Fall Colors Outing 2011 Recap.
By: Michael Adkins
The Fall Colors photo outing 2011 comes to a close I reflect on the resounding success of the project. What started out as an idea of a pilgrimage to lead photographers from around the country into the mountains of West Virginia turned out so much more? In total there were about 25 dedicated shutter bugs from Orlando Florida, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland that ended up coming together to capture the beauty and majesty of Canaan Valley West Virginia.
I had told the group prior to coming that the weather during the early fall in Canaan Valley area of West Virginia is very unpredictable and can change in a moment’s notice. The first day was inedited in fog. So much so that traveling into the mountain area was treacherous and though fog shots are nice you need to be able to see past the end of your cameras lens. However, even with these conditions we ended up capturing a few wonderful stream shots. The week prior to our arrival was constant rain that resulted in the water being too high and muddy to capture good water fall shots so it was decided to hold off a day or so and let the streams recover a bit.
Food always seems to be a big part of any outing and this was no different. We as a group tried out The Saw Mill Restaurant in Davis West Virginia. This was just near the turn off to Black Water Falls National Forest Area. The original Saw Mill Restaurant had burnt down a number of years prior and the burnt out building still stands in front of the new location. The restaurant is truly down home cooking. Not a lot is spent on decorations but the lack of decorations is made up in quantity and quantity of food. Meals stacked high with West Virginia vittles. Everyone seemed to like this place so much with its friendly staff that it became our adopted home for meals. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. More about food later in this post.
Day 2. On the second day the weather started to clear a bit. The day started out with sunrise at the top of Dolly Sods. The winds were about 35mph and you had to hold onto your tripod or like Toto in the Wizard of Oz, it would go flying off into the obis. And the temperature was about 30 degrees so that means with the wind chill factor it was near zero. I think the group from Orlando leaned quickly about a new meaning of cold on the mountain. They now know why I told them to bring gloves and cold weather gear. But as they braved the elements they were treated to a spectacular sun rise that moved there very soul.
After the sunrise some of us grouped up and traveled to Cass Scenic Railway in Cass West Virginia. The opportunity to experience the massive power of the steam engine and to travel by open car to the second highest spot in West Virginia (Ball Knob) was just too much to turn down. I think most of the members really enjoyed the long ride and getting to take shots of the steam engine as it belted out smoke and steam while it climbed up the steep grades to the top of the mountain. When we reached to the top the weather had cleared and the view of the mountains and valleys below was incredible. By now the leaves at this altitude had peaked and were showing their colors of bright reds, yellows, and golden orange. This mixed with the green from the occasional pine trees made a wonderful pallet of colors to capture.
Day 3. Water Falls. By day three Randall Sanger the West Virginia foremost expert on Water Falls along with Mike Hensley said the water has resided and is now perfect for the group. So they lead the members on a day long water fall outing. While they were all out capturing amazing water I decided to take a day and prepare a home cooked meal for 25. The menu was homemade corn bread, wild rice two large pots of chili, and all the toppings. The group started arriving just as the dinner was coming off the stove. The evening was spent in fellowship, food, wine and photography discussions. It just does not get any better than that.
A word about the accommodations. I had rented a large cabin from Black Bear Cabins. I had never stayed at them before as I had owned my own cabin in Canaan Valley up to a couple of months prior to this outing. We ended up selling our cabin after 18 wonderful years. But it was time to let it go as the upkeep was becoming a big issue. So back to Black Bear Cabins. I could not be more pleased with them. They were huge and very comfortable. More like a home than a place to rent. Our cabin had four bedrooms and was three stories. The main room well accommodated our large group for dinner. It came complete with TVs in every room, cable TV service, internet Wi-Fi access and more. The kitchen was well stocked and had everything I needed to prepare dinner. I highly recommend these cabins and they will be on my list as places to stay in the future. One final note, our cabin was also a bit like a college frat house. Every day I got up to find a new girl sleeping on the couch. Now, really, it does not get any better than that.
Day 4. On day four we traveled back to the top of Dolly Sods with a small part of the group. By now many of the members were getting accustomed to the valley and venturing out on their own. The trees had exploded in color and the skies were perfectly clear. The weather had settled down to make for a wonderful calm fall day. Our group headed up on Dolly Sods to capture anther panorama shot of the mountains. Then we headed over through the valley to find something to eat. We ended up at Canaan Valley lodge for some snack bar type vittles that really was not all that bad. Then off to capture some stream and water shots before calling it an early day. By now most had their memory cards full and looking forward to the post processing.
I think that the members of the outing gained a new perspective of the splendor of West Virginia and the friendly open characteristics of the residents. I am so blessed with the new found friends and a lifetime of memories from the outing. I end by saying, “You All Come On Back, We’ll leave the light on for ya!, Ya hear!”