Waterfall

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To be honest, I never had New Hampshire on my bucket list of places to travel. I’m not much of a winter sports girl and I honestly didn’t know what more the state had to offer. So when my wanderlust started kicking into high gear in the middle of August, I started researching places to go for the Autumn time. I know New England has some of the best foliage to offer in the country, so that is where I began my research.

The more I looked into it, the more it seemed like New Hampshire was the best place to go. About a 10-hour car ride (one way) can easily be divided into two relaxing days of travel. Plus, I know there would be some fun stops along the way. In general, we were looking to relax on this trip. We wanted to have some great views that were easily accessible from the road but also have fit in a hike or two throughout the day. Nothing too strenuous, but something that was good enough to build an appetite for  after the hike. After getting some great advice from fellow photographer, Patrick Koetzle, I was ready to hit the road.

Our entire trip revolved around spending 3 whole days in the White Mountains National Forest area the first week of October. At that time it seemed like we were right in the middle or towards the end of peak autumn color which was exactly what I was looking for. For the most part, the weather was beautiful. In the mid-50s with no humidity. But in the middle of our trip, it rained really hard and it got really cold and windy bringing the temps down to the 30s.

Lodging

Based on all my research about the White Mountain area, an overwhelming amount of people suggest staying in a town called, Lincoln. I did my best to find a suitable place to stay but even booking our trip 2 months in advance, our options were limited. We ended up finding a cottage in Twin Mountains. We brought our dog, Frankie so it was great to have our own little cottage with a fenced-in backyard. The location was right in between Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch, two of the places where we wanted to spend most of the time so the cottage was perfect for us.

So if you’re looking to stay somewhere centrally located with your own private kitchen and hot tub, I’d highly recommend staying with Sherry and Ron. They were amazingly welcoming and thoughtful hosts.

We did visit Lincoln one day around lunchtime. Since we were visiting during the Covid pandemic, a lot of the restaurants and stores seemed like they were closed. That just reinforced the idea that our decision to stay in Twin Mountains was the best option for us.

Franconia Notch

Driving around this area is so exciting. I remember telling Andrew on more than one occasion that he had to drive just so I could stare out the window. But I think my favorite was the Franconia Notch side. Maybe because it seemed like there was more color on that side but more than anything, I just really enjoyed the views.

Our first official hike was Artist’s Bluff for sunrise. Although it is only 1.5 miles long, the hike was strenuous being that it was just straight up the mountain then down the mountain. There were a few flat areas but not much. If I think about it, a majority of the hikes around the White Mountains area was like this. A great glute workout for sure! But it was absolutely worth the sweat.

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If you know me, I love a good road trip. Especially the ones that make you feel like you’ve hopped on an airplane and you’re miles away from home but in actuality, you just jumped into your car. So if you’re like me, I created a list of my favorite summer destination that are 3 hours or less from Washington DC with a variety of adventures waiting for you. So if you like being in the outdoors, this list is for you:

Great Falls Park:

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Great Falls Park from the Virginia side

I’ve mentioned this place a hundred times on my blog so it’s definitely a favorite. Less than 20 miles outside of Washington DC, find some peace in Great Falls Park. From the roaring falls, to plenty of space to roam or have a picnic, Great Falls is kind of an unexpected gem outside a major US city. The great part about Great Falls is that there’s a Virginia and Maryland side. You can see actually see the Maryland side while in Virginia and vice versa but they are very different.

Virginia has a better view of the falls and in my personal opinion, the park just feels a little bit more open with wider fields and more viewing spots of the falls. It’s a great place to have a picnic or go on a hike with friends.

Maryland allows you to be closer to the rocks but I personally enjoy the views on the hike on the Maryland side much more.

Don’t be surprised if you see kayakers navigating the rough waters or blue herons fishing for the dinner on either side of the park.

Alexandria, Virginia

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Old Town Alexandria at sunrise

Specifically, Old Town Alexandria. Old Town Alexandria is just 8 miles away from Washington where you can enjoy a day by the Potomac River. Surrounded by cute shops and even better restaurants, it’s shouldn’t be a surprise if you find yourself smiling while walking around the neighborhood. If you of age, The BRÜT Wine Bar is a personal favorite if you like bubbly adult drinks. Waterfront Park is a fantastic place for kids to run around and to experience free outdoor art. I can’t express how much I enjoy this cute little town every time I visit.

But Alexandria is also a great central point for many other excursions. Hop on a scenic water taxi that will take you the National Harbor in Maryland or to DC destinations such as the Wharf, Georgetown, the National Mall, and Nats Stadium. It is also along the Mount Vernon trail that gives you access to Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve and Huntly Meadows Park, both wetland areas with boardwalks that make it fun for birdwatchers and photographers to enjoy the views.

