tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-345927052024-02-28T01:34:26.044-05:00Photo Adventure JournalThis is my Photo Blog detailing my adventures into the world. From exploring the waterfalls, mountains, and the beauty that is Western North Carolina, urban exploration, to anywhere my lens takes me across the country.
Also visit my site <a href="http://www.TheDigitalMirage.com">The Digital Mirage</a>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-61454184287324314562009-11-22T16:35:00.020-05:002009-11-22T20:06:46.005-05:00The Castle on the Hill - Jackson Sanatorium - 10-16-2009<div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">(Please be patient for this page to fully load, there are over 40 pictures)</span></span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Founded on rock. For suffering ones and weary. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>A home, secure from worldly care and strife. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Nature, the healing mistress, tends its portals. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Beckoning with gentle hand to paths of life."</i></span><br />
</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>-K. J. J.</i></span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: large;">After exploring the amazing ‘modern ruins’ of Grossinger’s Resort, Andy and I had Urban Exploration fever! So a few days later we made plans to go explore Jackson Sanatorium in Dansville NY. Here’s a short history of Jackson:</span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Jackson Sanatorium was founded in 1854 by Nathaniel Bingham and was established 'for the scientific treatment of invalid, and for the recuperation and rest in cases of overwork and nervous exhaustion.' Jackson, 'The Castle on the Hill', was conducted as a Health Institution and not as a 'fashionable resort'. The surrounding wooded area, temperate climate, and sources of natural springs and mineral waters were what drew the founders of Jackson to that area. The natural mineral waters were prescribed for many kinds of chronic ailments. The main building at Jackson was made from brick and iron and was marketed as "Absolutely Fire-Proof. The cost of renting a room in the main building ranged from $17.50 - $35.00 per week for an individual. Jackson could accommodate only 300 guests. </span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The morning we left, Elmira had its first snow of the year. In town there were light patches of snow on the ground, and flurries floating through the air. As we passed through Corning and Painted Post, the snow picked up and the hills were covered like “Frosted Mini Wheat’s”. We had high hopes of being able to get some snow shots at the sanatorium, but those hopes were dashed as we descended into the Dansville valley where the snow faded, and everything was just wet.</span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We parked in a parking lot about a quarter mile from the sanatorium, and loaded up our gear. This time we remembered flashlights! We walked up the hill, ignored a no trespassing sign as we walked around a locked gate and followed a grassy path. On the way we passed several abandoned decaying houses that were slowly rotting and crumbling away. As we walked along a grass path the sanatorium came into view: a beautiful 5 story red brick building, perched majestically on the side of the hill looking down at the small town of Dansville NY. </span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rain drops trickled out of the sky on to us and our gear as we setup outside the building and shot our exterior shots. </span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We marveled at the beautiful arched windows and wrought iron balconies that evenly dotted the outside of the building. </span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The building was 300 feet wide, but its depth was relatively shallow, maybe no more than 40 feet. On the short side of the building we noticed a massive scar; from the fourth floor down to the second, a large gash was cut into the brick. As wide as the windows and two stories tall, the wound opened up to show empty decaying rooms inside and provided an interesting glimpse into what a cross-section view of the building might look like if you sliced it in half.</span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">After making good use of our wide angle lenses, we walked up to the front door. We walked up the wooden stairs and entered into the main reception hall of Jackson Sanatorium. On our right a set of stairs led downwards into the pitch black basement. Above us, an iron railed staircase began its circling upward journey, dizzying us as we followed it up to the fourth floor with our eyes. </span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In front of us a set of columns and arches presented themselves as remnants of what once was front desk or receiving area of the building. </span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We immediately noticed that whatever material the floors may have been made out of at one time, now consisted of many inches of packed dust and dirt that revealed old footprints of other fellow urban explorers. </span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">As we slowly walked around the lobby we could already taste the gritty dusty dirt that had become airborne as we paced around. We donned our masks and broke out the flashlights. Slowly we walked down the main downstairs hall, peeking in closets and old debris filled rooms with the narrow beams of our lights. The right hall ended in what must have been a large den or community room. All the first floor windows were boarded up tight, only allowing slivers of dim overcast light from the outside to enter.</span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We headed up the stairs to the second floor:</span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Andy in action:</span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We began slowly walking down the main hall, looking in the old rooms. Many rooms were completely bare, some were in great condition, others looked like the floor or ceiling might collapse at any moment, and in others, the floor/ceiling actually HAD collapsed! We spent a good deal of time exploring the first three floors, shooting the beautiful decaying hallways, rooms, and objects that we found. </span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I had seen some pictures taken from the roof so I really wanted to find a way up there. Andy stayed below and shot some more scenes while I slowly ventured up the next three flights of ever-decaying stairs. The floors of the upper level seemed to progressively get less stable. I could feel soft areas all over the place and was very careful to move slowly and spread out my body weight as much as possible. As I arrived on the roof level I noticed the significant damage of the upper level rooms. Ceilings had collapsed, walls had fallen over, and there were signs of major fire damage all around. </span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I emerged on the wide open roof and took in the breath taking panoramic view of Dansville NY.</span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I was alone, 6 stories up on the roof of a crumbling building, and my heart was racing with excitement! After hours of shooting and exploring the abandoned hallways and rooms of Jackson, I stood on the roof feeling victorious as if I had conquered a massive giant in battle! </span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A large tower still stood on top of the roof:</span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">After taking in the view I headed back down to Andy. </span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We returned to the first floor and explored the left side of the building. We found a very large, long room lined on both sides with pillars. This was the old dining room. Boarded up windows lined either wall allowing the smallest slivers of light to pass through into the room. We set up our cameras at the entrance to the room and just had some fun running around with our flashlights and 'light painting'.</span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">After exploring Jackson for at over two hours, we were chilled to the bone and wheezing from the dust we had breathed in. We packed our things and headed out of the building. We walked back to our car but not before stopping to turn around, and admire once more the giant, looming ruins, of the Castle on the Hill.</span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ariel view of Jackson Sanatorium:</span><br />
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</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">To view more of my work and purchase prints, head over to <a href="http://www.thedigitalmirage.com/">The Digital Mirage</a>.</span><br />
</div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-55320848154911895082009-11-11T18:55:00.011-05:002009-11-22T14:37:22.564-05:00Modern Ruins - Grossinger's Resort - 10-11-2009<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">For optimal viewing experience press F11 to view full screen.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">(Please be patient for this page to fully load, there are over 40 pictures)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">While making plans to visit my family in upstate NY this October, fellow photographer Andy Wheeler and I began concocting ideas for our ideal photo-adventure. Andy did lots of research and by the time I flew in to the Elmira airport he had a nice sized list of places we could go. One location however jumped off the page at both of us: Grossinger's Resort in the Catskill mountains. The history of Grossinger's is a long one, so here's the short version: “Grossinger's was founded by Asher Selig Grossinger who moved to the Catskills in the 1900's. The location grew and he turned ownership over to his daughter. The resort thrived for many years as a prime vacation spot for the rich. Grossinger's daughter died in 1972, but by this time the resort had grown to a "sprawling complex of 35 buildings on 1200 acres that served 150,000 guests a year. It had it's own airstrip and post office. But in the late 1970's and 1980's, resorts like Grossinger's... could no longer attract younger guests. Grossinger's closed in 1986, and only the golf course remains." (Quote courtesy of http://www.catskillarchive.com/grossinger/index.htm) To us, the prospect of exploring the abandoned decaying ruins of a massive location such as this was too good to pass up.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">My plane flew in on Saturday night, and first thing Sunday morning Andy and I headed out to Liberty NY to go explore the resort. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive from Elmira NY to Liberty, but we spent about 45 minutes driving back and forth across Liberty until we were able to track down the location. Not really sure about the legality of potentially trespassing on the land, we spent a few minutes driving around the surrounding areas trying to figure out the best place to stash our car and make a subtle sneaky entrance onto the property. We parked behind a large utility truck next to a warehouse on the back side of the still functioning golf course.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">We unpacked our gear and followed the road to the back edge of the golf course. We headed towards the looming buildings in the distance as the grass and shrubs grew taller and denser. The first building we passed was a club house for the tennis courts. Peering through the shattered windows we could see trash and rubble all around. Old tennis ads from the 70's/80's still adorned the walls. We continued on down the hill towards the ever growing complex. Waist high grass, debris, and downed electrical wire covered the ground which was swampy in places.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">The first large building we came to, part of the old hotel, was about 4 stories tall.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="01 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="01" height="800" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2472/4096855806_be0f93fc69_o.jpg" width="532" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">An open emergency exit revealed little to the naked eye but rubble in darkness. It was at this point that Andy realized that we forgot to pack flashlights. After deciding not to enter that particular part of the complex we continued around the outside of the building. About 50 yards away we came to another entrance that opened up into a large two story open room. Our best guess was that this area must have been a lobby for the banquet hall. Shattered ceiling tiles littered the floor, cracked and split, but undisturbed from the time when they had once fallen.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="02 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="02" height="800" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2680/4096854640_98d062e568_o.jpg" width="532" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Other rubble was mixed into the piles of debris that we stepped through to get a good view of the room. Hundreds of old bowls and dining accessories from the kitchen lay strewn about.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="04 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="04" height="532" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2631/4096855132_472b95ac40_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">We explored the immediate area without delving too far into the darkness.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">We didn't spend too long there as we had seen some amazing pictures taken from a decaying indoor swimming pool, and we really wanted to find that location and explore it. Looking out from the door we entered through, we saw that the brush was extremely thick around the outside of the building. We chose to cut through a large room, crossing over to another door on the far side where we saw some daylight shining in. The room was massive, two stories tall, and about the size of a football field. As we crossed through the darkness towards the daylight emanating from the exit on the other side, we speculated that this must have been a ballroom, used for huge events and parties. The room was mostly free from debris and the floor was a solid concrete foundation.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">We exited the building and made our way up a steep embankment, crossing a small paved road that led up to the golf course. Careful to not be seen, we jogged towards a small greenhouse farther up the hill. The small anteroom was strewn with trash. We poked our heads through the door into the greenhouse itself and viewed a beautiful scene of plants, vines, and weeds, growing out of control, up to the ceiling of the room.</span><br />
