Winter Camp - Red River Gorge

The first full moon of the year always gets me out of the house and down to the Red River Gorge for a few days of primitive camping.  Primitive is a pretty good word for it, as there are no facilities to speak of and the natives tend to get a bit restless as well.  32 was the count this year and the nights got kind of long, as there was never a dull moment.  Morning found the gorge pot percolating with some pretty bad coffee and  us frying bacon and scrambling eggs to get started.

After breakfast we headed out for a hike, but with the steep icy roads, the crew got bogged down. I turned around and headed back up the hill to wait for the rest and spent some time at the Sky Bridge Overlook. I took a series of 210 photos (42 shots x 5 bracketed) and selected 18 of them to create this photo, which represents the sun's passage, as it peeks through a break in the clouds, from the horizon to the foreground.  Images were stacked in Photoshop to get this rendering.

Overlook at Sky Bridge - 26 January, 2013  (11:43 A.M. - 12:23 P.M.)

After leaving here I made a wrong turn on the Mountain Parkway.  I realized this right away but it was too late and by the time I got to where I could turn around, I decided to make my way back though the back roads and see what I could see.  I got off at Lacy Creek Rd. and began the trek back.  It was slow and I wasn't too sure about where I was going, but I had a full tank.  I ran across a lot of barns.  I shot a bunch, but only a couple are nice shots.  I turned this one black and white to take advantage of the frosty surroundings.

I kind of like this one as well, but it's hard to draw any color out of things when the light is so bland.

I eventually made my way back into the gorge and caught up to the crowd as they were heading back to camp.  I stopped in at Gladie Creek Historical site and shot a few there.  By this time the clouds were gone and the sun was burning bright.  I think this is a very scenic place and I plan to go back here for more shots in the future when I have more time.

Cabin at Gladie

Cabin at Gladie

One of the barns at Gladie

Saturday night was clear at the beginning of the evening and I was hoping to get some night time captures.  I have never done star trails during a full moon.  Everyone says you can't, but, I think you can if you have the patience and the right exposure, but the moon is definitely an issue.  I shot Half Moon Rock during a 4 minute exposure.  I was mostly just playing around but when I processed this I noticed the star trails.  This is only one image and the trails are short, but I think a good stacking of several hundred shots would make a nice star trail here.  I'll be back for this shot.

Half Moon Rock from Drunk Man's Bluff (Horizon lights are from Berea and Somerset)

It was another good year at the gorge for the annual trip.  I always look forward to this event, even though a lot of folks think we're all crazy.  It's one of the best times of the year for me.  Great time.

See all the gorge shots here.

A bit of Winter Wonderland

As I sit here a week and a half later, it's hard to believe it's 45 degrees and sunny and all the snow is gone.  That's pretty mild weather for January, though last year was quite mild as well.  Probably speaks to the quantity and variety of bugs invading my space this year.  But I digress.

Saturday, December 29, I headed out around 5 AM.  It had been forecast to snow the night before and it surely did.  I guess we got about four inches here.

I had been waiting for this event since last year, when I missed an opportunity to get a shot I had been wanting for awhile.  That being a shot of our suspension bridge in the pristine snow with night lights shining in the gloom and blow.  That, however, was not to happen, as the bridge was a mess with footprints and traffic and the lighting was terrible.  I'm going to have to pursue this shot with more zeal at another time and definitely get out of the house earlier.  Seems the joggers around here can't sleep either.  I'm betting midnight is probably a better time, but we're subject to when the snow comes down, aren't we.

All that aside, being disappointed with my initial location, I headed up stream to the Purple People Bridge.  It was not much better, but I took this shot there.

It's pretty muddy looking and post processing wasn't making it any better, so it is what it is and I decided to move on.

Eden Park is usually a good place as there is an overlook and a reflecting pond and a gazebo I had never used as a subject before.  It was looking pretty good this morning, and, as I jockeyed for an angle that pleased me, I noticed the sky starting to clear and the sun lighting the trees in the background.  I stood for a long time waiting for the light to be right and it never did really come to my expectations but this shot came from that time and I'm happy with it.

After Freezing here for awhile (I didn't really dress appropriately), I headed up the hill past the conservatory to the over look, where there is always a good shot.  My favorite tree was waiting as were the benches and the bridge and pond.  Here they are.

Later, on my way out of town, I passed by Music Hall.  I parked right in the middle of the street, jumped out and popped off five bracketed shots to render this HDR of the iconic landmark.

North Carolina Waterfalls and Fall Color Trip 2012 (Part 3)

Well, caught up with me, as it usually does whenever I go out of town, and I've been so busy I've barely had time to check my email.  So, here's the third and final entry from our fall color adventures.
For part one, click here.
For part two, click here.

Thursday morning arrived with a thick fog, and, having missed Whitewater Falls the previous evening, we headed there first, hoping the fog would lift. Our hopes turned out to be wishful thinking, as by 12:30 P.M., the fog was still thick. I managed to salvage the morning with this shot of a lone tree in the fog at the Whitewater Falls parking area. It's not fantastic but I like it and it sure shows the conditions we had to deal with.

 

We decided to head on to Maggie Valley, where we would spend two days to witness the Elk rut in the Cataloochie Valley.  Along the way, we stopped to photograph a number of old barns and a covered bridge.  There are but one or two covered bridges left in North Carolina from the old days, so it was nice to see this one, which gives at least an aura of old times, even though it's probably less than 10 years old and looks newer.  A charming little bridge along NC 107.

Friday morning found us driving the super dusty and bouncy, pot hole encrusted, 8 mile long dirt road approach to the Cataloochie Valley.  I hadn't seen this road this bad before and it took almost 45 mins. to get through it.  Bad road or not, it's always a rewarding experience to see the elk and visit this valley.  Even when crowded, as it was this day, it's a good time.

We witnessed some decent size herds this year and there were a lot of bulls out and about during the day, which is kind of unusual.  I witnessed a short fight, but was unable to catch it with camera.  I think next trip out, I'm going to camp out in Oconoluftee and wait for the morning herd to cross the river back into the woods after their breakfast.  I saw this happening but no matter how fast I ran to get a pic, it wasn't to be, and only caught the tail end of the last elk.  So, next year, I'll be just sitting and waiting.

I did enjoy a bit of exploring this year and found it somewhat rewarding looking for old barns and deserted buildings on the backroads.  Here are a couple.

Found on the roadside along N.C. 107

Old barn at Oconoluftee, Great Smokey Mountain National Park.

Along U.S. 25E near Cumberland, Kentuck.  On the edge of a stormy evening.

Mingus Mill in Great Smokey Mountain National Park

A brief stop at Berea College on the way home and the iconic Draper Building.

So ends another trip to wonderful mountainous N. Carolina and vicinity.  Sunrise and sunsets were not so noteworthy or photographable this trip, as there was much haze and not much of the heavy fog normally attributed to the mountains this time of year.  This was about the best we saw in seven days.  Lots of early mornings with not much to show and sunset was no better, as there was a lot of haze our whole trip.

View from Blue Ridge Parkway, north of  Big Witch Gap.

Good bye for this year and looking forward to next year.

Go here for all the images from this trip and thanks for looking.