Category Archives: Photography

Multnomah Falls

Posted on by

I visited Multnomah Falls today while on a cruise of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. I have seen this waterfall in I don’t know how many pictures because it is rather photogenic, especially with the foot bridge that crosses in front of the upper portion of it. The area around the falls are rather pretty and what most people generally think of with the northwest. It is a 0.2 mile hike up from the first viewing area to the footbridge and not too bad of a hike.

Classic photo of Multnomah Falls with the footbridge across it in frame

Pool at upper portion

Upper falls

Fireweed near falls

Short stream between upper and lower waterfalls

View from pedestrian bridge of creek fall terminates into and viewing platform with Columbia River in background

Total Solar Eclipse

Posted on by

I came to Niagara Falls for the 2024 total solar eclipse with the idea of spectacular images of the eclipse above the falls. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. I was really lucky with clear skies for the 2017 eclipse, so the overcast skies was really disappointing. I got a couple of glimpses of the partial eclipse. Totality did not disappoint. It’s been seven years since I last experienced totality, but I feel like totality was more dramatic this time. It was so overcast that it was already cool and not bright, so when totality hit, it felt very much like night and was very dark.

View of partial solar eclipse through clouds

View of partial solar eclipse through clouds

View of partial solar eclipse through clouds

Niagara Falls during totality

Niagara Falls during totality (note water over falls from long exposure on this photo)

Niagara Falls with partial solar eclipse barely visible in center near top

Old Quebec City

Posted on by

I have been in old Quebec City for three full days, and it has been a lovely visit. Old Quebec is compact and walkable with the exception of the fact that old Quebec is really just a series of stairs and slopes. Thus something may be just four blocks away, but it is also the equivalent of eight stories higher, so plan accordingly. The old town is surrounded by its original fortification walls, with a citadel at the highest point. Many of the streets are cobblestone, and most of the buildings are clearly original.

Montmorency Falls

Posted on by

Just outside of Old Quebec City, (as in 15 minutes by car or 40 minutes by public bus), is Montmorency Falls, or Chute Montmorency, which I prefer. The falls are beautiful, and there is a park around it. There is a pedestrian bridge across the top of the falls, and a cable car from the top to the bottom. There are boardwalks at the bottom, and they appear to be building more or possibly renovating the old ones, as currently you can only access one side plus a boardwalk across the river at the base of the falls.

View of the falls from the boardwalk across the river flowing from the falls

View of the falls from the boardwalk across the river flowing from the falls

View of falls from boardwalk near base of falls

Rainbow formed in mist at base of falls, photo taken from observation walk near top of the falls

Closeup of east side of falls showing geological layers and folding

 

Crossing pedestrian bridge above falls

Crossing pedestrian bridge above falls; downstream and outflow into St. Lawrence River

Grandview at New River Gorge National Park

Posted on by

Yesterday I went quite the hike within New River Gorge National park, and it was more of a hike that I thought it would be. I went to the Grandview area, and I hiked along the Grandview Rim trail. The trail is one way, so for the leg of the hike walking towards Turkey Spur, the end of the trail, I took the Castle Rock trail, which parallels the Rim trail for the first half mile. Castle Rock trail is gorgeous, and it takes you just below a wall of rock. At one portion of the trail, the wall of rock has a visible coal seam, which is extra interesting. However the footing on the Castle Rock trail is not even, and there is lots of ascents and descents, so it is a good workout. The rest of the trail, once back on the Rim trail is fairly easy going, especially compared to the Castle Rock trail. The start of the trail is the main overlook, which overlooks a bend in the New River, so you are viewing it from the base of a U shape. The end of the trail is Turkey Spur, which also overlooks the river, but at a location where in the foreground you see the river headed to the west, where it curves, then behind a hill, you can see the river looping around again and headed east.

Main overlook of New River

Castle Rock trail

Castle Rock trail

Rhododendron growing in coal seam along Castle Rock trail

Coal seam along Castle Rock trail

Grandview Rim trail

Turkey Spur overlook with Thomas Burford Pugh Memorial Bridge over New River in foreground and New River also in mid-ground

Turkey Spur overlook of New River

Rhododendron

Sandstone Falls

Posted on by

I left West Virginia today, but before leaving, I stopped at Sandstone Falls in New River Gorge National Park to do a little hiking. I also drove to a couple of overlooks of New River and Sandstone Falls.