<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="05 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="05" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2601/4096871844_220431c51d_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">An old phone and scattered papers lay strewn about the room.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="06 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="06" height="567" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2694/4096858924_3438ae1fc6_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">After shooting the greenhouse we back tracked down the hill and came upon what seemed to be a loading dock area next to the old boiler room building.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="11 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="11" height="584" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2696/4096098281_38384850ac_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">A monstrous pile of junk and debris was heaped between the buildings here and as if beckoning for a photo-op, an old wooden chair sat out in the middle of the courtyard in front of the junk pile. You can tell we are hardcore because of the wicked cool font I chose for our names! There are SKULLS in it!</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="Walt and Andy by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="Walt and Andy" height="618" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2766/4096982214_3f377fccc0_o.jpg" width="850" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">We were having a blast, but at this point we were really getting anxious to see the fabled indoor swimming pool. Not knowing exactly where it was we continued around the outskirts of the complex. Just as we rounded the corner we saw it! The Pool!!! Magnificent two story glass windows surrounded three fourths of the pool. We rushed to the main outdoor entrance only to find it fully blocked and boarded up. As we began walking around the outside of the building we noticed an emergency exit door on the far corner of the building. The only problem was, there were no stairs. The door opened onto a small ledge that ran the full length around the building; however the ledge was easily 10 feet high and less than a foot wide. With all of our camera gear and the lack of good sturdy climbing trees, this was not going to be an easy option. We opted to fully circle the building to see if we could locate any other access. There were no other simple ways to get in from the ground level that we could see. It was at this point that we realized that up to now, we had not seen or heard any animals of any kind. Then, as if taking from a Hitchcock movie, a murder of large crows began circling above us, cawing loudly, as if to warn us that this was their domain and we should be warned. As we pondered our next move we noticed a glass entry way leading into an adjoining building.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="12 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="12" height="541" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2577/4096102141_36a45033f9_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">The glass entrance gave way to a large vacant room, with large 'trenches' running the full length of the room that revealed pipes lying in the bottoms.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">We crossed some planks over the trenches into what at one point, was the bar and buffet area. A row of beautifully decaying green bar stools faced the wall of the room where the old bar would have been. The chairs were all still bolted in the floor and were textured with rust, mildew, and grime from years of neglect. Tattered red upholstery peeked from beneath the chairs offering a beautiful compliment to the vivid green vinyl of the chairs.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="14 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="14" height="573" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2777/4096114519_edac0c13b4_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Comparison shot of what the bar area used to look like (different angle):</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="Compare 05 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="Compare 05" height="506" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2707/4096123657_5ca5c0e76e_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">We walked back outside, pondering our dilemma of gaining access to the indoor pool. As we walked back around the pool building we passed under a second story hallway/catwalk that ran about 100 feet from the second story of the decaying hotel to the top level of the pool. This was going to be our only option. Nervously, we inspected the bottom of the raised hallway, we noted that it was made completely out of wood. Luckily for the most part it showed no signs of water damage save for one 5 by 10 foot segment that looked very rotted and decayed. We headed into the hotel building and climbed the stairs into the second floor. I poked my head in one of the hotel rooms on the second floor only to be smacked in the face by an overwhelming stench of mold and decay. I also noticed some graffiti which read "Jesus took LSD and thought he was ME"...Interesting...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">A pair of steel swinging doors opened up into the raised wooden hallway which was littered with planks and boards which had fallen off the walls and ceiling.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="15 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="15" height="531" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2709/4096873434_715b4297bb_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">We knew the decaying area was close to our end and we figured going one at a time would be a wise idea. Andy volunteered...me....Suddenly wishing I had not eaten those super-sized fries on the drive out, I timidly inched my way out into the hallway. Staying as close to the wall as possible I crept forward...one foot at a time...listening, and feeling. After I had made it about 10 feet, I put my foot down and felt it SINK as the floor flexed under my weight. Since I had already transferred my weight to that foot, I was committed, I screamed like a little girl (just kidding) leaped forward past the decaying area on to what I hoped was a sturdier part of the hallway. At this point, with my heart racing, and legs shaking, I was not about to stop moving, and I speed walked safely to the other end of the hallway. Andy was able to cross safely, now knowing the treacherous spots. Still, I am sure it was a little more than nerve racking for him to cross that same area.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">We stepped through the doors at the end of the hallway and feasted our eyes on a truly magnificent scene. What we saw was the epitome of beauty in decay.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="17 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="17" height="531" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2581/4096873134_0c66c995e1_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">The massive indoor pool sat in the middle of the two story room surrounded by 20-30 feet of red and white checker board tiled floor, out of which grew lush moss, ferns, and grasses. Lounge chairs still adorned the green outskirts of the pool like broken Christmas ornaments on a tree hastily thrown out on the curb. From floor to ceiling, the still intact giant glass windows shone the mid day sun, which glowed off everything giving a warm nostalgic feel to the entire room.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="19 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="19" height="531" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2712/4096117145_c2af0a5649_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="16 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="16" height="367" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2518/4096116619_6e07d25ffd_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="20 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="20" height="531" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2799/4096117769_5c6777156b_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Comparison shot of the pool:</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="Compare 02 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="Compare 02" height="488" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2659/4096880058_0d3b584609_o.jpg" width="816" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">Gigantic wooden beams ran up the walls and across the ceiling leading the eye to the rows and banks of lights that at one point lit up the room at night. From the ceiling hung beautiful art deco chandeliers straight out of the 70's. As we walked around the pool gazing at the decadent beauty that surrounded us, particularly the vegetation, we noticed that for the most part, the moss seemed to grow only on the red tiles. This made for a strange checkerboard effect, the likes of which we had never seen before!</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="18 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="18" height="800" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2578/4096116141_8b271e0e3a_o.jpg" width="552" /></a><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="22 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="22" height="532" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2784/4096862398_4869abfd87_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">As we shot the room from all different angles, we heard noises echoing through the building. What must have been parts of the building falling and breaking off on distant floors, occasionally echoed through cavernous room, giving the feeling that the building indeed was alive and aware of our presence. Water trickled down from the leaky roof spattering on the floor around us.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="25 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="25" height="532" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2565/4096864236_666b1e0cd8_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="23 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="23" height="532" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2483/4096862952_859ffdd3c1_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Before we left I could not resist getting a picture of myself sitting in the bottom of the pool!</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="27 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="27" height="519" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2437/4096105295_bd43400290_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">We successfully crossed back over the decaying hallway and continued our circle around the outskirts of the complex.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">We passed by another few large hotel buildings on the west side.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="31 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="31" height="531" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2659/4096118355_07db2d472a_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Another shot to compare:</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="Compare 06 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="Compare 06" height="497" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2795/4096880150_8e7cc247e4_o.jpg" width="779" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">As we neared the first building we entered on the way in we discovered the outdoor swimming pool on the north west side of the complex.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="32 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="32" height="531" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/4096119019_5dc4f4c209_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="33 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="33" height="532" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2732/4096107843_b3f1053ff5_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Outdoor pool comparison:</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="Compare 01 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="Compare 01" height="621" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2757/4096881276_e54fa78dcc_o.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Inside the power box at the outdoor poolside bar I discovered that the only breaker labeled was the beer cooler! This must have been party central!</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="35 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="35" height="532" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2468/4096108313_c447868d16_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">Andy led us down some stairs at the end of the pool and we discovered the pool's pump room below. We figured this was a good time to don our masks. We entered the room which was filled with decaying pool chairs stacked all around. Giant pipes, pumps, and tanks lined the far wall of the room.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="37 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="37" height="527" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2519/4096877432_e7621411a5_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">Large industrial sized canisters sat on the floor in front of the tanks. Presumably at one point they held chlorine or other pool cleaning chemicals, but they had long since leaked out onto the floor, leaving a powdery snow-like substance which made us glad that we had masks.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="40 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="40" height="800" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2572/4096867948_e7b6c53266_o.jpg" width="532" /></a><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="39 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="39" height="532" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2553/4096109473_9f96d3f953_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">We walked back up around the pool and headed towards the tennis courts and clubhouse. The office part of the clubhouse was utterly destroyed with papers and junk littering the floor, but the 'den' area was open with a few old couches and random junk spaced around.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="41 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="41" height="531" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2702/4096120627_de0c9964fa_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="42 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="42" height="531" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2664/4096878888_1f25716371_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">An old pay phone hung on the wall next to the entrance.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="46 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="46" height="800" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2725/4096121533_d771fc9639_o.jpg" width="546" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">We found an old panel that at one point controlled the lights and heat(?) on the tennis courts.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="44 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="44" height="800" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2590/4096869204_c78dcf69b6_o.jpg" width="718" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">Stairs leading out of the clubhouse:</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="43 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="43" height="800" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2664/4096122139_4732ea87b6_o.jpg" width="531" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">We headed up to the tennis courts and were witness to an amazing sight of birch trees growing up through cracks in the court. The interesting thing was that there was a straight line of trees growing directly across both courts where the tennis nets used to be!</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="47 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="47" height="555" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2509/4096870282_84c1e88a54_o.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
