Live Oak Tree

This gnarly old live oak tree is in the Apalachicola National Forest, east of Highway 319 inside Capital Circle, Tallahassee.

Optionall, click on the image for a larger view

2 Morning Photos

Mashes Sands

Duck Hunters at Fiddlers Point

Not-so-wild Wildlife

These photos were taken last week at the Tallahassee Museum (in our family aka Junior Museum). Topaz Simplify Watercolor was used as an enhancement?

Sunrise at Fiddlers Point

These may be the same group of wood storks that we saw

roosting at sunset several days later in the cypress trees of

Otter Lake.

Fall Color Vacation



Trudy wanted to go to the mountains to see fall
color. So we went tent camping, staying at the

Indian Boundary State Park in southeastern

Tennessee near the small town of Tellico Plains

The Cloudland Canyon State Park in northwestern
Georgia is definitely worth a return visit. It is a vast wide canyon
with trails to waterfalls down, down in the canyon

This is the first, closest waterfall ... down, down, down a serious
stairway and trail.

 

Here is our trusty Coleman tent and a small campfire early one
morning at Indian Boundary State Park.

The campground is on the shoreline of a beautiful lake, nestled
in the mountains.

 

Bald River waterfall is very popular, because itt is located beside
a delightful roadway that parallels the Tellico River.

 

 

 

 

 



The Cherohala Skyway goes northeast from Tellico Plains,
Tennessee to Robbinsville, North Carolina. The fall foliage
was reeeally bright at an elevation of about 3,000 feet.

 

 

A short distance up the Bald River Falls hiking trail took us to a
smaller drop and broad view of the River..

 

The Telico River is a wonderland of clear moving water and

rocks.

 

 

We made several stops on the way back home, including

Rock City. I looked for, but could not find, a hat that said

"Seen Rock City".

 

 

Rock City is actually quite commercial.

Note the bridge over High Falls.

 

Lost Creek Falls in Desoto State Park, Alabama was just a

tiny trickle. But this large park had fine fall leaves, green

moss, and rock formations.

 

We drove the eastern rim of the Little River Cayon National

Preserve ...

 

and posed for a photo under mushroom

rock.

 

Purified

Yellows and greens are the primary colors of the images below taken along the Purify Creek Road through the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.

Click on an image for a larger view and slide show.

Simple Pleasures

 

I welcome the fall season ... cool weather and wildflowers.

 

These images were taken on a leisurely walk down Bottoms Road, adjacent to Highway 98 north of Panacea.

Blazing Star

Blazing Star, viewed from above

Spiderwort

Lobelia

Water Variations

I am fascinated by textures and patterns. These images of water were taken from a small bridge over a tributary to Ochlockonee Bay, adjacent to Bayside Marina on Surf Road.

 

Click an image for a larger view or a slide show.

 

The squiggly black line is the reflection of an overhead

powerline

Technical Details: I used a photoshop plugshop called Topaz Simplify to the first and last images above. This software excels at removing distracting details. The blue sky color in the last image was applied through Simplify's toning capability.

North California 2012

Trudy and I escaped the August hot and humid Florida weather during a 2-week vaction in cool northern California. We stayed with with Trudy's sister Linda in Arcata and brother Frank at Whale Gulch.

 

POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE, Limantour Beach 

We spent our first night at the Point Reyes hostel, and strolled
along the broad sandy Limantour Beach of the Pacific Ocean
the next morning.

NAKED LADY!

This bright lily, 'Naked Lady', is fairly common along many
 roadsides.

SINKYONE WILDERNESS STATE PARK, Lost Coast Trail

We hiked the portion of the Lost Coast Trail, from the Needle
Rock Visitor Center northward toward Jones Beach.

A small herd of elk were grazing near this large alder.

WHALE GULCH

 

MATOLE BEACH, west of Petrolia

TRINIDAD

Anemones in a small tide pool below
Trinidad Head

REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK, Orik


We got one of the fifty permits issued per
day to walk the Tall Tree Trail in the
Redwoods National Park,  north of Orik.
A more apt name for the trail would be
Incredibly Tall, Tall, Tall, Tall and Huge
Trees Trail!

MANILA BEACH, Arcata

A serene sunset at Manila Beach after a Friends of the Dunes
volunteer appreciation event.

PRAIRIE CREEK REDWOODS STATE PARK, Fern Canyon, Orik

Fern Canyon in the Priarie Creek Redwoods
State Park is a magical place! About 100
yards from the Pacific, Home Creek has
eroded this narrow canyon, 80 feet deep.
Water seeping from the walls provides an
ideal environment for five different kinds
of ferns. Five-finger fern (maidenhair fern)
seems to be the most common.

The trail takes you right up the shallow creek ... with clear
water and multi-color smooth, rounded stones.

PRAIRIE CREEK REDWOODS STATE PARK, James Irvine Trail, Orik

BEACH NEAR STONE LAGOON, Orik

The beach near Stone Lagoon/ located south of Orik, has the
MOST AMAZING DRIFTWOOD!

JEDEDIAH SMITH STATE PARK, Crescent City

Trudy and Linda on the seasonal bridge over the Smith River
from the campground to Stout Grove.

Stout Grove ... this is a temple of redwoods and fern.