridge shuffled through several color schemes. For some reason, the blue lights seemed to reflect off of the fog more than any other color.

I was out there for about an hour, mostly because the anticipation of the alarm clock going off at 6:40 the next morning was not a pleasant thought. And also, it was about 34 degrees outside, which cast a bit of a chill.

Not surprisingly, there wasn't anyone else out at the bridge. Usually, you can hear cars or people talking on the bridge. But it was silent, with the only noise being the hushed sound of the river, the buzz of the streetlights, and the distant rumble of traffic on the I-430 bridge.

Truth In Advertising

2011-01-25T21:55:00.003-06:00

This may come as a shock to the three loyal people who read this - but when I was a young lad in college, I would partake in an occasional alcoholic beverage. My venue of higher learning was, unfortunately, located in a dry county. So to go and purchase our 6-pack of the devil's brew, we would have to travel to one of the nearby wet counties. Luckily for us, one was located just about 10 miles away in the town of Scranton, located just across the river from our stodgy dry county.

Just outside of Scranton you will see this old barn along the side of the road.

As a fan of old barns, it's always nice to see an old barn that is easy to get a few pictures of. And also, one that even labels itself as an old barn.

I got a few pictures of The Old Barn back in the college days, but hadn't paid it a visit in the years since. I was passing through over the weekend, and stopped to get another shot on a cold and rainy day...

Center Street

2011-01-20T22:06:00.004-06:00

Recently, I've been looking at a lot of old photos of downtown Little Rock. It is amazing to see the changes that have taken hold in this small city over the past century. Scores of old buildings have been constructed and then torn down, entire blocks changed and then changed again. Our collection of skyscrapers have grown, but for the most part, a good deal of the old buildings in the fair city of Little Rock have been torn down and replaced with sprawling parking lots.

One old building that has survived is the Centre Place Building, along Center Street. It was built in 1917, then called the Union Life Building. The narrow architecture of the building makes it somewhat unique, there really isn't any other building in downtown quite like it. It also stands out because it sits amidst a sea of parking lots, most of the buildings around it have long been torn down.
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More nearby buildings are being torn down now, just as this post is being written. Two buildings, along Third Street, have already had their final reckoning with the wrecking ball, or are in the process of slowly being demolished. The result of this will be, what? You guessed it, more parking lots.

This is all a bit frustrating. I guess parking might be a problem in downtown - I don't really know since my office I work at is in the suburbs. But while a few new buildings have been built or renovated downtown, it seems like we are losing more buildings than we are replacing. It might be the bad economy, but still. It's a shame to lose any part of the city's character, especially to replace it with yet another parking lot. It just takes the heart out of what should be the city center.

The worst is the empty lot that now sits along Main Street. An entire block was cleared, and still just sits as a gravel void that is surrounded by a fence. There is a vague promise that it will someday be turned into a new office building, but nothing has been said of when that might actually happen. Instead, we have this depressing hole, sitting along what was once the main street through the city.

If a new office building is to be constructed there, it will probably be a few years before that happens. Until then, what will become of that spot? Will it sit fenced off and empty for the conceivable future? Now my knowledge of city planning and construction is based only on having played SimCity - but you'd think that there could be something worthwhile placed there in the short-term. How about turning that empty lot into a small plaza? Or lay down some sod and make it into a nice little park. At least have it be something. Or perhaps, just go all out and put up something like the Dublin Spire there - something much more unique and imaginative than just another empty lot.

The city budget is tight, and probably can't afford such trivial things like that. But still, is this what we really want our downtown to become? Just a set of buildings surrounded by parking lots? It might not be what everyone wants, but it's what we are getting...

Downtown

2011-01-18T21:37:00.003-06:00

I took a day off from work on Friday, so I spoiled myself by having a good sleep-in. But I finally decided to actually do something productive with my free time, and decided to take the camera out for some pictures. I didn't really know where to go or what to shoot, so I just aimlessly drove around some. My wandering finally brought me to downtown Little Rock, but I had zero inspiration for any new sights to capture with the camera. I almost gave up and drove back home, not finding anything worthwhile in the gloomy overcast light.

But to drive home then would mean joining the throng of commuters. So I ended up stopping at Riverfront Park in North Little Rock, trying to find a new spot to get a view of the downtown skyline. I passed by this spot, with these strange posts in the water. I guess they were used to dock boats at one point?

This is looking up river, with the Broadway Bridge standing above the distant Baring Cross Bridge.

I walked under the Broadway Bridge, and ended up setting the camera up along the river, and waited for it to get dark. When the sky finally turned to dusk, I was distracted by a call on my cellphone. An old friend from college who I hadn't talked to in years decided to randomly call. I tried to take pictures and talk at the same time, which meant that I really wasn't paying much attention to the camera. Luckily, a few of the shots actually turned out.

During the call, my friend reported that he had found a coffee table book at a store in Fayetteville that had a few of my pictures in it. I laughed and asked him if he bought a copy of the book so that I could autograph it for him. He laughed back and said "no, of course not..."

After a long conversation, he got bored talking to me and said he had to go. Which was cool, the good light in the sky was gone and I was starting to get cold. I packed up the camera and started walking back to the car. Now one really neat thing about Riverfront Park is the view of the skyline. But also there are tons of stately trees growing along the river. They look to be very old, they were probably growing here back when the city first started to develop around them. It's amazing that they have managed to live this long, especially since this has only been a park for a few decades now.

I passed by one huge tree, that must have been centuries old. In fact, the tree had grown up so much that it actually went and engulfed another tree next to it. It was standing tall by a streetlight, which provided some nice illumination during this 10 second exposure...

I had some time to kill, so I headed back into Little Rock and tried to find something else to get pictures of. I rambled back and forth, and eventually decided to visit a parking deck by Main Street. I hadn't been up there since 2009, so why not?

I got the top of the parking deck and found a deep blanket of snow. By this time, most of the snow that we had gotten a few days previous had already melted. The top of this deck must be in shadow during the day, since the snow was still several inches deep. Plus, most of it was fresh. Some people had tried to drive in it, but there weren't that many footprints.

I admit that I had to do some work on the color in these pictures. The parking deck was illuminated by a few streetlights, which cast a yellowish glow on everything. That glow made the snow look yellow - and no one wants to see much yellow snow...

I took advantage of the snow and made a little snowman. My hands were cold, so it was a clumsy attempt and it created an awkward little figure. But he has a nice view, here he is enjoying the downtown skyline.

On the opposite side of the parking deck is this view, looking down on the old Albert Pike Hotel. The old hotel was built in 1929, and was in operation until the 1970s. After that it became an old folk's home. I assume it still is, although it looks like there is a popular little bar in the lobby that was attracting a lot of customers.