</div><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="48 by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="48" height="800" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2429/4096870928_7e2e9d5984_o.jpg" width="561" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">We headed back to our car, thrilled and exhausted from an exciting afternoon photographing these amazing modern ruins.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">While exploring and observing the decaying glory of what was once a beautiful thriving location, we could not help but feel that Grossinger's was still alive. While it was obviously in a state of decay, it was autumn here. It was past the point where its shiny facade glistened in the sunlight, but it had yet to arrive at a state of complete entropy and ruin. If the resort was a living being, it gave the impression that it was still waking up each morning, still putting on its makeup, still trying to look good for its guests, but all the while slowly falling apart. Around every corner we could still see and imagine the beauty that once was. We could envision guests strolling around walkways lined with gardens and flowers, we could see people lounging in deck chairs next to the pool and jumping off the diving board. Grossinger's physical beauty was slowly crumbling and dying, but its spirit was still very much alive.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">This is an aerial map showing the path we took while exploring Grossinger's:</span><br />
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<div style="color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym" title="1000x SatelliteMapWALKTRACK with notes by The Digital Mirage, on Flickr"><img alt="1000x SatelliteMapWALKTRACK with notes" height="834" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2553/4096927906_973713beb2_o.jpg" width="1000" /></a><br />
</div><div style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
</div><span style="color: #cccccc;">View more of my work and purchase prints at </span><a href="http://www.thedigitalmirage.com/" style="color: blue;">The Digital Mirage</a><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Map Provided By Andy Wheeler <a href="mailto:Studio@dragonnote.com">Studio@dragonnote.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Comparison Photographs provided by Joe Lehman <a href="http://www.joe4speed.com/grossingers.htm">http://www.joe4speed.com/grossingers.htm</a></span>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-59395587200728524002009-02-03T20:42:00.012-05:002009-02-05T13:03:20.961-05:00Airplane Graveyard of St. Augustine 01-19-2009<div align="left">I was in Gainesville, Florida this January to visit one of my best friends, Casey to see his performance in the play Closer. While there, we made plans for a trip to St. Augustine (his hometown) to do some head shots for him and to seek out interesting locations. I had seen a picture on Flickr of an old abandoned airplane near St. Augustine. We did some research and found Agnes Lopez. She specializes in wedding photography, but she had done a photo shoot at the location we sought. I emailed her asking directions. Not 30 minutes after I clicked send, she called me and was more than happy to point the way, but not before warning us that it was on private property and we should be careful. (She was very friendly and her photos are brilliant!<a href="http://news.agneslopez.com/">http://news.agneslopez.com/</a>) We later learned that the planes are Grumman S2 Trackers, naval bombers from 60’s and 70’s. They were one of the first aircraft designed to combine the detection equipment and armament to hunt and destroy submarines while operating from aircraft carriers. These particular planes (the S-2C's) were outfitted to preform photo reconnaissance work as well. The planes and property are owned by a local man who had bought them and stripped the parts to sell to the local Grumman company.<br /><br />The next day Casey and I set out on a mission to get him some rockin’ head shots and to find this airplane. We pulled up in the parking lot of the pier on St Augustine Beach and the familiar cool crisp smell of the ocean filled my nostrils. Casey had 4 pictures of himself that were taken about 10 years ago at the same location and one goal for the day was to recreate those shots. An hour and a couple hundred shots later we started packing up, but not before meeting and talking to Casey’s sister and mother who joined in a few of the shots.<br /><br />After lunch at the Gypsy Cab Café it was time for the airplane. Casey called a friend who said he knew exactly where the planes were. PLANES? There was more than one??? Yes, according to Greg, there were at least eight! With my energy and excitement now ramped up, imagining what this place might look like, we picked up Greg in a CVS parking lot and headed off.<br /><br />Not five minutes down the road we saw the giant tail fins of an entire graveyard of old war planes looming across the highway from us, and sure enough there were many of them in plane sight (sorry had to do it…).<br /><br /></div><p align="center"><a title="Plane Grave Yard-001 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="424" alt="Plane Grave Yard-001" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/3252006386_a4c36dc187_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><div align="left"><br /><br />We U-turned and made a slow trip past the fenced property. I noted that there was not a single ‘NO TRESSPASSING’ or ‘PRIVATE PROPERTY’ sign anywhere. Greg spotted a large opening in the chain-link that provided easy access to the planes. Equipment ready we parked and slipped quietly into the overgrown lot.<br /><br /></div><p align="center"><a title="Plane Grave Yard-006 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="292" alt="Plane Grave Yard-006" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/3251181355_aa87ef5f24_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><div align="left"><br /><br />As we stepped through the brush we walked on and around old pieces of the planes, tires, wings, control boxes, and the occasional beer can. At the first plane I came to I saw that, being aircraft carrier planes, the wings were folded over the top. The engines and propellers had been removed from this particular plane and the nose was missing, but the fuselage was intact.<br /><br /></div><p align="center"><a title="Plane 22 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 22" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/3251184505_df0da6c8f2_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><p align="center"><a title="Plane Grave Yard-005 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="750" alt="Plane Grave Yard-005" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3353/3252007328_e14db8f5c6_o.jpg" width="499" /></a></p><div align="left"><br /><br />As we walked under the wing, we came to a small access hatch that was barely big enough for a hobbit to step through without ducking.<br /><br /></div><p align="center"><a title="Plane Grave Yard-015 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="499" alt="Plane Grave Yard-015" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3428/3251183413_83de10ccea_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><div align="left"><br /><br />I stuck my head inside the plane and looked around. The interior of the midsection of the plane had been stripped of all equipment leaving bundles of wire hanging from empty compartments like jungle vines.<br /><br /></div><p align="center"><a title="Plane 25 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 25" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3513/3252010956_9d2856f9a0_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><div align="left"><br />My mind raced with possibilities for the countless amazing shots inside these planes. This was my heaven, these are the photo ops that I live for! The beautiful contrast of industrial, man made decay juxtaposed against the slow progression of nature taking over again is a subject I love to explore.<br /><br />The plane looked stable enough, so I turned to Casey and Greg. “I’m going in! I just want you guys to know that if this plane collapses and I die, that I will have died happy!”<br /><br />I hoisted myself up into the fuselage of the plane through the hobbit door and crouched there a second, making sure everything was stable. Thankfully, it felt solid as a rock. From the low ceiling, to the wire bundles that hung like ropes, to the protruding rusted metal parts, everything screamed tetanus! Casey carefully passed my tripod mounted camera up through the hatchway to me. Hunkered over, I slowly made my way up to the cockpit. What I saw was sheer beauty. Over the years, vines had wound their way up through the windows and skeletal nose of the plane and draped the inside of the deteriorated cockpit. The seats had long ago been stripped of their padding and were now bare metal repositories for dead leaves and debris.<br /><br /></div><p align="center"><a title="Plane 5 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="750" alt="Plane 5" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3481/3251183785_9bb45bfc21_o.jpg" width="498" /></a></p><div align="left"><br /></div><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 32 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="750" alt="Plane 32" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3109/3251185237_2bcc368465_o.jpg" width="498" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br />Half of the windows were still intact and hazed over by years of grime and fungus, and the other half were either gone completely or partially shattered, giving a broken jagged view of the other sleeping planes half hidden in the surrounding trees and undergrowth. The instrument panels were largely stripped of gauges and dials. Above me, levers, switches, wires, and buttons speckled the ceiling of the cockpit. With the nose of the plane removed you could see right through to the ground below. As I rattled off my first HDR inside the cockpit I thought to myself “Abandoned school buses, eat your hearts out!” </p><p align="left"><p align="center"><a title="Arcsoft Panorama 3edited warped by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="467" alt="Arcsoft Panorama 3edited warped" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3412/3252015572_4db3d0a798_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="left"><br />I proceeded through the airplane graveyard with Casey and Greg who helped point out interesting shots and helped me in and out of the planes as I explored each one, getting shots of every cockpit and interior. </p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 13 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="494" alt="Plane 13" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3516/3252014908_704c15bd34_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 1 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 1" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3387/3252014548_b6a392d8d9_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 7 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 7" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3310/3251188159_de545ccb33_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 4 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 4" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/3252013790_07e4092501_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 17 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 17" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3458/3251187483_d7e23a262c_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 33 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 33" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3503/3251187181_fe5b9c5aee_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 30 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 30" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/3251186909_e3fda847ed_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 29 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 29" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/3252012534_51eb0b94d4_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 15 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 15" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/3252012076_8df5b39366_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 11 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 11" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/3252011712_038fffae0d_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 23 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 23" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/3252010788_208639271f_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane 6 