Shenandoah National Park

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Shenandoah National Park along Skyline Drive on a foggy early morning

Shenandoah National Park is beautiful summer, fall, spring, winter, whenever! Just 70 miles outside of the District, it’s the best place to get a great hike in. My personal favorite is Old Rag Mountain Trail and Hawksbill Mountain Trail. Both give you an unbelievable view of the mountains and surrounding areas. Just know that both of these hikes are steep but Hawksbill Mountain Trail is significantly shorter, so plan accordingly with the time you have in the mountains.

If hiking isn’t your thing, I highly suggest finding a rental company where they’ll take you down to the river. You can rent canoes, rafts or tubes to float your way down the river. It’s so relaxing.

But if you just want an easy way to enjoy the views, Skyline Drive has stunning views from multiple overlooks along the way.

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Another foggy morning image of Pennsylvania because I just couldn’t get enough of this magical morning. It was honestly the highlight of my day. For this image, I think I was still on top of the hill when I captured it. I just love seeing the layers of the yellow tree in front, red barn, and then the trees in the background. As soon as I climbed up this hill, I immediately regretted forgetting my drone in the Airbnb. Next time I have to remember to bring EVERYTHING with me.

Happy Friday and have a good weekend! Hope to do some more fall color hunting…

My camera settings for this image is F10 at 1/125th sec and ISO 1600 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm zoom lens.

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Is it just me or is it easier to wake up for sunrise when you’re traveling then it is when you’re home? Before I went to bed, I set my alarm for 5:30 am. I woke up the next morning before my alarm, bright-eyed and ready to go. It was amazing.

I had every intention of visiting Cucumber Falls Waterfall in Ohiopyle State Park but what I did not expect was all this amazing morning fog. I couldn’t help myself. I kept on pulling over every 5 minutes trying to capture it. I was pulling over on the side of the road or turning into little roads along the way. There was one road in particular that looked like it was half foggy and half not so I had to pull over. While I was taking pictures, I noticed a couple walking their two dogs. Turns out one of them was a puppy so I had to wait for them to come closer so I could ask to pet the puppy. LOL. Well, the puppy was 5 months old and so playful. After talking to their owners for a little while, they said that they lived on the property on top of the hill and told me that I should go up there for an even better view.

OMG this was the view from their hill. Long story short, I did not make it to the waterfall. LOL. And this was the gentlemen and the older dog walking by on the road I met them on. That sunrise glow though!

My camera settings for this image is F10 at 1/200th sec and ISO 1600 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm zoom lens.

 

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My friend, Sue and I decided to make a last-minute road trip and visit Southwestern Pennsylvania for a night. It was so much better than expected. Neither one of us had been to this part of Pennsylvania before so it was a whole new adventure for both of us. The real intention was to chase fall colors. Some places seemed like it was full of color however at Fallingwater, we were about 2 weeks too early.

But Fallingwater itself was definitely better than expected. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside or else I would have loved to show you how amazingly simple but masterfully crafted everything was. You can really tell that Frank Lloyd Wright (the architect) took his time to think of all these beautiful details of the house. I think my favorite part about it all were all the windows and terraces. It’s crazy, but there were no frames in the middle of the window. Everything opens up to nature and you can just listen to the sounds of the waterfall below all day long. I can’t even imagine how peaceful and calming living here would be. And if I remember correctly, there were 4 terraces! It would be amazing to just enjoy a simple lunch out there. This makes me want to visit Mr. Wright’s homes all around the country. I think his work is very inspiring and I’m so glad I got to see at least one of them in person.

My camera settings for this image F11 at 1/25th sec and ISO 1600 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide-angle.

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One place that I’d love to be in the fall time would be Oregon. Gah, I seriously loved visiting the state. It was amazing in the late summer. I can’t even imagine what it would be like in the fall or even spring.

This image was taken along the Drift Creek Falls Hike. Towards the end of the hike, you have to cross this suspension bridge in order to see the waterfall. It actually flows right underneath so the views start when you’re on the bridge. It was a little shakey which made me a bit nervous, but Andrew seemed to have no problems with it. He had no hesitation when I asked him to go back to the center of the bridge and walk back.

I think my favorite part of this image (besides Andrew) is the framing of the leaves. If I didn’t look at it through my camera lens, I probably would have not noticed how perfectly they frame the bridge. I especially like how the leaves in the front are glowing yellow while the trees in the back are so dark green. It makes it look like a really long bridge, which it was! And I actually kinda like the bright lens flare on the top left. I think it adds even more direction in the image that leads your eye to Andrew.

My camera settings for this image are F9 at 1/125th sec and ISO 640 with my Sony A7II and 24-70mm lens.