Bowers Hollow

So from Longpool, Zack and I headed north towards the Buffalo River. Our plan was to camp overnight, and then hike into Bowers Hollow in the morning. I had never been to this hollow before, and the conditions looked perfect (cloudy, after days of rain). After several miles of driving down bumpy dirt roads, we finally parked near the trailhead to the falls. But as soon as we parked, it started to rain. It would end up raining all night, stopping just before sunrise.

So we woke up and started the hike. It's about two miles to the falls, but the trail follows an old road trace so it's not too tough of a hike. Eventually you do have to leave the trail and bushwhack down the hill to the top of the falls. And then carefully make your way along the edge until you find a spot where you can safely drop down below the bluff. Because of the last bit of the hike around the falls, this is rated as a "difficult bushwhack." But it is well worth it.



It's an amazing area, and one of the prettiest waterfalls in the state.





The falls are 56 feet tall, and the creek was surrounded by blooming umbrella magnolia trees.



I took a lot of pictures out there...





We followed the creek for a ways, as it tumbled and flowed past huge boulders.







After that we headed back to the top of the bluff, and got one last view of the falls.

Longpool

Last weekend, Zack and I decided to head off to see some more waterfalls. It had rained earlier in the week, and it was predicted to be cloudy all day on Saturday. Perfect conditions! So we picked out some waterfalls that we wanted to visit, and left after work on Friday.

It took longer than I would have liked to leave town, thanks to the traffic jam along I-40 in Mayflower. But we eventually broke free and started to get closer to the Ozarks. We had time to hit a waterfall before it got dark, and decided to hit Longpool Falls. The falls are near the Longpool campground along Big Piney Creek, and can be reached by a short hike. I've been to the falls many times, and have only been lucky enough to catch it running just one time before. I hoped that the falls would be running that day, after all the recent rains.

The trail to the falls is short, but it does involve a scramble over some slick rocks. Luckily the falls were running well enough, and I hurried to get some pictures of the 44 foot tall falls.



There is a smaller waterfall downstream from the falls, which have a lot of personality.



It was starting to get dark, but we stayed out there until the light was just about gone. This was a 25 second exposure:



We hiked back to the car and started driving deeper into the Ozarks, towards the spot where we camp that night. It would rain overnight, creating a memorable waterfall day out in the woods....

Petit Jean

Petit Jean State Park is one the best state parks in Arkansas. There are some great trails there, including the one to the mighty Cedar Falls. It's a short drive from Little Rock, and well worth the visit. It had been awhile since I had visited Petit Jean, so I decided to head over there when I had some free time. This is the view from the Stout's Point Overlook, near Petit Jean's grave. It was mostly cloudy that day, and I hoped that the clouds would take over so it'd be easier for waterfall pictures.



I started out on the Cedar Creek trail, which runs for about 1.25 miles. The trail was actually constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps way back in the 1930s. It follows a small stream as it drops down the hill to Cedar Creek, then runs along the creek and then back up the hill. I stopped to get a few pictures, but the clouds were not cooperating. I sat and waited for awhile as clouds slowly drifted in front of the sun, granting a few minutes for some hasty pictures.



After finishing the Cedar Creek hike, I started on the trail to Cedar Falls. Luckily the canyon above Cedar Creek is tall enough that the creek was already in shadow. There is a lot of tree damage at Petit Jean, probably casualties from the ice and snow this winter. Several trees had fallen into the creek.



After hiking about a mile, the trail finally reaches Cedar Falls. It is an impressive sight, and one of the most powerful waterfalls in the state.



The falls are 95 feet tall, but the canyon walls surrounding the waterfall are probably twice that.



It's one of the most popular waterfalls in the state. There were a lot of families out there, with kids running and jumping on the rocks.



This is the view looking down Cedar Creek, as the light from the setting sun was catching the distant walls of the canyon.



Cedar Falls is the main attraction here, but the creek can be really scenic and interesting. Along the way back, the creek runs by a tall bluff line. This isn't along the trail, you have to wade through a sea of poison ivy to get to this spot.



The well-worn trail to Cedar Falls...