Seeing people going into the warm bar made me wonder why exactly I was standing in three inches of slushy snow on a cold night taking pictures of old buildings...

Snow!

2011-01-16T21:34:00.002-06:00

I tend to get a bit skeptical when the weather people predict that there will be snow in Little Rock. For the most part, the snow always seems to dodge the city. Maybe it's the lower elevation in the city, or the trapped heat in the concrete, or whatever. But the mountains will get snow and we'll just get a dusting. So I was sure we wouldn't see much snow when it was predicted to hit last Sunday. And if it did hit, I just knew I would have to wake up and drive to work in whatever mess the winter weather caused.

But to my surprise, it did in fact snow. Little Rock got about about 5-6 inches of snow. And it was just snow - no ice or freezing rain. The snow began to fall Sunday afternoon, and quickly it started to accumulate. I was happy, and hoped it would be enough to shut down the office on Monday (it was - and I got a free day off!).

When the snow started to stick, I realized that I should maybe get the camera out for a few pictures. The snow had already begun to stick on the roads, which made me hesitant to head out very far. I ended up visiting a park close to my apartment. I passed by the people rushing to Wal-Mart to get their milk and bread, and instead headed to the Park By The River, in Maumelle.

The snow was falling at a good clip, bringing with it that interesting silence that you can only hear during a snowfall. This was taken while walking down the road through the park, looking back up at my footsteps. I don't know what happened there in the middle part of the shot, where my steps take a weird turn for no apparent reason.

This was taken by the river, where the trees were slowly being covered with snow.

And heading back to the car, I passed by this scene. There is small lake in the park, which did look nice in the snow...

I got back in the car and cranked up the heat. My hands were frozen, and my jacket was covered in snow. The main road by my apartment was covered in a slick white sheen of snow, and cars were already sliding around. I headed home, wondering if I would have to go to work in the snow the next day.

I woke up at 6:30 and called the inclement weather hotline at the office. And lo and behold, they actually shut the office down! I was amazed, especially since I remember trying to drive to work last year during another rare snow fall. The company I work for is headquartered in Detroit, so I'm sure the corporate office doesn't appreciate one of their branches shutting down for a laughable six inches of snow.

I slept in on Monday, and decided to head out into the snow. The roads were slushy, but mostly clear. I grabbed the camera and headed out. My first stop was Burns Park, in North Little Rock. I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. I didn't know if the roads would be clear or not. Luckily, a few other people had the same idea as me, since the roads were drivable.

I did slide once on the road through the park. The traction control on the car beeped when this happened, perhaps to let me know that the car was sliding around in the slush.

I stopped at the old pioneer cabin at the park. This old home was built before the Civil War, and was the home to the first family that settled on the lands that is now Burns Park. The snow was deep, and thankfully, not many people had trodden through the snow there.

The next stop was the covered bridge in Burns Park. There were a few people out there, including some taking pictures. This is a shot of the Boy Scout trail, which runs for several miles through the park.

And the covered bridge:

It was getting late, and dusk was starting to settle in. I didn't have much time for another stop, and decided to drive up to Fort Roots. This is a neat spot, it was once a military base, with many neat old buildings that were built in the early 1900s. The fort was built on the "big rock," the hill along the river that was the opposite of the "little rock" just downstream. The hill has perhaps the best view of the downtown Little Rock skyline. But you have to be careful up there. Fort Roots became part of the VA Hospital, and the security guards don't like people up there taking pictures (because it's a hospital, for patient privacy or something like that).

I drove by the parking lot that houses the security guards, and saw several of their cars parked and covered with snow. Still, I didn't stay up there too long (it was cold), and worried that I would get busted. But the view from there is awesome....

And finally, one last shot of the snow from Fort Roots. There is some really neat architecture up at Fort Roots, since many of the buildings were built at the turn of the 20th century. This old building is right next to the road, actually this was taken from inside the car.

It was a cold week here after the snow storm hit. While it was sunny, the temperatures rarely got above freezing. The snow lasted for several days before melting. Coming soon (tomorrow? maybe), will be a new slate of pictures, including some with snow in it...

Holla Bend

2011-01-10T21:36:00.004-06:00

As Mattie Ross would say, Holla Bend is located "near Dardanelle, in Yell County, Arkansas." The Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge is actually located about six miles downriver from Dardanelle. The refuge includes over 7,000 acres of fields, forests and water. The refuge is surrounded on three sides by an oxbow lake, and on one side by the Arkansas River. Over 100,000 birds will make a temporary home here during certain months of the year, and it remains a popular spot for people to get some bird photos.

The incredible downside to getting pictures here is the fact that the birds are most active in the early morning hours. Which means, of course, that you have to get there right around sunrise to get to see the birds before they fly off and do whatever it is that birds do.

So I wasn't incredibly happy to be awake before dawn and heading out to the refuge. I left Little Rock around 5:30 am with my friend John, and in the darkness we managed to find Matt in Conway and brought him along too. The sun began to rise in the sky to the east, as we made our way towards Dardanelle. We got there just after sunrise, and drove through the refuge looking for the birds. There were numerous deer hanging out alongside the road. I was surprised that we didn't see many other people out there, since this is probably the optimal time to make a visit to the refuge.

We finally drove by the field that is home to thousands of snow geese. Mount Nebo loomed in the distance, as we approached the field that was covered with so many birds. Luckily, these birds were in much better shape than their winged friends that met an unfortunate end in Beebee on New Year's Eve.

It was a cold morning, the temperature was below freezing. The snow geese were probably still getting warmed up, so to speak, and it took awhile for them to start flying around.

But soon, they all took off at once. The noise was incredible. Their honking cries, combined with the rushed beating of wings, was amazing. They took off, soaring high above us in circles (I was amazed to not get hit by any sort of bird droppings during this). The flew around, and eventually moved over to another field and settled down again.

We cruised through the refuge, on the lookout for any type of bird. We managed to spot a bald eagle, resting on a tree just off of the side of the road. The eagle flew off, annoyed I'm sure, before I could swing the camera around to get a shot of it.

After that we took the scenic way home, stopping by Petit Jean State Park. At an overlook, we spotted this ugly buzzard. He (or she?) was perched on this bit of rock, with the Cedar Creek valley spread out below. He didn't seem to mind a few pictures being taken...

UPDATE!
Here is a bonus picture, taken that afternoon while trying to kill some time. We headed south from Conway, and paid a visit to the St. Boniface Catholic Church. The church is located about 20 miles south of Conway, and it is a great old building. This was taken from the cemetery next to the church. I usually don't like taking pictures in cemeteries (it's creepy), so I hope I didn't anger any spirits out there...

