Spring and Shelter #5

The past two weeks have been dreadfully rainy so I haven't had much to write about - hence the lag in my posting. Today's post is all about Spring and Shelter #5. Last week, I mistakenly read a flyer regarding the Park's events and thought that pontoon boat rides were to begin today. Wrong! My bad. Anyway, they begin next weekend as I understand and are offered from Memorial Day weekend through Labor day after that. So, with my water adverture ideas dashed, I decided to make the best of it. One of the first things I noticed as soon as I rounded the road leading to the entrance was the abundance of flowers which had "popped up" seemingly overnight. The entire front field was bathed in a magenta hue that just really stood out in sharp contrast to the wintery mix we'd experienced just a few weeks before. The photo above is from that field.

After leaving the pontoon area, I drove to Shelter #5 which is an easy find just off of the road leading to the cabins. I was amazed at how large the shelter and the grounds around the shelter were. This is THE place to go for a larger reunion or gathering. Not only is it large but it sits just off of Poplar Tree Lake so the view is pretty incredible as well. I understand that the park requires a reservation so, if you're interested, make sure that you plan on reserving the spot.

As always, please have a look at my Nathan's 9 for this week. Take care until next time...

Piersol Group Camp

Today's adventure led me to the Piersol Group Camp down Riddick road. It looks as if the rangers are clearing away some of the tangled undergrowth in the area. Of significant note on this trip is the newly built disabled accessible restroom. My grandmother was in a wheelchair most of her life so I'm always on the watch for accessible places to park, ramps and facilities. I was really happy to see this because everyone should have access to this great park.

I made my way to the Piersol Group Camp, found an additional shelter (very nice) and I even stumbled upon the old Nature Center and found some treasures there on my trip. And did I mention that I found the tree with the coolest bark ever? Just check it all out in my
Nathan's 9 gallery.

Take care!

The Day After

Today was definitely less hazardous than yesterday and, arguably, less dangerous too. Traveling back to the forest, I passed a copious number of kids (and adults) riding their 4-wheelers in the snow as they savored the few remaining hours before the inevitable melt that would come.

The forest was beautiful in it's powder coat and revealed itself in sharp contrast to the day before. The sun shone brightly and the sky was clear which made for a great photo session. I didn't spend as much time here today but just visited the places I know so well. I did try a tricky shot from within my vehicle using the rear view mirror. You can see that photo and nine others at this post's Nathan's 9.

-nathan

Let It Snow!!!

Today I felt like a kid again. The predicted snow actually fell and no one was happier than me. Ok, maybe a hundred thousand or more school kids who got to play in it, but really, I was right up there with them.

A local news reporter once said that seeing snow in Memphis is like seeing an Alien landing in that people just aren't used to it and they don't know how to cope with it. It is true that snow here is a rarity. Today was, perhaps, the only snow that we'll get this year. And it was largely because of this fact that I felt compelled to don my woolen mittens and sally forth into The Great Blizzard of 2008 (actually I think we got between 4-6 inches).

The General Store was "a-buzz" with activity and provided a great HQ from which to launch my expedition. I began there and, of course, took multiple photos from the outside in the driving snow. In fact, the first two photos of my Nathan's 9 gallery this week come from those shots.

The remainder of the day was fraught with peril and great, quieting beauty. I can promise you that with the exception of the rangers, I was the only person at the park that day. Even some of the rangers passed me and looked at me as if I were mad. Perhaps I was. I do know that I was super lucky because I managed to get down the really steep grade by the entrance to Piersol Lake just prior to the rangers shutting down the road (it is steep and quite treacherous with ice). If I'd been 10 minutes later, my access would have been denied and no one would have seen what I shot. You'll see several photos from this "forbidden zone" in today's gallery.

After that stop, I made several others just taking in the fury of the storm and trying, as best I could, to keep my Nikon from getting drenched. It's rare that wind is strong enough to penetrate the heavily wooded forest but today was an exception. I'm quite fond of some of the photos I made this day and because I want to share the beauty of Shelby Forest in such an unatural state (one which most people will never get to see), I have thrown my "Nathan's 9" out the window and have provided a "Nathan's 61" for today with many shots of the park.

Check them out here (Nathan's 9) and please do drop me a line and let me know what you think. Thanks - Nathan

The Rain, The Sun and In-between

This post comes after a few days of shooting between March 3rd and 6th. It poured rain on the 3rd and I knew that the park would be deserted so I dove in. There is something that you should know about photographing anything in the rain. First, most cameras do not particularly care for water. Secondly, if you want great shots, shoot from a shelter while its raining. Third, the best shots (in my humble opinion) happen just after the rain breaks. Leaves glisten with a reflective coating and if you are lucky, a spot of sun will hit the droplets on the leaves. When the leaves are on the ground, the light is then directed back up to illuminate the undersides of low hanging branches. Its a visual you don't get too often.

March 6, today, was gorgeous. The weather was great and I got a chance to hike down to Piersol Lake. The majority of photos in my Nathan's 9 gallery are from the Lake but a few are from the rain. You can view them here: Nathan's 9

Perfect Saturday!

Well the weather could not have been any better today for certain. I was amazed to see so many people out enjoying the park today. I saw families with their children on bicycles and even a couple with a kayak too. I saw plenty of folks fishing on Poplar Tree Lake and serious bicyclists on the paved paths. In fact, the hiking trails were, dare I say, a bit crowded? It was one of the best days ever!

I took a gazillion photos of people and things and so it was difficult to choose what to select for today's gallery. I think that I'm going to save the majority of my "people" shots for one blog entry unto itself. For today's Nathan's 9, I've included shots from Poplar Tree Lake and several from my 5 mile hiking trip. The photo above is not included in today's gallery but if it was, I'd have titled it, "Go Climb a Tree". I like taking photos from different perspectives and I was pretty much hugging this tree to get the shot. It repayed my affection by allowing several of it's ant buddies to crawl into my shirt :-) Ah well....it's the price you pay for loving nature huh?

Be sure to check out this week's Nathan's 9 here.