Day 7: Rain, Rain, Rain

I get what I deserve, for sure. I shouldn’t have commented on the weather! Today started out at 39 degrees and never got over 43. And to top it off, it rained all day! Not hard rain, but a off and on drizzle all the time, finally ending the day with heavy fog.
I’ll have to admit this is the first time I’ve actually photographed in the rain. It was an interesting experience. I always worry about my camera gear getting wet. The guys are talking about taking their tripods apart and lubing them. I don’t know how to do that so I guess I will check with Jeff about what I should do.

We went to Silver Falls first–a small waterfall. As you can tell from these pix, all of these falls are mostly cascades rather than falling from a height, but they do make for pretty sights. Oh, if we just had more color, how glorious they would be.

We thought Rod might call off the rest of the shoot, but we preceded on to Canyon Falls to get in as much shooting as possible. We ate a quick lunch there at a picnic table during a lull in the rain, then headed off up the trail, just about the time it started raining again.

It is a pain to try to keep everything as dry as possible while shooting, but it does make for some pretty shots. The falls here are quite lovely, more of a drop than usual. However, I didn’t go out to the end of the trail where supposedly you could see the lower falls. Rod told me that it wasn’t worth the effort–I think he was just discouraging me from going that far! The river, though, is very pretty. I stopped by the bathroom so was lagging behind the group which meant I took my time, shooting on the river before getting to the actual falls. Everyone else went to the falls first and then photographed scenes on their way back. I’m glad that I did it in the opposite direction because by the time we were on our way back, it was coming down fairly steadily. My gloves were soaked and they didn’t even dry out overnight. Good thing I had an extra pair with me for the next day. If I hadn’t been so wet, there were subjects that would have lent itself to macro shots, but by then, it was too much of a hassle to get out the gear, the plastic bags, etc. The towels were wet enough that they weren’t of any use to wipe the equipment down, so I just skipped those shots.

I’m sure this sounds miserable to most of you, but it was a great experience. I do so much on these trips that I wouldn’t do if left up to me. I would imagine if I were here by myself, I would have taken a look outside and gone back to bed. It’s really good for me to challenge myself.

One last shot on the way back to the motel

Day 6: I Think Autumn Temps Are Here

Well, I spoke too soon. The day dawned gray (so what’s new) and chilly. The high today is supposed to be 46 degrees. I don’t have a lot of “warm” clothes so I put on lots of layers plus my long underwear left over from ski trips back long ago. Generally, I’ve been very comfortable that way.
Another two waterfalls today–Sandstone Falls and Gorge Falls. Rod apologized–he says we don’t usually do so many, just that there’s not enough autumn leaves to find. Usually we spend time in the forests, searching through the understory for “intimate” landscapes, but most of the understory is just a bunch of brown and tan leaves with very few of interesting color.

We’re staying out the whole day now. The cloudy skies lend itself to shooting even during the late morning and early afternoon. We don’t even stop for lunch. We take food or snacks with us to eat while on the road. The terrain at Sandstone Falls is granite so quite slick when wet. Because I am very careful with my footing on these trips, I didn’t walk out on the rocks to get the best angles, but did the best I could. One of the nice things about this type of trip, we can all go at our own pace which generally spreads us out enough that no one person hogs the best spots. Nice!

We finished at Lake Superior again. The skies are overcast enough, we have hopes of maybe getting a stormy sky over the lake even though a sunset is not possible. Those rocks are slippery too, kind of a slate, so I chose not to shoot this evening. I took some pix with my new iphone. I’ll see if they are good enough to put in my book.
Even though we’re not getting much variation of photos, it at least gives me a chance to practice my low light photography–much easier when I use a tripod. I like a few of them well enough that I hope they might be the type I can enter in a contest or two at our camera club.

Days 4 & 5: No Red Leaves, Boo Hoo

It’s been hard to write in my blog when we stay out all day, so combining these two days. Went to Lake of the Clouds but I didn’t like any of my photos from there. I don’t think any of my lenses are long enough to capture the scene in the gorge without a lot of noise. The trees just look like blobs of color. Maybe when I get home, they will look better on the bigger monitor.
From there, we went to Bonanza Falls–just a small little falls but the sky was blue and there was some color there. Rod is frustrated at having so much trouble finding the red and orange leaves especially. I see what he means–the reds are already turning brown, so there’s very little of the red left. After leaving that area, we headed for Bear’s Den Overlook. We were here on the first day, but it was too windy to even try to take a picture of it. Today it wasn’t as windy, but the color was somewhat washed out because it was getting late in the morning and the sun washes out the color. (Photographers just can’t make up their minds–cloudy is best for color, but not rain. LOL) We went back to the motel for a couple of hours and then went out to spend the rest of the afternoon chasing color. It’s obvious he knows these forests really well–we take all sorts of little roads where he will get out to see if there are any photo ops. He says we’re having to do a lot more driving than usual since the scenes aren’t what they usually are.

