To Be Alone - Quiet Times in the Woods or on the Water

 Recently, someone asked me, "What's your favorite thing to do?" The answer required about three or four seconds of thought; "To be alone in the Woods." In all honesty, being alone in nature (with my camera) is probably a more encompassing answer, for that is where I feel most at home and most intune with who I am as a person and a photographer.

Nature has always fascinated me. Growing up in southeastern Oklahoma as a young boy, I often found myself sitting outside in the shade of my grandparents big yard and dreaming about wild adventures. I read adventure stories, there were no DVD's or VHS videos back then, so reading was just about the only way a boy could build his imagination. One of my favorite publications was Boy's Life, the Boy Scouts magazine. It was always filled with true life adventures that came to life through the wonderful illustration that filled the pages. Oddly enough, I was never a real boy scout, I just sort of became one on my own, and I loved the BB Gun advertisements on the back of comic books. Oh my, how I wanted one of those Daisy pump BB guns. My parents never did get one for me, but I did eventually manage to own a trusty lever action Red Ryder...still have one. (Some of my fondest memories raising my two boys was when I taught them how to shoot it.)

I'd build miniature log forts and cabins using the numerous broken limbs and sticks that littered that dusty old yard. While doing so, my young mind would flow across time to imagine what it must have been like back in Daniel Boone's day. (Come Fourth of July, I'd blow them up with firecrackers.) But, the most adventurous moments of my youth came when I'd take off on my own, cross the railroad tracks behind the neighbors house, and head off through the woods and fields to eventually find the shallow running shoals where the  Poteau River split. In the imagination of a young boy, I was exploring the deepest of backcountry woods just like ole Daniel Boone did. In reality is wasn't very far. Even so, I'd sit alone for what seemed like hours, until I'd get hungry and make my way back to civilization. 

Those imaginings from way back then became ingrained into my heart and I still treasure those moments for without them, I'd not be even close to who I am today. Things have changed in a lot of ways since then, but in other ways they remain the same. That young boys adventurous spirit still lingers inside of my now older self, only now I am able to play them out for real, more or less, with my canoe, my backpack, my Jeep, and my camera. There are few outing I explore without my camera for with it, I can visually capture the essence of what it means to be alone in the quiet of the woods or canoeing across a lake with the sun setting across the way. Oddly enough, the mental images I made all those years ago are just as sharp, just as real, and just as rewarding as any photograph I've ever made...maybe even more so.

I need those simple quiet times in the woods to clear my head of all the nonsensical rhetoric that floods our world today. I often long to revisit those simpler days when I was a boy, but I understand...you can never go home again. Yet making time for a short hike and finding a quiet place to just sit awhile and listen to the wind talk to the trees or listen to moving waters as they dance across a set of shoals, or maybe watch as a swollen creek tumbles over a waterfall well, it's a good way to clear away the clutter from inside. Along the way, I'll take a photo or two just because I can. Maybe someday, someone will see one of those images and understand why the moment was important.

A Willingness to See Through the Clutter to Discover the Larger Scene

 Today the summer air temperature is hovering just below 100 degrees and the humidity not far behind. Tomorrow and the next day could easily surpass the 100 degree mark. It is August by the way, so days  like these in this part of the country do not come as much of a surprise. But, a week or so ago a hint of fall, the false fall, drifted across the landscape with cooler temperatures and pleasant days. I am so looking forward when the weather crosses a tipping point and the surge toward a new season is launched full swing. 

It's been a good summer overall. I've managed to get out a number of times with my canoe and camera and fishing rod, not nearly as much as I should have. Even so, those few outings offered a measure of relief from the daily routine. Today, avoiding the heat, I browsed through a few photos I made last winter. Sometimes doing something like that will reveal an image or two that simply jump out at me, and I ran across these two. I kept asking myself, "Why do I like these images?"

I've certainly captured better ones, but for some reason, I really like these two images. Let's take look at each one and try to dissect their qualities so I can answer that question.

