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.

Bearcat Hollow

I've known Zack Andrews and Matt Kennedy now for about 17 years (give or take a few months). They are both outstanding photographers and great friends. We've been out hiking to lots of waterfalls across Arkansas, hitting places like Twin Falls at Richland, V-Slot Falls, Cossatot Falls, Acord Hollow, Compton Double Falls, and Bowers Hollow Falls. And we still try to meet up to do some hiking every year, even if we aren't in as good as shape as we were 17 years ago.

So this time we hiked into Bearcat Hollow, which sits north of Richland Creek. The hike starts out easy enough, following a dirt road and then the Ozark Highlands Trail. But then you leave the well-marked OHT and then descend into the woods. There was a faint trail here, probably mostly used by rock climbers. But the woods were already overgrown with briars and poison ivy, and we lost the trail. We bushwhacked downhill, getting snagged by thorns and attracting the attention of a large number of ticks.

Eventually we made it to the top of the falls. But to get to the bottom required hiking along the bluff line for a bit until there was a decent opening where you could safely drop down. But we did finally make it to the waterfall, which drops 35 feet onto a large rock sitting in a pool of turquoise water.



The sun was breaking through the clouds, so we spent a good amount of time here waiting for the light to change. It gave me plenty of time to pluck off the ticks that were trying to climb up my legs (I found more than a dozen of them on this hike).





Matt and I hiked to this waterfall back in January of 2019, and it was interesting to see how different it is in the Spring. There definitely was a lot more green - there was now a thick carpet of ferns growing behind the waterfall.



While taking a long exposure photo here, the tripod head wasn't tight enough and the camera swiveled just a little bit. I kinda liked how the resulting shot (which was taken completely by accident) turned out.



And one last shot of the ferns behind the falls. After this we made the hike back up the hill, through the thorns and ticks. All together, it was about a four mile hike to the falls and back.

Haw Creek Falls

I got back onto paved roads and the headed over to visit Haw Creek Falls. But along the way I did make a stop at the old bridge over Big Piney Creek. Here a little dirt road heads off, going deep into the woods.





The narrow one-lane bridge over the Big Piney was built in 1931.



It's a fun bridge to drive across (as long as there's not any oncoming traffic).



And then I finally made it to Haw Creek Falls, which is one of my favorite waterfalls in Arkansas. I went to college not too far from here in Clarksville, way back in the olden days. I made many trips up to this waterfall back then, and have been returning here every chance I can ever since. It's always like reuniting with an old friend.