Petit Jean

It was rainy and foggy last Saturday, which just happens to be some optimal conditions for waterfall photography. So as soon as I able to get away, I drove off towards Petit Jean Mountain. After driving through the pouring rain on the freeway, I finally made it to the park. The first stop was the Stout's Point Overlook, which was concealed under a thick blanket of fog.



Usually there is a nice view of the Arkansas River from here, but it was hidden by the fog. But I did get a few pictures of this old CCC building, which was built back in the 1930s.



And the view looking out the windows:



The side of the road was still lined with fallen leaves, which added a bit of color to the foggy landscape.



From there I headed over to the lodge, which was also built by the CCC in the 1930s. I ran in to use bathroom and was surprised at how cozy it was in there. There was a fire going in the lobby fireplace, and a large bar offering tempting drinks. If I wasn't planning on hiking, I would have moseyed up to the bar and had a few drinks while watching the fog through the windows. Instead I headed out into the cold rain to an overlook and took pictures of the fog as it drifted and danced through the trees and bluffs.







And then I started the hike to Cedar Falls. The trail switchbacks down alongside a small stream, which was full of water thanks to the steady rainfall that day.





And it was still steadily raining, but I had brought an umbrella with me to at least make an attempt at keeping the camera dry. It was mostly successful, I was able to get a few pictures without raindrops on the lens.





The trail follows a few switchbacks and then reaches the bottom of the canyon, where it then runs alongside Cedar Creek.









At one point along the hike I realized that I was missing something - the umbrella. I had stopped to tie my shoelaces and had set the umbrella down, and must have forgotten it when I started hiking. I debated whether or not I should go back for it. I was almost to the falls, and I hadn't seen anyone else out along the trail. Surely it would be ok until I finished the hike and turned back around?

I stopped again at another spot along the creek and realized I was missing something else. My polarizing filter was missing! It must have slipped off the camera at some point. Since this was a more vital piece of equipment, I decided I had no choice but to turn around and go searching for it. Hopefully it was still at the last place I had stopped to take pictures. So I started to backtrack, hiking back down the trail.

Soon I walked by the umbrella, which was open and sitting along the trail. It probably would have looked odd to see, like Mary Poppins had gone hiking and then got attacked by a bear or something. But I retrieved the umbrella, and then continued on. Eventually I reached the spot where I had last stopped, and thankfully found the filter resting atop a bunch of leaves. It was covered with raindrops, but thankfully it hadn't bounced into the creek when it fell.

And then I continued on the hike and finally made it to Cedar Falls. This is one of the most popular waterfalls in Arkansas, and rightly so. The falls pour into a canyon with a roar that echoes off the canyon walls.





It had taken longer to do this hike than I had expected (backtracking to search for missing filters didn't help), and it was starting to get late. It would soon start getting dark. I rushed over and tried to get a few more pictures of the falls as quickly as possible.





It was just after sunset when I made it back up the lodge after finishing the hike. I was thankful that I made it to the top and hadn't left anything behind again, like an umbrella, filter or car keys.

Altus

Altus is one of the best small towns in Arkansas. It's home to several wineries, and to one of the best restaurants in the state - Wiederkehr Wine Cellar. We were in the area visiting with family for Christmas, and drove through Altus again on the way home. As we drove in we made one quick stop, to say hello to this nice horse who was hanging out in front of an old barn.



When I was in college back in the olden days, we made many visit to Altus since it was the nearest town that one could purchase liquor. I wonder what ever happened to the store that was advertised on this ghost sign.



On the hill above Altus is St. Mary's Catholic Church (also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help). The church was built in 1902 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.



On the way home we passed by one more old church, although this one doesn't seem like it's being used anymore.



The Sacred Heart Church (which I'm guessing was named after the hospital from the show Scrubs?), was built in the 1880s and is in the small town of Hartman.



It's another one of those old places that I couldn't find much information. There was a cemetery across the street that looks to be well maintained.



We left and headed home, leaving the church to stand guard along its quiet stretch of road.

