There is a magical park in Northeastern PA roughly 3.5 hours away from the Jersey Shore. If you are into waterfalls and a little hiking, going here is like visiting a gold mine. 18 waterfalls located on an @ four mile loop, bopping up to 21/7 with a short out and back extension. If it is a wet day out the terrain can get a bit sketchy, what goes down must go up, so good footwear is a must.
I had visited the area once before in early summer of 2017 during an off day at a dance competition. The water levels were much higher back then
This was still an impressive venture. Anytime you can take in so many falls in such a small area is a win in my book. As a comparison, the same waterfall from October of this year. Looks like they had some pretty rough storms come through.
It is hard shooting in the middle of the afternoon, blue skies, leaves falling from the trees. There is no way to control that, so just embrace the frustration and try to make it work to your advantage. You could always just find a patch, hang out and sunbathe, have some lunch or read a book like this dude.
On the right side is the trail. A mild set of wooden stairs.
This next shot explains mother nature and our every changing ecosystem to a tee. The power needed to move those trees and boulders, to disrupt hundreds of years of development. I stare in awe of these things every time.
I do believe this next one is my favorite shot of the day, just because it signifies the fall season.
Caught a little rainbow off the rocks
Can you imagine this next one in the late spring when the winter thaw is in full effect?
This area is supposed to be a hot bed for ice climbers in the winter months. As for my trip there in October, I did not shoot every fall. Probably just under half of them, the ones that did not pique my interest were most likely very low volume. It was a good way to split up my drive home from Cherry Springs, and depending on the time of year, I would certainly visit again.
The year is coming to a close and I begin to reflect on what was and what could have been while starting to think thoughts of next year. The main topic of aggravation this year seemed to be my constant battle with mother nature and her influence to disrupt my night time adventures. I do not remember so many cloudy nights in years past as there was during the period of monthly Milky Way desires this year. We were graced with the aurora in New Jersey and I totally missed it. The comical side note to that was when I was at Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania in October and thinking my camera/lens was broken. I could not get rid of this purple color in the right side of the frame.
I came to find out a few days later when I was back home and the sky was purple that it was the aurora gracing my photos. Had No Idea. We cannot change what has happened, we can only appreciate the learning opportunities that are presented to us. Within the park some of the areas were under construction so I did not even go into it, but I did not need to. I had a great vantage point from my little cabin.
I only did a little bit of exploring, venturing over to Leonard Harrison and Colton Point State Parks for a couple of short hikes. Even though the week before I went we had some massive rain storms, there was not much water flow going but it still was pretty and certainly worth a trip back when the season returns.
A view of Pennsylvania’s little grand canyon. The path at the bottom is fire road, great for a bike ride or a short hike. It is this bike ride that I discovered 30 years in EMS has finally caught up with me. We always talk about Paramedic shoulder, well, that is nothing compared to EMS back.
I still have not learned how to use my star tracker. This will be a priority for me getting ready for the 2025 season and will prevent this from happening. 20 seconds at 17mm is not supposed to allow blur.
Thanks for stopping by, I will have one more up before we are done with the year!
Day two involved a bit of a drive, or more sightseeing really, with two waterfalls thrown in. I was still early in the season to drive Mt Mansfield Auto Road as it was not open yet. There were patches of snow on a few the slopes so I would speculate it is all road repair from the winter season. Guess I will have to go back. It was actually nice to see a little life as I drove through Stowe, trying to remember the two times I went skiing in the area. Two times would be half of the total time I was on any slope. Paranoia will destroy ya. I had a fleeting thought to stop by Ben & Jerry’s for a tour but without the family with me it would not be as much fun.
Moss Glen Falls – Stowe edition – was the first stop of the day. Listed as Vermont’s tallest waterfall it offers a couple of different viewing points. This was my favorite all around view from the trip.
It can get a bit tight at the top for more than 5 people so for the adventurous types you can scramble down to the bottom of the falls to get a close up view and a little peace in the process.
Another Stowe area must see is Bingham Falls. There are two trails you can use to see the falls, I suggest you do them both! The main, and more popular trail is located off of Rt 108. Both are under a mile and easily accomplished. From the main side I had a lot of sun to contend with, looks like I only had one series I was content with. Bracketing, Polarizers or ND filters did not help very much here.
While the main side will give you a better overall perspective of the area, the Mill Creek trail is, photographically speaking, the better option and will provide better view points for those wish to explore.
This layers on this set of cascades intrigued me a great deal and was the main reason I did the Mill Creek trail on the other side. This section also drove me nuts trying to find the best shutter speeds. This is 1/8 of a second.
This final shot may be my favorite photo from my adventures. I was precariously balanced on a descending ledge for this one.
Like all my adventures the past few years, I try and pick locations with dark skies. For a period of one hour on my third night there was a slight break in the clouds, enough for me to have a little night time fun. One of these days I will get a clear night. I purchased a star tracker shortly before my trip but did not get a chance to learn how to use it before I left. That will be a goal over the next month or so. Weather permitting…lol.
I headed up to Vermont for my first little self prescribed break of the year. I needed to check out some new surroundings and pegged the Green Mountain National Forest area for exploration. I am still not doing longer hikes, I think my paranoia is holding me back. The after affects of Shenandoah last year and a visit to the ortho doc still lingers in my head. Every day was less than 5 miles, and I refuse to wear a support brace.
