On Broadway

I recently tried to get a few shots of the new Broadway Bridge, which spans the Arkansas River between Little Rock and North Little Rock. I went after work, and realized I probably should have at least changed out of my work clothes since I had to climb over some muddy rocks to get to this vantage point along the river.



The new bridge opened last year, replacing an older bridge that dated back to 1923. That bridge was deemed to be structurally deficient, so like so many other old things in Little Rock it was torn down. I didn't like that the old bridge was demolished, but I have to admit that the new bridge is growing on me.





And a pano shot, taken from one of the ramps that connects the bridge to Riverfront Park in North Little Rock.



Before heading home, I made one last stop at the State Capitol Building. I parked in a parking spot that was marked reserved for a state senator and hurried to get a quick shot. This is the capitol reflected in the hood of my car. Luckily it was dark so you can't tell how badly my car needed to be washed.

Bridges of Pulaski County

The covered bridge in North Little Rock's Burns Park has to be one of the most popular photo spots in central Arkansas. In fact, I think all residents of North Little Rock are contractually obligated to have their Wedding, Engagement or Senior picture taken either here or at The Old Mill (I say this as a native son of Dogtown). So here is one more shot of the bridge, taken a few weeks ago...

Falling Water Creek

From Annie's Chapel, I drove up Highway 7 and then visited Falling Water Creek. It is a beautiful area, and the creek lives up to its name by featuring several different waterfalls. It is also a popular spot, and can get really busy on the weekends (I just hope it's not going to be loved to death, like a few other places).

The main reason this is such a busy spot is because most of the waterfalls along the creek can be seen from the road, or by a short hike. The most popular waterfall along the creek is the aptly named Falling Water Falls, which sits right by the road. When I arrived, there was a long line of cars, pickup trucks and 4-wheelers parked along the dirt road, and the waterfall was crawling with people. I didn't bother stopping to get pictures since there were lots of big redneck guys walking around shirtless (which I didn't think anyone wanted to see captured in a photo).

So I headed further down the road, and stopped at this quiet spot on the creek for a few pictures. The creek was lower than I had hoped it would be, the rain that the weather forecasters predicted hadn't made it through the area yet.



And then further down the road is this old mailbox, which used to actually say "HILLARY CLINTON" but it looks like its been recently repainted. I've assumed that the land here wasn't owned by the famous Hillary Clinton but who knows, it is Arkansas after all.



Further down the road is another waterfall - Six Finger Falls. The falls get their unusual name because of the fact that when you look at them from above, they look like a hand with six fingers. This is looking at three of the six fingers.



And a closer view of one of the fingers (the middle finger?).



There is one large waterfall here that I am ashamed to admit that I've never been to before - Keefe Falls. So I decided to do the short hike to the falls, which was a bit anticlimactic because there was barely any water in the falls. But it does look like the area around the trail had recently burned, which I'm guessing was probably a controlled burn and not from a wildfire?



And a fallen tree, with the dry creek in the background. I bet this will be an amazing spot when there is actually water flowing!



It was getting late in the day, so I started to head home. But first I made another stop at Falling Water Falls. It was much less crowded than before, with only two people at the falls. They had set up a hammock and were busy taking selfies while trying to look like they were relaxing by the falls. By now it finally started raining, and I hurried to get a few pictures.



And then suddenly it just started pouring down rain, a sudden deluge that quickly soaked the landscape (and any photographers dumb enough to be out there). I hid under a bluff but at least managed to get a few pictures during the downpour.



I needed to get home, so I headed back onto Highway 7 and began heading south back towards the freeway. The sun had managed to break through the storm clouds, and was basking the trees along the road with a soft golden light. I was tempted to stop every few feet to take pictures (but had to at least wait until there was a safe spot along the curvy road).

Annie's Chapel

While heading up to the Ozarks one Saturday, I took a quick detour to visit a neat old church (which might be a good spot for star trail pictures). The church is called Annie's Chapel, and is located between Clarksville and Russellville. The church was built way back in 1886, and was originally a Methodist church.



I wasn't able to find out much information on the old church, other than when it was built. There is a small cemetery across the street with graves dating back to the 1800s.



Inside, there are still many old pews and a pulpit. It does clearly look like the church is maintained and looked after, even if there haven't been any services here in many years. Just to the side of the pulpit is an old piano, which was worn down and was coated with a layer of dust.

Fisheye Junction

I borrowed a fisheye lens for the photo trip to the Hotel Pines, and before it was returned I tried to make a few extra trips around town to get a few shots with it. The extreme wide angle lens gets some interesting results, although sometimes it can look a little too distorted. This is the view of the Junction Bridge and downtown Little Rock taken with the fisheye. It's a fun lens to play with, might need to borrow it more often.