strictly scenic: October 2008 Archives

Ricketts Glen State Park is a wonderful place this time of year. The trees scream out in every color you can imagine, the waterfalls adding a central element to your pictures.

Tuesday, however, the park was buried under a foot of snow (some say), and the colors were erased with a blanket of black and white. The park office there had no power all day because of tree limbs coming down on electric lines.

On the trail below, there was plenty of color.The precipitation came down as snow only on the higher elevations. Compare the two pictures, and you'll understand. There are only about two miles of highway between the two photos.

Pritchett, Colorado, is one of my favorite small towns. Sitting in the middle of the eastern Colorado plains, there are no stores in Pritchett. In fact, if someone wants to buy a loaf of bread, gallon of gas or a ball point pen, they must drive 16 miles to Springfield. Now, understand that Springfield isn't the Big City-- about the size of York County's Mount Wolf.

Years ago, we traveled the country to show what it's like growing up as a kid in the United States. We talked to and photographed the athletes, musicians, cowboys, skinheads, military. And we stopped in Pritchett to show how small-- very small-- towns worked.

Aside from the schools, where every girl in the high school played volleyball (there were four seniors that year), we showed town life. We had to show that once the sun went down, life pretty much came to a screeching halt.

So we took this four-hour exposure of Pritchett's grain elevators on the flat countryside with the stars providing the only action. What you see are star trails as they move around the North Star. You'll see few lights from cars crossing through town.

Pritchett is one of my favorite places. Quiet, friendly. I'll be returning soon to see how it's changed.

The weather forecasters are predicting a hard freeze this weekend, so be prepared to find some artistic patterns on the car windows and some frost on the fallen leaves. Fall is my favorite time of year because of the beautiful colors, the temperatures and the hint that winter is not far behind (another good thing). Well, that and knowing I'll not have to cut any more grass.

I'll be headed north next week to find more color and expect to spend a day or two at Ricketts Glen State Park, my favorite spot for autumn photos. It's a hike down the gorge will all its water falls, but worth the effort. For more information about the park, click here

From Ricketts Glen, I'll travel into Canada for a week's vacation-- possibly leapfrogging over fall color.

To check for fall foliage maps from the Weather Channel, click here

Night-time photographs are among the most interesting, because they combine the physical aspects we always see and an element of time.

This photo is of a coal ship transporting its load to Hamilton, Canada, from Sandusky, Ohio, while passing under a bridge.

Pressing the camera lens onto a cabin window and exposing the film for about five minutes kept the ship crystal clear while blurring the overhead bridge, giving the illusion of action in a still photo.

So, this is where the ship was, and -- zip!-- this is where the ship is now.

It's easy, but makes for an interesting picture.

While parts of York County have seen color changes (more in individual trees than locations), autumn has started its slow progression south.

In Ontario and Quebec over the weekend, the color I saw was most obvious east and north of Brockport, Ontario, and then south through the Adirondacks.

Many trees in New York haven't caught the autumn fire yet, including most in this picture. Contrast in the stark white birch tree accents the few red and yellow leaves that have made the change.

Without giving license to youngsters through the land, this is a photo taken years ago of one of the few sports that ESPN II hasn't yet covered.

Pumpkin jumping is the ability to jump from one pumpkin to another without squashing, breaking, cracking or otherwise destroying the season's most famous person, Jack O. Lantern.

This boy's parents ran a pumpkin farm and didn't seem to mind him hopping from one pumpkin to another. Appparently, he's become good enough at it that he knows which can be jumped and which ones will become mush.

Notice the angle at which the photo was taken. The background has been simplified, and the viewer's eye goes to what's important, not a busy background of trees, farms and fences. Bend your knees, give the viewer a scene other than what he'll see as he drives past.