The next day he was happy because it was cloudy–perfect for wet leaves and roaring rivers with cascades. The one we went to today was Kakabika Falls, and we did get some excellent shots. We spent the morning there and then drove for the next 4 hours looking for those elusive leaves, getting in and out of the car to take shots here and there. It is an autumn “leaf peeping” trip after all.
Just adding a few photos. Didn’t have much time to look at them because we have to get up bright and early tomorrow. BTW, the temperatures have not been cold–mostly in the high 50’s, light jacket weather, so I haven’t had to worry about bundling up yet.

Day 3: Better than Expected

We didn’t end up with the nice day we thought we would, but since we like cloudy days most of the time, we headed out for Presque Falls. This is considered an advanced “tour”, not a workshop, so the leaders take us to a spot and we spread out to whereever we want to go. They make suggestions and will answer questions, but most in this group kind of know what they are supposed to do–we just try to take good photos.
I was really happy with this location–not much fall color, but a raging river with lots of falls. These are not the kind from heights, but several of them running across rocks, one after another. I was even able to find a tree or two with red and yellow leaves. My photos (I think) are really nice, so I feel good about them.

After leaving the State park, we stopped at several roadside locations to take photos of the colors. This workshop causes me to try to think smaller in a lot of places instead of vast views. It’s good for me.

The day turned sunny midday which means the light is too harsh for good shots, so back to the motel to rest up for a couple of hours and then out again. When we left, we tried Lake of the Clouds but it was very windy and no “light” to speak of so we’ll try again another day. This is supposedly one of those “iconic” spots so everyone tries to get a shot from here.
Our last chance for an afternoon shot was at Lake Superior (which really is a huge lake!) We walked along the rocky beach trying to get inspiration; however, nothing looked very interesting to me. Rod was also hoping for a nice sunset (can’t see the sun from here but was hoping for the color.) I finally settled on some rocks where waves were crashing over them and actually got several nice ones there, to my surprise. The sunset didn’t spread its rays our way so that was a fizzle but the leaders can’t dictate to Mother Nature, so we just have to go to locations and hope for the best. All in all, I was happy with what I got.

Waves and Rocks at Superior Lake

Day 2: Rain and Wind

The day turned out just as predicted by Weather Underground. It rained most of the night and the wind blew hard. And by 6:30 this morning, it was still rainy, cold and windy. But we drove to Bond Falls anyway, with the rain coming down all the way.

We got out of the cars grumbling somewhat, since most of us didn’t want to get our camera equipment wet, but after shooting for about 30 minutes, the rain stopped with only a short drizzle here and there, and we were able to get some pretty nice photos. My only problem with them is that since there is a mist or fog around so many of the scenes, certain images don’t look clear in spots. Can anyone tell that’s it’s mist or fog and not a defect in the photo? I don’t know. Maybe when it’s printed it will be easier to tell. We stayed at that point for a couple of hours and then left for yet another spot. The wind has kicked up and it got colder. This time it was along a road and lake and we were supposed to look for “intimate” landscapes–closeups and the like. I think I got a couple of nice ones. It’s hard to tell on my laptop. Will mostly have to wait until I get home.

We went back to the motel to rest up and/or get prepared for the afternoon shoot and for the coming days. Had to go to the grocery store to get things to eat for long days out in the field. Then back out shooting by 3:30. This time we went to Sturegon Gorge Overlook. It was a beautiful overlook, but foggy, and really no foreground, so nothing to shoot but a mass of trees in reds, yellows and greens. It’s hard for it to mean anything if there is nothing to give it perspective. Then back along the roads to stop by the wayside for intimate landscapes again. I need to practice that because I do have trouble “seeing” the odd thing that might make a good photos.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a clear day so we are going to Lake of the Clouds and not leaving until 7:00 a.m. That’s late for photographers so everyone is happy. Although we were told we would probably be out all day.

Not very good news about the tour

We met with the tour leader tonight and he sounds very pessimistic. He says that the color has peaked and is on the downhill now. It’s hard to believe that they’ve already had the cold weather they needed for the leaves to turn. The weather today and yesterday was short sleeve and shorts weather. And, he tells us, that a storm is coming in early tomorrow with high winds and it will probably knock most of the leaves off the trees. Sounds really good, doesn’t it <sarcasm> He seems scattered, but he and his buddy have been scouting places for 3 days, so I guess he probably has it together–just doesn’t seem to be as organized as Don or Scott is, for instance. He did finish up, though, with the news that they are very happy with the areas they scouted and think we will be happy even if we didn’t get the color that we had planned on.

