The Central Highlands

Another image from Wednesday....taken from the side of Mt Warrenheip looking north. This was taken about 10 minutes earlier than the virga I posted this morning. It's well worth clicking on this for a bigger look!

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Some late autumn colour .......

....very late, in fact! From last years trip in October through the Smoky Mountains.

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Virga Mountain

In meteorology, virga is an observable streak or shaft of precipitation that falls from a cloud but evaporates before reaching the ground. At high altitudes the precipitation falls mainly as ice crystals before melting and finally evaporating; this is usually due to compressional heating, because the air pressure increases closer to the ground. It is very common in the desert and in temperate climates. In North America, it is commonly seen in the Western United States and the Canadian Prairies. In Australia, its commonly seen at Mt Warrenheip on a Wednesday evening just when I'm heading home after shooting other things and just happened to look in the rear view mirror!

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Last Night at Lake Burrumbeet

Another image I felt was worth sharing rather than letting it sit on the hard drive for all eternity......!

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Isle Royale's Majestic End of the Day

On Isle Royale National Park we met 3 Minnesotans who were kind enough to invite us over to their campsite to share a warm dinner and before we all settled down Chuck suggested a trip on the speedboat out Washington Harbour might be a nice idea. So we all piled into his 18ft boat and headed down the harbour. I reckon we went at least 5 or 6 miles out and though initially grey and dull, by the time we got out past the headland we were treated to a spectacular sunset as the sun sneaked in under the clouds on the horizon and lit up the sky. Thats the Rock of Ages Lighthouse you see on the horizon. One of the highlights of the trip - thanks Chuck!

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Full Moon Rising

On Tuesday I went out to Lake Burrumbeet for the sunset, and I did get some pretty nice images. I was planning on seeing the full moon rise about 8.30pm out there, but ended up driving back in to Ballarat and realised I could catch the moon over Lake Wendouree. This is about 9pm and was quite a sight!

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The Rocks of Isle Royale

This trio was well suited to the triptych layout, and gives just a small indication of the great rocks we had to play around with on Isle Royale. An amazing variety on offer that could have kept me busy for another day or 2! Go on - click on it for a larger look!

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Opposites

Monday evening I went out around the Dean area looking for rising moons above canola fields. Whilst I did get some nice canola fields, these 2 images  gave a great contrast - I'm virtually in the one spot looking east for the moon, then turned around to face west for the sunset. One of those great times when you get great conditions in both directions....but you've gotta move fast to get it! And make sure you click on these for a larger look, especially that sunset!

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The Southern Tip of Canada

We spent 2 days in Canada and were fortunate to be shown by some friends one of the National Parks near Leamington - Point Pelee. A lush Carolinian forest oasis at the southern tip of Canada, Point Pelee National Park resounds with migrating song birds in the spring, hums with cicadas in the summer, flutters with Monarch butterflies in the fall and is a peaceful place of reflection in the winter. This image was taken from the overlook tower early in the morning. 

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My Waterfall Fix

Had my first chance to get up close with a local waterfall on Sunday afternoon. This is Sailors Falls just south of Daylesford. The volume is well down since my last visit and that allowed me to get a lot closer...lets hope there is plenty of rain over Summer to keep the waterfalls falling!

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Garden Treasures

Something quite different today. On Saturday I visited a couple of the gardens as part of my Historic Gardens project, and whilst exploring I came across this great view of a cactus. A great example of finding something different and unique by looking around and keeping your eyes open.

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Mt Warrenheip, again

This is another image from Friday.....couldn't leave this sitting on the computer! As much as I love travelling, there's plenty to find close to home!

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Acadia, again, again.....

Still working my way through the Acadia National Park images...it could take a while! This from the side of Cadillac Mountain when some interesting clouds offset the great textured details on the ground.

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Mt Warrenheip's Spring Show

I couldn't resist a return visit to Mt Warrenheip - this time totally different conditions with patches of sun lighting up the carpets. This image is from lower down the mountain, its such a lovely place at the moment I'm tempted to keep returning, though I'll be checking out nearby Mt Buninyong to see if it is having a similar Spring.

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Acadia again

We had great, varying conditions on the 3 days we had at Acadia...the second morning was foggy and the overnight rain had given everything a dense, saturated feel. Here's a couple more.....firstly at Eagle Lake and then onto Duck Brook Trail. Plenty more from Acadia to work my way through and make sure you click on these for a larger look, especially that panorama!

