Hidden Treasure in Tennessee

In August, I visited my elementary school friend and college roommate, Janie Craig, who lives in Fayetteville, Tennessee. She agreed to accompany me to a Tennessee Natural Area called Short Springs near Tullahoma. Short Springs is on a country road a few miles outside the town of Tullahoma-if you blink you will miss the water tower and sign which mark the spot! The trail to Bobo Creek is an easy short walk to reach Lower Busby Falls. This area is unique because of the shale layers which look like someone has carved out steps on the edge of the creek and in the cascades.


After hiking down a steep trail to get to Machine Falls, we almost missed the falls. We had to walk along the edge of the creek and around a curve in the creek to see the 60 foot high Machine Falls. Even in the dry August, this area was lush and green and beautiful. I would never have expected such a beautiful area from the nondescript entrance to the area. I plan to go back in the spring when according to the website this is one of the "very best spring wildflower locations in the state".

In May, three friends and I took a road trip to Chattanooga. Ledra, Marshall, Clay and I stayed on the Delta Queen riverboat which is permanently docked at Coolidge Park landing on the Tennessee River. We visited Lookout Mountain and Point Park, site of a Civil War battle and a great viewpoint for photographing Moccasin Bend!
Downtown Chattanooga is a vibrant area of shops and restaurants surrounding the Tennessee Aquarium. On a ridge overlooking the river is the Hunter Museum and a pedestrian bridge leading to Coolidge Park where a beautifully designed carousel is housed.

Okefenokee Swamp

I've named my blog "Road Trip!" because its the road trips I take that lead to the photographs that I want to share. In April 2011, I went on a road trip to the Okefenokee Swamp with friends, Doug and Beth Powell. Doug is a fellow photographer who shares my sense of adventure and love of nature. The Okefenokee was an adventure that everyone should experience.
We first visited the East side of the swamp that is a National Wildlife Refuge. Morning light revealed a golden prairie and alligators were numerous in the canal! Flora included water lilies, ferns and pitcher plants. We had been told that the pitcher plant was prevalent throughout the swamp, but the pitcher plant was illusive until we discovered a clump of them at the side of the road. The 1928 homestead of "swampers" revealed a former way of life and handcrafted quilts. An evening guided boat tour gave us another view of the swamp, native plants, native birds and lots more gators!
The West side of the swamp is devastated by drought and many areas were not accessible because of low water levels. However, the waterlily ponds leading to the entrance into the park were numerous and full of blooms. Two weeks after we visited the Okefenokee, lightning struck the swamp and started a fire which burned over 400,000 acres. Hopefully, the photos we took are a document of how the swamp looked before the fire.

Urban Decay

It’s December 2011 and I haven’t posted on my blog since 2008! I suppose I was waiting for a great opening line. I still don’t have a great opening line, but a young friend of mine said I should just start writing, so I’m taking her advice.

I originally started the blog as a class assignment when I was in photography school in Montana. Now I see it as a great way to tell people what I’ve been shooting and about some of the great places I’ve discovered. I’ll try not to bore you with a lot of details and I’ll try to entertain you with lots of photos. After all, its my photos that I really want to share. I’ll also share links of some websites showing my photography and websites that I think you will enjoy.

One of the most unique places I’ve gotten to shoot this year was the defunct Pullman train yards in the Kirkwood area of Atlanta. Even though the yards are surrounded by a locked chain link fence, graffiti artists have found their way inside and graffiti is everywhere! Graffiti reigns on the brick walls both inside and out and on the last remaining Pullman car in the facility. The buildings have been taken over by weeds and trees. Because there is not power in the buildings, the graffiti and the inside of the buildings are illuminated by the afternoon sun.