Lake Catherine

We had a bunch of storms pass through last week that dropped a bunch of rain, which meant that there was a very good chance that waterfalls would be going. Jonah said he'd be interested in going hiking, so I tried to think of a good kid-friendly waterfall. I decided that we should visit Falls Creek Falls at Lake Catherine State Park, which is a pretty fall along a short and easy trail. Of course, I wasn't the only one with that brilliant idea.

So we got to the trailhead and it was absolutely packed with cars, many of them from out-of-state (mostly Texas and Louisiana, but one from as far away as Iowa). I guess it didn't help that it was Memorial Day weekend. There was a crowd at the waterfall, including lots of people wading in the creek and standing under the falls. I had to wait awhile before the people would clear out enough for me to take a few pictures.



The creek was running high, of all the times I've been to this waterfall before I've never seen it with this much water.





The waterfall isn't the only highlight of the trail (for kids) - there is also this swinging bridge that moves and shakes as you go across.



After the hike it was time for lunch, so we drove into Hot Springs. My cousin Eric hiked with us, and his rental car was a hybrid electric car. Which meant that we got some really close and free parking at some electric charging stations along Central Avenue. From there it was a short walk down Bathhouse Row.



And then a stop at my favorite spot in Hot Springs - the Superior Bathhouse Brewery. The drinks and the food are both excellent. And it's the only brewery inside a National Park, and the only brewery in the world that makes its beer using thermal spring water.



They have a beer garden outside, which has this view of the Arlington Hotel. It was a nice way to spend some time before driving back home.

Northern Lights

Last week some science-stuff happened with the sun, which allowed the Northern Lights to be seen in places that its never usually seen. Places like....Arkansas. But that night I was deep in the chaos of getting two kids to bed, and somehow managed to miss the best of the light show. But I did hurry to try to get a few pictures while the lights lasted. I ended up at Lake Maumelle, which offered a view of a soft pinkish light mixing in with the stars above the lake.

Pinnacle Mountain

I remember making the drive out to Pinnacle Mountain way back when I was a kid. Back then, it seemed like it took forever to get there. Of course in the years since then, the suburban sprawl of west Little Rock has steadily crept up towards the park. But thankfully the park still feels like a refuge, despite the close proximity of a Wal-Mart supercenter, fast food restaurants and gas stations.

I headed out there on a cool and cloudy day to try to get a few pictures. The Little Maumelle River, which flows near the base of Pinnacle Mountain, was running high after all the recent rains.





I did the Kingfisher Trail, which is a short and pleasant little hike along the Little Maumelle River.



The trail runs beneath several massive bald cypress trees. The trees are over 500 years old, and it's amazing that they somehow escaped being chopped down for lumber. The park sign along the trail says that they would have been saplings when Hernando de Soto was exploring this part of the country.









Across the parking lot from the trail was a picnic area, which sat by this small creek.



From there I headed over to the old location of the park visitor center (which has since moved to a larger and fancier new building). There is a small lake, which was once a rock quarry. There was a little bit of fog drifting along the trees.



This was taken from the little boat dock that sits atop the water.



I stood out there for a few pictures, careful to not drop the camera or fall in. I got one last shot with the infrared camera and then headed back home.

The Old Mill

Last week, Jonah and I visited the Old Mill in North Little Rock. I actually grew up in NLR, so I've made many trips to the mill over the years. My grandparents used to live a few blocks away, and we would always walk over there when we would visit. It's nice to see that the Old Mill still hasn't changed all that much - it's like an old reliable friend.

Whenever I visit the mill, I can't help but remember one of my teachers in high school. Way back in the olden days of the 20th century, I was a student at North Little Rock High School. There was a school literary magazine, which even had a photography contest. So I submitted a few pictures, including one of the Old Mill. As a true native of Dogtown, it's impossible to resist the lure of the Old Mill when you have a camera.

So my senior year, I actually joined the staff of the literary magazine as one of my electives. I soon learned that the Creative Writing teacher in charge of the literary magazine had some pretty strict policies on what could be accepted into publication. There were certain things that were instantly declined when they were submitted, like lovey-dovey or "dark night of the soul" poems, which did certainly help in keeping out some of the more angsty teenage poetry. But one of the teacher's biggest pet peeves was in photography, specifically Old Mill photos. She was so tired of seeing so many Old Mill pictures that she forbade any Old Mill picture from being published. Over the years, the magazine had received so many Old Mill photos that they even set up massive boards that displayed all of the collected images as a massive collage. So as a new member of the staff, I went over and saw the boards and soon found the Old Mill picture I had submitted from the year before. It was there, along with all the other rejects.

