Summer Was Lively

Summer is known for being the liveliest season of the year for me. At least that's true for the northeast. This is the season that every living creature and human tries to do as much as they possibly can in the short 3-4 months of sun and heat.

After sitting in the house this past winter and spring, most of us shoved as many activities into the weekends as we could.
The animals and insects were no exception. For some reason, the inch worms, caterpillars, ticks, and mosquitoes were in over abundant supply!  We dared not venture out in the morning or evening hours or we would suffer the consequences of the hungry, blood suckers.

I had so many welts on my legs and arms this summer!  They say it was due to the massive amount of snow.

I have always enjoyed studying insects, birds, and most other animals.  I was lucky to capture this tiny pray mantis waiting on a flower stem near a small pond. He or she seemed to be watching me but sat very still. This tiny creature was probably a baby since it measured  only a few inches. This turned out to be a good thing since my love of photography fit right in to this activity well.

I managed to capture some interesting images of  a few creatures and even had them printed on a few items for keepsakes. An example is the Dragonfly ceramic tile I had printed with my photo. I had to wait over a few hours and take many shots before I captured this little fellow.

"Aim High!" Photo Art ceramic Tile by New2You

Now that summer is coming to a close, we can remember all the sights and sounds with some mementos.I had this printed on a ceramic tile and created text. Using your photos makes a personal gift.

An Afternoon at the Lake

Green River Lake State Park in Taylor County, KY is a lovely lake that was created by a dam built by the Army Corp of Engineers. Like most of the man-made lakes, it is also maintained by the Army Corp.

There are marinas, campsites and wilderness trails surrounding it.

I recently ventured in the park after living nearby for 8 years. I don't know why it took so long to check it out but I'm glad I did.

It isn't very primitive like most of the parks I've visited,  but it's worth the trip since it is so close.

Going in the autumn and winter allows me to wander and shoot nature undisturbed.

The first trail my friend and I entered was the Beaver Pond and Salisman Trail. This is the first one on the left after crossing the dam. The trail is almost invisible due to leaves covering it and so we didn't stay long but did find another visitor along the way.

  

The Eastern Box turtle crossed the path, searching for mushrooms. He or she let me photo graph them so may be he or she were used to visitors.












We drove to another picnic area which was
 surrounded by beautiful colors of autumn leaves.









My friend is posing on the fence. Notice the blue lake in the background.





The beach is closed but the warm November day was so inviting.

Boaters enjoyed the open water I'm sure.
The brown and red background are a wonderful contrast to the blue lake.

The southern part of the lake at the end of lakeside trail shows an open span of water.

My friend was brave enough to sit on the edge...I wasn't !

It's such a peaceful place to relax for the afternoon and just think.

I

We climbed back up the hill to the car and bid a fond farewell.  I will return and snap more photos I'm sure.

Sometimes we need to check out the local

A Big Surprise at Yahoo Falls

The morning clouds left me annoyed, thinking that it would turn out to be another dark cold day like the previous one.

But by 11am, breaks of sun popped through and my mood immediately lightened.
Yay! I'm going out to visit one of my favorite locations to photograph nature; Yahoo Falls.

It turned out to be a beautiful Sunday afternoon . The temperatures had risen to the low sixties; all the way up from a morning low of 49 degrees!

I have been to Yahoo Falls at least 4 times in almost every season. It is located in the upper part of the Big South Fork National  River and Recreation area that extends into Alardt, TN.  Daniel Boone Forest and Big South Fork are connected and it's hard to tell where one area stops and another begins except for the signs.

Yahoo Falls is easy to find. If you drive north from Tennessee, on highway 27, you will turn left onto highway 700, in Whitley City, KY.
If traveling south on highway 27, just turn right on highway 700.
Follow this narrow, winding road, slowly and you will reach the signs about a few miles due west.

I bought along a friend who had never seen this before so it was a treat.

There is an overlook near the parking lot and the water is always green. The fall colors are just changing and I didn't want to miss them. There are about three overlooks along the way to the falls.
I discovered that the falls does not enter or come from the river at all. it comes from a small creek on top of a ridge, and hikers can cross over and stand over the falls.

