Falling Water Falls

It is now officially waterfall season, so I headed up to the Ozarks with my friend Zack Andrews the other weekend. The goal was to hopefully find a few waterfalls and take some pictures. I was able to leave work a little early on Friday, and we met up and headed towards the hills. It would get dark while we were driving up Hwy. 7, so we decided to stop along the way at Falling Water Falls.



It is a beautiful waterfall, and one that is very easy to reach...



We stayed out there taking pictures until it was after dark, this is a view of the falls taken as the last bit of light was draining away.



From there we got back onto Hwy. 7 and then continued driving north towards the Buffalo National River. Our plan was to hike in the next morning to one of the prettiest areas in the state...

Easter Sunday

After visiting with the family on Easter Sunday, we decided to head on back to Little Rock. Since the light was favorable to pictures, I thought we could manage to sneak in a quick visit to a waterfall along the way home. I've studied the waterfall guidebook, so I knew there was actually a waterfall that was fairly close by. In fact it wouldn't be too far from the freeway and would be an easy hike. So I headed off, hoping the falls would be running well.

The waterfall is located in the Ozark National Forest, down a long series of bumpy and winding dirt roads. I headed down one road, and then another. Eventually I soon realized that I missed a turn somewhere, and had to turn around. I had a quarter of a tank of gas when I left civilization, but the fuel gauge was quickly dropping with an alarming speed. I got back to where I originally strayed from the main road, but the gas light had come on. Since I had the wife and a dog in the car, I decided it would probably be best to head back to town instead of risking running out of gas in the woods. Oh well, the waterfall will be there next time.

But even if the waterfall eluded me, I did find a few things to take pictures of. We passed this old truck, rusting away in the woods.



And also a barn too!





After getting a few pictures we headed into town and got a full tank of gas. We drove towards home, feasting on sugary Easter candy. I didn't mind missing out of the falls, since there are plans to head out tomorrow for another waterfall expedition to the Ozarks. I'll try not to get lost this time....

Natural Dam

I had to make a quick day trip to Fort Smith last week, and before heading home tried to find time to squeeze in a visit to a waterfall. Luckily there is a waterfall nearby that is a short drive away that requires absolutely no hike at all. In fact you can drive right up to it. It is the Natural Dam, in the Ozark National Forest.



The Natural Dam looks man-made, but like the name says it's all natural. A shelf of rock extends over 200 feet across Mountain Fork Creek, creating a low but long waterfall that stretches across the creek.





And a wider view of the falls, from the top of a nearby bluff. It was still early Spring when this was taken, and the redbuds were in full bloom.

Big Dam Bridge

I used to live by the Big Dam Bridge, and over the years I have made a ton of trips there. But I haven’t been to the bridge since I moved across the river to Little Rock last year. So last week I grabbed the camera and went back to my old stomping grounds. It had been pouring down rain all day, but the clouds were breaking apart and there were a few people out at the bridge walking and fishing.

I walked out to one of my favorite places to get pictures of the bridge. A little stretch of concrete juts out into the river, just below the dam. The river was running high, and the muddy water churned past the rocks sitting below the concrete. The recent heavy rains had left a few puddles in the concrete, which provided a nice reflection of the bridge and the lights (still green for St. Patrick’s day, I guess).

Little Rock

Last Sunday I had some free time so I decided to drive around Little Rock trying to find something to take pictures of. It was a lazy day, most of downtown was quiet and still.



This is an old sign along an empty store along Main Street. The Arkansas Repertory Theatre was just across the street and there was a crowd of people streaming in to see a show. Although this storefront was vacant, there is a lot of new activity along Main Street. There is a lot of new development coming in that is bringing life to this forgotten stretch of downtown.



I drove across the freeway and went by the old Woodruff House. Located along East 8th Street, the Woodruff House was built in 1853 and is one of the oldest buildings in the city. The house was built for William Woodruff, who was the founder of the Arkansas Gazette. Back in 1850s, this area was located outside of the city limits and Woodruff built a country estate. During the Civil War, the Union Army took possession of the house and used it as a headquarters and as a hospital. The Woodruff family moved out of the home, and in the 1920s it was converted into apartments. It has long since fallen into disrepair and has been vacant and boarded up for years. There have been a few attempts to save the building, and it is listed for sale right now (only $175,000). Hopefully someone will step in to help save it. After the old Majestic Hotel burned in Hot Spring, we don't need to lose anymore of our historic buildings in this state.



I drove around some more, eventually stopping by the old Cathedral of St. Andrew. It's a pretty old church, built way back in 1881. Here it is reflected in the roof of my car. I'm not too pleased with this composition, since you can some hail damage on my poor car.



Another church nearby is the First United Methodist Church. Here is the steeple of the church, which was built around 1900, with the modern Metropolitan Bank Building in the background.