I hope the colors are stronger next week because today they were rather flat. A shame too because the sky was awesome.
Here are a stack of pics I took earlier in the week and this afternoon.
First three taken Oct 4th all in Jefferson County.
Taken today around Lake Winnebago.
This one is my favorite for the day because it is a very rare thing to see. A Rainbow without a rain cloud in the sky.
This is the Rock River here in Watertown.
A couple of shots I took of my two daughters while along the Lake today just south of Oshkosh using my new 41' 5 in 1 reflector. I love the effect it gives.
Comments are welcome on all photos especially the portraits because these are my first attempt at actual location shots where I really tried to get a professional feel. I know I have work to do but I think I am heading in the right direction.
Extended forecast as of today shows conditions for Saturday as sunny with a daytime high of 52 deg. Not too bad. Last chance for input here from prospective participants. I'll be putting out emails later this week to everyone to confirm meeting times.
I am going to be raking my lawn soon. One of our trees is already completely bare. Happened over night too. Wind and Rain took care of business.
It shouldn't be too bad on Saturday but if we get any snow between now and then the ground might be a little wet. I will be wearing shorts if the temp is 55 or above. Sweats for anything lower.
I still like the south shore Merrimac ferry landing site as our meeting area:
Google Map of Merrimac Edit to note that the arrow on the map points to the north shore, we'll meet at the south shore.
There's a parking lot for a small picnic ground just west of the entry to the landing (by about 100 feet or so). We had talked about 10:00 am as a meeting time but I'm happy to move it to 11:00 to accommodate our travelers, and also to give it another hour to warm up a bit. Current forecast is for partly sunny, breezy and cool, high temp for the day, a smooth 49 deg.
We can kill an hour or so at the park/landing, cross the ferry and go to the park. I'd like to do a hike up to the bluffs. Hikes vary in length and difficulty - we'll pick one that fits our style. Should be plenty to shoot:
Everybody who's coming, please reply and double check on arrival time. Cell phone reception is OK at Merrimac but very questionable or doubtful in the park.
PM me if you didn't get my email and if you're thinking of coming.
I am still not sure if I can make it. I have had alot of things come up this week. Trying to sort everything out but tomorrow might have to be devoted to work. :-( I am still going to try to make it happen but don't hold the boat for me if I am not there by the time the rest of you are ready to roll out. If I am late I think 6 or more people walking around with Canon Cameras should be easy to spot. Maybe I can stalk the rest of you all day and get some great candid shots. hehe
It is almost 10AM I have been working all morning, I have about 2-3 hours worth to finish up here then I am going to take a ride up that way and see if anyone is still hanging around. If I don't see anyone, Hope ya all have/had a great time I will definately be at the next one if I do not make it there today.
Nice to meet you all today. Sorry for bugging out, but it was my last window for catching some fall color shots so I kept driving (and driving and driving) north in a vain attempt to find it.
The amount of color present at Merrimac was the same up until just past the Dells area. After that, most of the leaves were on the ground. I drove all the way up to Wisconsin Rapids, hit 2 state parks and a national wildlife refuge on the way, and there was simply nothing but almost bare branches.
According to the locals, everything was peaked and then a few days of non-stop heavy wind downed it all pretty quick.
Sorry about your bad luck, Eric. We had a blast at Devil's Lake. Very cool hike up the bluffs and, while the colors weren't what we'd hoped for, the photo ops were plentiful and the camraderie was great!
