Junction Bridge

So it has been a bit chilly this winter, and going out to take pictures when it's below freezing isn't the funnest way to pass time. But on Sunday it was actually warm, with the temperature up in the 60s. So I took advantage of the sunlight and warmth and drove to take pictures of the new lights on the bridges in downtown Little Rock.

I left home a few minutes too late, and just barely missed the sunset. I was going over the I-30 bridge and saw the sky lit up in bright oranges and red. By the time I stopped at a good spot for a picture, the best light had faded away some.



I headed over to the Junction Bridge to take a few pictures as it began to get dark. The Junction Bridge is an old railroad bridge that was built in 1884, but converted into a pedestrian bridge in 2008. It's one of the best places to get pictures of the Little Rock skyline.



The Junction Bridge also sits right on top of the actual "little rock" that gave the city its name. In fact most of the old rock was destroyed when the bridge was built (apparently historic preservation wasn't that big of a deal back in the 19th century). The city built a nice plaza at the foot of the bridge a few years ago, and put a few chunks of the rock on display.



I've been meaning to get out and take pictures of the downtown bridges for a few weeks now. The electric company recently installed some fancy new LED lights on the Main Street, Junction and Clinton Park Bridges. The new lights definitely make the bridges stand out more.



I was amazed at how still the river was that night. There was hardly any wind, and the river looked like glass.



And one last shot of the Junction Bridge, from Riverfront Park in North Little Rock:



This is a great place to take pictures. The only downside is that when you're hungry, you can start smelling all of the aromas from every nearby restaurant in the River Market District and Argenta. I hadn't had dinner yet, so I was starving the whole time I was taking pictures out there.

Day-Off Pictures

The office was closed last Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so I used my time for a chance to get a few pictures. I met up with John, who was keen on taking his new car out on a photo trip. It was bright and sunny, not the best conditions for photography, but we headed out towards east Arkansas.

Along the way we passed by this old house, which looks like it has been abandoned for a long time. I peeked inside, the front rooms were filled with an assortment of random and creepy pieces of junk.



From there we drove onward, passing through the small town of Des Arc. We stopped at the old courthouse, which sits on the hill above the White River. This sign was right by the courthouse, but I can't find anything that explains what it means...



From there we headed to our next stop, the Hurricane Lake WMA near Bald Knob. I went there a few years back and wanted to make a return visit. But we got there only to find the road blocked - flooding on the White River had closed most of the WMA. So we headed over to one spot in the WMA that was accessible, a small lake that is home to countless cypress trees. There was no wind, and the water was as still as a mirror. We got a few pictures before heading back home...

Scott

Scott is a neat little community, located about 15 miles east of Little Rock. It's an old town, surrounded by miles of farm land and old homes, barns and plantation buildings. There are also thousands upon thousands of pecan trees around Scott. Pecan trees line the main road through the area, stretching for a few miles. I've taken a lot of pictures out there over the years, but I've really been wanting to get a shot there of the road in a thick fog.

A few days ago, it was really foggy and I got my hopes up. I was at work, and anxiously kept looking out the window. Maybe, just maybe, I could rush home from work and get the camera, then hurry to Scott to catch the road in the fog? All that before it got dark? So I left work and sped east towards Scott, only to find that there wasn't much fog there. Dang.

I stood out in the pouring rain to take a few pictures as it began to get dark. There wasn't as much fog as I would have hoped...

Another Foggy Night

It was another foggy night, so I grabbed the camera and headed to downtown Little Rock to try to take some pictures. I really wanted to get shots of the new lights on the river bridges. But as luck would have it, the lights were off that night so some maintenance could be done. I drove around a few other places and stopped along Second Street to get some pictures of the Pulaski County Courthouse and the Stephens Building.



After that I drove by the state capitol again. This is the view from behind the capitol, taken as it started to rain.

MacArthur Park

It was really cold, below freezing, when I drove through downtown Little Rock the other day. It's the kind of weather that makes you want to stay inside, but I had the camera with me so it seemed like a good idea to try to get a picture of something. I drove by MacArthur Park, and got out to take some pictures of the Little Rock Arsenal Building. This is one of the oldest buildings in the city, dating way back to 1838. The building served as part of the old federal arsenal, and now houses the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History.