Best of 2010

2011-01-05T21:06:00.006-06:00

2010 is gone - time does just get away from us. It was definitely a crazy year. But it was a pretty good year, photographically speaking. I had a showing of some of my pictures at the Historic Arkansas Museum for a few months, and had a picture tour the state as part of Small Works On Paper exhibition. I even traded my tax return in for a new camera, a new toy that I’m still trying to figure out what all the buttons are for. And not to toot my own vuvezeela, I think there were some ok pictures taken during 2010. Here is a countdown on my favorite pictures from last year...

#25

February 13: Near Heber Springs, Arkansas.
The weather in 2010 was weird. The summer was the hottest on record, with many days with temps over 100 degrees. But in the winter of 2010, we also saw some really cold weather and several snow storms pass through. I was happy since it actually snowed enough for me to miss a day or so of work. This shot was taken after one of the snow storms. Most of the snow had already melted in Little Rock, but there was still some snow on the ground up on this hill on the way to Heber Springs. The white of the snow matched the white from an early morning fog, effectively casing the scenery in a white void. It was just below freezing outside, and I think some of the fog hit this fence post and froze.

#24

March 27: Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas.
I'd be remiss if I didn't have at least one soccer picture. This was taken at the FC Dallas season opener against Houston. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, and I had no clue after that game how good of a season my favorite soccer team would have. Out of the 30 game season, they only lost four times. They also went on a league record 19 game unbeaten streak. The FC Dallas player in the middle in this shot, David Ferreira, was named the league's most valuable player. The FCD head coach was also named the league's coach of the year. Their good run got them into the playoffs, where they beat the defending champions (Salt Lake) and the Supporter's Shield winner (the team with the most points at the end of the season - L.A.) and won the western conference championship. That put them into MLS Cup, where they......got beat by Colorado 2-1. Oh well, here's looking forward to next season, which starts in March...

#23

September 18: Hickson Lake, Dagmar Wildlife Management Area, Arkansas.
This is a really neat place that few people ever visit. It's not that far from Little Rock, only about a 50 mile drive to the east. You follow a dirt road that follows a swampy creek for a few miles, passing by tons of cypress trees. The drive ends at this lake, which is lined with thousands of cypress trees. This was taken while late afternoon light was streaming through the trees, casting everything into a golden glow.

#22

October 28: Roark Bluff, Buffalo National River, Arkansas.
I took a few days off work in the slim hopes of catching the fall colors at their peak. The fall colors weren't the best this year, but it was worth spending a few days up at the Buffalo River anyways. This is one of the prettiest places along the Buffalo, and in the state.

#21

November 13: Collins Creek, Greers Ferry Lake, Arkansas.
This year was really dry, and most waterfalls in the state turned into a sad trickle by June. Luckily, there is always Collins Creek. The waterfalls here run year-round, thanks to a pipe from the nearby Greers Ferry Lake. This wonderful spot is always a trustworthy place to turn to for pictures, especially when there is a bit of fall color left lying around.

#20

March 20: Union Station, Little Rock, Arkansas.
It was pouring down rain when I got this shot of the old train station. I was carefully trying to keep the camera dry with an umbrella, and probably looked a bit odd to anyone driving by.

#19

April 24: Lonesome Hollow, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas.
This 47 foot-tall waterfall is rarely visited or seen. Very few people have ever taken pictures of it before, it had actually just been discovered a few weeks before. It is a really neat place, and actually pretty easy to reach too. The coolest part about the falls were the numerous Native American artifacts sitting under a shelter under a nearby bluff. This waterfall won't be lonesome for much longer, it will be included in the next edition of the Tim Ernst waterfall guidebook (which is good, since I can't remember how to get there).

#18

April 13: Silverton, Colorado.
Considering the events mentioned in number #24 above, I seriously considered keeping any shot from my trip to Colorado off this list out of spite for that state. But hopefully Silverton is far enough away from the home stadium of the Colorado Rapids to make this shot ok to mention here. This was taken during a trip to Colorado I took with some old friends from college. We stayed in Durango, and decided to make the short drive up to Silverton for the day. Silverton sits high in the mountains, at an elevation of 9,318 feet. There was still a few feet of snow on the ground, which proved very interesting to try to cross. Being from Arkansas, where we only see maybe a few inches of snow, I wasn't used to trying to walk across deep snow. This old steam engine sat by the train station, surrounded by a deep sea of snow. To try walking over there meant traversing the snow pack, which looked solid at first. But every few steps would find a leg quickly disappearing into the snow - which was about knee-deep. My friend, who stayed in the warmth and safety of the car, said she enjoyed watching us Arkies try to negotiate the snow while occasionally falling over.

#17

February 6: Bridal Veil Falls, Heber Springs, Arkansas.
This is a neat waterfall, which is pretty easy to reach. But it's another waterfall that you don't see too many pictures of, since the falls are on private property. We were of the understanding that it was ok to visit, as long as you didn't trash the area around the falls and the creek. It's really pretty there, with another tall waterfall located nearby.

#16

July 17: Boxley Valley, Buffalo National River, Arkansas.
This is the old Boxley Mill, built back in 1870. The mill sits in the great Boxley Valley, surrounded by hills and other old barns and homes. I was nervous getting this picture, since I wasn't entirely sure if I was trespassing or not. The mill is supposedly owned by the National Park Service, but there are signs posted around it that say that this is private property. I visited anyways, on a summer morning where a thick fog had settled over the valley. If you're brave enough to visit it, you can peek in the windows and still see the old machinery and equipment used back when this was an operating mill.

#15

January 23: The Blue Hole, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas.
This is another great spot that not very many people venture to see. There are no signs pointing to the Blue Hole, nor are there many directions on how to get there (but you can get directions HERE). It's a great spot, with several neat waterfalls. There are tons of pine trees around the creeks here, so the ground was covered with lots of pine needles. This was just part of a waterfall that stretched for maybe thirty feet across the entire width of the creek.

#14

March 27: Downtown Dallas, Texas.
This was taken during my trip down to Texas for the FC Dallas season opener. The soccer game was during the day, which left the evening free for a trip down to downtown Dallas for some skyline pictures. I spent several days trying to scout out places online that might make for good pictures, and had a plan to hit a few different spots at dusk. I managed to hit a few places, but my carefully planned shots turned out to just coincide with my being in downtown Dallas on Earth Hour. This is the night every year where cities across the world shut off lights, which managed to turn my night into getting shots of a dimmed Dallas skyline. This was taken before Earth Hour, right around dusk. This shot is looking towards the Arts District.