Since I had the whole day to kill, I walked down to the beach of Lake Superior, but without great light, didn’t get much. So followed it up with a trip to Bond Falls. They are beautiful falls, very large and spread out. The problem was that the falls were in shadow so the pix aren’t the best, but I was glad to walk the trails and see them anyway. The color on the way there was really pretty and now I’m sorry that I didn’t take time to park the car and take some shots from the side of the road. Darn it, shouldn’t wait when I see it–should just take the picture.

We’re planning on the worst–bad weather–so not leaving until 6:30 a.m. and will probably only shoot in the morning and come back to the rooms and hope that it clears enough to shoot in the late afternoon.

Here I Go Again!

“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.”

[Indian Summer]”
― William Cullen Bryant

     I love Autumn!  It’s probably surprising to you who are my friends, since I live in a sunny clime all year round. But maybe that’s why it’s so special and why I go on photo trips in the fall to try to capture how I feel about it.

     I’m in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the  Porcupine Mountains close to Lake Superior. Tomorrow I will be meeting our group leader and the other 8 people who are taking this photo tour with me.  We will be taking photos of autumn scenery and waterfalls, and it looks like the weather is going to be just fine.  Not too cold and not to warm.

     The place is off the beaten track.  I had to fly to Detroit, take a puddle jumper to Marquette and then drive 2-1/2 hours to get here. The cabins are rustic, but I enjoy that sort of thing as long as it’s clean and the beds are comfortable.  Our host says it’s supposed to get cold by Monday–that’s okay as long as it doesn’t snow.  I’m not too fond of winter.

     I actually enjoyed the drive here. I headed west from Marquette about 6:30 and it was a glorious sunset with a huge golden orb, the like of which we sometimes see in Florida. But this one is surrounded by trees, lakes and rivers–quite beautiful.

     I may not post every day since I’m sure talking about my treks through the woods looking at red and yellow leaves would get monotonous but I’ll post a few pix along the way. In fact, I will post two from my previous trips.

LAST DAY–GOODBYE TO PARIS

Gardens at Les Hotel de Invalides

Today was our last day in Paris. So our first stop was Notre Dame. I wanted to get a few photos of the cathedral in the sunshine and I went planning on getting photos of the buttresses that spring out from it. Charlie waited for me in the garden while I went from the back to the side and I never could get a photo of that from any angle–the one that shows all the buttresses that hold it up. After looking at photos again on my computer, I guess I needed to be much further back to get the actual picture that I wanted. Darn it! I didn’t get them last time we were here and I didn’t get them this time.

Our next stop was Les Hotel Invalides, a project started by Louis XIV, which contains museums and monuments to the military history of France. It was also to be a hospital and retirement home for war veterans. It is a large complex of buildings. Since the veterans’ chapel turned out so well, Louis XIV decided a new royal chapel needed to be built and that part is where famous dome is situated–the one that can be seen all over Paris. The name of the chapel is the Egliese du Dome, a When Napolean’s body was finally brought back to Paris, this is where his tomb was installed. I wonder what Louis would think of that? The museums are fascinating–we quickly went through the WWI and WWII parts of it. There are film clips, uniforms, interactive stuff–it would be easy to spend hours there. From there, we went to the St. Germain arrondisment where I had a list of chocolatiers and sidewalk cafes, but we had to cut it short. We had been using the metro to get around, but since our hotel is in a part of town without easy access, we ended up taking a cab. A metro ride would have required 4 transfers and a lot of walking.

While finishing up this last day, I can’t help but think how lucky I am to have been able to travel as much as I have. Charlie has always been willing to try new things with me so we have been to France twice, to Italy twice, to Spain, to Greece, to the Czech Republic and a quick stop in Turkey. This doesn’t count Canada and Mexico which are right over our borders, and the Caribbean where all the cruise ships go. All of these trips were generally a whirlwind of sightseeing, taken during 10 days of my vacation from work, but I’ve seen things that until then, I had only read about in books. Traveling in foreign countries where the languages and cultures are different has been exhilarating. Our first trip to both France and Italy we did independently, making our own plans and traveling within the country, leading to stories to recount to friends and families of our adventures. Wonderful memories.

