Tag Archives: Rokinon 12mm f/2

Landscapes

Late Autumn at Ohiopyle State Park

So I finally managed to get up to my favorite place to hike and take pictures, Ohiopyle State Park.  Even though I missed peak color, I was quite happy with everything I saw.

I went out with the plan on only using a single lens, the Rokinon 12mm so that I could really force myself into visualizing a shot.  I did add a circular polarizer and occasionally a variable ND filter.  Overall, I’d say the day was a success and it got me out in the middle of the woods to relax.  That’s a win win situation.

Landscapes

Laurelville in Autumn

Laurelville is a place that my family enjoys spending time at.  My wife grew up going to camp there and now we are Association Members.  Twice a year, the members go and visit the grounds and spend time together and help out with volunteer projects.  It’s always a wonderful weekend of fellowship and slowing down.  I normally try to sneak in a quick hike to revel in the nature of it all.

Near the high point of the property is Split Rock, which can be reached by following a trail to the top.  Coming back down to Jacob’s Creek, a small waterfall rushes.  This trip was preceded by an abundance of rain, so the creek was quite high.

There is also a kiln on the property which was in use for the entire weekend.  There was a crew from a local class that were stoking the fires every hour of the day and night.  I stopped down Saturday night to check it out.

The temperature was roughly 1,600 degree’s at this point, and they still wanted to take it even higher to around 2,500.  The heat output was intense and getting close was quite hot.  It seemed like the kiln’s appetite for wood never let up, every few minutes, more logs would be tossed into the inferno within.

The weekend came to an end and my family and I are back at home.  Now we have to go back to the real world.

Landscapes, Nature, Travel

More from West Virginia

Every year my wife and I head down to the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia so she can attend a work conference and I tag along since the room is comped.  Every year I try to find a new and interesting place to hike and explore.  This year I read about the Falls of Hills Creek that is in the Monongahela National Forest in Pocahontas County, West Virginia.  This is a set of 3 waterfalls that grow in size from 25 feet tall to 45 feet and then the lowest falls are 65 feet tall.  The entire trail is only 3/4 of a mile from the parking lot, so it’s an easy hike, but there are a lot of stairs to cover.  I got there shortly after sunrise and went to the tallest falls first.  There wasn’t too much water coming over, but it was just enough.  From there I moved up and eventually found my way to the 2nd waterfall.  The first fall was a bit obstructed and I couldn’t get a nice image of it.

The next day of the trip I went to a place more local to the Greenbrier to Blue Bend Recreation Area.  It is a small swimming hole in the National Forest as well with some hiking trails.  It was mostly closed though from the recent flooding though.  Still plenty nice to walk around though.

Family, Landscapes, Nature, Travel

Spending the 4th at Babcock State Park

My family and I just have just returned from an extra long weekend at Babcock State Park in West Virginia.  The park is beautiful and home to the often photographed Cedar Creek Grist Mill.  Trying to get an original image of the mill is nigh impossible at this point, but I took a few that I like, and for me, that is all that matters.

Other places we ventured too included Hawk’s Nest State Park, the New River Gorge Bridge, Cathedral Falls near Gauley Bridge and Plum Orchard Lake.  West Virginia is a fantastic state for sight seeing and exploring.  It seemed like everywhere we went, the landscaped was so impressive.  I easily could have spent so much more time hiking around, but alas, I have to get back to my real job.