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="498" alt="Plane 6" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3255/3252010088_0917cb5ef9_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Planes aged blur by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="351" alt="Planes aged blur" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/3251180825_39d9b92491_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="AP GY-004 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="750" alt="AP GY-004" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/3251484451_03467c4e72_o.jpg" width="563" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="AP GY-002 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="750" alt="AP GY-002" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3371/3251483935_5ab1159eb2_o.jpg" width="563" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="AP GY-003 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="563" alt="AP GY-003" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/3251484093_f4c32cc4bc_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Plane Grave Yard-004 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="363" alt="Plane Grave Yard-004" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3268/3251181051_69d8d41a75_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"><br /><br /><br />We occasionally heard voices from the nearby houses so we kept as quiet as possible. Greg had seen a cop car drive slowly by a few times but they never stopped. After I had my fill of HDR shots, Casey suggested that we do some shots of him inside a plane. The bombed out cockpit made an awesome backdrop for some unique portraits. </p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Casey1 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="553" alt="Casey1" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/3252308262_6bc495419e_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="casey2 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="750" alt="casey2" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3252308480_c160e5f8c3_o.jpg" width="498" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br />We even relaxed enough to have a little fun with some of the shots as well. </p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="AP GY-005 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="529" alt="AP GY-005" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3483/3252308666_6819526db6_o.jpg" width="750" /></a></p><p align="left"><br />Before we headed out Greg assisted the brave and foolish Casey up onto the tail fin of one of the planes and we did a few shots up there as well. </p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="Casey-003 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="750" alt="Casey-003" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/3252309092_0a9f8e82fb_o.jpg" width="607" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a title="AP GY-007 by miragebym1, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img height="750" alt="AP GY-007" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3040/3252309320_e83a2238cc_o.jpg" width="498" /></a></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="left"><br />Back in the car, I was exhausted but still on a natural high from exploring the planes. I couldn't stop talking about how amazing the experience was and I couldn't wait to see my shots. For good measure my dad and I returned to the graveyard two days later, just to be sure I had thoroughly explored all the possibilities. All in all this ranks in my top five favorite photo shoots. The locals say the planes have been there for at least 15 years, so when I return they should still be there, resting with the other retirees under Florida's tropical sun.<br /></p>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-24725797366244860162008-11-06T15:50:00.003-05:002008-11-06T15:55:42.376-05:0010-15-2008 - Looming Leviathans - In Search of the ColossusWhile exploring the finger lakes region of upstate NY last month my friend Andy and I went out on a mission to track down and find some windmills they had recently installed outside of Bath/Hammondsport. As we neared the area where the arrays were set up we started seeing windmills peeking over the tops of the hills all around the valley. Now I knew these things were big but I had not imagined them as massive as these were! We drove all around the valley looking for an access road or anything that appeared to lead up to the top of the hills where these giants were located. <div><p>We stumbled upon an old gravel road that went straight up a very steep hill into a large cornfield. We took a wild guess and headed up in the Prius. Judging by the incline I knew we were going to need some speed to make it up so I gassed the little car as hard as I could, kicking up rocks everywhere, we made it halfway up when the car started to slide backwards down the very loose gravel. When we stopped sliding backwards I put on the emergency brake and we rocked the car a bit to see if it would slide back or not. We hopped out and hoofed it to the top of the hill. Once we got there we realized that the windmill was still about a half mile away. These things were so big that our frame of reference in judging the distance to them was way off. </p><p><br />Somewhat disappointed we hiked back to the car (hoping it had not slid down the hill) and began the very scary act of backing/sliding about 200 yards back down the hill. We breathed a sigh of relief after making it down in one piece. </p><p><br />After driving around some more we were about to give up when Andy spotted a truck with windmill logos and two men in orange service uniforms. Jackpot! These guys would lead us to the titans! We followed them about a mile on a winding back-road. </p><p>As we crested the top of a hill the tree cover broke up and opened up to a massive section of farms and open fields littered with windmills all around! We pulled off onto the side of the road no more than 100 yards from a giant windmill in the middle of a carved out cornfield. We got out of the car and stood in awe. Never satisfied, I declared that I wanted to walk down to the base of the windmill. After a minute of debating the legality and safeness (getting shot by the owner of the land) we decided to go ahead. I don’t think I have ever felt smaller and more insignificant as I did standing at the base looking up it. It was dizzying! Even with my 10-20mm ultra wide I still had to get almost 60 yards back from the base to be able to fit the whole windmill in frame! If you look closely to the left of the base you can see Andy for a size comparison. We found one other field that day filled with barley that I took a few shots in as well. This was only one of about 3-4 adventures that day! Well worth the drive. </p><a href="http://www.thedigitalmirage.com/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 330px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 500px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3245/3006042197_39a1a0e195.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p></p><a href="http://www.thedigitalmirage.com/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 326px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 500px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/3006043889_31a235c4ea.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div></div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-61452582685429469032008-10-23T15:08:00.004-04:002008-10-23T15:23:06.303-04:00Rural Ruins in Upstate NY 10/12/2008<div>While vacationing in Upstate NY, on a tip from my dad, I discovered this weird two story structure. To get to it, I had to go into an area that had signs warning of live fire in progress with guns etc...after standing on the side of the road for about 5 minutes and hearing no guns or people I choose to run across the field and up the hill to this building. There were no windows of any kind, just solid walls going up two stories and tapering to a point where at one time a roof must have been present. The entrance was a 2.5 foot wide 'doorway' that extended upwards almost the entire height of the structure. Not sure if this was a barn or storage building of some kind but it was different that's for sure. Once inside, I walked through weeds growing up between small cracks of scorched earth and burnt debris. All around were shell casings, ammo boxes and a few spent tear gas grenades. Thankfully no gun toting people came around while I was there :) Shot on a Nikon d300 with a Sigma 10-20mm 9 shot HDR's processed in Photomatix and adjusted in Photoshop CS3.<br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 224px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2959485175_21d43ac0ed.jpg" border="0" /></p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 332px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/2959484309_b6823e5b8f.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p></p><br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 319px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 500px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2960324456_396e203b14.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 332px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 500px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/2959484847_a2e2608707.jpg" border="0" /></p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 332px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 500px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3191/2959475023_1eb2556407.jpg" border="0" /></div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-58004092857072233672008-09-09T20:45:00.008-04:002008-09-11T20:22:47.735-04:00Hawthorne Florida Junkyard - The World of Mark and MarkI was down in Florida for Labor Day weekend to see my Grandmother for her surprise 80th birthday. I had a few days to kill so my dad and I ventured out to take some pictures. We were about 30 miles outside Gainesville FL and the area was very rural.<br /><br />Not 15 minutes after we had been driving my dad yelled “Pull over! That was a junk yard back there with some old rusty cars out front. Let’s see if we can poke around and take some shots!” He had me at ‘rusty cars’, so we turned around and parked on the side of the road.. As we got out of the car we could tell this was not your traditional junk yard. People clearly lived there. But it was a sprawling place, most of it not visible from the road, crammed with old cars, machinery, school buses, boats on trailers, etc. These are the places that I LOVE to explore.<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br />As we crossed the road and started down a very long driveway, two unleashed dogs raced toward us, barking. I’ve seen too many movies about junkyard dogs and I was ready to run but an older, bearded man appeared at the far end of the driveway and yelled at the dogs to stop. We started walking down the long driveway giving a friendly wave to the man at the end. Suddenly the dusty sand we walked on changed. I looked down and realized that most of the driveway, which was at least 20 feet wide and well over100 feet long was covered in a blanket of crushed flattened beer cans! There had to be thousands if not tens of thousands, three and four cans deep. I had never seen anything like it . It was almost slippery to walk on them. </div><div></div><div><br /></div><br /><p></p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2843834943_e24e037699_o.jpg" border="0" /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/2843840619_a104a18eb9_o.jpg" border="0" /></a>A second man emerged from behind a truck where he was working. He looked to be in his mid to late 30’s, shirtless and well built,wearing jeans and a black leather cowboy hat. I introduced myself as a photographer and said I was interested in taking pictures of his place. The first gentleman, who was in his late 50’s or early 60’s, stared blankly for a moment from behind a gray bushy beard then asked me a simple question: </div><div></div><br /><div>“You do nudes?”</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2844676618_7d5f40f624_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Not knowing exactly how to respond, and with scenes of Deliverance flashing through my mind, I chuckled nervously and told him that I was really only interested in photographing some of his old cars and busses that adorned his property. Ignoring me he continued:</p><p>“Because my wife, she’s pretty f*@#ing hot, she’s got some real nice black lace panties she could put on and…”</p><p>I cut him off there by handing him my business card that featured an HDR I had done of the interior of an old abandoned school bus. Finally he looked at the card, saw the picture, and said:</p><p>“Wow!” (I thought he was going to tell me it was a great shot)<br />“That looks like a 76 seater”</p><p>I told him I was not sure of the seating capacity, but I really liked exploring places like his and would like to take some similar shots of his vehicles. Finally he agreed and told us we could poke around anywhere we wanted! He introduced himself as Mark, and he introduced the younger guy as Mark as well. As my dad began to say something about two Marks, the guy stopped him and said:</p><p>“Ya we’re Mark and Mark….Don’t say it twice or you’ll sound like a hair-lipped dog!”</p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2843841679_0efd15fc30_o.jpg" border="0" /></a> I headed back to the car grabbed my tripod mounted Nikon D300 with my Sigma 10-20mm, and slung my Nikon D50 with my 50mm 1.4 prime around my neck. Like an idiot I did not have jeans on, just kaki shorts sneakers and a tee, so I sprayed the better part of a can of “Off” all over my legs, handed some extra gear to my dad to carry, and headed back to explore.<br />I started by shooting a wide angle HDR of the driveway full of beer cans. As I did, Mark, explained the origins:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/2844670856_5d872a4e98_o.jpg" border="0" /></a> “We call this ‘Beer Can Alley’. Every now and then a bunch o’ my Harley buddies come over and will race their bikes over the beer cans. You should see it! They rev up their engines and peel out over the cans, sending beer cans flying into the air like a deck of cards being sprayed out! If you stand behind them, so many cans go flying into the air you can barely see anything else! I am planning on putting more cans down to make the road longer” (He gestured to a 6x8 utility shed that was nearly FULL of cans! I’m talking 6x8 feet and chest deep of already crushed and flattened cans!)<img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2237/2844677160_c64cf0fedf_o.