First crack at a panorama...(dial up warning!)

[HamstersFromHell]

OK, I think I got it now...seems the problem I posted about earlier was a problem with both Photobucket and Flickr. They both have limits on what you can post/view/link, both pizel dimensions and file size. Even the "pro" accounts have limits on size (pixel dimensions) that kill panoramas.

Without further ado, here goes...



Taken on the Blue Ridge Parkway, stitched together from 6 RAW files in Photoshop CS2.

No tripod, just handheld and swiveled at the waist.

Nikon D50 set for ISO 200 and f6.3 @ 1/250th. 18-55 VR Nikkor @ 18mm

[Adsos Letter]

1. Beautiful!

you may be a hamster but if that's where you live you sure ain't from hell... :D

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

2. what mile marker?

looks familiar

[HamstersFromHell]

3. I'm not 100% positive, but...

I'm thinking by time of day the shots were made, it's Thunder Hill Overlook - Mile 290.3

Was taken at high noon, and we'd spent the night in Boone, then hit the gem mine there because it was looking like Grandfather Mountain was gonna be rained in most of the day. Once we got back on the Parkway and a few miles north, the skies cleared and up popped this overlook. Was no sign marking it's name, so I looked at the VR Parkway tour online to see where I was. :)

[Eurobabe]

4. Just beautiful, I used to live about 6 miles from milepost 105

Waynesboro, VA. When I was in graduate school, I often packed up my books and went up to the park to read. It is truly peaceful up there.

Very nice panorama shot, you did the Blue Ridge justice. :hi:

[HamstersFromHell]

5. We ran out of time before we ran out of miles to go, unfortunately..

However, makes for a good excuse to go back. :)

The girlfriend and I had originally planned the trip to get married in Gatlinburg and so some sightseeing. The itenerary kept growing, as I'd been to the smokies at least 100+ times when I lived in Nashville, while she'd never been. Left on Friday night, drove 11 hours straight through to Sevierville, and then had to kill 6 hours waiting on check in time for the cabin. That alone wrote off Saturday. Got married Monday and hit the town a bit. Shopping took up the better part of 2 more days.

Still managed to visit Cade's Cove, Newfound Gap, Clingman's Dome, Roaring Fork, Cherokee, Deal's Gap, Fontana, Maggie Valley, and the Cherohala Skyway before leaving Friday morning to drive the Parkway back north.

I'd planned 1700-1800 miles, (approx. 1300 of that just getting there and back), but ended up with a total of 2450, and 540 of those were the mad rush to drive straight home Sunday. We made it as far as Fancy Gap, Va. (mile 191 or so) before backtracking 10 miles to catch the Interstate.

It was my first trip on the parkway and I loved it...definitely a must do again thing!

Dissappointments: Whole area is a bit of a drought. All my favorite smokies waterfalls were virtually non-existent. Likewise, the grasses in a lot of areas were more yellowish than green. Same for wildlife...saw 2 deer from an extreme distance, a scorpion in the sink of our cabin, and a few butterflies. Otherwise, nada. :( Weather never really cleared off totally, nor did it cloud up with the exception of a short thunderstorm Saturday night. Loads of haze, however.

Wedding went off perfect, except yours truly flubbing his lines. :) Rest of the trip was very restful, even if it wasn't the greatest of photo opportunities. I've got about 200 more images I need to sort through, and I'll post some when I get done.

[Eurobabe]

7. Congrats on the wedding!

Yes, the whole mid-Atlantic basin is very dry, it is hot as hades in Philly.

2003 in Charlottesville was such a severe drought that salons could not wash hair, restaurants had to serve on paper plates, and they asked people to not flush toilets more than once a day. Looks like this summer could shape up to be the same? I don't know, but man something is seriously changing the climate.

I swear Virginia is the most beautiful state in the USA. I fondly remember riding my motorcycle up on the Parkway. Now that was cool. :D But I have the Alps in my backyard, so I am not at all homesick. LOL.

[JeffR]

6. That turned out beautifully.

Post some more!