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls loop trail

Sandstone Falls loop trail

Sandstone Falls loop trail view of New River

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

New River overlook

Sandstone Falls overlook

New River Gorge National Park

Posted on by

I have been sightseeing and hiking in New River Gorge National Park and surrounding area for several days now. I will be posting the photos in a few different posts. I have taken quite a few photos in the area around the New River Gorge Bridge, so those are what I am posting now.

New River Gorge Bridge

View of New River from Canyon Rim Visitors Center outlook

New River Gorge Bridge

New River Gorge Bridge, view from Tunney Hunsaker Bridge

View from Tunney Hunsaker Bridge of New River

On Tunney Hunsaker Bridge with New River Gorge Bridge in background

New River between Tunney Hunsaker Bridge and New River Gorge Bridge

Bridge Walk

Posted on by

I spent today doing more exploring of New River Gorge National Park, but I started the day by walking across a bridge. The walk across the bridge was under the road deck, which is not something a person normally gets to do. Bridge Walk lets you do just that. The New River Gorge Bridge is beautiful with a wonderful design, and walking under the bridge allowed me better appreciate and to take photos of the structure. Walking on the catwalk also allows for photos of the stunning scenery. It was a nice, leisurely walk that just happens to be, at the highest point, 876 feet above the ground, by walking on a two feet wide catwalk while attached the longest continuous safety line in the world.

Looking up to Bridge Walk from Fayette Station Road

View to the west

Looking down at the piers

View to the east

Looking down at the arch

Looking down at the arch

View to the west

Looking down at the arch

At apex of arch

Looking down at the arch

View to the west

Looking down the catwalk

West Virginia State Capitol

Posted on by

I continue in my quest to see all the state capitols. Today, I checked off West Virginia. The current, sixth, and final state capitol is gorgeous but not overly ornate. As just stated, it is the sixth capitol, and the short history of why West Virginia has had that many is one of the reasons why guided tours of capitols are so worth it. The original capitol was in Wheeling from 1858-1870. The Legislature decided to move it to Charleston. According to my guide, Wheeling then stated they would build a wonderful new building and pay for it if they moved the capital back to Wheeling, which they did in 1875. [This sounds like cities competing for sports franchises.] People evidently complained about how far away Wheeling was from the rest of state, and most wanted one more centrally located. Then there was a state wide vote, and Charleston won, and the capital moved back there in 1885. [At this point, you have to wonder if there was niche market for move the capital by steamer business.] Now, I get to the best part of this story, which is about the fourth capitol (and second Charleston capitol). The state had confiscated a whole lot of ammunition, gunpowder, and other material from protestors and/or strikers in coalfields. At least one version of the story I found says the ammunition belonged to police. The capitol was rather large, and evidently they had a bunch of storage space, so with what was thought a good idea at the time, they stored it in the capitol. It caught fire somehow, and the building burned for three days. The fifth capitol was then built really quickly after that, and then they built the current building.

The building is like most capitols with lots of marble and other natural stone. The central dome is really pretty. I like the contrasting colors. The dome and each of the chambers have crystal chandeliers on which the state did not skimp. The senate chamber is red, but the house chamber is more pinkish red. The senate has a small dome with skylight, but the house has larger square skylight. It may have just been the time of day I was there, but the house chamber had more light from the skylight. The exterior of the central dome has lots of real gold, according to my guide, and I think the gold is contrasted nicely with the blue paint.

Capitol exterior

Capitol dome exterior

Capitol central dome

Capitol dome area

Upstairs hallway

Senate Chamber

Senate Chamber dome

House Chamber

House Chamber

Kanawha State Forest

Posted on by

After visiting the Coal House, I went to Kanawha State Forest to do a little hiking. The park is pretty, but it had just rained, so hiking was a little difficult in that the trails were rather muddy. It has some nice trails, but unfortunately the map on the website is really not that helpful. One of the trails I wanted to see, the Spotted Salamander Trail, I only found because I asked some people hiking if they knew how to get to it. Still, it was a nice park to visit, and I got some exercise done. My guess is that the park is absolutely gorgeous when the wildflowers are in bloom.

Davis Creek trail

Spotted Salamander trail

Spotted Salamander trail

Spotted Salamander trail

Davis Creek trail