Imagine having a 40-foot-tall waterfall right in your backyard …

Lee Ann and I joined other members of her family at a large, isolated rental cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina for three nights between Christmas and New Year's. 

How isolated was it? Google Maps cannot pinpoint it. So, to get to the Havilah Falls cabin in southern Scott County, we used Google maps to get as far as a specific local road in Tuckasegee, N.C., then followed written instructions sent by the owner to complete the remaining 15-mile drive.

The instructions gave us a little challenge near the end point, but we eventually made it. I don't know how many acres around the cabin the owner owns, but aside from the cabin and a large waterfall (I'd estimate 40 to 50 feet) immediately behind the cabin, everything else in the vicinity is mountains. And they’re steep. Seriously. That's the waterfall in the photo leading off the post. 

A very short distance below where the picture ends is land on which there is a fire pit, and then a very short walkway from there to the cabin's rear deck. It's a wonderful experience to take in that waterfall (the water comes from Cold Creek) and the sound the water makes cascading down the rock formations. 

On the second day, a couple people in our group got brave enough to climb up a steep hill (no trail) on the left side of the waterfall (out of view in all the waterfall pictures) to reach and walk along the middle ledge. And on the third day, one of those intrepid souls found a sculpted bust (pictured below) wedged behind one of the boulders you see on the left at ground level. 

For many years, I’ve used high-dynamic range (HDR) processing software for the vast majority of my landscape shots partly because so many landscapes present contrast in lighting. But I also have used it because I’ve found a way to use it tastefully and get striking images without going over the top with outlandish color, an unchecked characteristic in some HDR work that many photographers find offensive. 

But in my photos from this trip, I found myself making 95 percent of my JPGs from single frames because the heavy presence of shade was forcing me to use high ISO settings, and that was introducing noise I didn’t care for in my images.

Click on any photo to view a larger and sharper version. To view a full gallery of images from the Havilah Falls trip, follow the link in this sentence. 

  

Tanasee Creek Road (above and below) off which a gravel road (first four photos below as well as the sixth photo below) gave us access to the cabin. I took so many photos of this gravel road because of the tree shadows that were intersecting it.

A slice of the tree population in this neck of the woods (above) and the access to the gravel road from the highway (below). 

Above: An HDR (high-dynamic range) rendering of the gravel road from the cabin. I use HDR here because the cars in the foreground were in almost total darkness from shade.

Below the falls, the rock formations angle downward (above and below), before water returns to a traditional creek formation. 

 

Another shot of the falls (above) and a close-up slice of rock formations below the falls (below). 

The fire pit in operation (above) on Sunday, with the falls in the background. 

Above and below: Lining the walkway to the fire pit and waterfall are a collection of small boulders in interesting shapes, designs and colors. 

Above and first two photos below: These three photos represent an effort to capture the falls at the same time of the day using different shutter speeds, using my Canon 6D. Above, the shutter was set at 1/125. Below, it's 1/60. And in the second photo below, it's 1/20. The lens I was using, my Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3, is equipped with vibration compensation, so other than the falling water, everything should be pretty sharp.  

 

In the early afternoon (1:28 p.m.) of Dec. 27, with the sun shining, I noticed interesting shadows on the waterfall when I took the above photo with my 6D. About two and a half hours later, at 3:53 p.m., I returned with my iPhone Pro 13 and took the photo below.

Return to Wasatch Lake, Part VI

So here we are, the promised wrap-up post on the trip to Wasatch Lake. In the previous five posts, we covered Sonny and Cher (the swans); sunrises; morning mists over the lake; other creatures, fowl and fish; and reflections on the water. This post is a sortakinda "everything else" entry.

Leading off the post is one of my favorite views of the lake. It's at the southwest end looking northeast. On the far left (just below center) you see the pier extending near the dam locks; directly opposite, on the far right with the bright red roof, is Cabin 7 (aka Sunshine), the western most cabin on the lake and, in my opinion, the cabin with the second best location. A frontal view of that cabin appears immediately below.

To see all my images from my three-day visit to Wasatch Lake, see my Wasatch Lake Spring 2012 gallery.

Above: Hickory Hill, Cabin 3, looks more like a fortress. It's the cabin with the most bedrooms (3); consequently, it can accommodate the most people (8). 

 

Above: White blossoms on a spring-bloom tree. One of the Ducksateers waddles nearby.

Above: The road leading to the lodge, a community building where guests can drop in to play pool or billiards, sit and relax or shop at the merchandise store. The grounds owners rent out the building for big gatherings as well -- reunions, receptions, conferences, etc. 

Above: In my first visit in October 2010, I easily ran and walked the trail that circled the lake. This time, however, winter snow and spring rain runoff -- and insufficient sunlight -- presented puddles like this on the north side of the lake, making running the trail prohibitive. I did walk it a few times, skipping through the bogs on the driest portions I could find.

Above: The pedestrian bridge at the lake's east end; it separates the lake, on the left side, from the beaver pond. I took many of my shots of Sonny, the swan, from here as he swam in the lake very near this bridge. Below: A closeup of a scene in the beaver pond.

  

Above and below: Two shots of the mini-rapids where overflow spills through the splash dam locks. Getting to the position to take this shot was a challenge; it's off the beaten path and required weaving through some heavy foliage. The picture above was shot using a shutter speed of 1/320; the one below, 1/5. I didn't have my tripod, so to make the slow shutter speed work in the shot below, I sat on the ground and rested the camera on bended knees.

Above: A sun dial, which you'll find on the pedestrian bridge separating the lake from the beaver pond. 

Above and below: Two of several bird houses I came across on the grounds.

Above: Along the long, half-moon loop trail, which scales the steep hill on the north side of the lake, you get an appreciation for the tall-tree forested area of the Owen-Putnam State Forest that bleeds over into Wasatch Lake property.

Above and below: I shot very few flowers on my visit. These are two examples.

Above and below: Lake views -- the one above, using a circular polarizing filter, which accounts for the rich blue in the water color near the shore.

Above: Just some floating horticulture on the lake water near shore.

Above: Another spring blossom tree.

Above: Vehicles parked near the caretaker/maintenance building at the entrance.

Above: A shot that could have been included with the "Misty Mornings" post. This is furniture on the pier in front of the owner's lake house, backgrounded with lingering, post-sunrise morning mist rendered smooth by wide f/stop bokeh.

Above: An antique rope-operated bell on the grounds.

Above: A decoration on my cabin, Peach Blossom (1).

 

Above: A juxtaposition composition -- tree vs. chair.

Above: Another swamp point on the lake trail at a point that leads over the earthen dam on the west end of the lake. By the second day I was there, because this spot gets more sunlight, I was able to pass without stepping in any water.

Above: The gravel road, caught in a morning moment of spot sunlight, leading to the lodge and Cabins 8 and 9 at the far east end of the lake.

Above: I turn to the Three Ducksateers to help me bid farewell to these posts about Wasatch Lake.