#13

April 24: Big Devil’s Fork of Twin Falls, Richland Creek Wilderness, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas.
This is just one half of one of the greatest waterfalls in Arkansas. We got here by hiking about six miles through the rough and difficult terrain of the Richland Creek Wilderness. This is a wonderful hike to take if you want to see some beautiful waterfalls, and to be reminded of just how woefully out-of-shape you are.

#12

October 30: Lee Creek, Devil’s Den State Park, Arkansas.
This was taken during a hike along the Devil's Den trail, which drops down and follows Lee Creek for a bit. The light was harsh this weekend, which made getting any good shots of the fall colors a bit more difficult. But we managed to time our hike so that we were there towards the end of the day, when the late evening sun was streaming through the trees and reflecting nicely on the creek.

#11

June 7: Junction Bridge, Little Rock, Arkansas.
The Junction Bridge was actually built upon the actual "little rock" from which the city of Little Rock took its name. During the construction of the bridge, most of the landmark chunk of rock was blasted away, and unceremoniously dumped into the Arkansas River. Last year, the city of Little Rock tried to dig out and expose as much of the old "little rock" that they could, but didn't really end up finding much. But they did end up building a nice little plaza around the base of the Junction Bridge, which opened up new views of the bridge. This was taken last summer, not too long after the new plaza opened up.

#10

September 18: Hickson Lake, Dagmar Wildlife Management Area, Arkansas.
Another shot from Hickson Lake, in the delta area about 50 miles from Little Rock. If you can catch it at the right time, the trees along the lake manage to perfectly catch the light from the setting sun. I like this spot because it looks best in the evening, which means I can sleep in and still manage to catch it with good light...

#9

April 7: The Old Mill, North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Sometimes it's amazing how you can just luckily find yourself at the right place at the right time. I had gone out to the Old Mill one evening after work. The day had been stormy, and the rain and winds trampled the flowers by the mill. I had been taking pictures and was walking by the mill when I looked up and was amazed to see this rainbow, hanging up in the sky above the mill. I rushed to get a few pictures, but the rainbow faded away a few minutes later.

#8

March 10: Downtown North Little Rock, Arkansas.
This is another time when I had some good luck. I headed out to downtown to get some pictures while a heavy storm was heading in. While it wasn't raining downtown, the tornado sirens were going off. I ended up going to Riverfront Park in North Little Rock, setting the camera up next to this new sculpture. I managed to get a shot of some lightning, then realized my folly of placing the camera next to a tall metal sculpture. I quickly decided it was time to find someplace a bit safer to stand...

#7

July 17: Boxley Valley, Buffalo National River, Arkansas.
This shot was taken while exploring Boxley Valley on a foggy summer morning. This spider web was growing along a fence post by this old barn, one of the many in the valley. There were also numerous spider webs strung along the trees and fences out in Boxley. I managed to walk through a few of them, which resulted in the web getting grossly stuck to my face like a veil. I did feel sorry for the poor spider who spent so much time building the web, only to have some idiot human walk by and destroy it. Sorry guys...

#6

November 21: Rosenbaum Lake, North Little Rock, Arkansas.
This is a really neat spot, that thousands of people drive by every single day. I'm one of those commuters, my drive to work takes me right by there. The lake sits just off to the side of I-430, just before the bridge over the Arkansas River. I was somehow awake early enough on a foggy autumn morning, and decided to try to get some pictures of the lake. There isn't any real access point to the lake, so I parked my car along the on-ramp to the freeway and trudged through the thick grass down to the water. I was soon covered in a thick coating of tiny seeds, which clung to my clothes like glue.

#5

April 24: Twin Falls, Richland Creek Wilderness, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas.
Another picture of the great Twin Falls. This was actually shot while taking shelter under the overhang of a bluff, while a heavy rainstorm passed over. This is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the state, but perhaps one of the more difficult to reach. I was at the falls with another group of photographers, and after hiking back to the trailhead we went back to our campsite. When we got there, I left my hiking boots by the campfire to dry out. And then I forgot about them, while going out to visit Lonesome Hollow (#19). In my absence, a log from the fire rolled out and landed on my poor shoes. They quickly went up in flames, and were a melted and singed mess by the time I got back to camp...

#4

April 13: Hwy. 550, between Silverton and Durango, Colorado.
Now this shot was taken during one of the more memorable trips during the year. That morning, it had started snowing on us in Durango. It wasn't sticking on the ground, but we were just excited to see snow. How neat! The snow didn't distract us from our plans for the day, which was to drive to the nearby town of Silverton, only 30 or so miles away. We didn't realize, in our ignorance, that the drive to Silverton went over two mountain passes, both over 10,000 feet. So we headed out, enjoying the mountain scenery along the road heading north from Durango. As the road headed up higher in elevation, and the snow started to stick. At first it was a dusting, but then it grew several inches deep. The road from Durango to Silverton is part of the Million Dollar Highway, which it turns out, is one of the more dangerous roads in the country. The highway goes by deep valleys, where the drop off is several hundred feet below you. Oh, and there isn't any guard rails either. The trip to Silverton was mostly my idea, so my friend who was driving was shooting several pointed angry looks in my direction. We stopped at the top of a mountain pass, and debated whether or not it was wise to continue on to Silverton. We decided that we had made it this far, so we might as well continue on since we were nearly there. I went out and got this picture from the side of the road, of this view of some trees. We ended up making it down to Silverton successfully, while a heavy snow fell. At the tourist office, we talked to the lady working there, who said that this was just a "typical Spring day in the Rockies."

#3

October 23: Roark Bluff, Buffalo National River, Arkansas.
This is a view looking down on Roark Bluff, high above the Buffalo River. I've been wanting to visit this spot, even if it's not a place for anyone who is afraid of heights. This was taken while standing on a narrow shelf of rock that stands several hundred feet above the river. I wasn't brave enough to stand on the narrow slice of bluff that extends along the far left of this shot, which is barely large enough for a person to stand on. I'm not sure how good my life insurance policy is...

#2

May 23: Haw Creek Falls, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas.
I was in the neighborhood, so I decided to drive up and visit this part of the Ozark National Forest. My first stop was to hike to Pam's Grotto Falls, which just had a small amount of water going through. It was about 90 degrees out, and I was a bit tired after making that hike. So I debated whether I should make the short and easy drive over to Haw Creek Falls. It was sunny, and I thought the light might be bad for pictures. But I went anyways, and dang am I glad I did. I got to the falls, and saw that there was some decent water going over the falls. Plus, the light from the setting sun was cutting through some smoke from a nearby campfire. This great light lasted for just a few minutes, before the smoke dissipated.

