Cincinnati Nature Center

Spring is here (still hard to tell) but the flowers think it is, so who am I to argue.  Off to CNC for a look.  I'm not the best at flower ID, so, if you know the names of some that I don't, please make a comment and let me know.

It was pretty bare looking, with no leaves on the trees and just a hint of green buds, a lot of fallen limbs and trees, but the ground was showing signs of life.  Here are all we found on our four hour hike around the GEO trail and the lake.

We were greeted by this gal, who put on quite a show for a few minutes.

 

I was beginning to think the only thing growing were these little yellow flowers.  They were abundant.

Lesser Celandine

But, as we continued into the woods, numerous other types began to be evident.  We found a lot of these White Trout Lillies.  It was not immediately evident that there was a abundance of these as they are not easy to see.  Once you notice them and look for them they become more visible.  I was then surprised to notice them in bunches.  In certain areas, they abound.  They seem to have little neighborhoods all along the trail.

White Trout Lilly

We also found these little guys poking up through the dead leaves.  Noone seemed to know the name.

Unknown variety.

Salt and Pepper

A little further down the trail, we ran across this nice little waterfall.

 The daffodil is the subject of much conversation as pertains to this nature center, and no small wonder.  The forest floor is covered with seas of these plants, just on the verge of blooming.  There is going to be a wonderful show in about a week.  For the time being, though, there were just a few early bloomers.

Daffodil

Further on down the trail, blue seemed to be the order of the day.  Aside from the Celandine, which were everywhere, there were a lot of these.

Glory of the Snow

Sky Blue Aster

Siberian Squill

Periwinkle (I think)

Lots of little white flowers as well, though I had to look hard to find a Snow Drop that was still blooming, I got lucky at the top of the trail and there was a large patch which were still blooming.

Snow Drop

Snowflake

Spring Beauty

This was one of the last things I saw and it was the only one that I saw all day.  It was tucked in beside a rotting log, just growing quietly by itself.

Winter Aconite

I also ran across a couple of other things.  This odd blue fungus was growing on a decaying log.  Very funky looking stuff.  Almost looks like a piece of coral.  And then there was this dead leaf looking like it had some sort of disease.

Funky Blue Fungus

That's all for now.  I'll be heading back next weekend for what's sure to be a bit more spectacular.  Looking forward to seeing a sea of daffodils.  That should be amazing.

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.