The Old Mill has been attracting photographers since it first opened (in fact my grandfather took pictures of it back in 1934). And with my most sincere apologies to Mrs. Ward, here is one more Old Mill photo to add to the mix:

Lurton

On the way home, I went through the small community of Lurton. I always try to go through here to visit this old abandoned building, since there's no telling how much longer it will be with us.



This was once a hotel, built back in the 1930s. Hwy. 7 used to run through Lurton, and this was a popular spot for travelers.



It was considered to be quite fancy for its time, and it even provided home-cooked meals. But it closed long ago, and has been left empty and decaying ever since. Part of the walls have caved in, and what is still standing has a pretty precarious lean. It unfortunately looks like it could completely collapse at any moment.





Just down the road is a small abandoned church.



It's hard to read now, thanks to the overgrown plants. But the sign above the front door reads "Everyone Welcome."

Rock Creek

After surviving the trip to Lichen Falls, we headed to Oark for lunch at the Oark Cafe (not to be confused with the Ozark Cafe in Jasper). After that we decided to take the scenic way back, which meant a dirt road that went deep into the forests of the Ozark Mountains. And since it was still foggy, we made lots of stops along the way.





We took a slight detour and ended up visiting the aptly-named Rock Creek, which flows into Big Piney Creek. It started raining again as I took this picture of the creek (which really is filled with rocks).



On our way out we made one last stop at this overlook. Bits of fog clung to the mountains, and Big Piney Creek runs through the valley below.

Lichen Falls

The Ozarks were still covered in a thick fog when we drove off to our next waterfall.





We went to Lichen Falls, which sits right alongside the Ozark Highlands Trail. There is some good news/bad news regarding this one. The good news is that it is ridiculously easy to reach the top of the falls. It's a short and level walk along the OHT, which runs through a delightful stretch of moss-covered woods. The bad news is that it is nearly impossible to safely reach the bottom of the falls if you want to get a better view or photo. It is a scramble down a steep and muddy hillside that is covered with poison ivy, sharp rocks and pointy exposed roots. We carefully tried to make our way down there, but I lost my footing and fell and then started sliding down the muddy hill. I slid right past an exposed root that stood out of the ground, narrowly missing my leg. If I had been sliding a few inches over it would have run right up between my legs. The collision with that root would most-assuredly not have been all that fun and pleasant.

The waterfall here is 28 feet tall, and tumbles over two ledges. It was hard to get both ledges together in a photo. The leaves on the trees blocked most of the view of the falls. And to get the best view would have meant trying to stand on the slick hillside, while water from the bluff was pouring over you. But we both made it down to the bottom of the falls safely and relatively unscathed and tried to take a few pictures.





And then we carefully ascended the steep hillside, and somehow made it to the top in one piece. On the way back to the car I stopped to get this shot of the Ozark Highlands Trail, and right after this was taken a heavy thunderstorm passed overhead and started dumping rain. Which was a good sign that we probably needed to go find someplace warm and dry and get some lunch soon...

Stepp Creek

All the recent rains had left the Ozarks soaked, so it was no surprise that a thick fog had settled over the mountains that morning.







And the thick fog lingered as we begun our first hike of the day, which went deep into the woods towards Stepp Creek.









The trail starts out on an old road trace, which was nice and flat and easy hiking. But to get to the creek, you have to go downhill. There wasn't much of a trail here, so we made our way as best we could (you might say we got our steps in on this visit to Stepp Creek). Soon we made it to the creek, which was incredibly scenic.



This beautiful waterfall tumbles 25 feet over several tiers.



Water poured over the bluff, creating a few other smaller waterfalls.



From there, the creek flowed on. It eventually flows into the Little Buffalo River, which then flows into the Buffalo National River.



We made the short hike over to this 12 foot waterfall, which isn't very tall but was still very photogenic. We spent awhile here taking lots of pictures, and also just enjoying time in the woods.









And then we decided to hike back to the car. Unfortunately, what hikes down must soon hike up. So we headed up and up the hill, and I was reminded yet again of just how out of shape I've gotten. But we finally made it, and then drove off to see another waterfall.