There are several ways to get down to the falls, so we picked the red, metal, steep, stairs. This is fine going down but not going up!



The recent rains made a decent amount of water for the fall to be photographed. There were other visitors around so maneuvering to get a good shot proved a challenge this day.


Due to the shade I had to raise the cameras ISO to 1600 and 3200 so there was some graininess, when magnified.

Photographers love to get clear crisp shots but nature doesn't always provide the best lighting.




The Yahoo Arch was next on the agenda so off we went.
The trail seemed a little longer than a year ago. It ascended steep hills and turned many times. I was a little breathless at some points and had to rest. I guess I am getting old or need more practice.








At last we found the arch. Actually it seems to be a rock house an arch and a cave with a hole on top. It never disappoints, at any case.

After snapping photos for 30 minutes, we decided to go back. There is another arch named marker arch further up the ridge about a 1.6 miles but it was getting late.

We walked back through the heavy woods and we stayed on the upper path this time. It was shorter.
As we came to the top of the falls, my friend decided to venture on top; I wasn't as brave.

I have wondered through the woods of Daniel Boone National Forest and the Great South Fork National Recreational and River Area for a few years now and never encountered any wildlife larger than a squirrel or rabbit. Black bear alerts were posted on most trails so I kept an eye out for them.

Then as we left the park road and drove down the road a little when something caught my eye. A very dark image appeared next to the road. I drove slowly up to this and saw the eyes and realized it was a black bear! My first encounter after all the trips and hikes. I was so amazed, scared and delighted at the same time!

My friend had the vantage point and managed to get a few shots before I could get my camera out of its bag. The young bear quickly walked away as he realized we were not there to feed him.

So here's my first bear sighting. I am so glad we didn't meet up with this on foot!

Slave Falls TN Summer Afternoon Adventure

My last post described the two Twin Arches in the Great South Fork Region in Picket County Tennessee. I stated that Slave falls would be posted next.

Slave Falls is a few miles away from the Twin North and South Arches in the same park. This is located in a heavily wooded, rocky terrain with good paths.
Take hwy 154 east from hwy 127 near Jamestown,TN.


Turn right onto Divide Road and then travel about 4 miles on Ridge Fork Rd.  Follow the signs on  the way to Charit Creek Lodge . The Sawmill Trail parking will come up first so park on the grassy lot in front of the trail head.

 There is a map of the trails as you enter the trailhead so we took a photo of this to help navigate through the area.

This preserve has a history of logging so the sawmill trail name made sense but any remnants of the old sawmill are gone.

The woods is very thick in the summer and the shade from the trees was welcome on this humid day but I will return in the falls and maybe winter when more can be seen.
On the way ,we passed cliffs, creeks, and overhangs. There was a sign for the rockhouse too, but we decided to do this another day.

We made our way to the side of Slave Falls but I was disappointed by the size of it. I guess they didn't get as much rain and so it was difficult to capture a good shot. My boyfriend scaled over the fence in an attempt to get that good shot.

Since the water falls over a huge overhang ,one could consider this to be a rockhouse, but it was impractical to walk through with the large boulders.

After climbing out of the bottom, we ventured on a trail that we thought would take to another great site and saved our disappointing trip. Needle Arch is a wonderful intact natural rock formation that is on the same path down from the falls.

The wide angle lens makes an interesting perspective.

After leaving the arch we continued on the trail that we thought would take us back to the car but it didn't!
We somehow got turned around and ended up on the other side of the falls!
The two hour hike wound up taking almost four hours and my feet were swollen.

Hiking on hot, humid days does take its toll. I was so happy to see the car and turn on the air conditioning. Yes I am just a day tripper. We came upon hearty campers and hikers that stayed overnight but I don't know how they deal with the creepy crawlies in the night!

Capturing North and South Arches In Big South Fork National Area,TN

The Big South Fork National River and Recreational Area is situated on the Tennessee border with Kentucky, and extends just south of hwy 52, between hwys 127 and 27.