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p>My dad asked him when the next time his buddies were going to be over so we could take pictures, but he was not sure. He said:</p><p>“I’d get my bike out and show ya, but I been drinkin’ all day. Had my first beer around 7:30 this mornin’ right after I finished my coffee!”</p><p>We proceeded to carefully explore the place, not sure if our tetanus shots were up to date. We first peeked our heads into the old busses. One was full of filing cabinets, another full of old tools.He promptly informed us:</p><p>“That bus is my tool shed. Got everything in there, including my old dental equipment that I used to use.”</p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2843836621_35482573bc_o.jpg" border="0" /></a> I shuddered at the thought…<br />As we moved out of his ‘work area’ where it appeared he worked on machines and cars, we emerged into a large wooded field full of old cars, trucks, boats, RV’s, busses, scrap metal and anything else you can imagine in a place like this. He told us it went back several acres and we could walk around wherever we wanted. But he warned us:<br /><br /><p>“Got lots of snakes around here. My buddy, Mark, just caught a rattler out there the other day.”</p><p>We headed out to explore the junkyard anyway. We climbed all over cars and trucks, peering in broken windows of old cars, avoiding rusty edges, glass, and snake hangouts. I snapped pictures of everything in sight, wiping away liters of sweat that fell like rain from my face. It was the 99% humidity and 93 degrees that remind me of one of the reasons I moved from Florida to North Carolina!</p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/2843839863_4263a98939_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/2843840205_c364426089_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/2844669208_7bf2f3e7b2_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/2844673730_b65633b015_o.jpg" border="0" /></a> Slowly we made out way back to the workshop area. </div><div><br /><div></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3243/2843943039_df28b14dab_b.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div></div><div>My dad pointed out an interesting scene with about 50 old rusty lockers so I set up and was shooting<br /><br /><p></p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2843839473_f503369d58_o.jpg" border="0" /></a>when Mark came over and said:<br /><br /><p>“I noticed you were taking pictures of the jacks on the lockers (I didn’t even notice that there were old jacks lining the top of the lockers) so I wanted to show you THIS!”</p><p>He presented us with a perfectly clean unused red jack. This was a prized possession because it was patent number zero, the first one made. They were very proud to show it off . </p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2843838059_b1884c3701_o.jpg" border="0" /></a> Older Mark walked us around back to show us his new house that he had built. We rounded a corner and stood face to face with a very skinny two story house. The front door to the house took up almost half of the house’s width. It could not have been more than 10 feet wide and 20 feet long, but it sure was two stories!<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3253/2844673036_cf8d4c1fa5_o.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>I got a few good shots of older Mark posed with his beer can in the front door to the house that took him 4 days to build. </p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/2843841127_aa58c2fd36_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/2844676158_acaaa8e345_o.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p>(I learned later that if a house is built with less than a 200 square foot foundation, it doesn’t have to be inspected by the county. Which partly explains why he at one point asked, “You ain’t from the county are you? If you are, I’ll kill you.” He claimed that the county has been trying to shut down his entire operation.) </p><p><br />Right behind me I noticed a long 5 foot tall culvert with a door on the end and full of junk.</p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2844674176_2dafc0da9d_o.jpg" border="0" /></a> I was taking an HDR of this scene when I heard younger Mark ask:<br /><br /><p>“You wanna see the rattler?”</p><p>He came around the corner with a purple pillow case that promptly started RATTLING! As he stood right in front of us he reached his hand into the sack, and produced the biggest rattler I’ve ever seen that wasn’t behind zoo glass. We made it abundantly clear that he did not need to come any closer than he was! Without any prompting, Mark had unknowingly posed himself with one knee up on a pile of junk, the head of rattler gripped down with his thumb on top, black leather hat and smoldering cigarette from the the corner of his mouth. It was just about the coolest portrait I could have asked for! <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/2843917649_0eb2a0ce74_o.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/2844676770_9132c0165d_o.jpg" border="0" /></a>After rattling off about 20 shots of Mark holding the snake, he put it back in the bag, and I felt just a bit safer. </p><p>My dad asked if the snake could strike through the thin cloth of the pillow case. Older Mark said, “Sure, if you poke it like this.” And he proceeded to poke it with his finger! Then he mused, “We can’t decide if we’re gonna feed her or eat her.”</p><p>After exchanging a few more stories, we decided it was time to head out, but before we could, older Mark had a change of heart! He put his empty beer can down and said,</p><p>“Ahh hell with it, I’ll show ya how we ride down Beer Can Alley!”</p><p>He proceeded to go around back and pull out a beautiful red Harley. I don’t know much about bikes but this was very nice, made for highway travel. He backed the bike around to the end of the alley as I set up my camera a few feet behind him. Not know what to expect, I used my tripod mounted Nikon D300 as a shield and cowered behind it as Mark revved the engine. He turned and looked back and me and yelled: “YOU READY???” I gave him a thumbs up and he gassed that sucker! Beer cans sprayed up behind his bike as he roared away, sliding right and left down the alley.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/2844673434_3a4cc69a6c_o.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/2843935871_36f36cb18d_o.jpg" border="0" /></a>Riding on all those cans must have been about as stable as riding on a icedover pond. He made a couple runs and young Mark razzed him about a wussy performance.<br />As we once again made our way back toward our car, we passed Mark’s wife. He said:</p><p>“Honey, these are the photographers I was telling you about. Why don’t you run inside and put on that little black nightie…” </p><p>She grinned and gave him a love punch in the gut. (I had to admit--he wasn’t wrong about her!!!)We got Mark’s address before we drove away and promised to send him some prints. I think he’s going to like them! </p><p></p><p></p><p>You can view more of my work over at: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym">www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym</a></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-27364792780345627882008-07-29T11:59:00.003-04:002008-09-23T16:18:13.880-04:00Connestee Falls NC 07-27-2008After visiting Maidenhiar falls I drove down the road a few miles to Connestee Falls. I had been here once before but from the overlook you could barely see anything. This time I "figured out" a way to get down to the base of the upper portion of the falls. I don't think they want people down there so I can't recommend it to others, but it was not difficult to get down nor too dangerous. (As long as you don't get near the edge!) Across the gorge I noticed some other people at a different overlook that had a MUCH better view, but I am not sure how to get over to that side.<br /><br />This shot is the upper portion of the falls, you can't see it but the overlook is at the top left of the frame behind the trees looking down on the falls.<br /><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2709980841/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/2709980841_25b62ea9d3_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2709987537/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/2709987537_f5c916e671_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>After taking a few shots from this 'platform' I scrambled down to a lower one about 8 feet below and got this shot.</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2710804300/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2710804300_8e12019823_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>Even with a 10-20mm wide angle, I still had to back up right to the edge of the falls behind me to get this in frame, that was a bit unnerving. </p><p>For this next shot all I had to do was rotate the camera 180 degrees from the previous shot and look down. Yikes! Don't slip here! You can see the other overlook in the top right of the frame, right next to where the far cascade begins. I'd love to figure out how to get over there and get both portions of the falls in frame.</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2710802112/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/2710802112_42112327cf_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p><br /></p>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-26505673502673334792008-07-29T11:29:00.003-04:002008-07-29T11:41:56.868-04:00Maidenhair Falls NC 07-27-2008<div>While reading through some books and searching the net for my next falls to visit I came across some info about Maidenhair Falls just south of Brevard. The Pictures I saw looked beautiful but no one listed directions to the falls since it was on private property and you had to cross private property to get to it. With the help of one website that listed the lat. and long. coords, and a topographical map and a .50 compass I headed out!<br /></div><br /><div>Off of 276S I found the back road that looked like it got nearest to the falls. I drove down the dirt road until I came to the end and parked along the side. Luckily I could hear running water so I figured that must be the creek the falls was on. </div><br /><div></div><div>Walking sheepishly through someones back yard I spotted what looked to be a small trail. I followed the trail winding through the forest for a little less than a mile, crossing the creek once. This beautiful falls had a large initial drop of about 40 feet then cascaded down 2 separate landings about 15 feet wide. I was able to climb up to the first landing to get some shots. Unfortunately my timing was bad since the sun had just climbed above the trees and was shining down right on the water. This shots I got were not very good due to that so I spent about an hour sitting and wading around in the water. </div><div> </div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2709969903/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2709969903_d4e630aa30_b.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>I did manage to get this cool looking shot in a shaded area of the falls. I contorted the tripod about 2 inches off the ground with one leg sticking into the crevasse of the overhang and the other 2 legs splayed out on the rocks. The growth under the overhand made for an interesting HDR.</div><br /><div></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2710779912/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/2710779912_e541d3b554.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>I plan on going back to this falls next weekend in the early morning before the sun gets too high, and hopefully I'll have some better shots then!</div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-17740793261302675922008-07-29T11:04:00.003-04:002008-07-29T11:26:31.215-04:00Cedar Rock Falls NC 07-26-2008Well I am getting back into my normal routine of getting out on the weekends and hiking to waterfalls. This Saturday I went into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Pisgah</span> Forest to visit Cedar Rock Falls. I had never been to this one before so I was excited! Parked at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pisgah</span> Center and found the trail. It was just about a mile walk on a very easy trail. I did not pass a single person on my way up to the falls. <div><br /></div><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2705389598/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/2705389598_d640f345b9.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><div>This was a beautiful little area with many boulders around to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">climb</span> on and get some interesting shots!</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2704571845/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3103/2704571845_ec9cf78410_b.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2705400246/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/2705400246_979cc315e0_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><p>I spent about an hour and a half there shooting and sitting, and not a single person ever came by. This is a great place to reflect and enjoy nature!</p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2704576495/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/2704576495_b69a59e6a6_b.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p><br /></p><br /><div></div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-42827656238383969832008-07-22T11:13:00.003-04:002008-07-22T11:25:03.058-04:00Raven Rock Falls / Eastatoe Falls 07/19 - 07/20/2008Spent the weekend exploring some new waterfalls in Western NC, I spent an hour shooting Eastatoe falls before I realized that I was shooting in ISO 6400 mode and had to reshoot everything :( (I was playing around with night time shots the previous evening).<br /><br />I've been trying really hard to pull back on the HDR processing so as not to get too much oversaturation or unrealistic results. The HDRs are all 9 shot RAWs processed in Photomatix Pro 3 and adjusted in CS3. All taken with a Nikon d300 and Sigma 10-20mm except for the last 2 which were on a 18-200mm lens. Hope you enjoy.<br /><br />Raven Rock Falls HDRs: This was my first time to Raven Rock Falls. It is north of Lake Toxaway off Cold Mtn Rd. It was a short hike down to the falls, passing under rocky overhangs and other areas much suited to snakes and the like! The falls area was beautiful and a perfect area to just sit and reflect, which is just what I did between shots!<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/2693002184_40c998ce5a_o.jpg" border="0" /><br />I was able to climb (somewhat safely) up the falls about halfway. The bedrock was beautiful and had plant life and moss growing all around.