5-8 Seven Hollows Grotto

We packed up the whole family, and headed to the Seven Hollows Grotto trail on Petit Jean. The Auntie Carol, Fununcle Adam, Ella, Wylie and Maya came, too, along with Papa. We had a backpack for Grant and Wylie, but Wylie wanted to walk the whole 4 mile hike. Maya is Carol and Adam's foster baby who is on a heart monitor. She did awesome on the hike!

We saw a few pretty wildflowers including this thistle. (1/30 sec, f-8, ISO400)

The day was bright and sunny, which doesn't help the photography aspect.  This little stream was almost dry, but it gives a good sense of Arkansas in the spring and summer. (1/30 sec, f-4.5, ISO100)

Daniel and Ella sitting on a rock. They love posing for pictures! (1/30 sec, f-5, ISO100)

We took a family picture in front of a large natural stone arch. (1/25 sec, f-11, ISO400)

The grotto is an amazing place. It looks like one of those fake waves with a surfboard that you get your picture taken on in Hawaii. (20 sec, f-22, ISO100)

There was very little water coming over the falls. This is a very contrasty place, even in better light. (0.4 sec, f-22, ISO100)

Ahh, the wonders of Photoshop! The water was stagnant and ugly looking, so I fixed it! (0.5 sec, f-22, ISO100)

I didn't get very many pictures due to the bright sun and dark shadows, but I tried to give you an idea of what this place is like. It was a fun day for all involved. The kids had a great time and did very well on the long hike. The grotto is a must see waterfall, one that we will go back to when the water is running.

5-2 Cedar Creek

After we left Mt. Nebo, Daniel and I headed to Petit Jean.  We really didn't want to make the long climb back up from the bottom of the falls, so we headed over to the top rim.  I didn't realize there was a trail going up the creek from there, but I was glad we went that way.  There is actually a parking lot and a loop trail specifically for this creek.

This is a creek that joins Cedar Creek a little ways above the falls. (15 sec, f-22, ISO100)

Daniel loved sitting on this rock. (1/4 sec, f-13, ISO800)

There is a nice rock ledge to sit on and take pictures from.  I still had a little too much sun. (1/8 sec, f-22, ISO400)

However, the lighting was good if I kept the reflected light out of the frame. (0.8 sec, f-22, ISO100)

Daniel absolutely loved being able to get his hiking boots wet! (1/3 sec, f-22, ISO100)

It's pretty hard to get him (or me for that matter) to sit still enough to take a long exposure, so I shot a quick one just in case the others were blurry. (1/20 sec, f-4.5, ISO100)

This picture shows Daniel's personality very well. (1/8 sec, f-5.6, ISO100)

We went around the back side of the falls to try to get a different vantage point but I wasn't satisfied with what we could see.  I saw this beautiful flower along the way. (1/25 sec, f-5, ISO800)

This is the bridge that leads to the Boy Scout trail. (1/25 sec, f-4, ISO320)

There are some pretty cascades on the creek. (5 sec, f-22, ISO100)

On the way back I decided to get a view of these rocks from the other direction. (2.5 sec, f-22, ISO100)

I try to get a picture of Daniel and I together whenever I can. (1/25 sec, f-3.5, ISO400)

This is the view from the east end of Petit Jean, near Petit Jean's gravesite. (1/125 sec, f-8, ISO400)

Daniel had school the next day so we headed to the house from here.  I didn't want to get us into trouble with his momma!  It was a fun trip!

5-2 Mount Nebo Falls

Daniel and I decided to give Jessica and Grant the day off. I was looking at the rainfall totals and it seemed that Mt. Nebo was the best bet of the day. Mt. Nebo Falls is a nice waterfall coming from the highest point in the state of Arkansas. It is also very easy to get to.

Of course, no waterfall would be complete without a picture of Daniel standing by it. (0.8 sec, f-25, ISO800)

It looks like a shower! (4 sec, f-25.8, ISO100)

The trail goes right behind the waterfall. I always like getting a picture from behind the curtain. (1/2 sec, f-25, ISO800)

I can't really decide which of these I like better. (1/2 sec, f-22, ISO800)

This one makes it look like Daniel is getting wet, but he isn't. (1/15 sec, f-25, ISO800)

Some other people showed up so my picture taking opportunities were limited.  Time to find another place. After looking at the map and trying to remember where the rain was earlier in the week, we decided on Petit Jean since it was closer to home and Daniel had school the next day.

5-1 Blanchard Springs

We had a birthday party to go to in the morning, so we were going to leave from there and go hunting.  We decided to head north of Conway, up Hwy 65 to hit four waterfalls in a row that looked to be real close to the road and real easy to get to.  When we stopped at a convenience store to get a road map, the only ones available had plastic covers.  I looked at Jessica and said "Never get a map that you can't look at first."  But, we got it anyway.  It turns out I was right. 

We drove around northern Arkansas for a while because the map had roads and intersections in the wrong place.  We finally got to where we were going about 5 o'clock.  There was a car parked there so I figured we were in the right spot.  As we were unloading and getting our shoes on and my camera gear together, we spotted a guy who was drenched in sweat heading back to his car.  We asked him how it was.  He said that they had been wandering around the woods for four hours looking for the first one which they never found and that the woods were very difficult to get through due to ice storm damage from the year before.  He looked at us and said "I wouldn't recommend taking those young kids down there."  It took us all of about 4 seconds to change our plans.

I looked at the map and the guidebook and decided to go to Blanchard Springs.  I knew that the trail to the spring was paved, so it would be fine for Grant.

On the way to the springs there was a nice view of the creek.  It was at this very moment that I discovered that you have to turn the circular polarizer to get it to work! (0.8 sec, f-11, ISO100)

It was getting late and the sun was going down behind the hills, but a little bit peeked out and lit up the two rocks in front of me. (1.3 sec, f-11, ISO100)

I turned around and got a shot looking downstream. I started having problems with my lens fogging up because of all the humidity. (1.6 sec, f-20, ISO400)

Off to the left of the springs is a nice cascade that wanders down from the top of the ridge.  It had some good water in it. (20 sec, f-22, ISO100)

Always look at your feet, you never know what you might find! I liked how the water was flowing smoothly over the log. (13 sec, f-13, ISO100)

Here, my lens fogging was getting bad, but I liked the dreaminess of this one. (2.5 sec, f-14, ISO800)

My ever present subject Daniel really likes this spot.  The drop in the upper left is probably twenty-five feet. (0.8 sec, f-9, ISO800)

If you look reeeal close at the bottom of the cascades you can see Jessica's red shirt. (1/5 sec, f-3.5, ISO800)

I wasn't sure if my lens was fogged when I stopped here on the way in, so I stopped and took another shot at it. (8 sec, f-25, ISO400)

It was another great day in waterfall hunting!  The boys slept all three hours on the drive home.  It's good to wear them out like that!

4-24 Keefe Falls

Down the road from Six Finger Falls a little ways is the trail head for Keefe Falls. The trail is pretty easy, a horse trail most of the way.

I just love a stream running through the woods. (1/15 sec, f-3.5, ISO800)

It's a bit of a scramble once you get close to the falls. Daniel had wet shoes, so he sloshed through the creek, but I was trying to keep mine dry. I got a shot of the falls as it hides behind the foliage. (1/5 sec, f-18, ISO800)

A shot of the stream as it runs away from the base of the falls. (0.6 sec, f-22, ISO800)

This one has a bit more of the waterfall in it. (0.6 sec, f-22, ISO800)

Sometimes branches in the way are can be distracting. Sometimes they can frame your subject. (1/8 sec, f-3.5, ISO200)

Keefe is running good! (1/6 sec, f-3.5, ISO200)

There is another drainage that joins this one just above here. I have seen that there is another waterfall up there called, wait for it, "The Other Keefe Falls" (1/15 sec, f-3.5, ISO800)

Sometimes I like to get a closeup of the water as it plays around the rocks. (1/20 sec, f-3.5, ISO800)

The beauty of digital is you don't have to change film when you want to change ISO's, or like in this case, when you want to shoot black and white. The conversion in Photoshop is a simple one. (1/20 sec, f-3.5, ISO800)

I am so glad we decided to head to the Fallingwater Creek area after we left Pam's Grotto. There were some unexpected surprises! It was getting dark, so we headed to Atkins. Once we got back in cell phone range, Daniel just had to call Bobbob to tell him about not getting to see Fuzzybutt! He was a tired puppy, though, and slept all the way home. Another successful day of waterfall hunting!

4-24 Six Finger Falls

We got to Six Fingers Falls and made our way to the rock ledge next to the creek.

The far left side of the falls. The way the stream flows around the big rock is pretty neat. (0.5 sec, f-22, ISO100)

This is where I wish for a wider angle lens. I shot this at 18mm. (0.3 sec, f-22, ISO100)

Getting down low gives you a different perspective. (1/4 sec, f-22, ISO100)

From the same spot I just panned over to get this one. (1/4 sec, f-22, ISO100)

A panorama stitch of the above two frames.

I really like how the water falling down the rock has a blue tone. (1/8 sec, f-14, ISO100)

This is a hand held shot looking across the falls at full flow. (1/50 sec, f-4.5, ISO100)

Another hand held shot looking back down towards my favorite rock. (1/40 sec, f-4, ISO100)

The water was really running, and I wish that I could have seen some kayakers running this. Obviously it was too high to go across to Fuzzybutt Falls, so we headed over to Keefe Falls.  It was about 6:30, so we should have some good light by the time we got there.