My base of operations for this four day trip was Robert Frost Mountain Cabins in Ripton. What an absolutely gorgeous and relaxing atmosphere. When doing research on places to stay I make sure and view the terrain on Google Maps and Earth and then look at my photo planning apps. A large south facing field right outside my cabin? Say no more. Well, mother Nature had some stuff to say, three nights of rain or clouds put a bit of a damper on the night time activities. But, for one night, I got very lucky and said clouds be damned.
The first two days I had good, if not great, weather during the daylight hours, enough so that I managed to get to 7 waterfall spots the first day! Thank you Only in Your State for the suggestions. Day three was a wash so I stayed in sorted photos and watched a movie. But I did go out to breakfast that morning so I would not feel trapped all day.
Half of the spots I visited had sections of the areas surrounding the falls blocked off for forest restoration. Falls of Lana was first one and was the only one that I could not get a good vantage point for a photo. The cascades were very worthy though. Reviewing the area, I honestly think I may not have gone far enough to see the whole thing though so this may be a revisit when the trails further up are not closed due to Peregrine Nesting.
Texas Falls was the next stop. A well developed area with many view points to be had during an easy stroll. I really need to start taking notes on these places, or even writing down same day thoughts. Or even start a video diary so I can transcribe it. What is the best way for one not to forget?
Anyway, I am a sucker for these fast moving cascades
Water was not a problem this trip, there was an abundance of it. Got into a fight with it a few times, messing with different shutter speeds, but i am leaving that for another day.
Leaving Texas Falls, driving west on RT 125, I finally got my chance to travel the famous VT RT 100. I never imagined there would be so much farm land here. Mainly dairy farmers, but I had no idea it was as big as it is. And of course being spring and the fields being turned that lovely aroma was in the air. Reminds me of the Tennessee home. As you are driving North, you will come across a set of falls and the first in of two in the area named Moss Glen Falls. All you have to do is pull over on the shoulder, No hike required.
and right next to it we have the main falls. Lots of spray coming off this one, very refreshing on a 55 degree day.
A little further up the road was Warren Falls. My imagination goes wild with the amount of water necessary to create the shapes in these rocks.
Bartlett Falls was next up. Also known as Bristol Falls. This was my first fight with the water. If you are familiar with exposure times, this was 1 second. The volume and strength of the water’s flow to look like this for that short of a shutter speed is immense. If the mist was not there I probably would have done it differently, and I still do not think it is a detailed enough capture. There were a few people swimming just downstream, and I even saw them take a little walk behind the falls. Treacherous conditions, they survived.
How would you like to see this in the middle of your town? Vergennes Falls Park. I understand it is quite an active place in the summer. A nice body of water to do water things on/in. But seriously, in the middle of town. Usually you find this with reservoirs and dams.
Number seven for the day was a tiny little thing, aptly named Bittersweet Falls. This was just hanging out in the middle of nowhere, off a side road and tucked back in the woods 100 yards. It did have that distinct sound though making it unmissable.
Day one concluded, very successful and mission complete. I will be back with day two soon. Thanks for stopping by!
There’s something truly magical about the serene nights in Barnegat Light, New Jersey. As a landscape photographer, I’ve traversed plains and peaks, seeking frames that capture the silent poetry of the natural world. And yet, it was here, along the shores where the Atlantic whispers to the sands, that I found an ephemeral moment that demanded to be immortalized.
It was one of those clear August nights where the sky unfurled its starry canvas, and the only sounds were the rhythmic lapping of waves against the rough rocks scattered along the shore. The golden hour had long retreated, leaving behind a deep navy dome sprinkled with celestial glints. My trusty Canon R6, paired with a Canon 16-35 lens – my faithful comrades in my pursuit of landscapes – were already poised on the tripod, ready for the night’s work.
The lighthouse stood there, stoic and resolute. It’s a timeless symbol, a stalwart guide to those at sea, piercing the veiled darkness with its unwavering luminescence. How many tales had this beacon overseen, how many storms had it weathered? Its light, a pulsing heartbeat amidst the somnolent shore, was a dance of solitude. The beams seemed like fingers reaching out to the heavens, connecting earth to the cosmic ocean above.
On that night, the full moon graced the firmament, flanking the lighthouse, enhancing its dignity. It was as if the universe itself had conspired to cradle this earthly lantern in a celestial embrace. The reflection in the tide pool below mirrored this cosmic spectacle, creating a symphony of light that hummed along the water’s surface.
This was no ordinary photograph. It was a conversation between the constructs of man and the majesty of the cosmos. As I adjusted the settings on my camera, holding my breath to still my own presence, I pressed the shutter. The scene that unfolded before me was captured in a dance of light and shadow, stillness and motion, silence and the soft chant of nocturnal tides.
In the quietude that filled the seconds between the shutter’s release and the camera’s affirming click, I knew that I had captured more than just a landscape. I had seized a moment of peace, a portrait of the Barnegat Light as an unwavering guardian, a beacon that reminded us of the quiet strength and constant guidance that stands resolute against the dark, gently guiding us through the night.
Twilight and Dusk 