The general route, which will be run clockwise — October 7th - November 5th
Welcome to my update page for my current east coast fall trip. I'll try to keep this updated regularly with pictures similar to what I did with my 2007 Canadian Rockies trip, so we'll see how it goes. As with that trip, I don't have my laptop display calibrated, so hopefully the pictures will be close to what they should look like. I had to rely on Wi-Fi for Internet access on that trip, but this time I'm armed with an iPhone and running the Internet to my laptop. As long as I am not shooting, sleeping, or driving, hopefully I can post a picture or two.
10/6
update
I'm going to be like a fish out of water for a little bit, if not for much of the trip; I don't believe there is any national forest land to camp in around Grand Island, Nebraska. Walmart parking lot, here I come!
10/11
update, 10:45 AM MT
After three days of driving, I finally got off the interstate Sunday afternoon, the 9th, in New York and headed to the Adirondack Mountains to see what I could come away with from there. Conditions were just past peak, but very good. There were a number of intimate forest scenes that looked sweet, but the roads I was on wouldn't allow it having minimal pullouts. I spent the last two days there and am now posting this from Killington, Vermont, where the hills are dressed in their fall colors. Word has it that a number of great spots in Vermont are at peak, which is about a week later than usual. I'll be roaming around here, New Hampshire, and Maine for about a week. Since it's still early for areas further south, I have time on my side. The following are just a small sampling of images taken thus far.
The open road in Colorado on departure day
Sunset on the Colorado prairie
Camp 1? Say it ain't so! It was, but it was free! Grand Island, NE.
Road trippin'
Yes, I missed Nebraska (night), Iowa (busy traffic in Omaha), and Ohio (night and nondescript)
Camp 3, Raquette Lake near Old Forge, NY
From campsite #3, Raquette Lake near Old Forge, NY
From New York's 5th-highest peak, Whiteface Mountain, looking down to Lake Placid.
What a cool lake (and view)!
Forest below Whiteface Mountain
10/13
update, 11:20 AM MT
I finally had cloudy skies for the first time yesterday, so I was able to go to work. Of course, this means that the grand scenics don't work that well at either end of the day, but I tend to shoot the more intimate forest scenes in the fall. On the afternoon of 10/11, I ventured over to New Hampshire to travel the famed Kancamagus Highway, which is supposed to be one of the big fall drives in the region. I drove the western 2/3 of it and only took a couple of mediocre shot (not posted) and a couple of snapshots. I had cloudy light at sunset and sunrise, so I didn't come away with the big views from there. Perhaps I'll try there again another day. I had found a place on a side road to camp.
I headed back to Vermont in the Stowe area on 10/12 where I headed straight for Highway 108 over Smugglers Gap, which by multiple accounts is the best fall drive in the state. Based on my brief travels, I can't argue that point. Immediately after the signs stated the start of the scenic byway, it got down to business quick. While it does have a brief grand distant view on its northern end, the meat and potatoes of this road is driving through the golden forest. And finally, a road with multiple pullouts. I took a number of shots through here. As late afternoon approached, I had to work on driving south a little ways in hopes of finding a spot to camp. I headed for Green Mountain National Forest via Lincoln Gap out of Warren and off of Highway 100. In my unending quest to find free dispersed camping locations, I succeeded yet again, and in a big way. I took the first first side forest road I came to, which I've seen no mention of online previously. What I found, in terms of a fall forest, was a treasure chest. Though the virtual two-track road is only 3/10 of a mile long, it packs a punch, which is very similar in nature to Highway 108 that I mentioned earlier, except this time I didn't have to share it with anyone. I'm writing the majority of this update from my camp spot along this road and plan to take a number more shots from along here on the 13th and take advantage of the cloudy skies that is forecasted the next few days, along with rain. Hopefully, it doesn't rain too hard. The other good thing about cloudy skies means I can sleep in!
One thing that I feared coming into this trip was the potential lack of public land to camp on, and that is is coming into play a bit. Even the couple of national forest areas I've been in up to this point have very minimal forest roads, and in the case of the Kancamagus Highway, many of them were blocked shut for some reason. This really makes me appreciate the vast open tracts of national forest and BLM land in the western states for which to spread your wings a little, so to speak. I love my endless Colorado back roads with thousands of camping options. If I was motelling it, I might not know any better, but that's not my bag. That being said, I just came off of a couple additional really nice and quiet forest roads.
Along Hwy 108 out of Stowe
Along Hwy 108 out of Stowe
This is just a typical scene here in New England this time of year; there are numerous of these scarecrow/dummy things! I love 'em, though this is only my first picture of them. I need to take more. The people around here really do the Halloween and Thanksgiving themes right.
