Hooker Falls

This is likely the best color I've ever seen at DuPont State Park. It was cool and rainy with a heavy overcast sky when I hiked the park a couple of weeks back... like an Irish summer! It was a delightful day to shoot waterfalls.

We've been beyond busy over the last month. That spilled over yesterday into Thanksgiving preparations for dinner with friends and family, a true blessing to be thankful for. I hope your Thanksgiving Day was every bit as good!

I’ve been quite busy with issues that keep me close to home of late. One of those things is the Alpha Marriage Course that my wife and I have helped produce at our church… we’re amid the fifth round of eight-weeks each that we do twice a year. The course is free to those who attend each Thursday. We provide great meals, child care, and a wonderful ambiance to go with the program… but that takes an incredible amount of teamwork and dedication to produce each week. I’ve determined to make it up to the mountains, however, to see them dressed in their October finest, so I’m working around that hectic schedule.

Thursdays during AMC find me on my feet most all day long until the last of cleanup around 9 o’clock later that evening… Friday’s are recovery days. I spent Friday making plans for a photography foray into the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina… a problem beyond a commitment to the program occurred to make a mess of things this year: Hurricane Nate. Sunday and part of Monday were to be a washout in the mountains, so I decided to head to the high southerly portions of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Pisgah on Saturday for an eyes-on survey before committing to a couple of nights in the region. Nate, now downgraded to a tropical storm, had also degraded visibility there as the high mountains reached up into the outer bands… I did get a glimpse of color in some places, though the parkway was closed at Black Balsam Road in anticipation of high winds and rain creating havoc with rockslides and trees… better safe than sorry. Though it was approaching sunset, I worked my way down Highway 276 toward Pisgah Forrest and beyond to DuPont State Park for the possibility of a waterfall shot or two before returning home… I’m glad I did, as I walked off with something nice and I can concentrate on other places in the region this Monday evening through Wednesday. This was taken as it was darkening... but it was absolutely windless and the darkness allowed for a 20-second exposure, which flattened out the turbulent water for some great reflections.

Nate did do some damage in western North Carolina, with a confirmed tornado in Caldwell County. Tragically, a Morganton firefighter was killed instantly when he was struck by a car while clearing storm debris from Highway 70. Please remember his family in prayer. Apart from that, it appears the Blue Ridge Parkway has opened all but a few spots, mostly appearing to be a couple overlooks… I’ll know for sure later today.

Sunday was spent doing some prep work for Thursday’s meal… it’s baked ziti this week, with Caprese salad and tiramisu for dessert. It helps to get ahead of the game, although remnants of Nate should make for some great sky scenics along the high regions of the parkway and that calls to me. Thursday is slated to be a “bright and beautiful cloudless day”, which as you may know is anything but beautiful to the photographer, so I won’t be missing much on my return to duties in Durham.

I’m going to try for the Linville Gorge region next week… who’s going to be there?