Both images were taken out at one of my favorite places, Shanty Hollow Lake, on the same day a few minutes apart. On this particular day, and time of year, the lake level was much lower than normal which offered more area to explore. I stepped into the now dry lake bottom toward the upper end and walked across toward the other side. The fall leaves had dropped months before, but a few colorful ones still clung to their limbs. All the tall grasses lining the shoreline had turned brown. 

What caught my eye was the blown down river birch tree as it lay sideways across the brown grass. The tops of the grasses carried a distinctive silvery shine that slowly blended into the brown lower portions. Most the background trees provided another level of silvery contrasts and within that silvery veil I could see brilliant splashes of color. 

Part of being a good photographer is to be able to visually see a photograph before you lift the camera to your eye. Within a few steps, I was able to frame the image with my mind and simply make a few minor adjustments in composition and exposure. The detail of the woodlands behind the grass suddenly took on a fresh appearance no longer lost within the confused state of chaos that can so often ruin woodland images. There is just enough contrast here, just enough white bark, just enough splashes of color to transform a bleak winter day into a wonderful photo op.

This second image was taken from almost the same vantage point. All I did was turn to my left, walk a few yards drawing a bit closer to the water's edge. A similar kind of appeal presented itself where a stark, gray woodland revealed itself to contain wonderful contrasts of white bark, soft grassy tones, and splashes of color embedded deeper within the woods. Add into the compositional equation those soft reflections cast across the water and you a formula for a successful woodlands photo.

It is easy to overlook such simple opportunities. Finding them requires somewhat of a trained eye, but more importantly, the willingness to see beyond the ordinary and through all the clutter to focus in on the elements that define, within a smaller frame, the larger scene.

Saga of the Glass Ball: How a Rare Japanese Fishing Net Flotation Device Created Havoc

 The few years I spent in the United States Coast Guard provided me with numerous memories and adventures. Some of those adventures became iconic, somewhat demanding moments for my young adult life. Others provided a measure of comic relief that helped to define my time at Station Umpqua River. One of the most comical all started with an attempted recovery of a rare, hand blown, Japanese fishing net glass ball flotation device, an attempt that spiraled into a near disaster.

Back in 1974, glass balls were pretty rare and prized collector items. Some of them had been floating around the Pacific for decades. They are even more rare today. Back then a beachcomber could occasionally run across one as it rolled up on the beach through the surf. They ranged in size from small ones about the size of a baseball, up to larger ones as big as a basketball. Sometimes they would even retain a portion of the netting that encapsulated them. They were used to keep fishing nets afloat.

I never found one, but managed to get caught up in an incident of someone trying to retrieve one. Back then, our station still operated with a rather large and cumbersome communications system that included a bulky switchboard and a 1940's era teletype. All of the stations up and down the coast were connected via their own communication lines, Telephone Lines. This, of course, was pre-digital, pre-cell phones, pre-laptop computers, and way before Internet email was even thought of. Everything was still analog. Those Coast Guard telephone lines were serviced by technicians known as TT's or Telephone Technicians. As old as it was, it worked and worked well...most of the time.

One day two TT's drove up in their 4x4 Ford pickup. Somewhere along those communication lines there was some kind of issue they needed to check out and do some maintenance on. They checked in with us to verify that we'd be available to provide some assistance should it be required and of course we were. For them to gain access to those lines, they had to drive along beach. Well about an hour later our phone rang and it turned out to be them. They had climbed one of the line poles, tapped into the line, and dialed our station number. The conversation went something like this.

"Hey, we need a little help out here..we are...uh. sort of stuck in the sand. Can you bring your 4x4 truck down here and pull us out?"

"Yeah...I guess we can.."

"Can you sort of hurry up...we need you down here as quickly as you can get here."

Me and one or two other guys jumped into our big ole Ford 4x4 that had one of those high powered PTO (Power Take Off) winches mounted on the front bumper and headed out. A few miles down the beach we found them and what we saw caused us to wonder in amazement as to how they got themselves into the predicament they were in.