<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/2693002186_b609b44a32_o.jpg" border="0" /> <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/2693002188_b5fef78c43_o.jpg" border="0" /><br />Eastatoe Falls HDRs: Went back to one of my favorite falls in the area to get some more shots.<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2693002202_4149b4d9c2_o.jpg" border="0" /><br />Eastatoe Falls "Eye of the Vine":<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/2693002204_65dbfc9765_o.jpg" border="0" /><br />While shooting at Eastatoe Falls I looked up and noticed some bug eaten leaves with some beautiful diffuse light shining through that I had to capture (non HDR :) ) <div><br /><br /><p><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/2693002208_e4b9ac2ab6_o.jpg" border="0" /><br /></p></div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-80075520921001189282008-07-10T18:14:00.002-04:002008-07-10T18:37:24.985-04:00Watkins Glen NY 06-22-2008I recently flew to NY to go see my younger brother get married. Two days after the wedding, the same day my plane flew out, I headed over to Watkins Glen with my dad. I had been here many times as a kid but had not been in many years. As an adult (although some would argue that!) I have much more appreciation for the magnitude of this place, and the years of erosion that has taken place to create this beautiful marvel. We parked at the top and started the hike down.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/2624704117_80d8ce81e2_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/2624704181_52649fc1c9_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The area had received a fair amount of rain over the last few weeks so water was constantly dripping off the edges of the cliffs and falling down all over me and the camera, so it was a challenge to hide the camera under my shirt and pull it out, mount it on the tripod and rattle off nine shots in a row in order to create these shots.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/2624705923_9d021ff0e6_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3135/2624704121_d28a0091c4_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/2624704131_34b3ff28fa_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />All of these shots were done with a Nikon d300 and shot in HDRi, so each of these shots are a blend of nine images at different exposures. This technique came in very handy being as it was a very bright pretty much cloudless day. I had to wait many times for a few minutes to get a shot where no one was in the frame, and my dad did a great job of crowd control and keeping people from walking into the shot. We had a very short visit but I managed to get a few good shots.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/2624704127_12bdb2038a_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2624704173_925ebc790f_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /> I would love to come back here in the fall and get some shots with the leaves changing. What a beautiful place!!!<br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-70355800504230845422008-01-24T22:29:00.000-05:002008-01-24T22:34:02.960-05:00Cathedral Falls 01/12/2008<div>My brother and his Fiance were in town for the weekend so we treated them to the views of Cathedral Falls (Aka Birdrock Falls). Since I've been here about 6 times in the last six months I opted for a different angle.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2193235141/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2220/2193235141_09eb2d5523_b.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is a really interesting area along the trail near Cathedral falls where the brush and rhododendron sweep low over your head and create a thick creepy canopy that makes for an eerie stroll in the right light.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2194166430/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2244/2194166430_e3b2376f3f.jpg" border="0" /></a></div></div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-86404273107529209452008-01-02T10:25:00.000-05:002008-01-02T10:35:18.880-05:0012-29-2007 Eastatoe FallsWell we headed back to Eastatoe falls after we had a few days of heavy rains. My parents were in from NY and we wanted to treat them to a few local falls. We headed out past brevard and first stopped at Cathedral Falls. Due to the recent heavy rains the falls were overflowing. More water than I had seen all year! After enjoying Cathedral we headed over to Eastatoe falls and got a few more shots. Check out that water flow compared to November! Both of these shots were done using HDR, with about 4-8 exposures to create each one. I will try to get a few shots from Cathedral falls up as well.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">Eastatoe Falls</div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2154733439/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2237/2154733439_f5981df9f7.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miragebym/2155250963/in/photostream/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2011/2155201721_a0f3817165.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-42402474200389662212007-11-07T20:24:00.000-05:002008-01-02T10:24:54.493-05:00Eastatoe Falls 11/04/2007I found this beautiful falls off hwy 178 near Rosman. It was on private property but there were no "no trespassing" signs. According to the Kevin Adams book you "Walk through the yard behind the house and then follow the grassy path to the base of the falls." And no kidding it was someone's house! I parked in their gravel driveway next to their car and got out, walked through their yard, and sure enough no more than 200 feet was a beautiful 50 ft tall waterfall. I would kill to have this in my back yard! You could see it from their house!<br /><br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2382/1910039727_e7976cd0f8.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2382/1910039727_e7976cd0f8.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2079/1910874828_ff03ff69b3.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2079/1910874828_ff03ff69b3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2190/1910870328_b3c1c38e88.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2190/1910870328_b3c1c38e88.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/1910872410_8d3b090531.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/1910872410_8d3b090531.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-1882629798551731442007-09-27T20:44:00.000-04:002007-09-27T22:12:54.940-04:00Cathy's Creek NC 09/23/2007<span style="font-family:arial;">I got the urge to go out again today! Even though my legs were still sore from the Pearson and Little Bradley Falls hikes yesterday, I wanted more! So while Nicole was shopping in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Asheville</span> I headed out past <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">brevard</span> to Cathy's Creek to check out the falls there. According to the book there was only a 100 yard hike down a very steep level 8 trail. I figured it would be a quick trip. I followed the dirt road off of 64 for about 3 miles to a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pull off</span> described in the book and donned my pack. I was in the middle of nowhere! I had not passed a single car on this one lane dirt road and could hear no cars or anything except the forest, it was great! </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I could not find a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">discernible</span> path from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">pull off</span> but the forest was passable down the steep embankment and I could hear rushing water from where I was so I started down the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ravine</span> towards the sound of the water. The embankment turned VERY steep very quick. no more than 20 feet down and I was side steeping very slowly. The very loose earth crumbled under my feet and the brush suddenly got very thick. This most <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">certainly</span> was not a trail of any kind let alone the one from the book. Since I knew I could not be that far off from the falls I figured I would continue down and just hike up along the creek to the falls and take some pictures there and then take the real trail back up and walk back down the road to my car. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Still side stepping down the embankment a small 7 inch in diameter tree that I leaned against for balance suddenly gave way and toppled down the hill! I quickly lost my balance and slid (luckily) on my butt about 20 yards down a very steep part of the hill. At this point I was a bit shaken and thought it best to go back to the car and find the real trail, but <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">much</span> to my dismay I found that the steep part I just slid down combined with the very loose earth mad it almost impossible to climb back up. Where I stood the forest was so dense around me that the only way was down to the stream. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I made it to the stream and I could not see the falls from where I was so I started to make my way upstream. After attempting (unsuccessfully) to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">navigate</span> through the very dense brush on either side of the creek I decided to get my feet wet and wade upstream. This consisted of wading about knee deep through pools and on and off slippery moss covered rocks. As I made my way up I stopped at about 2-3 places and took a few shots of the creek and a few very small cascades. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1031/1449641643_a0c8e09db5_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1031/1449641643_a0c8e09db5_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1040/1449648115_97401aabd6_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1040/1449648115_97401aabd6_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1258/1450513320_2f73430db5_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1258/1450513320_2f73430db5_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">After about an hour I had gone about 0.3 miles (hey I was walking up stream taking pictures trying not to fall!!!) I saw up ahead the falls! But as I neared the area I could see that the falls and the area around them tapered into a very small quickly rushing stream of water that emerged from between 3 giant rocks that jutted out from the solid rock ravine walls into the middle of the stream, completely preventing me from navigating through them. Looking to either side of me the steepness of the sheer rock walls and then the density of the forest at the top of the 10 foot rocks was so great that I did not think I could pass. I did find an area near these rock that looked like I could climb up about 10 feet or so but all the small footholds looked like they went deep into the rocks and all I could think about were rattlesnakes! </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I stood there baffled as to what I should do. I could risk climbing the rocks and possibly falling or risking snakes, or I could trek BACK down the creek another 0.3 of a mile (Which is a long hike up a slippery creek!) to try again to climb out of the ravine. After thinking about this for a few minutes I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">decided</span> that since I was alone I would do the safe thing and go back down the creek <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">until</span> I could find an area that looked like I could climb back out... </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">About 30 minutes later I neared what looked like the area which I had descended. Several attempts to negotiate the climb out were <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">unsuccessful</span>. At this point I was freaking out that I might be in trouble! After gaining my cool I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">decided</span> that I would "sprint" up the embankment. I launched myself upward as hard as I could, scrambling with all fours against the crumbling earth to a small sapling tree about 20 feet up, where I pulled myself up <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">and</span> rested. I did this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">repeatedly</span> for <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">about</span> 10 minutes, scramble...grab tree...rest.... until after about 80 yards I was near the top. My legs were so <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">exhausted</span> at this point they were shaking and I felt like I was going to hyperventilate! I made it the last 30 feet and stumbled to my car and collapsed. After about 2 bottles of water and 15 minutes of rest I figured I would at least drive the remaining .3 of a mile to see where i SHOULD have pulled off. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Sure enough there was another pull off just up the road with a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">definite</span> trail leading down. At this point I was so <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">exhausted</span>, there was no way I was going down there. I drove back home a little discouraged and completely <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">wiped out</span>! At least I got a few decent pictures out of the trip!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As you can see from the following video the brush on either side was VERY dense and navigating my way upstream was tough to say the least especially with a backpack full of camera equipment that would be ruined if I slipped!</span></p><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='403' height='326' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxbOdszaNrzXEl9mxFpbbTbj0BiDeh9GY4kne-53-RXb8nfHUgoMsPmlqyGQLz9NwVe3tvbzy80h8Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-6251401882204188062007-09-22T19:38:00.000-04:002008-01-02T10:37:42.483-05:00Pearson Falls and Little Bradley Falls NC 09/22/2007<div><span style="font-family:arial;">Today we struck out together and headed out to Pearson Falls on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">recommendations</span> of several people. Pearson Falls is located just outside <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Saluda</span> NC off of 176. It is privately owned land and we were charged $3 per person to enter the area. A nice lady came down from a cabin to a little stand and took our money and welcomed us to the falls. We parked in a tiny gravel parking area around the same time a busload of church kids unloaded and filled the serene forest with echoing shouts and screams. We double timed it up the trail before they could get a start! The well maintained trail led up a creek and crossed over a quaint little stone bridge. Not more than 3/10<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ths</span> of a mile up we reached the falls. Pearson Falls is a beautiful multilevel cascading falls about 75 feet high coming off the colt river. Several other people were there but I set up shop on a large flat rock and started shooting. (Remember you can click on ANY of the photos here for a large version!)