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Mt Warrenheip puts on a show

Thursday continued overcast and grey, so I went looking out east of Ballarat and after finding the pyrethrum field I had heard about (its still a way off peaking) I then decided to head up Mt Warrenheip as a some low lying clouds usually provide some nice conditions. Indeed they did, and with the carpets of spring flowers at their peak it was a fantastic scene, and worth a return visit, I've already got a few images in mind I'd like to get. 

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Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

This is the first image I've posted from the first stop on the trip. We were without any internet access whilst there for 3 days so I didn't get a chance to look at, or post anything at the time. This is from the first morning at sunrise at Washington Harbor. Very cold and still but a lovely morning to be out...heres some info on Isle Royale, one of the least visited of the 58 USA National Parks....make sure you click on these for a larger look, the quality really shows through.

Isle Royale National Park is a U.S. National Park in the state of Michigan. Isle Royale, the largest island in Lake Superior, is over 45 miles (72 km) in length and 9 miles (14 km) wide at its widest point. The park is made of Isle Royale itself and approximately 400 smaller islands, along with any submerged lands within 4.5 miles (7.24 km) of the surrounding islands (16USC408g). Isle Royale National Park was established on April 3, 1940, was designated as a Wilderness Area in 1976, and was made an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980. It is a relatively small national park at 894 square miles (2,320 km2), with only 209 square miles (540 km2) above water. At the U.S.-Canada border, it will meet the borders of the future Canadian Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area.

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Lake Wendouree

Not much happening at home, turned grey by the end of the day so I played around with some slow shutter speeds to give the sky and water a bit more emphasis.

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Acadia Colour

From the trip....Jordan Pond Trail in Acadia National Park, Maine. Plenty of fantastic colours around, and this is just one of many great images I've got to share.

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An Aussie Welcome Home

An extra post today....when we were boarding the bus back to the airport in Sydney on Tuesday morning, we got quite a nice show in the sky. Pretty hard to find a nice subject matter when you're in a big car park so I did my best with the gum trees.

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Back Home

We made it back into Ballarat a day later than planned, but the stayover at the posh hotel in Sydney with the great buffet breakfast (compliments of United Airlines) almost made it worthwhile. Daylight saving has come in whilst I was away so sunset is a lot later than a month ago. I was keen to get out see  whats been happening locally so I popped out to Lake Burrumbeet. Light was a bit flat but some interesting clouds added bit of drama.

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A Hint......

....if you still can't figure out where that last waterfall was....this may provide a clue....
Back home today after a long delay in Los Angeles...would you believe a 24 hour delay?

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One Last Waterfall

From our last day, or so we thought, but our flight out of Los Angeles was cancelled and we are now arriving home Tuesday, a day late. I'm sure in 20 years time it will just be a fond memory we tell our grandcats! So there's a prize for the person to work out where this one is from!

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Portland Head Lighthouse, Maine

Sitting in the airport at Portland, Maine, waiting for our delayed flight to Chicago, then onto LA. We had a great morning here in Portland being shown a few sites by our new Maine friends, Katie and Rich who we met on the beach on our last trip to the US Virgin Islands. This is one of the icons locally, and it seemed like a perfect black and white choice.

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Maine Morning

An early rise, and post, today from Rockland on the Maine coast. May not get another chance to post so here's the sunrise.

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Bubble Pond, Acadia National Park

We had a very early start again today to see the sun rise from on top of Cadillac Mountain, the first place in the USA to see the sun. It was cold, real cold, and I got some great images, but it was our last stop in the park early afternoon that produced this lovely reflection on Bubble Pond. 

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Acadia National Park Day 3

A foggy start to the day provided some great still conditions on Eagle Lake and then the rain set in for a few hours. But it cleared later in the day so we got to do a really nice hike into the forest on the Gorge trail, and with some directions from a seasoned hiker we found a great waterfall...thats to come (along with all the other images I keep promising!)

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Acadia National Park Day 2

An epic sunrise to start the day (image to come!) but this was a nice view across Jordan Park a bit later in the morning. Acadia is a fantastic location, so much to see and shoot, and another full day here tomorrow.