 Their truck wasn't just stuck, it was sitting on the edge of the surge and waves were washing all around it. It was buried all the way up to its frame in the sand...and the tide was coming in. Waves were already washing all around it. Their story went something along this line.

"Well, we were driving along when I saw a large glass ball roll up on one of the waves, so I told my partner to stop so I could get out and retrieve it. Well...he didn't stop, he just turned toward it and pulled up next to where it was rolling around. I jumped out, grabbed it, jumped back in and he tried to backout but stalled the truck. Before he could get it started, a big wave rolled in and flooded the engine and...well, now we're really stuck."

After we stopped rolling around on the beach laughing, we hauled the winch cable out to their truck wading thru knee deep water and hooked it to their back bumper. Problem was, they were so buried in the sand, we could not pull them out. Instead, with nothing to anchor on, we were pulling our truck toward them. We tried to pull them off by taking slack out of the line and bumping them free by backing up. No good. After several unsuccessful attempts, we got on the radio and called the station. One of the guys there drove a 4x4 Blazer with a winch and we had him come out to give us another vehicle.

By the time he arrived, the tide had rolled in a good ways and there were literally breakers crashing over the hood. We managed to hook up his winch, but even with two vehicles, we still could not break them loose. We were really in a fix. Nothing we tried worked. About that time, a third vehicle drove up and the driver got out to offer some assistance. With three vehicles using three winches, we still were unable to break them loose. By this time the tide had really rolled in, but we noticed that every time a wave hit the truck, it looked like it tried to float it a few inches. So we took a different approach. 

We had the two outer vehicles place tension on their winches, and we let out a few inches of slack with our 4x4. When a wave tried to float the stuck truck, I hit the clutch and snapped pulled in reversed. After four or five attempts we managed to pull them out of the sand and roll them up to high ground.

We towed them back to the station where the mechanics removed the carburetor and dried it out, pulled all the plugs and dried them off and blew air thru the alternator to dry it out and low and behold, the truck fired off first time. The two TT's thanked us and drove off with the glass ball in hand.

The story does not end there. A week or so later, I had to go down to the Group office down at Coos Bay for a reason I have long ago forgotten. Inside the building there were offices along the perimeter with a few cubicles in the center. As I walked thru, I ran into those two TT's and rather matter of factly asked them out loud if they had been chasing glass balls and getting stuck anytime lately. Both of them motioned for me to be quiet and not to speak about that incident especially inside the Group office...seems they never told anyone about how they got stuck and why.

From time to time, I will run across a glass ball inside an antique store. Just the sight of one of those iconic relics brings back that comical memory of how a rare Japanese fishing net flotation device created havoc for two TT's.

 

Photographing Pieces of History

 I've love photographing history. Doing so requires not only photographic skill, it requires a solid grasp of the historical significance of what you are photographing. Putting the two together in a meaningful photograph is a challenge, especially one that serves to hold within its frame what that significance represents.

So what classifies as a photograph of history. Well, it can take many directions depending on the photographers interest. For me, it includes such things as vintage cars, airplanes, locations, and even old barns. Some of the most meaningful historical photographs for me include vintage aircraft. I love their form, their performance, their connection to events, and their connection to our personal lives. Capturing them beyond simple snapshots of one sitting on a tarmac requires you look at the photographic solution from beyond the ordinary. 

Using artificial lighting can transform their appearance. But it takes more than that. It requires placing your camera in a position that captures not only the form, but in such a way as to bring to life their performance. Aircraft were designed to fly and your photograph should capture them in such a way to represent that unique element. 

Their are so many angles from which to capture their history. I am so thankful for the organizations that restore and maintain vintage aircraft.

Vintage cars are perhaps my second most favorite piece of history to photograph. Not unlike aircraft, vintage cars retain that same style and form that is so indelibly ingrained into our collective memories. American cars of course are my favorite because so many of them I grew up with and around and even drove at one time or another. I love old cars. They not only possess unique shapes and forms, they represent pieces of history we all lived through and can appreciate.

Oddly enough, even things like old barns are perhaps my third favorite type of historical photograph. Many barns are well over 100 years old and they can be found across almost any rural area. Some are still in good shape, many are falling down, but each possess their own unique contribution to the historical landscape.

The setting in which they reside enhances their historical impact. Often I will be driving around and out of the corner of my eye catch an image of an old barn tucked away into the base of a hillside across a field. I love that kind of scene.

Included within the realm of old barns as historical photographs are old homesteads and homes. 

Their settings often reflect that sense of place, the kind of places that reside deep within our mind and heart. The kind of place where most of us wish we could reside.

Sometimes looking through the barn becomes the photograph. It is those simple yet rustically powerful images all of us have seen at one time or another. Lighting of course makes all the difference. one cannot help but wonder what kind of history has played out within and around these old barns. When they were first built, they were someone's dream, and now possibly 100 years or more later, that dream has played out across time to enhance our personal vision of what the rustic world represents.

Photographing pieces of history can elevate your appreciation of the subjects you are encountering. Thinking of them as pieces of history opens your personal vision of how to capture them toward new and unique creations.

 

 Finally managed to put together a 3 day, end to end solo canoe camping trip. It was something I've been planning for almost 3 years. For the past several months the weather just has not cooperated. Lots of storms, rain, wind, and high lake levels prevented me from getting out. My campsites were flooded because the lake was up to 16 feet above its normal summer pool level and it took a good month for it to drop back down.

This past week, the winds moderated, the lake level was once again at its normal level, my campsites were high and dry, and the hot and muggy summer weather cooled down to a comfortable 83 to 85 degrees. For three days I paddled and camped. the weather was beautiful and I enjoyed a long and challenging trip. Please enjoy this simple video about the trip.

Running The Edge - Available Now On Amazon.com

 AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON.COM - It's been a long time in the making and gone through numerous iterations, changes, improvements, development, but it's finally here; my first published Novel. A great deal of work went into its writing, an effort that literally spanned across years.

Running The Edge is a story about redemption, an action packed saga played out across an epic setting where two people struggle to overcome personal challenges as they run the edge of their emotions while they run the edge of danger.

thanx

Keith

What to do When the Weather Don't Cooperate

2024 has been a frustrating season. Certainly one of the wettest seasons we've seen around here in a while. I had all kinds of plans to get out and do some canoe camping and make an end to end adventure on Barren River Lake (BRL). But...mother nature had other plans.

First of all, a while back we received something like 17 inches of rain stretched over a two week period causing BRL to rise to over 16 feet above its normal summer pool level. This effectively delayed my planned end to end trip as the few camp locations I planned on using were all underwater.

Eventually, the lake level was lowered to less than a foot above its normal level, but by this time the summer heat had kicked off in earnest with scorching highs and sweltering humidity thrown in. Plus we've had a lot more wind this year than normal too. Between these events, scattered thunderstorms seemed to roll in about every other day, again circumventing my being able to get out.

So...what's a guy to do. I have managed a couple of day trips, one a seven mile trip on BRL with a buddy of mine. That was one of the few days when the wind was not so bad. I also made an afternoon trip with my neighbor when we took his yet untried new kayak over to Shanty Hollow lake. I have also been getting out with my camera some and I've also been working on a few projects. One project was to repair/upgrade my canoe seat back. It sort of cracked on me last time out and I had to reconstruct part of the frame and cannibalized parts from the original to rebuild it.

Along the edge of my backyard a stretch of blackberries are beginning to ripen so I've spent some time picking through them, a hand full at a time. In that same area a few spiders found a place to spin a web.

As of the last few days we've again received several inches of rain which has raised the BRL level another foot or so. I still plan on making that planned end to end trip on BRL, but it just might have to wait a bit longer, maybe until early fall. Anyway, I'll be taking a few pictures and getting prepared for when mother nature decides to settle down. See ya out there.