Along Stowe Hollow Road out of Stowe
From camp on 10/12 near Lincoln Gap
The road to my campsite on 10/12 near Lincoln Gap
10/16
update, 9:50 AM MT
Things have slowed since the last update and there isn't that much to report on. It has been predominantly overcast and there has been a considerable amount of rain, primarily at night. The last two mornings have had a fair bit of sunshine, though yesterday more so than today. A couple days ago, I headed to northeastern Vermont, then back over into New Hampshire. More beautiful country with the rolling hills. Yesterday, I went by Mt. Washington's eastern side, but didn't bother taking the road up since I figured its summit was going to be in the clouds most of the day, which it was. I did get to see its summit a few times, and the rest of the mountains in the immediate area are certainly the most impressive I've seen thus far. However, I don't even have so much as a snapshot of them, but perhaps in the next day or so. I'll likely be heading into Maine tomorrow to search for any leaves, and just to be able to say I've been. Then, I'll start making my way south through Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, then onto the Blue Ridge Parkway and some of that area. To this point, I've traveled about 3,070 miles.
So, since things have been very slow on the picture-taking side, here are a few that I wasn't planning on putting up:
One more from my camp on 10/12
A friendly couple near South Lincoln, Vermont, on 10/13
Forest near South Lincoln on 10/13
Forest above Randolph, Vermont, on 10/13
Northbound on I-91 near St. Johnsbury, Vermont, on 10/14. Great low-lying cloudy conditions, but I haven't been able to utilize them too much.
Forest above Crystal Lake near Barton, Vermont, on 10/14
Spot where I'm making this entry from overlooking some of the White Mountains. Bartlett, New Hampshire, lies in the middle-center; Mt. Washington lies shrouded over on the far left.
Cockpit/data center view
Mt. Washington finally revealed itself a short while ago (3:37 ET) at the same spot as two pictures up (I've been hanging out here most of the day). It got some snow last night as it was snow-free yesterday.
A closer shot of the summit
10/17
update, 9:10 AM MT
I should probably forego the landscape opportunities the rest of the trip and photograph all the Pumpkin People! Taken today.
Probably my favorite I've seen thus far in Glen, NH
Glen, NH
Gorham, NH: Take notice of the shirts!
Gorham, NH
10/17
update, 4:10 PM MT
Well, I've pretty much stayed put yesterday and today as my 4Runner came down with a bad, tight vibration at basically 40 MPH and over a week ago today. I suspected it was originating at the rear driveshaft or differential. I had driven on it like this for almost 1,000 miles before my conscience got the better of me a couple days ago to have it checked out. I had an appointment today at a dealership and they showed me the fractured rear driveshaft U-joint. Thankfully, they have the part in town, but I have to wait until tomorrow to go back to get it swapped. I'm relieved they found the source of the problem and am glad I decided to look into it. I'm also thankful that I'm not on a tight vacation schedule to where this would be a big setback.
Truth be told, I've had a couple other structural repairs done recently, none of which I can say I've seen other reports of. My 4Runner has about 235,000 actual miles (I can't go by the odometer for a true reading due to the 7% larger tire size over OEM that I run), and a good few thousand miles of off-highway use, I'm sure, probably considerably more, but I don't track this except for one trip in particular that had 600 miles worth. This beast has won its fair share of battles with washboards and as such, and I'm fairly confident there aren't too many others out there in this country who have put their vehicle through the same paces. With a solid year and a half worth of trips in this thing (463 nights spent by the end of this trip, but that doesn't take into the account some prior tent-based trips) since I've had it, I guess I can expect a few discrepancies along the way, even for a Toyota. I've had more than my fair share of aftermarket items break (two rear shocks, and two sets of high-end front coil-over assemblies, just to name a few) and can only wonder how much better this may have faired if it had been left in stock form. Anyway, I'm hoping to be back in good shape come tomorrow sometime to allow for some more adventurous miles to be added to the totals. At least I have Internet in easy reach to help pass the time, including at tonight's camp.
10/19
update, 9:00 AM MT
The 4Runner was all fixed up yesterday and I headed for Maine. Wow! I was treated to some pretty amazing overlooks in the afternoon and headed for the Mt. Katahdin (highest point in Maine) area in the central part of the state around Baxter State Park by nightfall. Not only were the roads I took rather scenic, they were also very lightly populated. Given all the hills and lakes and low traffic factor, I would really love to be able to explore the northern part of the state some time and take it all in. Also, camping options are plentiful given all of the logging roads, however due to the logging nature of the state, there are a number of previously harvested forest areas that rate low on the visual scale. I'm posting this from Millinocket and about to get on the interstate and head south to find some more leaves.
