Red River Gorge

Well, today hasn't been near as productive as I'd planned; I've been transferring all my stuff from my old laptop to my new, and I've had a few bugs to work through today. I planned on spending an hour or so this morning getting these Gorge pics done (Sean has been begging me for the G-wagon photos), but that turned out to be all I got done by the time I worked through my technical issues. It's always something!

But I'm glad to share these pics from our wonderful trip. I wish we could have spent a week instead of just a weekend! Wesley had his backpack full of hot wheels on and was sitting on the couch waiting for Sean to get home. He was ready!




Our cabin was awesome. Way off the beaten path, it was about 4 miles up this little gravel road to the top of a ridge. It was small, but perfect for the 3 of us. Nonnor stayed in E-town with the grandparents for this trip. Here is our little "treehouse cabin", as Wesley called it. It really was too!



There was a fire pit in the woods below the cabin, and we roasted marshmallows both nights. A big treat for Wesley! A very friendly raccoon took this picture for us.




Like I said, it was tiny! Sean couldn't stand up straight in the kitchen.



Ok, folks. You have to indulge me with all the foliage pics. It must have been peak color when we were there; the trees were spectacular. And no, I didn't go crazy in photoshop with the color either! Just Mother Nature and my polarizer, for the most part.









Wesley enjoyed having his breakfast in the hot tub. Au Natural, of course.






We stopped at this fine establishment for directions. I found it very picturesque. I think they were wondering why I was taking all these pictures, though.








More trees




Ok, so we found the entrance to get back into the trails in state forest. We met some nice guys at the bottom of the ridge and I told them I'd post their truck on the blog. Every time I've been to the gorge area off road, I've always met friendly people.





So here's our awesome G-wagon doing what it was built to do! We were so excited to get it off road. We probably should have turned right at the top of the hill (we were told that was probably easier), but we thought we'd take our chances and see what the left had to offer. We did just fine....







The trees along the trail were gorgeous. I love this shot--it is taken through the windshield--my camera lens isn't THAT dirty




So here's where the trail ended for us. We bent the muffler on a big rock headed down this hill, and below that, there was a huge stairstep that we had no chance of making. So, we turned around and went back. I was kind of nervous for a while there; we had a pretty hairy time getting back that far, and I was just hoping at that point we could get back ok! But we couldn't have asked for a more awesome turnaround spot. This huge rock ledge was incredible, and there was all kinds of sand and soft dirt for Wesley to play in. We took off our shoes and scooted around barefoot for awhile.





Here's Sean bending the muffler back with his big stick.







My guys




Ok, just for fun. I had a ball playing around with the fall colors and my new Lensbaby. I think the results are pretty cool. Maybe I'll print some of these for the new studio space.









More leaves










Sunday we took our time leaving the cabin, and headed for the Natural Bridge State Park. I was very glad our cabin was out of this area, it was pretty touristy. I hadn't been in probably 8 years or so, and the area has developed some.

We had just enough time for a late afternoon hike up to the bridge, Wesley's first hike! Thanks for carrying my camera backpack, Sean :)




Not the most flattering pic of me, but Wesley looks cute. It was the only one Sean took of us all weekend that was in focus (hee hee)



Oh, the light was spectacular by the time we reached the top. I was in heaven!










The above pics are from below the bridge, and the below pics are on top of the bridge :)



We settled in and Wesley played in the sand. We also scooted around barefoot some more :) We were blessed with the most beautiful sunset, and we sat and watched it until it fell below the next ridge, then hiked back down quickly in the dark.




Now that my computer problems are hopefully solved, I can get back to it tomorrow. I've got several events I'm working on now--I had 3 family sessions this past week, and one senior. Plus, I've got Heather and Earl's wedding I'm working to post as well. I'm very hopeful that I don't have to waste hours tomorrow dealing with computer glitches!!