Know Your Territory - Being In The Right Place at the Right Time

 Many times I have adhered to an old Dewitt Jones axiom "Be willing to place yourself at the point of greatest potential". As a nature photographer I try to follow that bit of wisdom on a regular basis because capturing exceptional photographs requires I make exceptional efforts to capture exceptional quality light. There are a number of things that help that process along, one of the most important is to know your territory. By doing so you automatically create a ready resource of potential opportunity to be in the right place at the right time.

Just the other day I applied that theory to a spur-of-the-moment photo outing and managed to stumble into a fantastic photographic moment. The week had been quite summer-like with hot temperatures and high humidities along with a lot of clear skies and sun. Photo ops were limited as a result. However, by late afternoon on that one day the sky became filled with broken clouds some rising to great heights and carried with them textures and drama that serve a photographer's purpose.

I had just recently replaced my malfunctioning main camera with a new-to-me new-used camera upgrade and had not yet taken it out on a real photoshoot. Stepping outside I recognized the potential for the sky conditions and headed out. I have a good grasp of my home territory not only in the lay of the land, but in the season as well and with it being close to mid-June I was pretty sure there would be a wheat field or two still standing and I had just the place in mind.

I took about twenty-five minutes to make the drive and as I was heading over that way, I noticed the darkened sky to the southwest clearly indicating a thunder head was forming and possibly moving in my direction. Although I was not sure if there would be a standing wheat field where I was going, I knew it did not really matter as the location provides a rolling landscape bordered by wooded areas. As I rolled around the last curving rise leading up to the area, a bit of luck was with me for spread out across this undulating landscape was a beautiful golden field of wheat. Just beyond it the sinister darkness of a summer thunder head loomed across the sky and the wheat field was still filled with golden light from the late afternoon sun.

I pulled into a now familiar widespot off the country road offering a high vantage point overlooking the wheat field. I had to work quickly for the storm was rapidly approaching and that golden light across the field would soon be gone. A dozen or so quick captures along with a series of vertical overlapping images for panoramic stitching shots, and the storm closed in and with it the light disappeared. Five minutes was all I had to capture the moment, but those five minutes offered just enough time and quality light, I knew I had been in the right place at the right time.

Knowing your territory and the potential of a location is key to placing yourself in the right place. Reading the conditions and having a solid grasp of the capabilities of the camera provided the right combination of being able to capture place, conditions, and light. Sometimes luck plays a roll, most time though, intuition and experience will often rule the day.

A Short Day on Nolin Lake + Another Hilarious Zippo Lighter Moment

 Spent a few hours up on Kentucky's Nolin Lake exploring the Dog Creek Recreation Area and canoeing the Dog Creek arm of the lake. With temperatures only reaching up to 78 for the day, light breezes, and blue skies it was an almost perfect day to be out on the lake. Managed to see two Bald Eagles and other wildlife. Being a short day I only covered about 6 miles, but it was an enjoyable first day canoeing on Nolin Lake.

As part of this feature, another Zippo Lighter moment is included. It is by far the most hilarious misadventure moment within the annals of all the Zippo Lighter Moments that occured way back around 1989 or 1990 on a backpacking trip into the Ponca Wilderness Area inside Arkansas' Buffalo National River area.

Please join me on another summertime canoe outing and the telling of a classic Zippo Lighter Moment.

A Zippo Lighter Moment - When Nature Wins

 It is fascinating to me how an aroma.or a simple sound can trigger nostalgic memories from years ago. There is one sound that has over the years become an iconic trigger of memories for me...the clink and zip of a Zippo Lighter. 

Whenever I hear those two combinations I am taken back into a world from my past when my old friend Ralph became not just a friend, nor a mentor, but a creator of memories. He used his old Zippo Lighter to fire off his classic pipe that was always with him on every outdoor adventure we shared. The sound of him flipping it open...clink...then spinning the spark ignitor...zip...and the sweet aroma from the smoke drifting from his pipe...well, at the time I did not realize it, but those moments became ingrained as anchors to cherished memories from those days afield.

