Cedar Falls

We got a lot of rain here last week, which meant that last weekend was a perfect opportunity to go and look at a few waterfalls.  The only problem was that it was sunny - which isn't the most conducive weather for waterfall photography.  Since there was nary a cloud in the sky on Saturday, it pretty much limited the available shooting times to a short period either around sunrise or sunset.

So it shouldn't be a shock at what time I decided to head out - sunset.  So on Saturday afternoon, we headed out to visit a nearby waterfall that I assumed would be running well.  The drive to Petit Jean State Park isn't that long from Little Rock, and after about an hour or so we had made it to the top of the mountain.  The trail to Cedar Falls isn't very long, starting out by the lodge and heading steeply down the hill along a creek that has several small waterfalls on it.

Soon the trail levels out and follows Cedar Creek.  The sun was getting low, and was lighting up the trees behind the creek.



Winter can be a dull time in the woods, without any color from the leaves on the trees. But the woods along the trail were lit up by the sun, which reflected in the water along the trail. This was along a small stream that flows into Cedar Creek.



After a little bit more hiking, we made it to the falls. The sun was still shining on the falls, so while waiting for the sun to slowly disappear, I got a few pictures of the light reflected in the creek...



At 90 feet tall, Cedar Falls is probably the most powerful waterfall in the state. And this might be the most water I've seen in it in several years.



The sun had finally sank low enough where most of the area around the falls was in shadow. But the sun was still hitting the upper reaches of the steep bowl, casting a golden light on the pool below the falls...



A wider shot of the falls - you can see some of the last bits of light hitting the rocks on the upper right-hand part of the shot...



It was starting to get dark, so it meant time to head back up the trail. But not before one last stop, to get a shot of the creek flowing below the falls..

Sunset On The River

While driving home from work the other day, I noticed some nice clouds hanging high above the river. If they would stick around for a little while longer, there might be a chance of a good sunset. So when I got home, I grabbed the camera and drove over to the Park On The River in Maumelle. I think I had arrived just a bit too late to get the best light, but it was still a nice sunset...



While at the park, I also took this shot. I'm not entirely sure if it's any good or not. But I guess I trot it out anyways...

Another shot of the Big Dam Bridge

On Thursday night, I needed to go out and get some gas for the car, since the needle was pointing a bit below "E."  While filling up the tank, I noticed some low fog drifting around.  Perhaps there might be more fog at the river?  So with the car filled up with petrol, I headed to get the camera, and then headed out to get a few pictures at the Big Dam Bridge...

When I got to the bridge, I was sad to see that there was hardly any fog along the river there.  But I decided to try to get a few pictures anyways.



There was a skunk lurking around nearby, so I thought it was wise to not linger there too long.

Capitol One

I had to run an errand in downtown Little Rock yesterday afternoon, and since I had the camera with me I decided to stop and take a few pictures. I ended up visiting the Old State House, which is the first capitol building in Arkansas. Construction on the Old State House ended in 1843, although it was open enough for the legislature to meet there when Arkansas became a state in 1836. It served as the capitol until 1912, when the current capitol building was completed. It's a really neat old building, and one of the few old buildings in Little Rock that was never torn down.



The old canon here isn't just a random piece of yard decoration. The canon was brought to the city during the Civil War in 1861 via steamboat. It was placed on the north side of the State House to help defend against ships floating up the river. It was never used, and was disabled by Union troops when they took over the city in 1863. But the canon was found and repaired, and fired once during the Brooks-Baxter War in 1874. The brief Brooks-Baxter War was a conflict that occurred when one faction of the Republican party (called the Brindle Tails, or the Scalawags (seriously)) staged a coup d'état to remove the sitting governor. The fights resulted in a few armed skirmishes across Little Rock, and was resolved only when President Grant called an end to the fight and declared a governor. Since then, the canon has been left on the Old State House lawn.

One of the Old State House's biggest claim to fame is being the setting for Bill Clinton's election night victories in 1992 and 1996. During last year's election, I remembered back to 1992 when my family decided to head over to the Old State House to watch the party. But then I had the sudden realization that this happened 20 years ago, which made me feel old.

Here's one last shot of the Old State House, with the tall trees that stand in the statehouse lawn:

On The Waterfront

I had the sudden realization that it had been awhile since I had picked up the camera and taken pictures.  So I headed out on Sunday night in order to rectify that.  It was after dark, but I ended up visiting Riverfront Park in North Little Rock.  My original plan was to maybe get pictures of the Broadway Bridge, since it's going to be torn down and replaced sometime soon.

But instead I stopped along the way and took a few pictures of some of the massive old trees that are growing along the River Trail. Many of the trees are huge, and must have been growing here for many decades. Here is a view of the Little Rock skyline, with a tree on the north side towering above it. It's amazing to me that these trees have survived here this long...