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This morning the crystal clear, dry weather allowedd a nice view of the Moon. I used a circular polaring filter, darkened the azure sky, and converted the image to black and white. The Sun illuminates the trees.
This is the third notable falls (10-12 feet) on the North Fork Blackwater River below Thomas. It is accessed off of the Blackwater Canyon Trail, but hard to reach. Others have bushwacked a trail and blazed it with ribbon. The last 10-12 feet to the river bed was with the aid of a rope and rock ledge, but well worth it.
This is a long exposure of eight seconds with the aid of a Lee Little Stopper and NiSi Circular Polarizer filters. The froth capture in the eddy appears as a whirlpool.
Class V rapids and 15 seconds before going off the American Falls. This was taken off of the 1st Street Bridge to Goat Island crossing the Niagara River while riding on the bus!
For you photo gurus: This is ten photos edited in Lightroom together and stitched in a panorama in Photoshop. Photoshop nailed the stitching & masking and filled in missing content before it was cropped.
Taughannock Creek plunges 215 feet into the gorge below. At some places along the gorge, the limestone and shale cliffs are nearly 400 feet high. From the creek’s confluence with Cayuga Lake, there is a 3/4-mile leisurely hike to the base of the falls.
Taken from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Raven's Roost overlook. The night before was cloudy and stormy over the Shenandoah Valley, and this night had thin clouds moving in giving a short window to view the northwest sky.
Camera: shutter for 10 seconds, ISO 6400, Tungsten white balance
Lens: 135 mm, f/5.0
This is the first notable (~8 foot) fall just below Thomas, WV on the North Fork Blackwater River off of the Blackwater Canyon Trail. This trail runs to the Blackwater River and continues to Hendricks, at the Black Fork Cheat River. This vicinity contains numerous "rails to trails" where rail/logging was carried out in the Canaan Valley.
I noted that the water was murky, and research turned up that the North Fork was severely damaged by deep mining, coke production, and surface mining. Acid mine drainage degraded the water quality, and a solution was to build a 16k ton Wetland/Anoxic Limestone Drain (WALD) at the abandoned mine. Though the system hasn't performed as intended, it has reduced the acidity and metals entering the stream.
At the 2018 Steel in Motion race and car show at Union County Dragway, Union, South Carolina on August 25th, 2018.
If you're traveling on the Blue Ridge Parkway (MP 74.7) between the James River and Peaks of Otter, be sure to stop here. It's only a couple of hundred feet from the parking lot and it's flat; a "leg-stretcher". It overlooks Arnold Valley in Botetout/Rockbridge Counties.
Sometimes you can find growth in the hardest places. Nowhere is that more evident than along a streambank. Water is all around, yet rocks are barren and dry. Slowly moss and lichen take hold. Wind, rain, freeze, and thaw; processes that start to break down barriers. Through perseverance, slowly and steady, an environment is created and allows a seed to bare root. Not just any seed; its a plant that protects itself. Armed with thorns, the blackberry seedling speads out; capturing sunlight and then itself bares fruit. Slowly, the rock wears away, and if growth is strong enough it breaks away the barrier that once held it back.
People are like plants. We can be strong, but sometimes barriers stand in our way. If we persevere, we too can overcome what holds us back. Growth doesn't come when we want it. Success comes at it own pace. We just have to be patient; like the blackberry bush.
Nestled in the rural Central Virginia setting along US 29 is a travelers retreat for the thirsty at heart. The farm raises it's own plants to bring them to the table while adding the brewery for the finishing touch.
This is one of two walk-behind waterfals in the park. As your walk under the falls and head up the stairs you enter the spiral starircase tunnel.
The is the first time I've attempted a fisheye panarama, but the lens correction helps quite a bit.
This 7 acre trout lake is maintained by the New Hampshire Fish and Game. The crest of the lake is elevation 1885 and is the headwater of the Saco River. The Saco flows into the Atlantic Ocean 136 miles downstream to Saco Bay.
Above the lake are the spurs of Mount Pierce, Mount Jackson, Elephant Head, and Crawford Notch. Crawford Notch is a 2400-foot glacial notch in less than 3/4 mile.
Just to the north is the Crawford Path which was built in 1819 and is the oldest continuously-used and maintained hiking trail in the Northeastern United States which leads to Mt. Washington.
Once you get off the Maid of the Mist boat, you can venture up a long flight of stairs to the Crow's Nest and get soaked by the boulder ridden American Falls.
In the evening, the shadows legthen and Mount Adams and Mount Madison fall into the shadows of Mount Washington.
On the edge of the American Falls, Luna Island, Bridal Veil Falls, Goat Island, Horseshoe Falls, and Niagara Falls, ON.
The heath barrens of the huckleberry plains are coming into their fall colors. In a month or so, these plains will be crimson red to contrast against the red spruce trees scattered throughout the Dolly Sods.
The constant erosion of water and wind batter the maritime forest of balsam fir and white spruce. The Groundhog's Day Gale of 1976 hit the coast with 100+ mph winds, damaging and toppled trees.
From The Observation Deck, you can see all of the falls. From left to right: Prospect Point, American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Luna & Goat islands, and (half of) Horseshoe Falls in Ontario. In the lower Niagara River you see the two passenger ferries; Maid of the Mist (USA) and the Hornblower (Canada) in the foreground.
