New York City - Central Park

When we planned this trip to New York City we didn't even think about there still being fall colors up there. So we were pleasantly surprised to arrive and see some great fall color still hanging onto the trees. And the best place to see the colors in the whole city just has to be Central Park.









We walked over to the Gapstow Bridge, which was much busier than when I was here earlier on our visit. Still no sign of the Pigeon Lady though.





There were a lot of people around the bridge, and I'd guess that most of them were tourists (it was a Saturday, after all). Now I know that you hear travel writers and influencers talk about avoiding touristy places like this. But you know what, sometimes it's just nice to be a tourist in a touristy spot. To be around fellow visitors, all excited about seeing something at the same time, to get pictures taken in front of it and to offer to take pictures for a stranger. It's charming in a goofy sort of way that reminds us that we are all people just out here experiencing life together. Things are so crazy and difficult in our world (and especially in this country) right now, and it is honestly refreshing that in these jaded and cynical times people can still get out and find joy in looking at reflections of skyscrapers and fall colors in a pond together.





This is the view from the bridge, looking towards the Plaza Hotel.



And the view, reflected in a small puddle of water on the bridge:



Construction on Central Park started in 1857, and was completed in 1876. It's crazy to think that while other parts of the country were being destroyed during the Civil War, people here were working on features in the park that are still in use today. Nowadays it is one of the most visited urban parks int he country with over 42 million visitors every year. 



This is The Dairy, which was built in 1871 as a restaurant. It's now used as a visitors center.



Central Park is one of the most filmed locations in the world, appearing in over 500 movies (like Elf, Home Alone 2, Die Hard With A Vengeance and When Harry Met Sally).





We stopped at the Turtle Pond, which had some great fall colors:





And then we walked over to Belvedere Castle, which was built in 1869. I'm assuming it was named after the old Mr. Belvedere TV show from the 1980s.



You can go inside (it's now used as a small visitor center and gift shop). This is the view looking out the windows:



And the views from the top:





After that we rambled through The Ramble, a series of winding paths through a forested area. As busy as the park was that day, it was quiet and peaceful there.









After that we headed back to our hotel to get changed, since we had tickets to see play later that evening (Oh, Mary!). But before we left I stuck the camera out the window of our room and got a shot of this view of the Empire State Building off in the distance.

Blanchard Springs

Last weekend, I made a quick visit to the Ozarks with my nephew Isaac so we could take a few senior portraits. We decided to drive over to Blanchard Springs, which is an incredibly scenic area that would hopefully make for some nice pictures. There were a few flaws in the plan, unfortunately. Most of the recreation area at Blanchard was closed because of flood damage. And it was also really cold and windy that day.

A good chunk of the area around Blanchard was indeed closed, and the road to the campground area was gated shut. But we did end up walking around the gate for a just a few steps, because the closed road actually ended up being a nice little background for some pictures. Because there hadn't been any traffic, there was a nice collection of fallen leaves along both sides of the pavement.



Luckily the trail to the springs was still open, so we headed over there next. 



It was past peak color there at Blanchard, and a lot of trees had already lost their leaves. The wind that day was also blowing a lot of the leaves away.







One of the great things about Blanchard Springs is that it's one of the few places in Arkansas where you can find waterfalls running year-round. We headed below the old stone dam, which was designed so that it has a waterfall running down below it at all times.



Nearby are the ruins of an old mill (which was built in 1900). It's a great backdrop for portraits and landscape photos, with the creek flowing right past the stone walls. We got a few more pictures before it was time to retreat back to the warm car and head back home.

All Around The Mulberry

It's looking like another good year for fall color. So to take advantage of the colors, I headed up the Ozarks again last weekend. Jonah tagged along with me this time as we headed up to the mountains around the Mulberry River. We ended up driving down a narrow and steep dirt road, which took us past this neat old building (it was apparently a blacksmith shop).



