Vermont GTG September 6th 2008 - DPChallenge Forums

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Nikon

08/31/2008 08:56:04 AM · #101

So far....

Nine (9) AM start at Quechee Gorge
We will vote about Simon Pearce/ VINS
Lunch: Pizza or sandwiches
Afternoon: Billings farm looks popular

Keep the votes coming...

cryan

Nikon D700

08/31/2008 09:18:14 AM · #102

My vote is for the VINS.

stargazer05766

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM

08/31/2008 09:21:27 AM · #103

Hi All,
The agenda sounds good ---Gorge,Vins, The Billings farm, Woodstock, and the Jenne Farm..
It will take up the day trying to see these places.. Fingers crossed the weather will be nice.. Inviting mother nature too!!
I'm in favor of sandwiches for lunch anywhere so as not to take out alot of time for shooting..
Not sure yet what time we will get there but planning to meet or catch up with u all at the Gorge.. Probably 10ish or 11 have to ck with Anni, Pat, Randy.

We are looking forward to meeting everyone and no matter what the weather will be a fun day..

So sorry Bear Music isn't able to make it. Wanted very much to meet him as he's helped me with my photography and am grateful for his kind advice..

Mosquitos are horrible -------Beware..

Bassbone you have covered the area well something for everyone.. The plans are perfect..

Oops just read the votes---- Vins from us. Billings Farm is also nice..

Message edited by author 2008-08-31 09:30:54.

notesinstones

Nikon D200

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

08/31/2008 09:38:07 AM · #104

I'm will definitely be there with

Kryta and AJ. The rest of my crew have a previous engagement and won't be attending.

We vote for 9am (its going to a be a two+ hour drive for us), VINS, inexpensive lunch, and Billings Farm.

How long we stay will depend on the fortitude of Kryta and AJ, however. These are the two kids I take to concerts and they out party me, so I'm not terribly worried. :) T

hey are both looking forward to seeing

NathanW again, they remember your guiding arms during river-fording last year and are hoping you make it!

NathanWert

Canon EOS-90D

Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM

08/31/2008 12:17:22 PM · #105

Originally posted by notesinstones:

hey are both looking forward to seeing NathanW again, they remember your guiding arms during river-fording last year and are hoping you make it!

I admit I like hiking through the woods more than taking pictures of the woods. Please don't crucify me for saying that. *grin* I'm more than willing to let them borrow my arms on any river crossings.

Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM

08/31/2008 12:22:22 PM · #106

Originally posted by NathanW:

Originally posted by notesinstones:
hey are both looking forward to seeing NathanW again, they remember your guiding arms during river-fording last year and are hoping you make it!

I admit I like hiking through the woods more than taking pictures of the woods. Please don't crucify me for saying that. *grin* I'm more than willing to let them borrow my arms on any river crossings.

Crucification does not seem the best choice.here ..I was thinking more boiling in hot oil or burning at the stake...

my family sides with you on this one...my photo stops tend to slow down the steady march of feet on our hikes...and i get frequent looks and comments.

NathanWert

Canon EOS-90D

08/31/2008 03:02:26 PM · #107

Originally posted by bassbone:

my family sides with you on this one...my photo stops tend to slow down the steady march of feet on our hikes...and i get frequent looks and comments.

My daughter used to love it that I stopped all the time (it gave her a chance to rest), now she just wants to get it over with and go back home. She's losing the love of the woods that she used to have. Could have something to do with a friend of hers scaring the crap out of her one night saying there was a bear in our back yard as we stepped out the door. *sigh* Personally, I would have loved it if there were a bear (I would have gone and gotten my camera). *grin*

robs

Canon EOS R6 Mk II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

09/01/2008 11:56:45 AM · #108

Sorry - Working for the next few w/e's so count me out :-(

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

09/01/2008 01:44:54 PM · #109

Responses in bold/italic:

Originally posted by bassbone:

I think we need to start some real planning here.

There appears to be general agreement that we should meet at the Quechee gorge. It we want good light in the gorge, we probably should not start too early, but I think everyone is traveling far enough that we would want to make a good day of it.

Everone vote for a starting time:
800am
900am
1000am

I'm probably going to come up the night before, but I was thinking of staying near Killington, because there's supposedly a nice waterfall there. I was thinking of hitting that in the early morning, and then heading over to the group. So 9:00 is fine. (It also gives me the option of just driving over that morning instead--it's a three hour drive for me.)

Usually, at least in my experience so far, meeting earlier for sunrises with a large group doesn't work--unless you are actually meeting at the place for the sunrise/am light.