Zippo Light Moments will be a series of short videos where I remember back to those early days afield with my good friends Ralph, Rocky, Curtis and my brother Ken as we explored the adventures of the outdoors...and how Ralph's old Zippo Lighter and pipe became the point of reference for all of those memories.

So join me as we take a look back. First up is a classic moment I call 'When Nature Wins'. 

(https://beyondthecampfirebykeith.blogspot.com/2010/12/when-nature-wins.html)

Another Ansel Adams Kind of Day on Barren River Lake

 Exploring nature from a canoe offers an almost endless volume of opportunities. Even familiar locations can provide new levels of insight and photographic moments with every visit and every entry into your canoeing log, higher levels of insight and revelations from the natural world provide the words and storylines. It is no secret I love black and white photography and Ansel Adams is my best inspiration with each framing of scenic value I make. Thursday May 16th became another Ansel Adams kind of day as I once again loaded my canoe and worked my way along the tall bluffs that stretched toward the blue skies and soft rounded clouds. 

Wind has always been my worst enemy when it comes to canoeing. So, when a day presents itself with light and variable breezes, clearing blue skies stretched with formations of summer clouds, and a desire to et out, well, it's just almost inevitable I'll find a way to spend the day with paddle in hand and my venerable Old Town canoe gliding across the calm waters.

The day started out rather overcast but the forecast indicated partly cloudy skies by mid-day and through the afternoon. Air temperatures hovered in the upper 60's when I shoved off with indications the temps would rise into the low 80's by early afternoon. The partly cloudy skies was what intrigued me as they will often provide wonderful Ansel Adams style photo opportunities.

I also took advantage of the moment to introduce my first official "Zippo Lighter Moment" with a video clip I captured as I glided along. Zippo Lighter Moments are personal outdoor adventure memories from my past and are intended to secure the memory of my good friend Ralph who is the inspiration for these stories. He and his old pipe and Zippo lighter became iconic anchors tied to many stories and served to place emphasis on each one. The stories are so connected to his old Zippo Lighter and Pipe combination that every time I hear the 'clink...zip...' of a zippo lighter being fired off, well...the memories of all those countless moments flood back to life. (Working on a short Zippo Lighter Moment video...so stay tuned.)

Ralph fishing Honobia Creek

Across the day I ran into and talked with several Old-Timer personalities briefly sharing a few moments of insight as part of the beautiful day.  Three guys were fishing from the bank where I put in and about five miles later where I turned around I ran into three other old-timers fishing from a private boat dock. Moments such as those offer special anchor points for any given trip by providing a unique moment in time that can be attached to the day. 

As the day progressed the Ansel Adams opportunities became more alive and I found myself catching glimpses and angles and landscapes that clearly spoke to me saying.."take this one...". 

Through the day I ran across several wildlife moments. I spotted an immature bald eagle soar overhead and dive into the water to grab a fish and then a few moments later I spotted him sitting on a bare branch not 25 yards from me, but as is so often the case, I had the wrong lens attached to my camera and by the time I swapped it out, well...off he flew. But just seeing him so close was reward enough.

Later on I drifted toward a small waterfall and near its base an otter climbed out of the water and scurried up the incline. Countless herons protested my presence, and a couple of Osprey's provided a distant accent to the wildlife moments. Never got a single photo of any of them. But, that is just fine as I have the memory of greeting them on this day.

Turned out to be very good day on the water as I paddled almost exactly 10 miles...it felt like a lot more for some reason. Needless to say, I'll be doing this again soon and hopefully if I can secure three good days of weather and wind in a row, I will be making an end to end canoe trip on the lake, a distance of about 40 miles with day two covering almost 20 of them.

Yeah, it was another Ansel Adams kind of day on the lake and yeah...I do love taking black and white photographs. thanx for the inspiration Ansel.

After the Storm - A Hike to the Shanty Hollow Waterfall

 Strong storms blew through Kentucky in recent days dumping a lot of rain across the landscape. After dodging strong winds and heavy downpours my first instinct was to head up to Shanty Hollow and hike into the waterfall ravine which was sure to be flowing at full throttle.

I was not disappointed. The morning was still overcast which made for that soft diffused light photographers always crave and is best suited for a place like Shanty Hollow. Although I have witnessed the waterfall flowing at a high pitch in the past, this day's flow was certainly well inside the top five flows I've encountered there. 

Shanty Hollow always offers a wonderful respite...so come along with me as we hike into Shanty Hollows waterfall ravine. Please enjoy...'After the Storm.'

Day 2 - Back to Back Canoe Days on Barren River Lake - Plus 1

 Day 1 was characterised by troublesome headwinds. Oh it was a great outing for the first canoe day of the 2024 season, but by the end of that first day I was pretty tired. Ended up paddling just shy of 11 miles on that first outing, so on day two I opted for a more leisurely 5 to 6 miles and did more fishing along the way. Those 5 to 6 miles lead into an area I had not paddled before and I discovered some amazing bluffs and beautiful skies. The wind moderated on day two to light and variable making the trip all the more relaxing.

Photography became the main emphasize on day two as the skies were characterised by high wispy clouds against a dark blue backdrop. When combined with the scenic value of the tall bluffs, well...Ansel Adams would have recognized the photographic moments.

A few days after Day 2, I made a third outing to explore that new area in more depth and distance. It became a day of discovery, so as part of this video, I've included some bonus footage from that amazing float. Come and Join me, Beyond the Campfire, as I continue my exploration by canoe of Kentucky's  Barren River Lake.

First Canoe Outing of the 2024 Season - Back to Back Days on Barren River Lake (Day 1)

 The weather for 2024 here in Kentucky has been an up and down experience. I've been chomping at the bit to load up my canoe and head out for a first outing, but the wind this season has been rather troublesome causing me to delay that first outing. This past week the wind moderated enough to allow me to give it a try. As it turned out, what was forecast fell a bit short of what was experienced.

Five to ten wind speeds was what the weatherman said. Low enough to be manageable but could still present a few issues, but none so big as to cause another postponement, so I loaded up the canoe and headed over to Barren River Lake. My launching off spot was 'The Narrows' and I headed north up the lake planning on doing maybe eight or maybe ten miles or so. At first the winds were light, but as the day progressed, the wind kicked up well beyond what was forecast. By the time the winds became bothersome, I was well into my trip and managed to cover some distance beyond what I had managed in previous trips. By the time I reached the Beaver Creek camping area, I planned on paddling a bit further up the lake, but at that point the lake narrowed significantly enough to compress the wind squeezing it between the heights on either side creating a wind tunnel effect and I could make no further headway.

Murphy's Canoeing Law suggests that no matter what direction you are paddling, the wind is almost certain to be in your face. Most of the way back I struggled against those headwinds but managed to complete the circuit covering almost 11 miles...not bad for a first outing. Needless to say, I was pretty worn out.

The next day proved itself a far better day as the winds lay down to become light and variable and I managed to make a leisurely 5 mile float through a part of the lake I had never paddled before where magnificent bluffs, calm waters, high wispy clouds created an Ansel Adams kind of day. The story of day two will be posted soon...but for now, please enjoy this video about my first day out canoeing in 2024.

Coming soon after the Day 2 post, I will be making another overnighter, then shortly after that, I'll be doing what is possibly the most ambitious flat water canoe trip I've ever attempted. That trip will be a three day, end to end paddle of the lake covering close to 40 miles with the second day covering almost 20 miles. Just need the weather to cooperate, but I am up to the challenge and looking forward to the attempt, so stay tuned...

The Story Behind the Image: Sandhill Cranes at Sundown

 For a good number of years now I have enjoyed photographing Sandhill Cranes. A few thousand of them migrate through Kentucky and will winter over around Barren River Lake. Photographing them has been hit and miss the last several years as their patterns have changed somewhat. However, there is a location about a three hour drive from where I live where somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 Sandhills winter over. That location has provided numerous photographic opportunities to capture these amazing birds.