The North and South Arches or Twin Arches as they are better known, lie almost in the middle of this wonderful preserve.


I had the pleasure of photographing these two giants, in the middle of a thick forest, last month.

Actually, if you want to find them, you must travel on hwy 154 as if you were going to Pickett park, and follow the large sign.
As you can see, there are other great hikes in the same area.
Take a turn on to Divide Rd and then stay straight on that gravel road for about 6 miles to the end.
Some turn right onto Ridge Fork Rd to the end.






The parking lot has a handy map and newer signs so I think the rangers must have been reading some of the other hikers complaints about lack of signage.
The last time we tried to locate this, there were very few.











The dirt path was wide and easy to walk on.
As we neared the arches, there was a fork in the path.
 We took the longer one and ended up on top of one of the arches.



But first we had to climb down very steep wooden staircases,onto the arch.

Yeah, hold on and watch where you step.
Taking photos, while stepping down is not recommended.





After walking across the rocky top of one arch and down another set of stairs, we turned right and there was the first one!
How beautiful and impressive this was!



This one was the North Arch.
it was hard to capture the whole size due to the tree foliage and its' size.








                                                                                

The sign is on the bottom, between the these arches.

The South Arch is even more impressive than the North one.
 We stayed about a half hour, photographing
and remarking about its size and features.
Other visitors arrived to shot as well








As we headed back to the parking lot, it started to drizzle so we hurried the pace.
Oh goody, more steps.

I love to walk along paths and see these natural wonders along the way. I often think and image who was living there and what life was like so many eons ago.

I do  know some of the history in these woods, involved the logging and mining industry, and was grateful that these were left alone.

My next adventure will be to capture and admire Slave falls, which is close by.

The Best Little Park known as 76 Falls ,KY

There's a sweet little park with such a beautiful waterfall, and not many know about it.
Just a small roadside parking area leads visitors down the steps, across a cascading creek and into a small picnic area.

One can walk right next to the top of the falls(behind a fence) and see the water rolling over limestone creek bed and down about 83 feet.


If you walk to the left of the falls and around the fence, you can get a side view glimpse of this beauty.  I'm not advising anyone to do this and especially if small children are present. There are wooden crosses around the fence line reminding all that others got too close to the edge.


Another view of the 76 falls is on the overlook, which is back over the wooden bridge and to the left this time (or right if approaching from the parking lot.) There is a steep set of steps taking you up to the overlook which gives the best views. I sat on top of the stone wall for this shot.



Since you won't find any signs anywhere,
the best way to locate this is to approach it from hwy 90 in Albany, KY,  and  turning onto hwy 734 and then right onto hwy 3063.
Follow that a few miles and you'll see a small parking area on the left.
But most people who visit the falls, come by boat and find it in a cove called Indian Creek, left of Grider Marina.

There is a nice website to read about a town that existed there one time called 76 Falls. It was wiped out by a killer tornado and never recovered.

Colditz Cove State Natural Area -A Small Park with Lots of Appeal

Northrup Falls is located in Colditz Cove State Natural Area in Allardt TN. by driving hwy 127 north or south.
Day-trippers can find it on 
old hwy 52 and follow the signs off the hwy to county road 1636. It is just before the historic own of Rugby, traveling east.

This is an unassuming wooded park that would easily be missed if you didn't pay attention.
Walking down the leaf covered path to the wonderful waterfall is an easy hike but be sure to take along your camera. The scenery is beautiful.

The Northrup waterfall is not only the best part; walking beyond it will treat hikers and photographers to interesting features.

If you like to see natural paths, rock formations, caves, pine trees, flowering shrubs and animals, then this is worth the trip.

This one cave overhang that can make some feel very small. There are large, jagged rocks and boulders on the ground that you may have to navigate over.

I'm always looking up for something to drop; maybe I'm a little paranoid that way.







A typical stone walkway over a small stream is a challenge when wet. Keep your camera in a padded bag and use your walking stick to keep your balance.
So go for just the waterfall or explore the park for a few hours. Its a fun way to spend the day and get some exercise.