#1

April 11: Along Route 66, Newkirk, New Mexico.
If you are going on any sort of road trip, there is no better road to attempt to follow than that of old Route 66. Although the modern interstate has erased much of the old Mother Road, a large remainder of sights from the glory days of the road still exist. If you know where to look for them. This was taken during my road trip out west this Spring. We followed I-40 through Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, a path that parallels the old path of Route 66. The old highway is gone in many places, although bits and pieces of it still call out and beckon to any traveler who is wary of the boredom of interstate travel. I had an excellent Route 66 guidebook, which guided us to many of the great sites along the old road. One spot that the guidebook didn't mention was the small town of Newkirk, New Mexico. We stopped there for gas and a bathroom break. The gas station there was the only business open in the old town. Just down the road were the ruins of older gas stations, built in the decades before and left to ruin in the desert sun. While we were stopped, I took the time to explore the old ruins. There was this old station, which had an old car (which I think is an old AMC Ambassador, I'd love to know what year it was made). The car was surrounded by grass, yellowed by the desert sun. These two old relics now just sit to fade and rust as time ever quickly moves away from them.

I am grateful to say this picture was chosen to be used for the posters and advertising for the 2011 Small Works On Paper tour. The opening is this Saturday, at the AETN Atrium in Conway!

Well thanks for making it this far, and sorry if I ended up being too long-winded. Hopefully 2011 will bring lots of good times, and maybe even a few good pictures.

Last sunset of 2010

2011-01-03T23:13:00.003-06:00

I had to work on New Year's Eve, but luckily I was able to escape my cubicle with enough time to make a trip downtown in order to get a shot of the last sunset of the year. For the past several years I've been trying to get a shot of the last sunset on New Year's Eve, just because there is no chance I'm going to be awake in order to catch the first sunrise on New Year's Day.

But New Year's Eve was cloudy and rainy, so no sunset. Instead I ended up getting a picture of the last time it got dark in 2010. I headed to the Junction Bridge, which always provides a great location for views of the skyline.

I set up the camera and waited for it to get dark. For it being a Friday night, and a holiday, I was surprised that there weren't more people out on the bridge. There were two very polite homeless people who came by and wished me a "Happy New Years, sir."

As I waited for dusk to settle in, I tried to do a little pano shot from the bridge.

Little Rock from the Junction Bridge 31 December 2010.
(Click to view Zoomify version)

And here is the shot of the skyline at the last dusk of 2010:

And even though it was cloudy, the sky did get some nice color in it...

And one last shot, taken just as a light rain started falling...

Hope everyone reading this has a good 2011, hopefully it's going to be better than last year!

Downtown again

2010-12-30T21:38:00.003-06:00

It rained all yesterday, and last night a drizzly fog descended over Little Rock. I was out running some errands, and decided to make a quick visit to downtown to see how it looked. The top of the skyline dissolved into the fog, and the low clouds picked up the orange glow of the street lights.

The first stop was the Junction Bridge. I walked past the disco dance music being played at the ice skating rink in the River Market and set the camera up along the river.

The fog or clouds had lifted, obscuring only the tops of the taller buildings. I drove around some, and eventually stopped at the base of the tallest building in the city - the Metropolitan National Bank Building. This was taken while standing next to the old YMCA Building.

And finally, farewell Kodachrome...

So This Is Christmas

2010-12-23T23:19:00.002-06:00

Well since Christmas is coming up, I guess I should finally get around to posting some more Christmas pictures...

Last weekend, I headed back to downtown Little Rock. I had noticed that the columns on the old Robinson Center were thrown in green and red colored light. It must have been for some sort of Christmas show being put on there, I think by the orchestra. The old building did look very festive:

I think this was done just for last weekend, I drove by there a few nights later and there weren't any special lights on.

And a view from Robinson Center, looking towards the Pulaski County Courthouse and the Stephens Building:

Hope everyone that reads this has a good Christmas!

Silent Night, Cold & Windy Night

2010-12-13T21:45:00.005-06:00

I headed out in the cold and wind last Saturday night in order to get some pictures of Little Rock bedazzled in its holiday glory. My first stop was the Arkansas State Capitol, which has about 300,000 lights strung across the marble facade. I got there before dusk, and managed to catch a little bit of a sunset there.

The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer. It was indeed cold and windy out there, but not all that silent (please forgive me for trying to make this post sound awkwardly Christmas-like). The heavy winds were flowing by the many flags on the capitol grounds, making them flap with a loud retort. The winds were from a front that was moving through, which brought with it much colder weather. The low tonight is predicted to be a chilly 18 degrees.

It wasn't that cold out at the capitol, and I managed to stand out there long enough to get pictures as dusk settled in.

From the capitol, I headed over to another one of my favorite places to get pictures during the holidays. This was the top of a parking deck, which provides some decent views of downtown. I got to the top of the parking deck while there was still some color in the sky, and pointed the camera westward.

This particular parking deck offers a good view of the Bank Of America Building. Every year for as long back as I can remember, this building has put up a Christmas tree design along the facades of the building.

And another view of the building. I waited for awhile before there was some decent traffic heading down the road and into the shot.

I don't remember being too cold while standing out on the top of the parking deck. Maybe by then the chill had just set in and I didn't feel it anymore. The wind was still blowing strong, enough that it made a streetlight that I was standing under wobble menacingly, like the wind was about to topple it.

Luckily I survived, and made it off the parking deck without being injured by falling streetlights or arrested for trespassing...

Capitol Fireworks

2010-12-07T21:22:00.003-06:00

The capitol fireworks show is a great holiday tradition. After the Little Rock Christmas parade, there is a little ceremony and then the 300,000 lights that adorn the capitol are switched on for the first time. Just as the lights turn on, there is a small fireworks show. It all makes for a fun evening out, and also a good spot for getting some pictures.

The last few years, I had gotten pictures from the front or side of the capitol during the fireworks. But this year I wanted to try something a little different. A few months back I was driving around and ended up in the Capitol Mall - the collection of state buildings that are huddled together behind the capitol building. I thought that might make for a different vantage point for the fireworks.

So on Saturday night I met up with John again and we drove over behind the capitol. It was quiet and empty back there, the acres of parking for state employees were empty. The only signs of life were the fireworks people setting up. One of the firework guys walked by, and we asked if it was ok to take pictures back there. He said we were fine, but couldn't get much closer since we would end up in the blast zone. But the guy then said that because of the heavy winds, the show might not go on. And if it did, it might be a shortened version.