This doesn’t mean I will quit traveling, but probably just closer to home. I still have two or three more years to be able to go on photo tours around our beautiful U.S. These I usually do alone anyway. I’m considering Glacier Park next year and possibly Monument Valley–maybe my brother will let me stay in Durango for a few days and I can make it a home base. I haven’t seen much of the East Coast and its parks and maybe even continue up the coast towards Nova Scotia. Plenty of photo ops around there. Hope you are all traveling too–don’t wait too long; there’s a lot of world to see.

The Pont Neuf

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” –Augustine of Hippo

Day 13: Paris at the Opera

Palais Royal Gardens

After a long night’s sleep, Charlie felt he was ready to tackle a day in Paris. Our goal, by staying an extra couple of days, was to see some of the stuff we didn’t get to see last time with Paris. Some of the smaller things, some of the neighborhoods. Charlie wanted to see Montmarte and the Opera Garnier and I wanted to see the Chartres Cathedral and the Hotel de Invalides and the Orangerie. So today we will go to the Orangerie, where Monet’s waterlilies fill the walls! And probably the Opera Garnier.

After breakfast, we decided to take the bus that goes down the Champs-Elysee to the Place de la Concorde. From there we could enter the Tuilleries Gardens with its giant ferris wheel and pretty landscaping and odd sculptures and the entrance to the Orangerie Museum. Half of the museum is dedicated to Monet’s waterlilies, which he painted specifically for the Orangerie. They are taller than 6′ and each panel covers one wall in 2 rooms, so 8 panels. It was an amazing work of art, over 12 years, especially since he usually worked “from nature”–outdoors. He would have 4-6 panels going at the same time. One he would work on in the morning and he would move from canvas to canvas following the light throughout the day so he could get the light right as the day progressed. The other floor of the museum houses the Paul Guillame collection which includes many of the artists of the late 1800’s to the 1920’s–for instance, some Renoir, Picasso, Utrillo, Matisse to name a few. Couldn’t take photos inside so have to rely on memory–uh-oh!

We left the museum and sat for a while in the gardens since already Charlie was beginning to have trouble. We were close to the Palais Royal, so after Charlie rested for a while, we walked passed the Louvre (HUGE crowds!) over to the Palais Royal gardens where I took some photos while he enjoyed the sunshine. After that, we stopped at a sidewalk café for lunch. Wine, a cheese plate and bread. We were thinking of getting dessert, but this was more than plenty of food for us. This is kind of what we came for–to enjoy the city, not just run from place to place. After lunch, we got on the metro to go to the opera house–that’s something to see! Really amazing place. Charlie has been reading a book about the making of Paris from the early times to now, so he knows all about the Opera House and the Eiffel Tower. But he was hurting again, so we tried taking a cab to another place I had wanted to go to but it was too much, so back to the hotel. He slept for a couple of hours and then we went out for dinner to a café nearby and back to the hotel for the evening.

You probably recognize the Chagall work around the chandelier in the center of the opera house.

We definitely won’t do the Chartres Cathedral–he won’t be able to make the walk from the train station to the cathedral (a 10-minute walk) so we will stay in the city tomorrow.

Day 12: Paris City Tour

The next morning we went on city tour by bus. It was to give us an overview so that we can come back to things we want to see more of. We went into some areas that the general public is not allowed in so that was nice. It rained most of the day which our guide says is very unusual this time of year. We saw some Paris firemen playing volleyball on a “beach.”–Paris has decided it needed some beaches so it shipped in some sand and along the Seine are a few areas that now have a “beach.” Even though it was mostly by bus, we did stop at Notre Dame for photo ops and at the Place de Trocadero for pix of the Eiffel Tower.

When we came back we moved into the new room and looked for a place to eat. The hotel is out of the way so we ended up buying sandwiches at the mall across the street and coming back to the room to eat. By now Charlie was hurting too much to go out, so I worked on the blog while he slept. I’m sorry we planned on staying the extra 2 days. We were here about 15 years ago, and our plan this time was to go back to some of the neighborhoods and then for the last day (on my birthday) we were going to take a train into Chartres and visit the cathedral there and see the supposedly charming town, and come back for a splurge on a birthday meal for the two of us. It looks like we’re not going to be able to do that. He just can’t walk more than a block at a time, although he has tried.

No need to tell you what this is

Paulette and Michael had gone to Versailles in the morning–said the crowds were monstrous. (Warning: Don’t go to Europe in August!) They asked us to go to dinner with them so we went to a small café about a block from the hotel. Second night in Paris–fettucine carbonara. We really liked this couple. They were really great and made the trip even more enjoyable.

I’ll probably just combine the next 2 days together. We’ll do what we can and not overdo.