Dismals Canyon

The Dismals Canyon, located in Northwest Alabama about 30 miles South of  Muscle Shoals, is an amazingly beautiful place unlike anything I have ever seen in this area. It is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, so there are lots of beautiful rock formations, streams, caves and waterfalls. 

It was first inhabited by a tribe of Paleo Indians nearly 10,000 years ago, and later by the Pueblo, Chickasaw and Cherokee Indians. There is a lot of history there, yet it's not a state park. It's privately owned and operated. I highly recommend making a drive up there some lazy afternoon. The trail is only 1.5 miles, so it's a relatively short hike. 

Here are some photos from last weekends trip. CAleb and his cousin Laina were our guides;)

Enjoy.

Space Shuttle Atlantis Visits Columbus AFB

Wow, after six months without posting a new blog, I am finally back in the saddle! This is hopefully the first of several I will be posting over the next few weeks.

Yesterday, the Space Shuttle Atlantis stopped at Columbus Air Force Base to refuel on it's way back to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. I got the opportunity to photograph it, and Caleb got to go as well. He is all about space and rockets now, so he had a blast. We were at the north end of the runway, close enough to feel the wind off of the plane when it passed over. Incredible experience! 

I think I got some really good shots. For you technical types, I was dripping in Canon digital gear. I had my 1D Mark II (this body shoots 8 frames per second.....yes, 8)with my 100-400mm lens in one hand, and my 5D with a wide angle in the other, both of which had circular polarizing filters on them.

We had to sit in the sun for about two hours waiting, but it was well worth it, or at lease Caleb and I though so;)

Enjoy!

Tallahatchie Flats Revisited

This past weekend, we returned to the Tallahatchie Flats in Greenwood, MS. My cousin Amber was in town from California, so I took her along this time. I think her friends back home think this is still how we live here in the south....silly Californians;)

Caleb also came along on this trip, and he had a blast! We climbed on antique tractors, walked through a cotton field down to the banks of the Tallahatchie River, and roasted marshmellows over the bonfire that Mr. Bubba built...Mr. Bubba is the owner, caretaker and permanent resident of the Flats. He is quite a character, and quite nice!

To see photos from our first visit, look in the March 2008 folder.

Chris

Me and my cousin Amber;) You can't see it, but my
shirt says "Dirty South." Always representin' baby!