I woke a little later then normal this morning and proceeded with my normal morning routine–put on coffee, feed the dogs (giving Foster his anti-seizure medicine), checking email and reading blog feeds. I’d decided yesterday if this morning was clear I’d drive over to the Cooleemee River Park (Bull Hole) and see how high the river had gotten during this recent period of heavy rain. It was wonderfully clear this morning with just a few wispy clouds to keep the sky interesting.
This certainly wasn’t an early morning venture, about 9am, but it being November and on standard time the sun was still low enough in the sky to present some nice light.
The water was running strong and the river was well above its normal levels but not as much as I’ve seen before. If you fell in you’d have to hope you didn’t hit any of the larger rocks and ride the current out downstream until you could work your way to shore. From looking at the high water marks on the sandy banks it appears a day or so ago the water below the dam was probably 3 to 6 feet higher then it was today.
I had the place mostly to myself except for a young man and his dog exploring the area. Both were friendly and the young man and I spoke for moment, both agreeing the view was indeed beautiful and exhilarating.
I was using my Singh-Ray ColorCombo filter again today and I really have come to like not only the warming polarizer but also the color intensifier effect. I’m getting so I put this filter on my lens for much of my outdoor photos these days.
Love the pics. Yep. The Bull Hole is up but not as bad as in May.
My kid is up for the “Service Above Self” award for pulling the other kid out of the River last May when it was raging. That’s Tues at Cat College.
That was a scary day, but I still love the Bull Hole, and we still go back. Just hope no one goes in who can’t swim well and during high water times.
You’re on my Google page feed, and I really enjoy your pictures of one of my all time fav places. It really is beautiful at the Bull Hole.
@Cyndi – Congratulations to your son on the award. He definitely deserves it!
These are stunning. Wow. The airplane ticket isn’t an option. Your eye for capturing beautiful pictures isn’t for sale. So, I checked on the filter. Pricey, but I suspect you are glad you spent the money. Another item for the growing wish list. While the filter sets off a bad case of gear lust, that doesn’t compare with how much I would love to see that location. Thanks for a great addition to my morning.
@Anita Jesse – Thank you for your kind comments on the photos. Yes, I agree that filter is pricey and I debated long and hard before making the purchase. This was my first autumn using the ColorCombo and my pleasure with the results has removed any buyers remorse/doubt I may have had. I would love to meet you and show you around the area if you should every decide to do the “right” coast. :-)
#1 is definitely spectacular. Hmm … I’d probably take the contrail out, you know, I’m unscrupulous. But then, maybe not. When I think of it, it beautifully rhymes with the dark lines on the rocks. No, in fact I’m perfectly satisfied :)
@Andreas Manessinger – For some time I contemplated removing the contrail, and I would not hesitate to do so if that had been my decision. Perhaps I’m unscrupulous as well! ;-) My final conclusion was like yours, the lines and angles between the contrail and the dark tree shadows on the rocks were complimentary. But I appreciate hearing someone else say I may have made the right choice by leaving it. :-)
Yup. Definitely. And it does more: it puts some weight into the upper left corner. That further balances the image.