Mooselookmeguntic Lake near Rangeley
Rangeley Lake near Rangeley
Attean Pond near Jackman
Mt. Katahdin (5,268')
10/20
update, 7:20 PM MT
Yesterday, I departed from central Maine and headed south for Pennsylvania. It was a rainy drive virtually the whole way. It took about eleven hours to get to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in the northeast part of the state, though rush hour traffic in the western suburbs of Boston, then in downtown Hartford didn't help, but it wasn't too bad. I ended up camping (and I use that term loosely) in a Walmart parking lot in Wilkes-Barre, but it served its purpose, and I even picked up a few groceries while I was at it. I did not take a picture of this campsite, though I'm pretty sure anyone who's reading this would have a good visual.
Today, I drove about four hours the rest of the way through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia to get to Shenandoah National Park in north-central Virginia. I drove through the 100-mile-long park today where it seems as if Hurricane Irene is still going at it. Not only is it windy, but it's rather chilly. It is a very scenic park with grand overlooks seemingly every mile, then the rest of the time the road goes through great forests. I only took a few shots towards sunset, then drove south out of the park where the Blue Ridge Parkway commences immediately thereafter. I may have opted to stay in Shenandoah for a sunrise or sunset opportunity, but free camping within national parks is fairly difficult to come by, so I drove in a few miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway where I'm posting this from at one of its overlooks. There isn't a sign that says no camping here, so I'm going to give it a go. From here, I plan to drive the duration of the parkway over the next two or three days (or more), then finish the trip with about a week's worth in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Hartford rush hour on 10/19
Shenandoah NP
Shenandoah NP
Shenandoah NP
Shenandoah NP
My camp at Greenstone Overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway at 3,000 feet looking down to the city lights. Which city, or cities, I have no idea!
10/21
update, 5:35 PM MT
I drove the first 176 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway today, and it is stunning. The first 100 miles more so since it runs atop a ridge like Shenandoah. It certainly lives up to its hype. Only about 293 more miles to go! I did learn that camping is relegated to designated campgrounds, so last night was a no-no, even through it was within national forest land. It probably shouldn't be a surprise as this road is run by the national park service. I guess I'll hand over $16 tonight at a nearby campground.
One of the early overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway
Yes, I had to take a picture of this, too! The oft-photographed Mabry Mill in Virginia. I have a shot with the full reflection, but the light sky reflection is distracting, so I'm going to shoot this again in the morning.
10/22
update, 7:35 PM MT
I drove most of the remainder of the Blue Ridge Parkway today and am posting this with only about 39 miles remaining. The North Carolina portion of the drive is wonderful, but most of the leaves are all on the ground, save for around Asheville, which I knew would be the case. Tomorrow, I'll do a drive south of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and might end up in the park for a bit. I am down here a number days earlier than I expected with almost half the trip to go. I'm sure the Smokies and surrounding area are great, but I can't imagine it will hold my interest for two full weeks, which I'm a bit concerned about, but I'll see how it goes. There are worse situations to be in, I realize.
North Carolina was the last of the new states that I had yet to visit prior to this trip. Here's what my visited states picture looks like now:
Since you can't tell, I've not been to Rhode Island. The white state on the far left is the glaring omission out of my life to this point. I was not planning on visiting South Carolina or Georgia going into this trip, but since I have all this time left, I am really hoping I can color those in. There won't be a good reason not to as there only a few miles away. The new states for me on this trip have been Indiana, Ohio, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, West Virginia, and North Carolina.
And for good measure, our fine neighbors to our north while I'm at it:
Cowee Mountains Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway
10/25
update, 11:27 AM MT
Not to much to report other than a picture update, though yesterday I drove through Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the first time. Traffic is heavy, but not too unbearable. I ended up shooting sunset from Clingmans Dome last night, and was expecting a much bigger crowd. It wasn't too bad and I was able to stay a good bit away from the main mob of photographers. I shot sunrise from there this morning as well, and plan to do another round or two of the same. Clouds aren't supposed to move in for two more days, so I won't be able to get too many forest shots until then. I won't last here another week, though, so I'll have to get a little creative for the final portion of my trip.
From 10/23: sunrise from the Blue Ridge Parkway
From 10/23: Cowee Mountains Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway
From 10/24: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
From 10/24: mob of photographers from my perch on Clingmans Dome
From 10/24: Clingmans Dome sunset
From 10/25: Clingmans Dome sunrise
From 10/25: Clingmans Dome sunrise
Continued on the next page