From The Plains To The River

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,951
8,695
All,

I has been a very busy few days for me and I thought I would share some of it with you. Rob from work and I have not explored the pines together for almost a year, so we decided this week on a Friday adventure to see the sunrise from the West Plains. With a long drive to get there we needed an early start to be there on time. I had planned on getting up at 4AM but for some reason I could not sleep and was awake at 3:15 on the computer. At 4:15 AM Rob arrived and we drove to work to drop Jennifer off before heading on our way. I unlocked the door, turned off the alarm, and locked Jennifer in and we headed off. Within a few minutes someone would be there to be with her so I was not worried that she was alone. As expected at that early hour the traffic was light and we were easily able to make it to the plains before sunrise.

We parked at Governor's pond on Bombing Range Road, and quickly headed across the plains to the destination I had chosen. I knew the distance we had to travel would require us to have light, so I wore a spotlight on my head that my wife had purchased me. I would occasionally turn around to let Rob see the path in front of him, but learned later all it did was blind him making it hard to walk. The vegetation was full of dew and by the time we arrived at the destination we were quite wet. Rob has very little body fat and for most of the morning he was freezing. In the end the location we had chosen was really not the most perfect place to be.


Sunrise was at 6:17 and our first photo's were at 5:42.


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After having a few regrets on the location we were at, and battery problems that annoyed me, we finally settled down and decided to change tactics. I laid down on my back in the road we were on and steered my attention to the moon. It was extremely difficult for me to keep steady and take photo's with slow shutter speeds while laying on my back, but I was pretty happy with the outcome using my point and shoot camera.

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With sunrise at 6:17, it was 6:26 before we saw this.


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With this part of our adventure over we decided to visit various locations that I had been to but Rob had not. We eventually ended up in the Hampton Furnace area where we visited a few Savannahs and small lakes that Bob and I missed last weekend. There are actually quite a few in a row that for some reason are not easily viewed on aerial maps. This one for some reason was much greener than the rest. There was no water in any of them when there was just 1 month ago.


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This is a really nice place that I bet very few people have visited.

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Dry. I dug down into in with my hands and it is the same type of dirt as deep as I could go. It is a really different place.

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We traveled to a few other locations that I will report about later. Just after noon our exploring was over, and I headed home to shower up and raced over to work to pick up Jen. Off to the bank, to the pizza place to order food, then to the grocery store, gas, and back to the pizza place, and home to eat it. I was exhausted and my day was just beginning, so Jen and I both took and hour nap. At 4PM Jessica woke us when my brother arrived, and off we went for an evening at the Riversharks. A foul ball came right to Jennifer and it tipped her hand and crashed right into Jessica's leg. Another injury to her frail body :)

Jen with her semi catch.

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My day started at 3:15AM and ended at 11:30PM. And today's report will come tomorrow.

Guy
 

oji

Piney
Jan 25, 2008
2,126
548
63
Browns Mills
Very nice pictures Guy, I like how you can see all the features on the moon. Today is Sunday, It's known as the day of rest.
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,661
4,839
Pines; Bamber area
I think the sunrise photos came out quite nice Guy. That is our other lake we missed? It is an odd one to have no vegetation at the bottom.
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,951
8,695
That is our other lake we missed? It is an odd one to have no vegetation at the bottom.

Yes, that is the one. I want to go back there after a good rain and check it out.

Guy
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,951
8,695
Today is Sunday, It's known as the day of rest.

Tom,

It is 9:37AM and I have already driving almost and hour to the pines, spent two hours there, driven home, took my wife out to breakfast, and come home. There is never rest for me.

Guy
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,951
8,695
I took another photo from the Batsto River JCRR bridge on this outing.

1978

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Last week. The sign is circled.


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Guy
 

glowordz

Explorer
Jan 19, 2009
585
8
SC
www.gloriarepp.com
The sunrise photos are a treat, Guy. I like the way you have them sequenced; it's interesting to watch the colors change and the light advance. The detail on the moon photo is just amazing! How many times did you shoot to get that?

Your views of the HF savannas and lakes give me a sense of wilderness and distance--another example of the wonderful contrasts in Barrens topography. Thanks!


Glo
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,342
328
Near Mt. Misery
Really fantastic photos, Guy!!!! Makes me want to wake up earlier, or stay up later which is usually the case. I also like your pics of John Denver on the batsto bridge. Kind of reminds me of Bob's pic of Jim Morrison at the Reeves bogs:rofl:

Jeff
 
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