Another Another Foggy Night

Again, a dense fog settled over the city like a weighted blanket. I gathered the camera and tripod and hurried out to take a few pictures. This time I went back by the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in MacArthur Park, and tried to get a few pictures of it reflected in a large rain puddle. I was concentrating on getting the shot composed and in-focus when I was startled by a voice. It said something about an emergency call and assistance needed. It sounded like it was someone talking right by me, and I looked around to see if maybe a museum security guard was walking by. But the museum was closed, and no one was around. Then I realized the voice was from a nearby fire station, across the park. Even if the fog was cutting down on visibility, it seemed like it was amplifying the sound. Very quickly the station doors opened up and a fire truck raced out. Then a quiet settled back over the park, nearly as thick as the fog.







I walked over to the old Little Rock Arsenal building, which was built in the 1840s and is one of the oldest buildings in the city.



There are a few concrete benches here, that are really large slabs. But they had a slim layer of rainwater collected on top, and I tried to get the tripod set low enough to get a good picture. And in my struggle with the tripod, I managed to break it. Like somehow snapped off one of the legs. Whoops. But I managed to still get some sort of shot out of it by just resting the camera on the slab. Which if I had done first then the tripod would be in one piece. Oh well.



And there were a few of those slabs in front of the Art Museum, so I tried to get a similar shot.



I went back to the car with my new two-legged tripod (bi-pod?), and hurried home. Luckily I had saved an old tripod for emergencies, and found it in the garage. I turned around and then went back out into the fog. This was the view of the Junction Bridge in Riverfront Park:





And then the view from the top of the bridge (which is right by the elevator). The end of the bridge disappears into the mist, and you can just barely make out the USS Razorback submarine.









From the bridge, I walked through the park and got a picture of the lights on the Main Street Bridge from a small structure called The Belvedere. I'm assuming it's named after the TV show Mr. Belvedere?



And then from there I walked over to the top of a nearby parking deck, which has a nice view from the top that looks down on the River Market and President Clinton Avenue. This is usually one of the busier parts of town, but it was pretty calm and quiet that night.



It was starting to get late so I needed to head home, but I made one last stop at the State Capitol. Luckily the new camera has weatherproofing, since it was pretty much sitting right on top of this puddle.

Downtown Again

It was supposed to be another foggy night - the National Weather Service even put out a dense fog advisory for us. So I dutifully gathered up all the camera gear and headed downtown to take pictures. Except, when I got there it wasn't foggy yet. Oh well. But the lack of fog actually meant that you could see the lights on the capitol from the freeway this time.



Next I drove by the Museum of Fine Arts, which was lit up brightly.



And then I headed over to the Clinton Park Bridge, which had a nice reflection in the still waters of the river.







Of course by this time fog had drifted in and was starting to obscure the tops of the downtown buildings. But it was getting too close to bedtime so it was time to head home. Luckily the next day would be really foggy again, more on that later...

Another Foggy Night

We had gotten both kids to bed the other night, and my wife I decided to spend a relaxing evening catching up on some TV shows. We had gotten all nice and cozy when one of the dogs let out a vile and noxious fart. One of those disgusting ones that threatened to strip the paint off the walls and to wake up the sleeping children. I rushed the dogs to the backyard, and saw that it was another foggy night outside. So I grabbed the camera gear and headed out into the fresh air to try to take a few more pictures.

I love taking pictures in the fog, so the dog passing gas was very fortuitous (or fartuitous?). The city was cloaked in a thick blanket of fog. I drove downtown and was a little surprised that you couldn't see the state capitol from I-630. Not just the building itself, but even the bright Christmas lights were hidden by the fog. I drove closer and they barely managed to appear out of the gloom, like a mirage slowly revealing itself.  





It was pretty quiet out there that night, and not much traffic on the roads. I guess most people had the good sense to stay home.



I couldn't stay out too late since I had work early the next morning, but got one last shot of the Pulaski County Courthouse. Thankfully the dog had cleared out whatever nasties were plaguing her by the time I got home.