The Gorge:

There is a shopping/ gift store next to the Quechee gorge (east side of the bridge) that is big enough to accomodate us. At the gorge there are some great views of the gorge from above. There are also two trails that lead up and down the gorge (one going to the bottom, about 0.3 miles reasonably steep but easy walking) and another that leads to a dam (flat about 0.2 miles).

Late Morning: After the gorge, we have a couple of choices...

1. Go to VINS (raptor rescue center) where they have some rescued eagles, owls, etc. You can get pretty close to some. Price is $9 for adults...They also have some hiking trails.
VINS. If we want to do this one, I will call them this week to make sure it is okay for a large group with big cameras etc. They have a policy on cmmercial photography.

2. Go to Simon Pearce Gallery (hand blown glass blowing, cool covered bridge and quaint little buildings).

Given the choice between the glass blowing and the raptor center, I'd rather go to the Raptor center. But I do like the idea of the covered bridge if it's nice and has a good surroundings. (I take it that it's not near the raptor center :( )

After this, we should probably decide on lunch. There are several small restaurants in the Woodstock area. A few are pizza places and a couple nicer places. Alternatively, we could just stop and get some sandwiches...

Vote for Food choices:
1. Pizza
2. Nice lunch (downtown Woodstock ~ prices around 20 bucks a person)
3. Sandwich shop such as Subway or other
4. No food - keep shooting

Any of the above is fine by me.

After lunch, we have a couple other choices...

A. Walkaround Woodstock - streams and river running through a prototypical New England town. A great covered bridge, wonderful period buildings, etc.

B. Go to Billings Farm. Billings Farm. A working old dairy farm from the late 1800s. Lots of period activity, including a wonderful butter factory, farm animals, and some cool old buildings to explore. This is a great choice if we are dealing with weather. Price is about $11 for adults, something like 5 for kids under 15.

Billings farm sounds nice. But then so does the covered bridge. I'll yield to the group leaders experience here...whatever has the best shooting possibilities for the day.

Late afternoon.

Drive about 10 miles down the the Jenne farm and some of South Woodstock's famous Morgan Horse farms. Rolling hills, great barns etc, and some covered bridges.

Again, these are just ideas. I am really looking for stargazer05766, annig, Hot_Pixel, and others that frequent this area to help out.

Am I missing anything? Are their some other secret spots that you can lead us to?

Sounds like a fun day! If anyone is interested in a pre-group early morning waterfalls shoot with me, somewhere between Killington and Woodstock, let me know.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

09/01/2008 07:49:23 PM · #110

HI Guys,

Peter, Thanks for picking this up, we had a family emergancy on thursday that has kept me away from the computer most of the weekend. I was just comming up to get some plans going and noticed you had already taken care of that I am greateful.

I vote for:
Start at the Gorge at 9am
then VINS
then Billing or the Glass blowing place work.
Pizza for lunch

I would love to see the horse farms near Jenny farm if there is time.

Sorry for not being here sooner.
Rich

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

09/02/2008 12:52:22 AM · #111

Anyone been to McLaughlin Falls? I was thinking I'd come up Friday night, stay in Rutland, then the issue was perhaps to find something interesting to shoot as I worked my way over to the meet.

The falls are right by Killington.

Any of these others nearby?

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM

09/02/2008 08:11:27 AM · #112

Originally posted by nshapiro:

Actually, I have not been to these, but I would fire off a quick PM to

OdysseyF22. He spends quite a bit of time around Killington (I think he lived there or his family vacations there or something...). He would probably be a good person to ask.

If I didn't have the family coming with me, I would be up for an early morning stop at some falls, but trying to get two pre-teens up early and going doesn't seem a lot of fun...

stargazer05766

Canon EOS-7D

09/02/2008 09:34:35 PM · #113

Originally posted by nshapiro:

Have not been to McLaughlin Falls as u work your way over to the meet there is another waterFall on Kent Pond in Gifford Woods Park on rte 100 near the junction of rte 4... Incase u want to catch more than one..
Rte 4 is scenic heading over to Woodstock.. I think u might find many photo ops..

The OTHERS are not really near Killington..

Message edited by author 2008-09-02 21:50:28.

OdysseyF22

Panasonic DC-G9

Olympus 12-45mm f/4.0 Pro

09/02/2008 11:52:15 PM · #114

McLaughlin Falls are about 30 minutes from Killington, on a dirt road (Wheelerville Rd) that runs through the middle of nowhere about 10 minutes from where I grew up. They're worth the trip and aren't hard to find. It's easiest to reach them from the Notch Road side (closer than coming from the Rt 4 side, although the drive is pretty). There's a bridge crossing the stream above the falls and a place to pull off there, next to a cottage that always seems uninhabited - easy to find.