</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1067/1424349703_738c128593_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1067/1424349703_738c128593_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1222/1425239192_6fe9b3c6e1_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1222/1425239192_6fe9b3c6e1_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><br /><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/1424419463_644963ec50_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/1424419463_644963ec50_b.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">I used my new darker neutral density filter which allowed me to get 6-10 second exposures without blowing out the shot. The longer exposures allowed me to create that very nice "silky" smooth water look. The kids soon invaded our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">peacefulness</span> and for about 5 minutes I guarded my tripod while they ran around asking questions. I moved my 'post' out onto a rock in the middle of the stream to get a few more shots. While I shot the falls Nicole found a fuzzy <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">caterpillar</span> crawling up her pants and amused herself with it for a while! </span></div><br /><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1375/1424731281_2902c37fb2_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1375/1424731281_2902c37fb2_b.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">After we had our fill we packed up and went back to the car (While "collecting" a few warning sign shots).</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1147/1424423077_c33d8183e7_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1147/1424423077_c33d8183e7_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1180/1424425927_71fe27472c_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1180/1424425927_71fe27472c_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">We broke out the book to find out where we wanted to go next. We <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">decided</span> on Bradley Falls which looked to be only about 15 min from Pearson Falls and headed out. We stopped at a little cider shop on the side of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">road</span> and purchased a big jug of "peach cider" (have not tasted it yet) and asked a nice down home looking man for exact directions to the road we needed and were on our way. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">We made our way to the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">trail head</span> for Bradley Falls and after talking to some other hikers we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">decided</span> not to hike to the falls as the water flow was low and would not lend itself to a good shot. Looking back in the book we found Little Bradley Falls and drove back up the road a half mile to the area the book said led to the trail. When we parked the car on the very narrow shoulder we looked down the VERY steep embankment beside us that was covered with large dumped rocks to prevent washing out and we changed our mind about climbing down that way. So we went back again to the Bradley Falls <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">trail head</span> and found Cove Creek that led up to Little Bradley Falls and began our hike there. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">As we began we met a couple with a beautiful husky that was loaded up with a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">doggie</span> pack to carry their stuff! (Need to get me one of those!) we led ahead of them for a short time until we met two guys who also donned camera holding hiking backpacks. Together we attempted to find the trail which was not marked and pretty much consisted of bush whacking our way along the side of the creek. On three <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">occasions</span> we had to cross the creek by rock hopping and balancing on less than steady rocks. At one point I inevitably slipped and found myself standing with both feet in calf-deep water. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">We continued on with soggy shoes and a less than happy Walter. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Finally</span> we passed the very steep rocky hill we had looked down on earlier. The falls were not much further. We were the first couple to the falls and went ahead and took what I thought was the best spot to shoot from. I took a bunch of shots from different angles here. Little Bradley Falls is a multilevel cascade about 40 feet high.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1170/1425265030_dc47c5cdb9_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1170/1425265030_dc47c5cdb9_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1407/1424372689_3aa56343fc.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1407/1424372689_b40c060c10_b.jpg"></a></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1196/1425260796_d712b97e05_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1196/1425260796_d712b97e05_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">After chatting with the two other photographers about their setups and techniques we sat and enjoyed the falls before packing up. We were the last couple to leave and as we came back to the steep rocky area we saw the two guys climbing about halfway up. Knowing how many more creeks and slippery rocks we would have to cross we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">decided</span> to follow suit and began climbing up the rocks. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1309/1424699065_f4ed86bf1e_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1309/1424699065_f4ed86bf1e_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">Notice my awesome camera-hiking-backpack with the special tripod holder!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1232/1424695313_9ea3d74d37_b.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1232/1424695313_9ea3d74d37_b.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Only about 50% of the rocks on this steep grade were stable. A few times my weight sent a cascade of rocks rolling down below. After about 10 minutes of this pretty dangerous climb we neared the top and one of the guys stuck out his walking stick to help pull us up the last 10 feet. We walked the last half mile back to the car. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">On the way back to the interstate we stopped and a little roadside stand a bought some boiled peanuts. As I was making my purchase I heard someone ask "How was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Bradley</span> falls?" I turned around and the cider guy from earlier was also at this stand! Weird... A nice hot cup of salty boiled peanuts was the perfect way to end this day!</span><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Here is some viedo from Pearson Falls!<br /></div><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='419' height='334' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxu_b4FlENSF87KZTxpq2vYlJoI3d0VDDzsL_MNCI25ub1y65ANR1f2hJlcmMIWCLx8gH2Gqf2U20A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />And a quick one of Little Bradley:<br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='423' height='325' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxrl1WkLE1S_e0ubpviJyOKjOMrzMuN_OJGO3aLMKvyyR5uRboLIAU6lySMFhLLkpqkM_XHS30qAYk' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-45838326136229083052007-09-17T20:21:00.000-04:002007-09-17T22:27:23.891-04:00Rainbow Falls NC 09-16-2007<p><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>Rainbow Falls on Horsepasture River Transylvania County</em></span></p><p><em><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></em></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">I struck out by myself today. Nicole was still getting over the bronchitis I gave her while we were on vacation in Florida. It was really strange I got up this morning and open the waterfall book that we bought at the outdoors shop in Brevard last time, and I just flipped open the book to a page randomly, and the description of Rainbow Falls outside of Brevard NC was on the page. So I read some about it both in the book and online and all the descriptions I read were saying that if they had to pick one waterfall in North Carolina that was the most beautiful they would pick this one! So once I determined that it was only about 20 minutes further than cathedral falls and right off hwy 64, I knew that was where I was going!<br /><br /><br />Drove out there and found the parking area for the Gorges National Park. I asked a guy with a fishing pole if he knew which way the falls were, and he said he was looking for the same place, so we read a few excerpts out of the Kevin Adams book and finally determined the correct route to get to the falls. I started off before him and made my way out of the parking lot left on a trail following the road and then past a closed gate with a sign indicating that this road should not be accessed and that people have died on these trails.<br /></p><p><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1311/1398763933_8c3d0d55fb_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111340245164959330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTa4EGV3pk7hOEmaGc0nDmjeNw007cVduWWHAjabTz0A3IG0hn1nTj0Q3IoeEmVbv2byMB4NPf5AUXb-WSQaBihi0AwO3bhZF6AJzJf3ALOkBhyphenhyphentOQQ72R9M3azdA71j3k3tW-g/s400/DSC03078.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1438/1398767033_ac1fa32c01_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111340240869992018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zF3MkVDmbNat2eXru3JsFld75aeuQZpQBsgvmng5HobiNO2WZ5KZ8d3zHsR7RddXF9_Y9cUfcibB-HeoTYM4_xDFKijiVfiAcOeYZnsUlxq_1TaxjivwGOal3r8BGN2qlwLylg/s400/DSC03081.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Nothing like a warm welcome from the park rangers! I continued down the trail for about a half mile or so and then descended a steep embankment (completely missing where there was a trail off to my right) which eventually came out at the top of the first falls called Turtleback Falls. The trail actually led out onto the bedrock of the river at this point and you walked around an outcropping of trees on the rock until you got back on the dirt trail.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1086/1398743417_e1feb47ec0_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111339188603004402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ihEWzx8GnHWeOI9MW9B7_Tm-0PHX9bohFcfXHLAGMoT4mJt_tH5YqPV7n27WXwog_b2Fr0pKXEw0NRcXv28IrhfpUpUPYiTyfAN54Dy4S6CA-BX8B6G5pSCPexRRDkincqbd2A/s400/Turtleback+Falls.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />At the opening of the trail onto the river I met a little old lady that had stayed behind while her daughters had gone ahead and trekked down to Rainbow Falls. We chatted briefly and as we did the man that I had spoke with in the parking area came up behind us and continued on down the path. I parted ways with the lady after giving her my printed information about the falls and telling her about the ncwaterfalls.com website. I took a few shots with the Sony at the top of Turtleback before moving on down the trail across a small bridge and the onto a small rock outcropping that offered me a decent front on view of the falls.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1233/1398748091_a2a7c40099_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111339192897971714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQ2xGQrvmF5IVJF0pHmVrTw-Oh2jda_d0HPMUeIP8PcvzE7RI0NVWcdhLuPnQObAke92n6wGxhC4fUjHsWKjEprczC-fsDu1nQjrrM7gmDTWj1RjIEW39cLdf731F2EseAxic9Q/s400/Turtleback+Falls+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Wishing I had a wider angle lens than 18-55mm I snapped some shots with my neutral density filter on and quickly realised that on sunny days like this one I was going to need a darker ND filter. I packed the camera back into my new specially made camera hiking backpack and moved on down the trail stopping at one or two other easily accessible areas.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1310/1399604104_e61d57cf7e_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111340249459926642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRr1x0dcrnhv-m7TqWOoJd0mlBh3VO_-jwawEi3wmYXO4Fn9K4iLC_MRhzP6xo1wX6lDtXCc86wj-nb1tycIRIjr9zwpYlKEzYxMdFbG-wpmxd4ZgI0B-bE1FuD9JMPll8rce8Sw/s400/Cascades+Before+rainbow.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p><p></p><p><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1394/1399643026_f675773e66_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111340253754893954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6x3OAFWVKMPmlqfeVjS6DENeVm4bkN-Bj_We1vW7TN3TTS42z-520Y7wIdGrY7hHcjaCCvfQ6Mu3xDvRvxVE7eBfY4NUvBWzkPgiO6b13olcCE9AonMTpr7IcYbVujIBRbemohg/s400/betwn+Turtle+and+rainbow.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1148/1399646322_94b56069fb_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111339201487906338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7PeuZvxyRUYBNSisrBnFpSadedoT163ysfIFOpZdR9XrG3dVB_bDF8eqYFKZyaoihgjdKtY4Go4IdArFZFK5TimDOjFw7BHSrxcMHr_q90YFEqpLD0E1bX-2hYMA0nCG2-OSyXQ/s400/top+b4+rainbow.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Finally after about another half mile I came to the top of Rainbow Falls. It was breathtaking. the dry exposed bedrock allowed me to get right to the very dangerous edge of the top of the falls and also stand on some rocks in the middle of the river and snap a few shots.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1185/1399611534_330dd1e000_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111340236575024706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSc5fSWSLRYzl4u76_lno0fkqCq-MlVjs_NBn5AuPfUZHRU2lG7qgdiWZdAbyoVU8DEO90LgaFHciEuGGzDzOc3roH2LSIevcvJGM0FGzE9L9oBZ7LWc4S6PfckVo0lGSTobpZLw/s400/Looking+over+rainbow.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p><p><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1112/1399626702_7917cf8800_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111339197192939026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjbu8hN1OaN5FG6n92mPh1yMS3xWvDEty2yLCePQPnkhy6p0AMY8kdlpOObkhB2k_DNaNd0DFYq_il7o0GFBH1P70oIo0FECVJqpOjDFJwARfy_vHysqjflFJL16qoCsdbPbolw/s400/Top+of+rainbow.