Fireworks

Around the U.S.

Just after dark, the light show was accompanied by a display of fireworks over the falls. Hundreds of people had gathered along the Canadian side of the falls to watch the show.

These reddish firecrackers were set off near the beginning of the show.

Red Firecrackers

These pink firecrackers glowed brilliantly in the night sky.

Pink Firecrackers

These glowing firecrackers gave the mist surrounding the falls a greenish hue.

Green Firecrackers

Niagara Falls Light Show

Around the U.S.
 

Every evening, a set of brilliant, multi-colored lights is shone on the falls from the Canadian shore, illuminating the falls in rainbow colors. I stayed to watch the light show and captured a few images of the falls. The picture below shows the American Falls.

American Falls

 

The moon rose almost directly behind the American Falls just before the light show started.

Moon Over Falls

 

Downstream from the falls, Rainbow Bridge was visible in the twilight. The lower beams of the bridge form a parabolic arch.

Rainbow Bridge

Canadian Side

Around the U.S.

The Canadian side of Niagara Falls offers different, and sometimes better, views of the falls, especially Horseshoe Falls. Although less than three times as wide as the American Falls, Horseshoe Falls carries nine times as much water, about 720,000 gallons per second. The greenish tint is a result of the salts and finely ground rock dissolved in the water.

This picture shows the Horseshoe Falls with the Maid of the Mist. An enormous cloud of mist seems to be perpetually rising from the base of the falls, thinning out as the wind carries it away.

Horseshoe Falls

Here's a closer view of the brink of Horseshoe Falls. The falls drop about 173 feet to the water below.

Brink of the Falls

Unlike the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, pictured below, cascade over a series of large boulders at their base. Although these falls are hard to see at times through the mist, I managed to capture this shot when the air was clear.

American Falls

This last photograph shows a bed of pink flowers along a walkway near the falls. I believe they are geraniums.

Pink Geraniums

Niagara Falls

Around the U.S.
 

Of the few places in the world that can really take your breath away, Niagara Falls has to be one of the better ones. It'd be hard to imagine something with that much water that isn't just outright impressive. I was recently privileged with a trip to Niagara Falls, and made photography a priority during my stay in the area. This next series of photographs, featuring the falls, will be my first set from outside Ohio.

The best place to capture a view of the American Falls, the closer falls in this picture, and the Canadian Falls to the southwest is from the observation tower a few hundred yards downstream.

 Niagara Falls

 

The boat below, the Maid of the Mist, plies the misty waters at the base of the falls, giving tourists a somewhat soaking experience of the power of this amount of water.

 Misty Waters

 

A boardwalk starting from the south end of the American Falls takes visitor about halfway to the top of the waterfall. The dense clouds of mist billowing across the boardwalk create many beautiful rainbows, and I captured one of them below in front of the Niagara River.

Up the Boardwalk

 

The observation tower also provided a view of this structure, the Rainbow Bridge, which sits just downstream from the falls. It is one of the few access points between Canada and the U.S. in the area.

Rainbow Bridge

 

Green Beans and Sunflowers

Favorite Pastimes

I recently found this shot of a green been patch among my garden pictures. It's hard to find something more vibrantly green than young bean plants in the early summer.

Green Bean Plants

 

These tiny yellow flowers belong to another garden plant: a sunflower. The middle part of a sunflower's "flower" is actually composed of hundreds of tiny flowers, each of which produces a sunflower seed once it is pollinated.

Sunflower Flowers

Clear Creek Metro Park 2

Around Ohio

My hike through Clear Creek Metro Park also brought me past this ancient barn out in the middle of the woods. I don't know for sure why it was there, but it may have at one time belonged to the Allen F. Beck or Emily Benua families, who donated much of the land the park now occupies. 

Ancient Barn
 

This rock formation is a natural feature of the park. Known as "Leaning Lena," the mass of stone seems to teeter precariously along the edge of the road. Although I found it interesting to photograph, I wouldn't want to find myself under this rock if it ever came crashing down!

Leaning Lena

Clear Creek Metro Park

Around Ohio

 

Clear Creek Metro Park is one of the most secluded parks in the Columbus Metro Parks system. With 12 miles of trails stretching over more than 5,000 acres, Clear Creek is also among the largest of the Metro parks.

I recently visited the park and hiked several miles along the rugged trails, most of which wind through dense forests and around steep cliffs and deep ravines. This photo shows one view of the forest with the bright sunshine slightly visible in the background.

Forest

 

Clear Creek Metro Park also has its share of wildflowers. I spotted these purple flowers along one of the trails near the park's namesake waterway, Clear Creek.

Wildflowers

Lake Hope State Park 2

Around Ohio

I found a surprising number of lily pads growing near the edges of the lake. Most of them were in full bloom, and I had fun photographing them. Here are two beautiful flowers surrounded by lily pads.

Lily Flowers

 

I thought this flower deserved a photo as well.

Lily

Lake Hope State Park

Around Ohio
 

Besides rock formations, the Hocking Hills area includes a lovely man-made reservoir known as Lake Hope. The 2,983-acre park which contains it is a rugged, heavily forested region traversed by steep gorges and narrow ridges, making it beautiful for an early morning hike. But I found the lake itself most appealing for photography. This picture features pink flowers I found growing along the shoreline.

Lake Hope

I even found a swallowtail butterfly sitting on one of the plants.

Swallowtail

Cantwell Cliffs

Around Ohio
 

The last set of rock formations in the Hocking Hills area is known as Cantwell Cliffs. It is located farthest north, 17 miles from Old Man's Cave. But it is one of the most picturesque areas in Hocking County. Large slump blocks which fell away from the main cliffs have created many narrow passageways which trails wind through today.

Narrow Passage

 

This view looks straight up from between two huge rock masses.

Crevice

 

The uneven ground requires stone steps in some places. Rock cliffs form vertical walls on either side of these stairs.

Rock Walls