So we waited as dusk settled in. It was chilly, the wind provided a bit of a nip in the air. Eventually we got some company, when a Little Rock fire truck pulled up next to us. It was nice that they came out to make sure we didn't catch on fire.

The downside to being behind the capitol is that we had no clue what was going on at the front of the capitol. You couldn't hear anything of the ceremony, so unfortunately we missed out on some speeches and whatnot. Sadly, we also missed out on the free hot chocolate and cookies they always give out.

Then suddenly - boom! Fireworks started popping up, and I hurried over to the camera. The fireworks this year were taller than what I remember from the previous years, so I had to quickly adjust the camera to get everything in.

From this perspective, it was interesting to be able to see the fireworks actually being shot up. But it was loud. The bangs and pops of the explosions bounced off of the buildings surrounding us. It was loud enough that it made my ears ring.

And the finale of the show:

After the fireworks, you can go inside the capitol and have a look around at the decorations inside. We decided to head back to someplace warm, even if it meant not getting to see Santa.

Pinnacle Mountain

2010-11-29T20:50:00.002-06:00

So our early morning adventure continued after I got back in the car, transferring several little grass seeds onto the interior of the car. I followed the on-ramp to the freeway and headed south over the River, and then headed out to Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

The fog wasn't as thick as it had been along the river, but it mixed well with the few remaining bits of fall color left. I stopped first at the Kingfisher Trail, and did the short and easy hike there. I took my time on the trail, enjoying the scenery. There wasn't anyone else out there, or so I thought. I was startled again when a jogger rushed by. I'm sure I looked like a crazy person, with pants half-soaked from standing in water or dew-covered plants. Add to that the bizarre layer of plant seeds coating my legs.

And to prove that I'm not grossly exaggerating - here is a shot taken from that morning, showing off the coating of seeds....

A helpful hint if you're ever in this situation. Running the seed-covered clothes through the washer and dryer helps. In fact, about 90% of the seeds fell off in the dryer and ended up in the lint trap. A few did end up attached to the other clothes in the dryer, so I had to spend a few mornings at work picking off wayward seeds.

But enough about my wardrobe malfunctions. I hiked along the trail, enjoying the morning and the fog. This is a view looking down at the Little Maumelle River, which was running very low...

My next stop was the old Hwy. 300 bridge over the Maumelle River. This old bridge is a neat spot, built back in the 1920s. The bridge was replaced by a modern bridge in the 1980s, but you can still reach the old bridge by following part of the old road that was cut off when the new bridge was completed. The old road is overgrown by tall plants, and is a neat little hike.

The old bridge had a coating of fallen leaves on it, which I thought made for an interesting picture...

After that, my lack of sleep was catching up with me so I decided to return home to a warm bed....

Rosenbaum Lake

2010-11-24T22:19:00.003-06:00

Rosenbaum Lake is a beautiful little spot, but you hardly see many pictures taken from there. Tens of thousands of people drive right by it every single day, it's located along the side of I-430 in North Little Rock, just before the bridge over the Arkansas River. The reason not many people get there is that there isn't any true access to the lake, I think, besides parking along the side of the freeway.

I was up early again on Sunday (I hope this isn't becoming a habit) because a thick fog had settled over the city. I've been wanting to get more pictures of this place for awhile now, so I decided to make a try at the lake. I headed out and parked my car along the on-ramp to the freeway (from the Maumelle Boulevard exit). It would probably be safer to park instead at a gas station or parking lot along Maumelle Blvd. and walk along the on-ramp to the lake. But it was early Sunday morning, and traffic was light, so I hoped it wouldn't be a problem.

I carefully made my way down the hill from the on-ramp through thick grass. This was the kind of grass that features those little seeds that cling to shoes and clothes. There was even a bit of trail that worked through the grass, but I soon ended up covered in a layer of seeds from trudging through the tall grass. The lake was awesome. It is filled with tall cypress trees, whose leaves were a vibrant orange in the fog.

I got close to the bank, walking on top of the thick grass. I started to take a few pictures and looked down to see my shoes entirely submerged in water. The grass was apparently growing in the water, and I had started to wade out in the lake without knowing it.

But it was worth having wet shoes and socks. The views were outstanding out there.

I took a ton of pictures out there, and hoped that some of them would turn out and actually be in focus...

I was a bit startled to hear some rumblings in the brush behind me, when two other people descended from the mist. One of them would turn out to be a photographer. I gave out a polite warning to watch your step since you will find yourself walking in the water. She didn't answer, and strolled out to get some pictures with what looked like a cell phone.

Her pictures probably turned out better...

I took a bunch of picture out there, and decided it was time to head out.

I made it back up to the car with soggy shoes, and covered with hundreds of tiny seeds. But it looked like the fog was going to last for a bit longer, and I had one other place I wanted to check out before going back to sleep...

Sunday Foggy Sunday

2010-11-20T23:08:00.002-06:00

I'm not a morning person, and would happily prefer to sleep in all day if I could. But for some strange reason, I woke up just after dawn last Sunday morning. Normally I would just roll back over and go back to sleep. But instead I took a look out the window, and saw that a thick blanket of fog had settled in over my apartment complex. Awesome, this was perfect conditions for trying to get some pictures.

I grabbed the camera and headed out the door. It was about 7am, and most of my neighbors were sound asleep. The first stop was this stretch of woods, actually located adjacent to my apartment complex. The woods are a rare stretch of undeveloped land here in the city. The fog was mingling amongst the trees, with a bit of fall color still clinging on.

I made my way again to the Park on the River, located on the edge of Maumelle. This is a neat park, and it still had some decent color in the trees. It's also a short drive from my apartment too. The road through the park passes by a small lake, so I headed down to get a shot of it in the fog:

The fog was thick and made a great backdrop for the trees in the park...

The ground was covered by a thick blanket of fallen leaves. This was taken right by the lake.

The boundary of the park is lined by this white fence. I like the fence, since it tends to add a little special something to the scene. It looked really good in the fog too.

The road heads down a hill to a small parking area next to the river. Being this close to the Arkansas River, the fog was thicker. I walked through this grove of trees, which stood out amongst the thick fog.

This is a really neat park, but it is fairly new and not many people know about it. To get there just take the Maumelle exit on I-430 and follow Maumelle Boulevard to the stop light at Crystal Hill Road by the new Wal-Mart. Take a left onto Crystal Hill Road, and the turn-off to the park will shortly come up on the right side of the road.

Collins Creek

2010-11-19T23:46:00.002-06:00

Collins Creek is always a great and reliable place to get pictures. I headed up there last Saturday, long after the fall colors had peaked in that part of the state. I hoped that there would be enough lingering fall color spread around the creek to produce some decent pictures.

