Yesterday, I received a call to action. Mother nature demanded my attention with, a long stretch of sunny days and balmy weather. To translate for those who don’t live in Central NY this means, two sunny days and fifty-five degree weather 
Such a call can only be answered in one way, pack up the camera gear, hop in the car and go someplace. Preferably a place with trees, water and maybe pumpkins, seeing it’s fall and all.
In addition to my normal load-out, I have a new addition to the gear. A Tomtom One XL – S. I haven’t been able to locate the power supply (car or wall) for Glenda (Magellan Roadmate 2200t) for a while and decide this may be a good time to upgrade. I’ve had the new GPS for a week or so, but, haven’t had a chance to test it.
So we have Nature telling you to get out, a GPS that needs testing, and it’s fall so yer pictures need trees and pumpkins…I could go to a pumpkin patch, but the ones I know are really easy to get to. The closest is “The Hollow“. It’s two turns and 15 mins away. It’s beautiful, but, doesn’t suit the purposes for testing the GPS. Where to go? Where to go? During my contemplation the great one eyed god presented a solution! It presented an ad for The “Enchanted Beaver Lake“! Perfect! It’s several miles away and there are several twists and tuns to get there. They also have a Photography club! Bonus! I knew TV had other purposes besides erasing my mind!
I grabbed my gear, loaded up the car and headed out.
The 25-30 mile trip is about 20 mins long, most of it, on the highway. The area surrounding the Nature Center is mostly rural houses and farms. It’s not really much of a scenic drive, but it does pay off when, you get to your destination.
My first stop was to the visitor center to sign up to be a friend of the park. To join the photo club, you have to be a Friend. I also signed up for a parking pass, which is $10 for the year, seeing as parking is normally $2, it’s worth it in the long run. Together, this is $45 for the year.
Next it was time to pick one of the seven trails. They range form .3 to 3 miles, most coming in at under 1 mile long. I decided on taking the longest trail “The Lake Loop”, it would give me the most opportunity to see the lake and the areas around it. Besides, how hard could 3 miles be, with 20 lbs of photography equipment in yer backpack and with you being out of shape and carrying a few extra pounds?
Two hours and 158 pictures later, I completed the loop. There are several places to stop and rest along the route, each with a bench and many with nice views. I shared the path with walkers, amblers and a few joggers, and one photographer. It’s really a nice amble, and if you live nearby or are just visiting the area, you should go.
I may have to go back for “Enchanted Beaver Lake” to play with the 50mm f/1.4, getting pictures of the candle lit pumpkins 
We really haven’t reached peak leafing season here yet, so there isn’t a much color as I would have liked. I also need to go later in the day to get some better sun. Other than That, I’m pretty please how the photos came out. You can find all of them on Flickr. Here are some of my favorites:
It’s amazing what you can find in your own backyard! With the economy the way it is and ‘staycations’ being the norm, you should look to see what your local area has to offer.
Remember to get up, get out and explore, you never know what you will find.
