Clarendon

There is one easy way to tell how important a town was in the past - just look to see how impressive its courthouse is. And one of the most impressive courthouses in Arkansas is the Monroe County Courthouse in Clarendon. It was built in 1911, back when the Delta was the major economic center of Arkansas.



But times have changed, and the Delta has faced a steady decline. And that, unfortunately, is reflected by the buildings around the old courthouse. Almost all of them are empty and abandoned, and a few of them are crumbling away in the heat and humidity.



Clarendon is an old and historic town. French settlers moved into the area that would become Clarendon in 1799, building cabins near the spot where the Cache River flows into the White. The town grew in the 1820s when the Military Road (which was built to connect Little Rock and Memphis) was built through Clarendon. In 1828 a ferry crossing was established, along with the first post office. The town was officially incorporated in 1859, just in time for it to be an important location during the Civil War. The White River was a significant transportation artery during the war, and there were several fights and skirmishes that took place around the town. The fighting ultimately resulted in most of the town being burned in 1864, destroying most the buildings in the city.

It's an interesting place to drive through, with lots of things to stop and point the camera at. The old rail bridge (built in 1935) is still in use.



And the old train station, which was built in 1912. It hasn't been used in decades, and was covered by overgrown weeds and brush. I got this shot from the back of the station, with an old rusted Goodyear (or Goody?) sign.



Besides the courthouse, one of the most prominent buildings in Clarendon is the old Cumberland Presbyterian Church. It was built in 1869, and was one of the first churches to be rebuilt after the town was burned during the Civil War.



The building was used as a church until the 1920s, when it then became a Masonic Lodge. It was used for meetings and as a community meeting center and as a library.



The old church was nearly torn down in the 1960s, but the building was saved and was donated to the Boy Scouts.



Not sure if the Scouts are still looking after the building. All the histories of the building that I could find ended with that note, which happened many decades ago. Not sure who owns the building now or who is out there keeping an eye on it.

Back To The Delta

It had been a few months since I'd driven out to the Delta, so I grabbed the camera and headed back east. I drove through Scott, and then through the little town of Keo. There are a bunch of old gins and other assorted farm buildings scattered through the center of town. I'm not sure how many are still in use, but one did have this old tractor parked outside.



And that same tractor, reflected in a large rain puddle.



Nearby was an old building, which had a bunch of pipes being stored along its side. It looks like that pipe had been there for awhile, probably stuck there and then never used (kinda like that box of old power cables that everyone has stuck in the back of a closet). The only one who has been using that pipe lately appears to be some birds, who have been using it for target practice.



And then I drove through England (the town, not the country), where I always have to stop and get pictures of this old abandoned house:



And then I pulled over again for this old building:



Heading east, you start heading towards the town of Stuttgart. This is an area that is filled with rice fields, and soon you drive by this old building. The paint has faded with age, but you can just barely read "Why Buy Japanese? THEY WON'T BUY OUR RICE." I think this is referring to a time (many decades ago) when Japan did not allow any imports of foreign rice, much to the chagrin of Arkansas rice farmers. I took a picture and then drove off in my car (I hope whoever painted that sign didn't see me, since my car is a Japanese brand).



In Stuttgart, I drove by this old building that was surrounded by a sea of yellow wildflowers.



And then heading further east, I stopped at this field (of soybeans, I think):



And in a nearby building was this old truck, which seems like it's been parked here for awhile (it doesn't look like it was made in Japan).

Two Nights At Two Rivers

About this time every year, there's a chance to catch a really neat sunset from Two Rivers Park Bridge in Little Rock. If the conditions are just right, you can watch the sun set right on the top of Pinnacle Mountain. But it has to be completely clear - any stray clouds can block the sun and ruin the view, which is usually what happens when I try to go out there to take pictures.

But it looked like it might be good last Sunday night, so I went out there just before sunset with the kids. Luckily, the skies were clear enough as the sun began its descent towards the horizon.



And then the sun sank lower and drifted behind Pinnacle Mountain, creating an effect where it makes Pinnacle look like an erupting volcano.



And that nice warm sunset light was illuminating the clouds behind us:



The next night was forecast to be a bit cloudier, but maybe there would be a good break around sunset. So I headed back out to the bridge:



There was a little thunderstorm that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, that developed to the northeast. It began dropping a few bolts of lighting so I turned the camera around and started trying to get a few pictures. As soon as the lightning started, there was a mass exodus of boats all hurrying to make it to shore.