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Acadia National Park, Maine

We arrived in Maine today and made our way to the coast to spend 3 days at Acadia National Park, the last National Park on this trip, and in fact the last Park for us to visit on the lower 48 States. That gives us 47 USA National Parks with only Alaska (8), Hawaii (2) and Americann Samoa to go. 
First impressions of Acadia are amazing...we knew it would be good but even after only a short afternoon its fantastic. We had great low lyging clouds/mist today and the colours are really great, much better than we left behind in New Hampshire. This first image is on the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point in the park, but no long views to see today, I'm sure we'll get that in the next few days.

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Cold, Very Cold!

A very cold night was followed by a beautiful day here in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. First stop was at the Crystal Cascades and they certainly lived up to their name...so I thought 2 images were worth showing today. Went on to see many, many great locations today. Can't wait to post some more later on.

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Whilst it snowed......

We moved on to New Hampshire today after a short visit in Vermont. Had some fantastic sites to visit, many great images to go through (you should see "The Flume"!) but whilst a lot of the colour of the trees has passed, the sunset at the top of the pass into Gorham put on a great show at sunset.......all the while it was snowing!

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Enfield Falls

Today we headed east into Vermont, but before leaving the Ithica area we stopped at a couple of State Parks. This is another area of the Robert H Leman Park that we visited yesterday. Usually when photographing waterfalls I try to avoid direct sunlight, but in this case it felt it worked very well.

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Colour Upon Colour

An extra image today.... I've been thinking in the last week or so that it would be nice to get a rainbow to go with all the autumn colours. And today after our trip over to Ithaca conditions turned out just right as we came back into Watkins Glen.

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The Devils Kitchen

Some of you might think I'm back home, but this Devils Kitchen was one of the fantastic locations we visited today in the Ithaca area of New York. Its hard to keep track but I think it was 7 falls today and some amazing gorge scenery as well. Tomorrow we head further east - Maine is beckoning!

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Watkins Glen, New York

After leaving Niagara Falls behind we crossed the border back into the USA, this time into New York state. First stop....Watkins Glen State Park. Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks, with a reputation for leaving visitors spellbound. Within two miles, the glen's stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. This is just one of the falls we saw on the 3 mile out and back hike. And tonite we're staying on a horse farm!

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The Big One - Niagara Falls

No chance to post anything for a couple of days, but tonite we paid a return visit to Niagara Falls, this time from the Canadian side. Some pretty amazing sunset light produced a series of spectacular images...this is the first one I've had a chance to look at properly....wow!

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Upper and Lower

Today we continued east across the Michigan Upper Peninsula.....a stunning place that far exceeded our expectations. Whilst I did get some fantastic waterfalls today, and some great shoreline images of Lake Superior, it was the last stop of the day that provides todays post. Something a bit different for sure!
The Mackinac Bridge is currently the third longest suspension bridge in the world. In 1998, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan became the longest with a total suspension of 12,826 feet. The Great Belt Bridge in Halsskov-Sprogoe, Denmark, which also opened in 1998, is the second longest suspension bridge in the world with a total suspension of 8,921 feet. The Mackinac Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere. The total length of the Mackinac Bridge is 26,372 feet. The length of the suspension bridge (including anchorages) is 8,614 feet. And it looks great at dusk! Tomorrow we cross it!

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The Icing on the Cake

As you know I like the occasional waterfall to photograph - After chasing waterfalls here in the Munising area on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the final reward was this stunning view of Spray Falls. We did the 3 hour boat cruise out to this spot late in the day and this is just one of the amazing sights along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Scale is deceptive here, these falls are over 70 feet in height, and as you can see the stars aligned all at the right time with great autumn colours, brilliant light and fantastic clouds. And it was great to share the trip with Michael and Bonnie from Michigan....they sure are friendly in this part of the country. There's been some great highlights everyday on the trip but this is right up with the best. Can't wait til tomorrow!

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Heading East through Michigan

After spending the night in Ironwood, Michigan, home of the largest Indian in he world, we stopped off in the Porcupine Mountains State Park, and for the first time got a fantastic high viewpoint of the autumn colours....and this small patch goes on for miles and miles, as far as the eye can see. Also visited 2 more sets of waterfalls today, I'll try to get some of those images onto the blog.

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Wisconsin Wonder

Have I mentioned that the autumn colours are pretty nice over here? I think this image will convince anyone! I took a massive amount of images today, I just don't now where to start, but this will hopefully give you some idea of how special it is over here at the moment.

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Pre-Dawn Voyageurs National Park

Up well before sunrise this morning...not hard to do when this is just outside your room!

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