 Not far from Seymour Indiana are thousands of acres of farmland where soy and corn and wheat are grown. These fields provide an abundant source of food for the migrating Sandhills and late December and well into January it is possible to find huge flights of Sandhills using these and other surrounding fields. On one remarkable outing a few years ago, I encountered an estimated 30,000 (probably more) of them and spent an entire day from before sunrise to after sunset photographing them. Although I managed to capture hundreds of photographs that day, a single image captures the essence of the experience. I call the image Sandhill Cranes at Sundown. Here is the story of how the photograph was captured.

A week or so into January 2020, word came down that a huge flight of Sandhill Cranes had been using the fields west of Seymour for the past couple of months and I made plans to journey up there and hoped to capture a few good images. My plan was to leave very early, about 2:30ish AM so I could be on location before sunrise and maybe capture images and video of the morning flight off their roosting area. I did not know for sure what to expect, but with a sleep deprived fog hovering around my eyes I headed out that morning and arrived a little while before official sunrise. The sky was overcast at that time, but forecast indicated partly cloudy skies as the day progressed. 

Only a few minutes passed after I had pulled into an area I could park off the road, an area about midway across a large expanse of cornstubble, when I stepped out of my Jeep to survey the situation. Within a minute or so, I heard the high pitched, chattering roar of thousands of Cranes lifting off their roost probably less than a mile from where I was.

I grabbed my Nikon camera that I often use for shooting video, and made a quick exposure adjustment. The light was very low, but I simply pointed the camera hand held toward the rising cloud of Cranes and followed them as they flew overhead. I was simply awestruck at the sight. In the past I had witnessed several thousand snow geese rise like that and even had seen a couple thousand Sandhills rise over near Barren River Lake, but nothing prepared me for what was playing out in front of me at that moment. I simply cannot put what happened into words, so I'll let the video speak for itself.

 It seemed to take half the morning for all the birds to pass over, but eventually they did, but it was not long after the sun came up they began to return in huge numbers and set down in the corn fields. I spent pretty much all day driving around the area looking for photo ops and managed to shoot hundreds of photos and shot a great deal of video footage as well that was eventually placed into a BTC video production called, Ancient Migration.

By mid-afternoon many of the cranes had exited the area with just a few stragglers hanging around. The cloud cover was broken and as the sun lowered toward sunset, I realized there would be a magnificent sunset to end this already incredible day. I hoped the Cranes would return before then and head back to the same roost from which they lifted off that morning. As the day began to wain, there were but a few Cranes drifting by, but maybe 20 minutes of so before sundown, the Cranes began to return. Wave after wave of them drifted over my location and I began to shoot photos and video wishing I  could clone myself into a group of three people to capture everything that seemed to happening all at once.

One large group flew across the fields and headed directly into the setting sun, and I fired off several photos. Most of the images were shot at f/22, 1/3200 of a second shutter, ISO 200, and 500mm, using a 10 frame/sec burst, from a tripod. I thought my camera was going to wearout from all the shooting. I had no idea if I was capturing anything of value, I simply fired off photo after photo and captured video footage as I could.

Eventually, although Cranes were still flying, it grew too dark to capture anything and I called it a day and began the 3 hour journey home. It wasn't until the next day I was able to truly see what my camera held and I was simply overwhelmed by the footage. It was truly a remarkable day afield and this single image, as pleased as I am with the results, does not come close to capturing just how awe inspiring that single day afield truly was.

Canoe Season is Almost Here

It was a productive fall and winter with several canoeing trips and backpacking trips. The last couple of months I've been in a holding pattern as I wait for the seasonable weather to settle down.

Looking forward to the new canoeing season for 2024. I've got several local adventures planned including an end to end multi-day trip on Barren River Lake, Exploring Nolin Lake among others, some underwater photography on Trammel Creek and Long Creek...plus other overnighter and single day trips.

Hope you join me as Beyond the Campfire sets off on another season...Here's a quick preview and look back...