The trees had already shed their leaves, but a good amount of colorful leaves were scattered along the banks of the creek...

It was another bright and sunny day when I headed up there, and I wanted to time my visit so I got there around dusk. This would put the creek in the shade, and hopefully make for some better photography conditions.

Collins Creek is a beautiful spot - it's one of my favorite places to visit. It isn't that large of an area, but there are several scenic little waterfalls to explore.

This is one of the last pictures taken out there. It had gotten dark, which meant that the exposures in the camera were getting longer in order to capture the fleeting amount of light left in the day. This was an 8 second exposure:

State Street

2010-11-16T22:09:00.002-06:00

After work on Friday night, I headed to downtown Little Rock and met up with John and Zack. The plan was to find a spot to get some pictures of of the city skyline, and I proposed heading to the State Street bridge over I-630. This bridge doesn't see much traffic, but it provides an interesting view of the skyline in one direction, and the state capitol in the other.

This is a view of the skyline - with traffic on I-630 zooming past. I was grateful that I was taking pictures of this scene instead of trying to finish my commute in it.

And a shot of the traffic on I-630 zooming past the dome of the state capitol:

Park On The River

2010-11-11T22:20:00.004-06:00

The Park On The River isn't a very creative name for a park, but it's a neat spot. It's also a place that I've been trying to keep an eye on the past few weeks, with the hopes that I would catch some decent fall color there. The park is in Maumelle, and does indeed sit right along the Arkansas River.

The boundary of the park is lined with a white fence, which I thought might look nice with some decent fall color. The color in central Arkansas seemed to reach a peak this week, so I headed out last night to try to catch it at the park. Unfortunately for me, Daylight Savings Time hit last weekend. By the time I battled rush hour traffic to get to the park, I only had about 30 minutes of light before it got dark.

I got to the park and stopped for a few pictures on the road that heads down to the river. None of those really turned out, so instead I went to the small parking area in the hopes of catching the sunset (the sun was setting, but it wasn't anything too exciting). I ended up getting some shots of a road heading up the hill, flanked by the white fence.

It was getting dark when I drove back up that hill and headed towards home. But I made one last stop, and headed out to a small lake that sits next to the park. The white fence divides the city park property from some private land, and the fence runs right into a small lake. The fall colors looked really nice in the dim evening light...

And another view of the lake. To the right of this shot is a large house. It was getting dark, and I could barely see out of the camera viewfinder. In fact it was so dark that I didn't notice a deer walking along the opposite shoreline. The deer was caught in this picture, although you can't actually see it. Due to it being a bit dark, this was a long exposure (6 seconds) so the deer is only a brown blur even when you look at it up close.

An Autumn weekend in the Ozarks

2010-11-05T22:51:00.002-05:00

I had plenty of vacation time saved up at work, so I decided to take a few days off in order to make an attempt at getting some decent pictures of the fall colors this year. I had to put in my vacation request about a month in advance, which meant having to make a guess at when the colors might be at their peak. I ended up taking off during the last week of October, and hoped the trees would cooperate with me. This had me taking off right before Halloween, which would mean that I would miss out on my office's "Dress Like A Witch" contest, but one must make certain sacrifices for pictures...

There was decent color up in the Ozarks when I headed back up there, but it wasn't quite at peak (or in some places, it was past the peak). The weather didn't quite help things - it was bright and sunny every day that I took off - which isn't the best condition for photography. Oh well, any trip to the Buffalo River beats sitting at a cubicle, so I tried to make the best of it.

I got up to the Buffalo River and made a quick visit to Erbie. I wanted to see what the fall colors were like at the old homestead there. But my timing was wrong, and I got there right around Noon. The light was crummy, and I didn't take many pictures of the old barns or home there. But I did take a bunch of pictures of two random chickens that just happened to be wandering around the parking area at Erbie. They didn't seem to mind a person being around, and in fact came up to me like I was going to feed them. They scratched at the dirt and did what chickens must do. I wondered where they came from and why they were there...

I didn't tell them that I ate at Chick-Fil-A a few days before...

I drove over towards Boxley Valley, which is one of the neater spots along the Buffalo River. But the sunny day was causing problems for any pictures, and I struggled to get anything good out of it. This is a view of one of the barns, near the Boxley Church.

There were a lot of other photographers out, all set up along the side of the road trying to get pictures of the elk that were grazing in a nearby field. Dozens of cars were parked alongside the road, and the elkarazzi were out in force. The elk were just too far back for me to get a decent shot of with my zoom lens (and the light still wasn't great). I stopped a bit further down the road to get a shot of this old building. There are a few elk in the distance, and some swans were frolicking in a pond not too far away.

I made another circuit of the valley, and made a stop to get a picture of this old barn reflected in the waters of the Mill Pond. I was there for just a few minutes taking pictures, and about three other cars pulled up behind me to see what I was taking pictures of. The inhabitants of the cars must have seen that there were no elk nearby, and quickly drove off.

I got back in the car and headed back over to Steele Creek. I wanted to get some shots of it at dusk, and it was starting to get late in the day. I walked along the river, amazed at how low it had gotten. I got a few pictures of the famous bluffs there, even if the light wasn't the greatest.

I went over to a another stretch of the river, and waited for the evening light to hit the bluffs. This shot was taken just before the sun set behind the hills...

And this is the same view at dusk. It was getting to be dark by the time I got back to my dust-covered car.

The next day I tried to get a few more pictures, but was still fighting against the harsh sunny light. I ended up spending most of the day just relaxing along the river, driving to a few different spots just to see what the view was. This was taken in the late afternoon, and is where Hwy. 7 crosses the river.

From there I drove up to visit my Aunt that lives in Berryville. The next day, we drove over to Fayetteville and met my favorite brother for lunch, and then made a trip down to Devil's Den State Park. Along the way, we stopped at this old barn that sits alongside the road. It was really sunny (typical), but here is a shot of it:

And for a comparison, this is a view of the same barn taken back in May:

We drove down into the park and met up with my Aunt's friend Sheila. First we made a visit to the park visitor center, which had an interesting exhibit about the CCC. The CCC built the dam in the park, most of the trails, and many of the overlooks and structures. The funniest thing I saw was that the Devil's Den CCC camp newsletter back in the 1930s was actually called "The Voice of Satan." Being back at Devil's Den also let me recycle my joke that perhaps the Devil would also be out on the trail, perhaps offering to partake in a fiddle contest.