This Fairchild PT-19A, owned and operated by Bay Aviation (Topping, VA), is an original World War II trainer. A passenger is boarding for a sunset flight from the Military Aviation Museum in Pungo, Virginia Beach, VA.
The "Durbin Rocket" is powered by the Heisler No.6 coal-fired locomotive which had ties to the West Virginia historic rail and logging industry. Built in 1929, this 90-ton V-twin Heisler is a three truck engine; meaning it has twelve driving wheels. A tender carries water and is driven by the third truck. The tender also has a steam-powered water pump to steam at streams to refill.
The Rocket is a rare engine with 625 built, 35 existing, and 8 survivors are operational. Built for the mountains, she operated out of Rainelle, WV in 1939 for the Meadow River Lumber Co and was retired in 1967. The Cass Scenic Railroad bought it for $20k, and never ceased operations. For a special fee, the railroad has a Castaway caboose, where they ditch you in the woods for a weekend.
Sometimes known as the Grand Canyon of the East, the gorge at Letchworth State Park is carved by the Genesee River, as it flows to Lake Ontario. Upstream from this point are three major falls. The park has over 66 miles of trails, kayaking, hot air balloon rides, and biking.
This is the second notable falls (nearly 15 feet) below Thomas and is fairly accessible off of the Blackwater Canyon Trail (foot travel only from this point).
Just upstream from the town of Buchanan, Interstate 81 crosses the James River. It is at this point the river makes a 90-degree turn and flows north to Natural Bridge Station and Glasgow; where it joins the Maury. Together, these rivers cut through the Blue Ridge Mountains and fall towards Lynchburg.
The still tannic-laden water reflects the image above the water's edge. This old water tupelo is a remnant of a wildfire 8 years before this was taken.
It's the last day of August, and it's jacket weather on Acadia this morning. A cold front pushed through yesterday and leaves us fair weather. This view is atop Cadillac (1530' ASL) looking southeast towards the Northeast Harbor and Bass Harbor.
Thomas Jefferson issued an order to have West Quoddy Head Lighthouse to be built, and it was completed in 1808; built of wood. It was rebuilt, as it stands today, in 1858 to aid ships sailing into the Quoddy Narrows between Lubec and Campobello Island (New Brunswick).
In addition to it being infamous for its red and white "candy" stripes, it is also the easternmost point in the USA.
Looking north, this New Hampshire State Park which is bisected by Interstate 93. The construction of this interstate required Congress to pass a special amendment to the interstate standards applied to the remaining U.S. interstate system. There is one lane in each direction through this 8-mile stretch.
The elevation of the pass is 1950 feet. To the west (left) is Cannon Mountain (4080 feet) and to the east (right) is Mount Lafayette (5250 feet)
Situated along the western edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains dividing Virginia (Rockingham Co.) and West Virginia (Pendelton Co.), the High Knob Fire Tower Lookout overlooks the Allegheny and Blue Ridge mountains. The old tower is at an elevation of 4,107 feet, and less than 25 miles west of Harrisonburg. It was built by the Civil Conservation Corps in 1940 and was declared a National Historic Lookout on January 27, 1994.
Taken at sunset from the accessible observation platform off of the Park Service Rd before the Blackwater Falls Lodge in Blackwater Falls State Park.
Two exposures adjusted in Lightroom and merged in Photoshop HDR, slightly overbaked.
This mill and covered bridge is just downstream from the Silk Road Covered bridge. It is said that the same family built both of the bridges; this one in 1889 and it is 125 feet long; the longest in Bennington County.
From Boulder Beach to Otter Cliff there is a unimaginable change in shore line. Round boulders were deposited in this cove by glaciers, yet several hundred yards away the 100 foot cliffs to Otter Point make themselves known.
Located just downstream from the Silk and Paper Mill covered bridges, this 121-foot structure was originally built in 1840 and rebuilt by the VAT in 1989.
Multiple long exposures were taken and stacked. The sepia gives an aged feel of times past when mariners had it a lot rougher than now.
The harsh environment of this alpine area resembles climates that are found much further north. This is the eastern extent of the Allegheny Plateau at around 4100 feet in elevation.
Since the opening of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the 1930's, the improvements were slowed due worldwide conflicts. Multiple improvement plans were made for Otter Creek, but everytime the plans were presented, funding was delayed. Finally, in 1958, the Oter Creek improvements (Mission 66 and the Revival of Otter Creek) were approved. In 1960 a gas station and other amenities (this dam, one) were completed; however, cutbacks in 1984 resulted in multiple closeres along the Parkway, including the gas station.
Dirtman marches along with the West Point Band during the annual March Back, Aug. 9. Photo by Tommy Gilligan/PV
The wanning moon crosses Mt. Olga between Wilmington and Brattleboro Vermont along the Molly Stark Scenic Byway (State Route 9).
The Byway roughly follows the path originally carved out of the mountains in 1777 following the Battle of Bennington (VT) by General Stark while he returned to New Hampshire. The road echoes out names like Ethan Allen, Robert Frost, and Grandma Moses.
Located along the Walloomsac River at North Bennington, Vermont, there are three covered bridges within a mile of each other. This one was built in 1840 and is a 88 feet long lattice truss bridge.It is active today, and is listed on the National Historic Places.
I arrived at Watkins Glen State Park to be sure I could catch the sunrise. The Photographer’s Ephemeris showed that it was to rise in line with the gorge, but the clouds had other things in mind. When my wife and I first arrived, we quickly discovered we were the first in the park. What a unique place!