Tuesday, November 8, 2011

A Quilt of Color

Autumn view from Green Knob, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok


I realize at this point, pictures of fall colors have become cliche. They are everywhere, made at some point by everyone. And deservedly so. But, please indulge me for a little while longer because on a recent getaway to the mountains of North Carolina, we found much of autumn's beauty still remaining. I must confess, as much as we like Charleston, our hearts are in the wild mountains of Appalachia.

To reach this point above the Catawba River Valley, we had to hike 10.5 miles over rough terrain, then travel switchbacks on plodding mules for another 5.8713452567 miles. Along the way we also rode on the backs of llamas,
 camels and ostriches. The ostriches were not too happy about that, I can tell you... they were in such a cantankerous mood! I would have preferred emus. They are much more genial in temperament, but none were at hand. To arrive at our final destination, at this overlook, I carried Becky on my back, then she carried me on her shoulders (Little John and Friar Tuck were there too). In all it took us 3.60236541 days. 

Just teasing.
Actually it took us 
only 20.50000000009 minutes to drive to this overlook, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, 
in a raging blizzard...
of autumn leaves.

30 comments:

  1. AMAZING ...this light and colors !!!

    greetings, Joop

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  2. Lol, hard to be a photographer!

    This is a much better quilt than any of the ones I make!

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  3. This is a photo. Your trip to the mountains Appalichia it,s going to be very funny to your followers. I belive.
    Cheers from Spain.

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  4. The depth and colors and perspective are all astonishingly beautiful!

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  5. At the end of October my husband and I drove along the Blue Ridge Mountains here in Virginia. We done the scenic drive a few times but never during fall and it was beautiful.

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  6. PLEASE post many more such images ... i can't get enough of them!!!
    (you know by now it's one of my favorite places in your country, and i don't care what kind of hardship it means for you, either, as long as i get to see more pictures like this ... ;-)))

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  7. ...and worth every one of the 1,240+ seconds that it took to get there Doug. The colours and mountain folds can only be described as magnificent.

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  8. Great post and truly a gorgeous image Doug.

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  9. Ha! :)

    I came across an interesting article about Piedmont a while ago.
    Bet that's 10,000 miles away from your charming port, right?

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  10. wow I can just imagine what it must have been like to stand there and take this shot. Looks amazing.

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  11. What a wonderful view, I love the gentle hills and the fabulous autumn colours. The blue hues in the shades bring out the golden tones even more. Breathtaking!

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  12. A wonderful and breathtaking view
    Great Photography!

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  13. With such a beautiful quilt you can't help but share it and I'm so glad you did. I love the colors of fall and have posted several myself with many more to go.

    OBTW, my blog is finally back, restored and in full swing. Thanks for your support!

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  14. Beautiful valley full in warm, autumn colors.

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  15. I'm glad she got a chance to carry you also...

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  16. · You have a good sense of humor.
    Wonderful Fall, my favourite season. This photo is plenty of colours... Beeches, oaks, birches...

    · hugs

    CR & LMA
    ________________________________
    ·
    planificado 26 de noviembre de 2011 desde 19:00 hasta 20:00

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  17. what a display of color. fine pov

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  18. Wow! This is absolutely gorgeous! The colors, the serene hills - beautiful.

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  19. Hi Doug.... this is much more that an Autumn photo... it is the best that i have ever seen:-).... you made the 10 mile hike worthwhile... thanks for the climb and for sharing this with us....peter:)

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  20. Something this beautiful cannot be cliche. Your story had me on the edge of my seat, I'm so gullable, I was thinking "Oh, my gosh" until it just got too unbelievable! :)

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  21. Please don't call my recent photos cliche. I'm pretty sure most of us never tire of the gorgeous colors of nature, no matter the season, and after having lived in the deserts of Arizona for 30 years I'm like a little kid jumping in a pile of autumn leaves. So just go ahead and post as many as you want because your photos are beautiful and could never be cliche! Loved your fun story too.

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  22. Beautiful view of this landscape: love your composition showing the colors of autumn and the differents sizes of hills. Great picture.
    Have a nice day.

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  23. love the zigzag line of shadow that leads the eye

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  24. Wow, I'll take this cliche any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Absolutely beautiful autumn scene Doug--I love the painterly feel.

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  25. i haven't been shooting that long to consider fall shots cliche.. especially for someone who doesn't experience fall (we only have two seasons in the tropics), i really like the colors of fall.. this one's no exception, lovely colors.. :)

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  26. I'm able to write one word only..UNBELIEVABLE!
    Great congratulations!

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