It’s Looking Like Fall

When you live in Florida, you forget what changing seasons look like. In fact, you divide the world into two classifications: hot and hotter. Today’s ride from Cullman, Alabama to Cape Girardeau reminded me of how pretty this time of year can be. I ran across the first really striking trees around Huntsville.

By the time I got north of Nashville, the colors were starting to get pretty enough that I decided to risk death by shooting some windshield pictures. Now, before you take me to task for not concentrating on my driving, these aren’t carefully composed photos where I hold the viewfinder up to my eye and wait for just the right composition. I stick the camera up in front of me and hold the button down, glancing at the LCD screen on the back every few frames to see if I’m pointing anywhere close to the right direction. It’s gangbanger-style photos where you spray and pray.

Still a lot of green left

My eye was drawn to the farm coming up on the right, the clouds and the patches of sunlight on the road. I clicked off eight frames. The first one was the best. That’s frequently the case. I might shoot multiple frames of a subject to bracket the exposure or to make sure the picture is sharp, but it’s almost the first shot that has the best composition. That helped form my philosophy of “shoot it when you see it.” The longer you fool around, the better the chance that the magic is going to leak out.

Clouds look menacing

By the time I got off I-24 at the Cadiz exit, the clouds were beginning to take on an Armageddon appearance. Despite their menacing look, I covered about 350 miles Sunday with just a handful of sprinkles.

90-degree approach

I published a photo of the Ohio River bridge at Cairo from the eastbound side last trip. I hit the infamous 90-degree approach to the bridge from the westbound side this time at about dark-thirty.

Tuesday Preview Show

Here’s the last plug for my preview show at the Altenburg Museum on Tuesday night at 6:30. I have to cut my presentation down for the formal show later in the month, so I’m looking for folks to tell me what works and what can be jettisoned. I’ll be talking about stories I’ve covered interesting folks I’ve met and what it’s like to have a job where you work a mere 300 seconds a year.

Last leg photo gallery

Here are a few more windshield grab shots from the last leg of my ride to Cape. Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or right side of the image to move through the gallery.

6 Replies to “It’s Looking Like Fall”

  1. Our motorcycle group rode a little over 200 miles on the 14th making a wide circle out toward Sam A. Baker Park. Despite the recent drought conditions, the more recent rains have allowed the foliage to fill out and change color for a beautiful fall. We saw and photographed some awe inspiring vistas. It made me feel that God was rewarding us for some wonderful deed we had done. Glad you get to see some of it too. I’ll be out on my motorcycle on the 16th with friends again, trying to find more of this to share with them and then hopefuly to meet with you in Altenburg that evening. I’ll come to Altenburg in the car so that I can bring plenty of tomatoes. Wear goggles.

    1. Dick, if I thought you could hit the broad side of a barn, I’d be worried. You and Warren Schmidt tend to throw to the right, so I only have to worry about collateral damage.

    2. Dick, I think God was rewarding himself for the wonderful things he has done for us. Truly we are not worthy, but his love is boundless.

  2. I had forgotten the beauty of the fall colors too…
    So I have been enjoying the scenic views alround Cape all day…Of course resting up to make the BIG show at Altenburg this Tuesday.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *