The contentment that comes with this post is two fold:
remembering the bike trip through the Smoky Mountains 2 years ago that allowed me to spend two days with nature and my camera (even if the trip did result in the bike wreck)
and,
knowing that soon, in 12 days, I’ll be spending a lot more time shooting! And with visiting all of you!
Happy Fall, Ya’ll!!
In the same way that this little leaf got carried along by this big leaf during the storms and flooding yesterday, I feel carried by you.
My WP journey has lasted over 3 years and a big part of my happiness here has been getting to know you through visits to your blogs. It is truly my intention to spend a lot more time virtually hanging out with you … in 35 days! I can’t wait!
Thank you for your support and encouragement!
As I sat on the front porch making campaign calls, I couldn’t help but feel that I was halfway between the seasons of summer and fall.
Meanwhile, I’m definitely at the height of campaign season! 51 Days!
Looking forward to visiting your blogs today 🙂
Some of you are college football fans, and if you are a devoted one like I am, the anticipation of the season and that first game is crazy fun!
Even when the outcome is not great (like when your quarterback gets injured and it all goes down hill from there).
This game offered time to campaign, to visit with friends, and to pull out the camera.
The colors of Virginia Tech are the colors of fall, and are perfect for football season.
The best part was hanging out with the very enthusiastic, oh so much fun Virginia Tech Young Democrats.
Our quarterback is pending surgery and the team suffered a loss, yet the season stretches out before us. There are 11 more games in this season, and 56 days until Election Day!!
A few weeks back, some dear friends and I gathered along the river for a weekend of Gifts. The cabin we rented was situated beside the New River, and was surrounded by trees. The Japanese Maples were vibrant with color, and the two growing next to each other just outside the cabin door captured in nature the colors of Virginia Tech.
Chicago Maroon
Burnt Orange
I could not stop taking pictures of the beautiful contrast between the two colors.
People have questioned the Hokie colors, wondering why a school would choose orange and maroon.
Fans of Virginia Tech respond by saying “If God wasn’t a Hokie then why do the leaves turn orange and maroon in the fall”?
Go Hokies!!!
It’s cold out there in the morning
but if you make yourself take those first steps off the porch
and you look down
and look around
you’ll see the gift that Jack Frost has left for you.
What does a Led Zeppelin song have to do with this post? Not much. Just a clever title for a post with alot of misty photos 🙂
I was up and out of the cabin early both days this past weekend, enamored with the mist rising off of the river.
The Canada Geese were so vocal to one another as they swam by me.
The otters, too, were chatty and so fun to watch. I just wish I’d had the right lens and light in order to capture a decent photo. Yet even without photos, I can still see those 6 playful otters in my mind.
What a marvelous way to start the day.
Don’t you just love the vibrance of RED?
And how about the luminence of yellow and orange?
Happy Fall, Ya’ll!
(and Joe – I swear I’d taken these before you started your incredible Wonder of Autumn series. Blogger friends – if you haven’t seen that series, please visit The Visual Chronicle)
Each year, my friend Ruth and I take an annual “Road Trip to Watch the Hokies … and Explore a Cool Town”, and what started as attendance at an away football game has turned into an opportunity for adventure in a new place. (If Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer knew our Road Trip / Loss to Win ratio, he would ask us to stop planning our trips around a game!) Thankfully, the game has become less of a focal point. Once the destination is chosen, we research places of interest to visit along the way and no matter the outcome of the game, we always have a great time!!
This year’s trip was to Pittsburgh and in order to get there, we drove from southwest Virginia, and into western Maryland. Low lying mountains, curvy rural routes, fall foliage, and historic small towns made for a great ride. We left for Hancock, Maryland on Weds after work, and were up and on the road for Pennsylvania early the next morning.
We’d not gone far when we saw this farmhouse and just had to pull over.
The view of Cumberland Narrows, a water gap in western Maryland, had me calling out “I need a picture!”. The sunrise and the misty hills were a site to see, but finding a spot to pull over was a bit of a challenge. These next two photos were taken through the front windshield of the car, and even though the quality suffers, they offer an idea about how pretty this part of Maryland is.
For those interested in history, we were traveling on Rt 40 also known as the National Pike, a section of road that passes through the Cumberland Narrows and lots of rural farmland. Sections of this road are also called the National Road. This road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government and was a gateway to the west for thousands of settlers. It was also the first US road to be surfaced with macadam. The National Road now has a multi-state tourism / historical partership that collarborates various towns, cities, and counties.
Even when pulled over, photography remained a bit of a challenge.
Between the traffic, the road signs, and the lightposts it was hard to capture an unobstructed view of the early morning mist.
I had the same problem catching this rainbow.
The photos may not do justice to the morning, but I’ll not forget it anytime soon. It was a wonderful start to the trip!
Next Stop: Falling Waters – One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most widely acclaimed works
Before heading out of town to celebrate life and the one year anniversary from the wreck, I was able to spend a few moments along the New River. We’ve continued to have daily rain showers, making for overcast skies (and muddy shoes and pants).
Knowing that I only had a few minutes, I literally ran down the path towards the trestle.
We hope that this trestle, connecting the City of Radford and Pulaski County, will eventually be available for shared use between pedestrians, cycists, and trains.
One of our citizens spends hours making these bluebird houses. He finds the perfect spots to place the birdhouses, and monitors bluebird activity. Carl is one of those unsung local volunteers, making the natural world and the community a better place through his hard work.
You’ve heard me ask this before: how lucky am I to live just 5 minutes from this river?
Next Post: North Carolina Wineries and “finishing” the trip I started one year ago!
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 