A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
All we wanted were a couple of margaritas to go along with our Mexican meal. Instead, we got a scowl from the the waiter and sotto voce comments of derision from the surrounding four tables, which, we found out, all attend the same church. It turns out that the majority of counties in Kentucky are … Read More “Dry Counties” »
The next stop I wanted to make on our trip was Cumberland Falls. Often called "The Niagra of the South," Cumberland Falls is unique in that it is one of two falls that can create a "moonbow" during a full moon. Unfortunately for us, it’s both cloudy and a new moon, so I guess we … Read More “Cumberland Falls” »
On Google Earth and my old topo maps, Eastern Tennessee is lined with long mountain ridges and long valleys, running diagonally from southwest to northeast. These are the "wrinkles" were created when the Smokey Mountain Thrust Sheet slammed into the area millions of years ago. Our plan was to try to get to the Cumberland … Read More “From Townsend to Cumberland Gap” »
I’ve always had mixed feelings about the Great Smokey Mountains. The RQ (Redneck Quotient) is always just a tad higher than I prefer. I guess it has something to do with the proximity to Dollywood, the Grand Ol’ Opry, and the heart of Appalachia. Regardless, we were in the mood to avoid crowds today, especially … Read More “Tuckaleechee Caverns” »
Today was a Great Smokey Mountains day. We started by driving up to Mingo Falls, which technically isn’t in the National Park. The trail up, included an incredible staircase, but the waterfall was quite nice. After the falls we headed into the park proper. There was an obligatory stop at Mingus Mills, then a side … Read More “From Cherokee to Townsend” »
With Tropical Depression Barry threatening, we had a leisurely start to our vacation travels. This trip, we’re going to see a big hole in the ground. We’re hoping to make our way to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, exploring the backroads of Appalachia along the way. The first leg of the journey took us up I-26, then … Read More “From Greenville to Cherokee” »
This is incredibly addictive, probably even more so than Google Earth was for me when it first came out. These folks have frozen a moment in time of life on the streets in these five cities, and the ability to view that moment from multiple perspectives is very compelling. Collections of "sightings" have popped up … Read More “More Googley Goodness from Streetview” »
The Google Earth blog had a link to the technology behind Google Maps’ new Street View feature. The technology was created by Immersive Media, and features a camera with eleven lenses arranged in geodesically on a sphere. The camera not only takes still images, but does video as well. Immersive Media has put several demos … Read More “Immersive Media” »
Back when I was teaching pinhole photography to seventh grade students, my father-in-law gave me an old Singer Graflex camera that he owned. This is the classic version, seen in use by photojournalists in old movies all the time. I have no idea how old this thing really is, but I believe it still works. … Read More “Old Singer” »
Just when I think Google Maps can’t get any more amazing (or scary), they come out with something new. This time it’s "Streetview." Streetview is available for only five cities in the US – Manhattan, Miami, Denver, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. I haven’t checked any foreign cities yet. If you zoom into one of … Read More “Street View” »