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />What an amazing feeling, looking out over the top of this 120' high falls. I could see two people far below be at the bottom of the falls sitting on some rocks. I stood for a minute there just watching the roaring water rush around me and taking in the amazing view of the explosion of water at the top of the falls and the trees and mountains in the distance. Again I packed my things and made my way down the trail to an area that looked to go down to the base of Rainbow Falls. Climbing down involved stepping very carefully and holding on the rocks and any tree limbs I could find. Finally I made it to the base just as the couple that I saw above sitting on the rocks were leaving. I took a few (unsuccessful) shots of the waterfall through the trees and then broke tree cover and stepped out onto the giant rocks below the falls. I stared in wonder at this massive falls for a few minutes and then walked around without my pack to find a good place that I could safely take the camera and still get a decent shot. I found a spot and rattled off a bunch of shots, some of which turned out very nice.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1108/1398729541_5e37f31db3_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111339205782873650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gWOP815P71wJg-dWsI89BN6jmVSmXNuDLtnOIZBctx1RLeOsH8QJYf9wvNoBkKC3t7qb2ZMcuDBPY_Dge-KtPxWSk8t-tNNIkzbpkXk7N2xD5fFNbAHZjvWrIgFnMbVfRcDFqg/s400/Rainbow+Falls+NC.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1006/1398709441_756a9e86d1_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111341722633709202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uZ5jDTnwD46l93g4-f46ngb8muPJ2pnYpRXCCS6VCLl0OvE5OmiX7bmgxv0ozVEBQ4PXQdz4tmcp6l_ZbhKY4kvrDtj4Z8z5hnDSru4jP0l12BWEwUMGYnHviZ9X2-XcL5YgGg/s400/+rainbow+Falls+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I spent a good 20 minutes at the base of the falls before moving on. After pulling myself back up the steep embankment I was thoroughly exhausted and after sitting for a moment decided to go a little further down. Along the way I met a couple with a pretty white dog who they said was not theirs. They said the dog which they had dubbed "Snowdrift" had found them and walked with them all day. The dog had a tag that said: "I live in the Gorges Park area, I am not lost, I will find my way home." The couple told me that there were more falls further down and many more trails. I started on down but did not get too far before I figured the hike back was long enough as it was. I finally turned around and started the very long hike back. After about an hour I made it back to the car and all but passed out. I had a great day and found an incredible location that I plan on going back to visit very soon! </p><p>Below is a short vidoe of the falls along the river.</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='411' height='370' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxYUm05ObVaLHGaft0IPDKmtdBdXYmDKc9UZqvKbKmvmtRPnnx76vUdHUpC367xZX6fOq4ufB0-n04' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#666666;"><strong><em>Stopping the time</em></strong></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"><strong><em>Rushing, waiting</em></strong></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"><strong><em>Leave it behind</em></strong></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"><strong><em>Shifting and shaping</em></strong></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"><strong><em>Keep it inside</em></strong></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"><strong><em>It all goes passing by...</em></strong></span></span><br /></p></span>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-6010585152215558052007-09-17T14:21:00.000-04:002007-09-22T20:50:23.482-04:00Cathedral Falls NC Day 2 08-26-2007<div><span style="font-family:arial;">Nicole joined me in this return trip to the falls. Again we parked in the Living Waters Ministry parking lot and started down the trail. Before we got to the first falls we met three people exploring like ourselves. We shared our limited knowledge of the area and I joined one of them in taking some pictures of the first set of falls. The man taking pictures had a very nice Nikon setup with a wide angle telephoto lens and a square filter mount with a graduated Neutral Density filter. I asked him about the settings he was using and he told me a 3-4 second exposure with an Fstop around 13-16. We all chatted for a bit and Nicole and I took off before them to start walking down stream.<br /><br />Nicole and I stopped at the same places I had gone the previous day and we took in the sights and the sounds of this beautiful area. Nicole sat at the top of Cathedral Falls while I took some more pics. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1257/1394794868_2a141ed04e_b.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">I noticed some dark clouds gathering and I rushed her back onto the path so we could get to the base of the falls in case a storm was coming. We got to the base and I rushed her to sit on the bed rock so I could shoot a portrait of her with the falls as a backdrop but I was barely able to set up and snap off 3-4 shots before a light drizzle began. I ran the camera back up to the bag which was under cover of some trees, and grabbed my backpack and brought back down to her. It was still barely drizzling so I popped out a water bottle I had brought that was filled with some wine, poured some into our red plastic dixie cups, and we toasted our new hobby together. We sat there a few minutes and enjoyed the cool mist and light rain.<br /><br />Suddenly the skies opened up and it started pouring. Nicole found a small area that was sheltered by the massive rock outcropping and made her way there. I ran back up the inclined bedrock to grab the camera bag. On my way back down in my haste I slid standing up about 6 feet or so while maintaining my balance (barely) and made it safely to the semi-sheltered area. We watched as the rain fulled the roaring river and the dry spots where we were sitting quickly started filling up with running water. We stood there for 15 minutes or so and watched the rain, drank the rest of our wine and talked.<br /><br />When it looked like it was letting up a bit we grabbed our things and made the wet muddy hike back to the car. Just as we were nearing Living Waters the rain picked up fast. When we broke free of the forest cover we made a dash towards the car. Suddenly lightning struck so close the the transformer on the power line not 20 feet from us emitted a flash of sparks. Nicole stood under cover of a small firewood pavilion while I made another mad dash the last 25 yards to the car. We drove down off the mountain and back into Brevard where we stopped and bought some hiking equipment and decided that we would definitely do this again!<br /><br /></div></span><br /><p></p><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">The last clip in this series of videos is of Cathedral Falls the rest of the video is the of other falls and cascades along the half mile stretch of river.<br /></div></span><br /><p></p><br /><p><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='405' height='330' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzec8ivYX26jQkP9S6d-bUUoIo3J0b_Yq-eTLeKf189tRI8SVvSGh6uRGjR9tXNPJmvm3_1qg-P5BM' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#666666;"><em><strong>Love,</strong></em></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#666666;"><em><strong>I'm aching to believe</strong></em></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#666666;"><em><strong>Give me something real enough</strong></em></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#666666;"><em><strong>Give me somewhere to fall from...</strong></em></span></p>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-57443756465002273232007-09-16T21:05:00.000-04:002007-09-22T20:49:11.840-04:0008/25/2007 Cathedral Falls NC Day 1<span style="font-family:arial;">I drove out by myself, took 64 from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hendersonville</span> through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Brevard</span> until I came to Hwy 215 leading North. Drove up the mountain about 7-8 miles and parked in the lot of the Living Waters Ministry building. Spoke with a few kids and got permission to check out the falls. Made the very brief hike (I could hear the falls from the gravel parking lot) down to the first falls, which consisted of two merging water sources in a semi-circle. This location was fed by a branch of the french broad river and another large creek.<br /><br /></span><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1359/1393923243_c5b69d9518_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110985150153827682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASnsAbtvgV_40CMRTK0u-_OdiZ1tlEJvzecI3sB3MId2muo762O4gJ2zgiTOqhZlzKnxDvHtf4i2h3WWuJq7B0GcQiGLrVx4THRpOGnJBFIUBYZUFBJUzTKAGDPU7R-U65RpvOw/s400/french+broad+falls_resize.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1433/1394823484_cf3c8e1288_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110985532405917042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwVPdjdq8MgRo7iCNwirKCBvQyAhUKi0zSl35tEt3Ezu5kQlTPzfnZwuJwNyfiFp8A3VoBPjKKS5BlvctpIKhAHVS-CD-rvMnzrhZsExTQlpp3IWZ7CWmg34KS2STM-MhuYDQRg/s400/shoals+creek+offshoot_resize.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Falls were 15-20 feet tall. I snapped a few pictures from a small piece of exposed bedrock that jutted out into the water. When I was done I got back on the path and stopped a few other places along the way where the river was accessible and took a few pics / video.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1288/1394798554_8dab41309d_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110986503068526002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0k1JXHtI_C8qOrE8eM84V9CTKPLtvA9BR8eiGbZLKblGbSiW4jnUoLpdh0lpFbdWZcb5imGq2-dMh0XEKHi0PufyKe6WdtfgN_xfBr_P2XqjdMDYigoscP-ImE8hTlAxzlArmvw/s400/Looking+upstream_resize.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1130/1394803282_7682b4613a_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110986494478591394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhevbz-6mhyphenhyphenrYKtFxj_ltmDJ-0K0iakG3DEWbN4e6KdlFhEtjn5Nbr9eFhMW66vYQlNGZtxdMm4ZKA0DvomxIv8RZGK_kRvLmP5HMUxoE6L_3NftRbQ0AhCCiDgymYGipmDsmjA/s400/Middle+Cascade_resize.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1381/1393919229_72c8ed31e7_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110986485888656770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfilOIoyzibkUWypAj_c0tLid4zIZHhS3aqr-6M2lc3B3NdpNosBtju46bC4Uqp6V8AIsJNOzEzODLUzc6dK1wsc6FhsZlHvBdXw5UqLVT54So4HQOx8ilV073Sb-rSKD3M5yjVw/s400/Strange+Rock+Formation_resize.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1155/1393913659_076314f702_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110986494478591378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiLTeCUwDc6S0ct4uX9TwMdsXO5JLsi_Yfm2eAWlMu8yfi9qdPY7AooGq6ys2jh3vWG-ge00Q6fpoAWDgQpoH6UgxwCXGFVlpBEPP1PBNhr3bOCoZ1cvIfVgwO_nzEW3J3NduSw/s400/Mossy+LEaf_resize.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1404/1393885699_8428691c44_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110986507363493314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9oSXg4jymnQw9zLLsSVK3saXyiE0G3P_A9R3eRw2Ce7PmNtrNxohRZ9CunoFElazPkWZ00UsQksIUrOr772Ttd13h-xyHUVu-6zQ_0fEGf1DjFLcUwpnIpmRXauWczgf4Z1EbLw/s400/Exploding+Water_resize.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"> In all there were about 6-7 locations with falls in varying heights that were easily accessible. The well maintained path took me through some creepy bending branches/plants that canopied the train low enough for me to duck as I went through. I finally got to what seemed like the end of the trail and made my way down to Cathedral Falls. This was maybe a 25ft falls that flowed under a giant rock outcropping about 100 feet tall that it had been carving away for years. </span><p><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1257/1394794868_2a141ed04e_b.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> Yellow lichen adorned the striated rock wall. </span></p><p><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1002/1393891059_86b07e0b5b_b.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110987336292181458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6zMh8ANkG0mHYhl65HU2imu31Uu2RNaJM7bmeRUgM93fiAo8rL224ShWDAsE1wrm1bYL3cYDEmR1AvU9oYZC4XzWup6ABrqLNhgaa17EYz7kYQcNzgd6tGRUo7p66fdoI2WMZA/s400/Natures+Grafitti_resize.jpg" border="0" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The roaring falls tapered down stream into a peaceful creek that flowed further down the mountain. I took more pictures here and experimented with the camera settings which I am still getting used to. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Incidentally</span> I never got a full shot of Cathedral Falls, both times I went I neglected to bring my wide angle lens with me and I could never fully frame the final falls (All the more reason to go back again!) All in all it was an incredible trip and I learned a lot about shooting waterfalls. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#666666;"><strong><em>I'm wide awake and so alive</em></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#666666;"><strong><em>Ringing like a bell</em></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#666666;"><strong><em>Tell me this is paradise</em></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#666666;"><strong><em>And not someplace I fell</em></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#666666;"><strong><em>'Cause I keep on falling down...</em></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span></p><p></p>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592705.post-1158544673752451542006-09-17T21:36:00.001-04:002009-04-24T22:33:24.707-04:00Welcome!I'm starting this blog so that all of the 4 people who actually care can share in all the adventures and crazy moments that make up my life.<br /><br />To start, I am Walter, a 25 year old bank manager living in the incredibly beautiful mountains of Western North Carollina. Theres a lot to tell, and even more to come so stick with me!<br /><br /><a name="3.4.166"><em><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Come, we'll to sleep. My strange and self-abuse</span></em></a><br /><a name="3.4.167"><em><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Is the initiate fear that wants hard use:</span></em></a><br /><a name="3.4.168"><em><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">We are yet but young in deed.</span></em></a>Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16526545366034790119noreply@blogger.com3