Photo-Adventure 5/9/2015

So happy that Spring is finally here!  Yesterday actually felt more like summer.  It was kind of hard to imagine that I still have 3 more weeks of school, when the weather is so decidedly summer-like.  I have been itching to go on a photo-adventure, but races 4 weekends in a row made it hard to find time.  This was my first free weekend, and the weather was supposed to be gorgeous, so some friends and I decided to plan a trip.  All the stars aligned and we had a great day!

I have been meaning to take Holly to Sandstone Falls ever since I went there back in October.  Then, after Michael took me to Blue Lagoon in March, I knew that was another place Holly needed to see.  As I was thinking about where we should go this weekend, I decided the two places would be perfect to fit into one trip.  Instead of just Holly and I on this adventure, like it used to be, this time it was us plus Tyler, Harper-baby, and Michael.

We left town around 10:30 and headed out to Blue Lagoon.  Harper's stroller unfolds and snaps together impressively fast, and thankfully is also impressively rugged.  Clearly it is an off-road stroller made just for adventures like ours!

Although we did a great job of avoiding the mud on the dark walk through the quarry the first time, we were not so lucky on the way back out.  Our shoes and the stroller wheels were caked with cave mud by the time we emerged back into daylight.  My chacos were so heavy with mud they were barely staying on my feet.  Oh well.  Onward to Sandstone Falls!  We stopped at the overlook to take some pictures and have a picnic lunch.

After passing this overlook down onto the falls, you have to drive a long horseshoe about 5-7 more miles to the town of Hinton where there is a bridge over the New River, and then down along the other side of the river until you get back to the falls.  

So gorgeous!

Group photo from Harper's first photo adventure!

I look so short next to all these tall people...

10/18/14 Chasing Waterfalls : Sandstone Falls

Today was Bridge Day, and just like last year, it was gray and cold out.  I went by myself the last two years and got some cool photos, but really didn't feel like going alone again.  None of my friends were able to go this year either, so I decided to skip it.  In the middle of the night last night, I decided that I should go somewhere else instead of sitting at home all day.  So I decided to check another waterfall off of my bucket list.

Sandstone Falls

I was driving along the road (still about 15 miles away from my destination) and saw a sign for an overlook, so I pulled off to check it out.  It offered a view of the falls from the opposite side that I would see them from eventually, and from high above them.  

 Just a little bit further down the road, there was another overlook, so I checked that one out as well.  It was a view of the river.  There was someone bird-watching there, and he pointed out a Bald Eagle's nest to me.  He also told me that the pair of eagles had been flying around a lot the day before, catching fish, and hanging out in the nest.  Of course they didn't bother to appear while I was there...

After the second overlook, I continued on up the river til I finally got to the bridge crossing it, then headed down river until I neared the falls.  I caught a glimpse of mist rising off the falls before I reached them, and pulled over to snap some photos.

Eventually, I reached the actual parking lot and set off down the boardwalk that overlooks the falls.

The leaves were colorful, the falls were awesome, and I had lots of fun taking pictures.  I even got out my tripod so I could take extra-cool photos of the falls.

After I took lots of photos, I went for a run along the river.  It was nice to run somewhere new.  It was also really flat.  I took the opportunity to run a 1 mile time trial off of a track.  I ran the TT during the 3rd mile of a 4+ mile run.  I finished it in 6:25.  Not my fastest, but not too shabby considering I woke up short of breath this morning, for no explicable reason.

After my run, I headed towards Bluestone Dam, which was sort-of on the way home anyway.  I had heard that there were frequent Bald Eagle sightings there.  But once again, I was disappointed.  And I didn't have hours to sit there waiting, so I had to head home.  I'll catch sight of one eventually!