We headed out that day because the weather forecase promised it would be nice and cloudy. And it was, at least for awhile. It even rained on us as we were driving west. But as we headed up the dirt road the sun came out, and all the clouds disappeared as if they'd been removed by an eraser. We then headed over to one of the access points on the Mulberry River, which also had some nice color on it. Luckilly there were a few shady places that allowed for some long exposure photos.



For some reason, nine year-old kids aren't that excited about driving several hours to take pictures of old buildings. So Jonah was ready to head back home. Since the light was a little harsh, I agreed and we started to head back to the car. But not before getting one last shot of the fall colors along the scenic Mulberry River.

Richland & Falling Water

On the way home on Sunday we decided to take the scenic route - which meant driving down some dirt roads through the Ozark Mountains. The kids wanted to see some waterfalls, so we headed towards Richland Creek and Falling Water Creek. The falls weren't going to be running all that much, despite all the rain that weekend, but it would be a fun drive anyways.



The next stop was the campground at Richland Creek, which is an incredibly scenic spot. The water was low, but there was some great fall colors reflected in the creek.





And the next stop was Six Finger Falls along Falling Water Creek. A really pretty spot, even if the falls were barely flowing.



And then the last stop was Falling Water Falls. There was a nice collection of fallen leaves twirling about below the falls.

Buffalo National River - Steele Creek

Last weekend we made a family trip up to the Buffalo River, with the hopes of catching some nice fall color. It was cloudy and rainy as we were driving up to the Ozarks, and the mountains were covered with thick fog.





We booked a place right in Jasper, which was just a few blocks from the Ozark Cafe and the Jasper Pizza Company. And it was also fairly close to the river, so early the next morning I woke up before sunrise and drove over to the Steele Creek access along the Buffalo. I arrived as the river, the trees and a few campers started to awaken for the day.

There was a nice amount of water in the river, which was a big difference from last year when there was a bad drought and the water was really low. A soft rain continued to fall as I set up the camera under an umbrella and started to take a few pictures.



The fall colors hadn't peaked yet that weekend, but the rain and mist seemed to help bring them out and saturate them.



I got back in the car and returned to Jasper, and we then took the kids for breakfast to the Ozark Cafe. After filling up on pancakes and bacon, we then all headed back up to the Buffalo River and made another quick visit to Steele Creek. Luckily at this point it wasn't raining, and the kids scrambled over the rocks along the river.



And then from there we headed back to the car, and then went to see a few other favorite spots along the scenic Buffalo River...

Steele Creek

I really didn't think there would be good fall colors this year. There hadn't been a significant rain in two months. The rivers and creeks had all dried up, waterfalls were all a distant memory. Burn bans blanketed the region. But lo and behold, it turns out there were was some good fall colors in the Ozark Mountains this year. Somehow.

So we decided to make a weekend out of it and head up to the hills to see the fall colors. We booked a cabin near Jasper, and loaded up the kids (and the dogs) into the car like the Beverly Hillbillies. We arrived late Friday night, well after dark. But the next morning I woke up early, and snuck out without hopefully waking anyone up. I met up with my friend Zack, and we drove off to take pictures along the Buffalo River.

We went to the Steele Creek access, which is arguably the most scenic spot on the river. And while the water level was low, there was some really good fall color along the river.



I don't think I had ever seen the river this low before.







We arrived shortly before sunrise, and gradually we started to hear people at the nearby campground start to awaken. But it was a little surprising that there weren't more people there. Usually campgrounds are booked solid around the peak of fall color on the Buffalo, but there were several vacant spots there. We had no issue finding a cabin on short notice.









I forgot to bring the charger for the infrared camera, so the battery was almost dead. But I did get one shot from this spot:



It was crazy to think that just a few months ago people were floating canoes through here.







Later that day, I returned to the river with the rest of the family. Jonah was excited to try to skip stones in the small pools of water. Elliott, being a typical four year-old, was excited about being able to throw rocks in the water. As we were leaving, I stopped to get this picture of the trees set against Roark Bluff.