The falls themselves are accessed via a steep trail down the hill. Aside from the falls themselves, the creek between them and the bridge is worth looking at as it has the foundation remains of an old mill. Kinda' cool.

I already cautioned Neil that while there is a parking area in the woods by the falls, I'd advise against it. A friend tried parking in there a few years back and the bridge across the ditch separating the parking area from the road gave out and did a lot of damage to her car when it fell in. Park along the road instead - there's room and it's not more than a three minute walk anyway.

There's also a very old graveyard not far from the falls, back in the direction of Notch Rd. It's overgrown and hard to spot, but it's at the top of the rise past the falls and there's a pull off there. Not a lot of graves, but still cool.

The Kent Pond falls are lovely and some of my favorite in VT. They're not tall and powerful, but the rocks they run over are amazing in color and shape. It's very small and charming and only about 15 minutes or so from Killington. The photo below was taken there earlier in the summer - the falls is barely visible behind the rocks on the right, but this is the pool at stream below the uppermost fall, which I think is the nicest.

Message edited by author 2008-09-02 23:52:55.

09/04/2008 08:03:04 AM · #115

Are we all ready to get wet?

Hopefully Hanna decides to go way off shore, but it looks like we will see potentially lots of water and maybe some wind...

09/04/2008 08:07:43 AM · #116

Originally posted by bassbone:

Are we all ready to get wet?

Hopefully Hanna decides to go way off shore, but it looks like we will see potentially lots of water and maybe some wind...

Yeah, the forcast for saturday isnt looking to promising is it? Is there things to do indoors where we will not get soaked?

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Nikon

09/04/2008 08:13:20 AM · #117

Originally posted by Hot_Pixel:

Originally posted by bassbone:
Are we all ready to get wet?

Hopefully Hanna decides to go way off shore, but it looks like we will see potentially lots of water and maybe some wind...

Yeah, the forcast for saturday isnt looking to promising is it? Is there things to do indoors where we will not get soaked?

If it is raining, hiking in the Gorge will be out and some of the other outdoor activities will be a washout.

VINS has overhangs for viewing the birds so that may still be okay.
Billings Farm has a lot of indoor displays and buildings you can visit. But if we are forced inside for much of the day, it will be quite a disappointment.

I am still prepared to go, but I can understand if those that are traveling far beg off on this GTG. It all depends on how long it takes for Hanna to get up here.

I am still watching the weather to see if we can get some dry time. Right now the forecast looks like dry early and showers later...

Peter

cryan

Nikon D700

09/04/2008 11:07:09 AM · #118

As for the weather, here is how it goes in VT. if you don't like the weather just wait 10 min. and it will change. I never listen to the weather reports as they are almost always wrong around here.

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM

09/04/2008 11:10:57 AM · #119

Originally posted by cryan:

As for the weather, here is how it goes in VT. if you don't like the weather just wait 10 min. and it will change. I never listen to the weather reports as they are almost always wrong around here.

A good point...that phrase actually goes for all of New England...

stargazer05766

Canon EOS-7D

09/04/2008 01:14:12 PM · #120

I heard showers late in the day lots of rain and wind..Fingers crossed it holds off.. So true wait a minute and the weather changes..

We can make the best of it..

Anni mentioned the covered bridge burned..

We (Anni, Pat, Randy)will catch up with u all At VINS...

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4.0D

09/04/2008 01:27:47 PM · #121

Lets get this all wrapped up

Meeting at the Queechee Gorge Gift Shop at 9am ish
Go play in the Gorge for a while
then travel off to VINS

Lunch is Pizza??? (is this decided?)

Vote for what to do from there?

Does this sound good????

Also can we get some confirmations on who is comming?

I am confirming right now.

Nikolai1024

Nikon D300

09/04/2008 02:28:20 PM · #122

I'm afraid it is too long of a drive for me if showers are expected. Unless weather change, count me out.

Hopefully I'll be in the area during the winter for skiing. Would love to do a winter GTG if anyone is interested.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

09/04/2008 02:30:31 PM · #123

I confirm I will be there - and will likely be bring my wife and two sons (also with cameras in tow)....

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

09/04/2008 02:31:08 PM · #124

The weather forecast is not inspiring me to drive the 3 hrs each way and spend a night at a hotel. Also feeling other time pressures, so I'm probably only a 20% probability of coming at this point.

Hopefully, there will be some more GTGs there as the leaves start to peak!