We wanted to hike one of the trails there, and decided to hit the Devil's Den trail. This trail takes you past the caves and crevices that gave the park its name. All the caves are still closed, in order to protect the bats from white-nose syndrome. But the light was still crappy anyways. Towards the end of the hike, the trail drops down and follows along Lee Creek. It had gotten late enough in the day that the creek was (finally!) reflecting some nice light hitting the trees.

Richland Creek

2010-11-02T21:37:00.002-05:00

I headed over to pay a quick visit to Richland Creek, which had some nice fall colors. Richland Creek is a beautiful place, even when there isn't much water in the creek. It's one of the prettiest places in Arkansas - lots of boulders sticking out of the serene water. It's one of my favorite places to take pictures, but also one of my least favorite places to go hiking.

There aren't many trails along Richland Creek. The ones that are there tend to fade out and disappear. Add on a layer of fallen leaves covering up everything, and it makes finding your way a bit trickier. And the terrain is rough and unforgiving - I broke a tripod out there a few years back.

I set out from the campground (still closed), and made the crossing over Falling Water Creek. During my previous times out there, this crossing was a wet one. You can either wade the creek or carefully try to make your way across using rocks and tree limbs that are sticking out the water. But it was so dry that Falling Water Creek was nothing more than just a series of large puddles.

I got across and headed up the first big hill, and found the faint trail that runs above the creek. I followed where I could and eventually dropped down to the creek. I set up the tripod and got a few shots of the fall color reflected in the still waters of the creek...

I wasn't the only photographer out there - in fact there were over a dozen other photogs out along the creek. They were part of a Tim Ernst photography workshop (this is the second time that day that we bumped into that workshop). I politely kept my distance, but I probably wandered through the background of a lot of their pictures.

I headed back on the trail and went back towards the car. Along the way, while trying to find the trail again, I went over this fallen tree. It had a leaf perched perfectly on it, so I stopped and took a few pictures (I swear I didn't put that leaf there!).

After that, I headed home. Luckily I had a few days off from work in the upcoming week. It would be just a few more days until I would be able to get back up to the Ozarks...

Boxley Valley & Kyle's Landing

2010-10-27T22:39:00.003-05:00

Next we made a quick visit to see how the color was down in Boxley Valley, which is easily one of the most scenic places in the Buffalo National River. We didn't see any of the elk, or the trumpeter swans, but there was some decent color. We stopped at a few places, including some old barns. There are a ton of old barns in Boxley Valley...

We also made a quick stop at the old Villines cabin, which sits along the main road through Boxley.

This is another neat place, built way back in 1850 by one of the first pioneer families to settle along the Buffalo River. The old home was converted into a barn many decades ago. I thought the old place was interesting, especially this old fence post with a patch of moss growing on the top:

And one last shot from here:

From there we traveled over to Kyle's Landing - a camping area and put-in along the Buffalo River. The dirt road heading in was a bit bumpy, and I was happy that we were in Clay's truck and not in my car...

The sun had come out, and was making the light in the photos a bit harsh. But we might as well have a look around since we made the drive down there...

The water in the river is really low...

We made one last stop along the road out of Kyle's Landing in order to get pictures of this great old barn...

And then we got back onto the main road and headed down to Jasper for another traditional stop at the Ozark Cafe.

Roark Bluff at Steele Creek

2010-10-26T21:42:00.005-05:00

It was right at dawn as we headed down the steep road to the Steele Creek put-in along the Buffalo National River. The cloudy weather covered up any type of sunrise, but we headed down the hill and parked near the base of Roark Bluff.

Roark Bluff isn't the tallest bluff along the river, but it has to be one of the prettiest. It runs along a graceful curve of the river, overlooking a serene valley. I rode in with fellow photographers Matt Kennedy and Clay Wells, and our first goal of the day was to hike to the top of the bluff.

There is a spot along the bluff that overlooks the rest of the bluff line and the river. It's a spot that I've wanted to visit for a very long time, but I had never known how to get there. I realize now that my idea of reaching it was completely wrong, I thought you had to climb up in a completely different spot - which wasn't even on the same hillside that the bluff is on. Whoops.

We started out by crossing the Buffalo River, which was very easy since the river was low. Then you head up the hillside towards the bluff. There was a bit of a faint trail, and eventually we made it to the overlook. It is a beautiful spot, but a bit scary at the same time. You are standing on a piece of rock that is extending a few hundred feet above the river. It's not a place for anyone scared of heights.

There are a few different spots to set up your camera. If you are feeling very brave (and have good life insurance), there is a narrow fin of rock that extends further out above the river. It has barely enough room for a person to stand on. I wasn't brave enough to try, since I knew that I'd probably be the idiot who fell off.

We sat up there for a bit, drinking in the view. It was pretty amazing:

While perched on top of the bluff, we had a great view of the entire valley. We saw a caravan of cars drive down the hill and park. Then a large group of photographers came out and started making their way towards the river. It would turn out that this was a photography workshop being put on by Tim Ernst. His group moved down along the river, and we waved down at them. I jokingly said that one of us should moon them (we didn't).

After admiring the view for awhile, we headed down the hill to explore more of the river. There was some good fall color along the Buffalo, but most of the distant hillsides were still mostly green.

I was amazed at how low the river was, you can definitely tell that we haven't gotten much rain lately. The stream in this picture is the entire Buffalo River (it must run a bit underground in this section).

And one last shot of the Buffalo River from Steele Creek. There was a large number of fallen leaves piled up in the still waters of the river...

From there we got in the car and headed off towards Boxley Valley...

Big Dam Bridge

2010-10-17T22:46:00.001-05:00

I headed out to visit the Big Dam Bridge one night last week after work. One sure sign that the season has finally changed is the fact that it gets dark earlier now. It won't be too long when the sun will be setting right in the middle of my commute home from work.

But this is a view of dusk settling in over the Big Dam Bridge. This was taken from the north side, on a cool and pleasant evening along the Arkansas River...

Pizza Hut Park

2010-10-12T22:29:00.002-05:00

Last weekend I headed back down to Texas to catch the last home-game of my beloved FC Dallas. They were playing against the Colorado Rapids, which ranks as one of my least-favorite Major League Soccer teams (along with Houston, DC and Chicago).

I didn't get many pictures of the game - I ended up watching it too closely instead of trying to take pictures. They probably wouldn't have turned out anyways because we weren't sitting close enough to the field, we were perched in the "beer garden" instead.

The game ended in a 2-2 draw. It could have been better, like say if Dallas won. But the tie extended FC Dallas' unbeaten streak to 19 games, which set the Major League Soccer record for longest unbeaten streak in a single season. The last time Dallas lost was in May to LA.

This is a shot taken right after the game ended, from our spot in the beer garden: