Road Trip in December - Arkansas

There was still a bit of fall color in Arkansas and the day was the warmest so far on the road trip. The interstate crossed the state through Little Rock and Hot Springs. The  area on either side of the roadway often seemed wet; the roadway was raised and sometimes not in great condition. 

The rest areas were well maintained but not as meticulously clean as Virginia and Tennessee rest areas. In one rest stop, the trash cans were all 'animal proof.'

Near Cotton Plant, Arkansas there was a huge swirl of water fowl circling and ribbons of others coming in. It almost looked like a whitish dust devil but composed of birds rather than dust. Unfortunately there was no convenient/safe place to stop and watch the aerial ballet. It must have been some part of the annual migration.

The pictures below captured some of foliage that remained. If the day had been sunnier, the drive would have been even more scenic. There were lots of pine woodlots and evidence of harvesting  that could be seen through a screen of trees left between the highway and the clear cut.