While hiking back, I looked over to the creek and saw a crane standing in the water just above a small cascade. I rushed to get the camera ready, while trying to not make any sudden movements that would scare it away. I managed to get one picture before the crane moved, and then flew away.



The trail ends back at the lodge, as you make the long slog back up the hill. The trail switchbacks and can get quite steep, instantly reminding you of how out of shape you are. My legs, which had survived Indian Creek a few weeks before, were not happy with me.

Dagmar

I've fallen really behind in writing, so my apologies to the three people who ever read these posts! So the other weekend, I was driving back home after a quick road trip to Nashville. After crossing over the Mississippi River into Arkansas, I soon encountered the scourge of I-40: miles and miles of construction.

Around Brinkley, there was accident in the construction zone which backed up traffic for miles. Instead of sitting there and just staring at the bumper of the car in front of me, I decided to take a little detour onto Hwy. 70. Traffic was moving there at least, although it was fairly slow. But it went right by one of my favorite places to take photos in the state, the Dagmar Wildlife Management Area.

The sun was starting to set as I drove the dusty dirt road to Hickson Lake, which is lined with cypress and tupelo trees. The evening sun was streaming through the trees and reflected in the lake.



It was quiet and peaceful on the lake. Only one other person was out there, and he was off fishing in a boat on the opposite of the shore.



It was nearly dark when I left Dagmar, and luckily there wasn't any other traffic on the road when I stopped to get a few more pictures.

Tennessee

A few weeks ago, Caroline and I made a quick trip to Nashville for the weekend. She was attending a baby shower Saturday morning, which left me free to wander around taking pictures. So I did some research (by Googling "Waterfalls near Nashville") and found a few neat places that were fairly close by. The only problem was that the weather was predicted to be bright and sunny over the weekend. So in order to get a good shot of the waterfalls with the best light, I'd have to get there right around sunrise. Which meant leaving Nashville at a horribly early hour.

So at 4 A.M. I sleepily drove away from our friends house and headed east into the hills. The sky began to brighten with the upcoming sunrise, turning from a deep black to an inky blue. But I had timed it just right, I was going to be getting to the waterfall (Burgess Falls) right on time.

However, when I got to Burgess Falls State Park I realized the fatal flaw in my plan. The park was closed, and the road gated shut. In all of my diligent research on Google, I failed to see that the park opens at 8 AM. It was only 5:30, and the sun was about to rise. I didn't feel like sitting around for all that time only to get there when the falls were in direct sunlight. What to do?

There is another park nearby, with a huge waterfall there. It's about an hour away, and if I hurried there was a small chance I could get a few pictures there before the sun got too high. So I rushed towards Fall Creek Falls State Park, trying not to speed too fast down the winding country roads.

I got to the park and rushed to the overlook at Fall Creek Falls. The sun was rising, but hadn't yet reached the waterfall. The light was hitting the trees surrounding it, and the mist floating up from the falls.



At 256 feet tall, Fall Creek Falls is the highest free-flowing waterfall east of the Rockies. Which is another fact that I neglected to see when doing my waterfall research in the area. Whoops. The other waterfall here is the 250 foot Coon Creek Falls, which plunges into the same pool as Fall Creek Falls.



This is a great park, and it's filled with waterfalls. The sun was high enough now that the light was harsh, so I couldn't get too many pictures. This is the last shot I was able to get, of the creek flowing below a bluff.



I started to head back towards Nashville, but decided to make another stop at Burgess Falls State Park. The light would be rough, but after making the drive there I still wanted to see it. I got to the park and made the short hike to the falls, passing by several smaller falls before hitting Burgess Falls. At 130 feet, it's a massive waterfall.



I started heading back towards Nashville, passing by several old barns.



After making it back into Nashville, we were able to do some sightseeing. This is a view of downtown, from the Shelby Street Bridge over the Cumberland River.



I headed home on Sunday, and made a pitstop in Memphis. On the left is the Pyramid, which is said to be the 6th largest pyramid in the world (the other bigger pyramids are in Egypt, and Las Vegas). There wasn't time on this visit, but on the way through Memphis on Friday night we did stop at one of the very best burger joints around, Huey's.