On Saturday afternoon, February 22nd, Pam and I set out for Taughannock Falls State park, 15 minutes away. I had in hand a “prosumer” digital camera, the Sony F828 featuring an integrated zoom lens, from 28 to 200 mm and 8 mpg “raw,” tiff and jpeg images.
I’ve done some great work with this camera. For example the 2003 Homecoming Parade and the award winning Summer Dream: Buttermilk Falls. The swivel is a feature of the Sony F828 that fascinates people, it is possible to change the angle of the body and lens, at one extension the view panel can be seen from above.
Using this feature, I obtained the following series of 28 photographs. Most are candid shots of the hundreds of people who passed us this day as Pam and I walked the 3/4 mile Gorge Trail to the fall’s vantage platform.
Taughannock Gorge is wide enough to be opened throughout the winter. The trails of other public park gorges (Treman, Buttermilk, Fillmore) are close to cliffs, shut down November to reopen late spring, the following year, after the trails are surveyed for dangerous rock overhangs.
With the developing situation with Covid-19 Pam was anxious over the number of people on the trail. There was a steady stream of people, some in large groups, coming and going. We were able to maintain some distance, until I stopped and a group of Ithaca college students walked into us. We are NOT going back to this trail anytime soon. I might walk the Rim trails where 5 or 6 people might pass you on a busy day.
The large groups of young people are for the most part students from Cornell University and Ithaca College. Both colleges are now closed through April, to enforce social distancing to suppress spread of COVID-10. For many of these students, they did not realize it at the time, this was their last outing before campus closure. The seniors will never return. We miss the students.
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What fun…sliding!! Mother and daughter reading the fascinating information placard. There is a huge ice block on the cliff above this sign.
Nice pics!
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Thank You, weedjee
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A big pleasure Michael. Grets from Madrid , Spain and take care David
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Greetings from the Finger Lakes Region of New York State (“upstate” not New York City).
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Nice pictures with people. Now empty streets
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It was frightening, in retrospect, with what we know now.
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Thank you for sharing and remembering the students. Love your photography!
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This compliment is appreciated, Catherine. Looking forward to our students returning to Cornell and Ithaca College.
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Lovely photos
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Thank You
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Beautiful photos in a peaceful setting.
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The good words are appreciated, thank you.
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Lovely shots on a lovely trail
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We love it
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I love people watching, Michael; each one a different story.
And what a beautiful scene you chose in which to do it..
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On weekends the trail to the waterfall is always busy with people from all over the world.
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