It was hard to decide what to do next: try to get pictures of lightning, or try to shoot the sunset? I kept the camera pointed towards the storms, hoping to catch more lightning. But the sunset was really odd, and I wish I was in position to get a shot of it. It started to rain between the Two Rivers Park Bridge and Pinnacle Mountain, and as the rain got heavier it made the light from the sun start to dim. It was almost a little eerie, like the sun was fading away. I didn't get a shot of it, but a really talented photographer that was out there got a really cool shot it.

I did get this shot, looking towards Pinnacle (which by then was hidden by the rain).



It's not easy to get photographs of lightning - it is mostly a combination of luck and timing. I set the camera so that it was taking exposures that were about 1.3 seconds long, and just tried to continuously take pictures of the storm. But of course, almost all the lightning would occur when the camera wasn't taking a picture, or would hit just outside of the frame. But I did manage to get this shot as the storm began to move across the Arkansas River by the I-430 Bridge:



It had to started to pour rain, and I was probably the only one that was foolish enough to still be out there. I was relying heavily on the little bit of "weatherproofing" on the camera, as I tried to get a few more pictures. I stayed out there for a few minutes longer, but didn't catch any more lightning. I did get this shot of the storm cloud and a faint little rainbow.



After that the lightning started to get uncomfortably close to the bridge, and since I was standing next to a metal tripod it meant it was probably time to retreat to the car. Luckily the camera made it through ok and didn't need to go and sit in a bag of rice that night.

Around Eureka

We were up in Eureka Springs during the holiday weekend, and it poured rain one day. Was it enough to get some waterfalls going? I was optimistic and got up early in the morning and drove out into the woods. But when I got to the waterfall it was just barely flowing, despite the heavy downpour the day before. This has really been a disappointing year for waterfalls in Arkansas.

But some of the rocks near the waterfall were covered with a thick coating of moss, so I stopped to get a few pictures:



And a tiny little mushroom was trying its best to grow up through the thick moss.



As I was driving back to Eureka Springs I had to pull over at this really neat old church, which sat nearly hidden in the woods along the road.



The old church was built in 1881, and was also used as a school. It has been well-preserved and can be rented for events and weddings.



I've seen photos of this church before and I've wanted to visit, but I had no idea where it was actually located. So even if I didn't manage to get any waterfall pictures, I'm glad I still managed to at least stumble on this neat old church out in the Ozarks.



We did drive through downtown Eureka Springs a few times, but since it was a holiday weekend the streets were packed with people. But I did get some time to make a quick trip over to the Beaver Bridge, which crosses over the White River and Table Rock Lake.



The one-lane suspension bridge was built in 1949, and is called the "Little Golden Gate Bridge." It's the only suspension bridge in Arkansas that's still open to traffic. It was a nice day, and there was a good deal of traffic around the bridge (from cars driving over and from boats going under).



And one last shot, of the old springhouse that stands next to the bridge. It was built in 1912:

A Little Creek In The Ozarks

We left the woods after finishing the hike to Bearcat Hollow, saying goodbye to all the ticks. A few hours later, a storm system pushed through the Ozarks. Dark and forbidding clouds passed by overhead:





And after dark, the skies were lit up by flashes of lightning. The bolts seemed to dance across the sky.



The next day we went to visit a magical little spot in the Ozark Mountains. We turned off the pavement of Hwy. 7 onto a bumpy dirt road, which ran down into the woods. Along way we stopped by this oddly-shaped old house, and I ran out to get a picture. I think it kinda looks like a mushroom, like it's something that the Smurfs would live in. I'm guessing it has a good amount of attic space here:



And then we made it to this scenic little creek in the woods, which isn't too far from the Ozark Highlands Trail.



We spent a good amount of time here taking pictures of the creek and the massive boulders that sit in the water.









And another part of the same creek (this part is actually on private property - we had permission to be there).





A large boulder sat by the creek, and one side was covered with a thick carpet of moss. And growing through the moss were some tiny little ferns.



And after that it was time to leave the mountains and head back to the city. It had been a good visit, but I'm sure all the ticks were sad to see me go.