Scott and the Dagmar Wildlife Management Area

The fall colors this year have been spectacular, which is amazing since we had such a dry and hot summer. The colors are at peak in central Arkansas, so I headed out to try to get a few pictures before they all fall of the trees.

I met up with Zack and John, and we drove out towards the Delta. The first stop was the small town of Scott, which sits about 30 miles east of Little Rock. Scott is a huge contrast to the city; the small town is surrounded by farms and fields, and a few old plantation homes nearby. One of the most popular areas around Scott is Pecan Alley, where old pecan trees line the sides of the road.



It's a really neat spot, but I think I spent more time eating pecans than taking pictures. I'm not really a big pecan fan, but the ones there were delicious.

We drove along the road, passing by this abandoned old church.



From there we headed back to Scott and got lunch at Cotham's, the local burger place that was shown on "Man vs. Food" a few years back. The burger was just as good as the atmosphere there, although I wasn't brave enough to order the hubcap burger.

After lunch, it was back into the car. We drove further east, deeper into the Delta. It is amazing how much the landscape changes after driving just a little bit. Little Rock sits in the rolling foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, but just heading about 50 miles puts you in the flat expanse of the Delta.

The last stop that day was the Dagmar Wildlife Management Area, near Brinkley. The WMA preserves nearly 8,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests, streams, ponds, lakes and bayous. The real highlight of the WMA is Hickson Lake, which can be easily reached by the dirt road that runs through the WMA. The road is in pretty good shape, although it did kick up some rocks that made ominous noises as they bounced around my car's undercarriage.

The shores of Hickson Lake is lined with thousands of cypress and tupelo trees. Some of the trees are massive, in fact there are trees in the area that are thought to be over 1,200 years old.





The sun began to set, and the light began to slice through the trees along the opposite shore of the lake.





And one last shot, taken around sunset. The streaks in the water are leaves getting pushed around by the wind.



The Wildlife Management Area is run by the Game and Fish Commission. It's a popular spot to hunt, which meant there were a lot more hunters out there than photographers. We began to hear more and more gunshots in the woods around us, but luckily (or hopefully) they were aiming at something else besides three people with cameras. We left as it got dark, and got some good BBQ from a place in De Vall's Bluff, and then made our way on back towards Little Rock.