East cost bucket list trip/ Graduation 2017???

So next spring I graduate college which is a huge deal for me. I want to take a cheap Photography dream trip and plain to go from Florida to Pennsylvania were my family has a summer house. I know about the blue ridge parkway in SC and Va. but would like some other places to check out. I have almost a year to plain so... Also I plain on camping the hole way so I will be staying a few days in places were there is a lot in one state so were should I check out?

Lastly I have no issue with going into NY and even all the way to Maine but I like more rural/ country areas

what type of photography are you interested in? Landscapes? Small towns? wildlife?

O... Just any thing cool. Small towns, Historic stuff, state parks.. I will most likely take I-95 up or could take I-77 through the mountains so.. I am open about anything. I like anything nature and history so.

ThomasDidymus wrote in post #17956408
So next spring I graduate college which is a huge deal for me. I want to take a cheap Photography dream trip and plain to go from Florida to Pennsylvania were my family has a summer house. I know about the blue ridge parkway in SC and Va. but would like some other places to check out. I have almost a year to plain so... Also I plain on camping the hole way so I will be staying a few days in places were there is a lot in one state so were should I check out?

WOW! You should have one heck of an awesome time on your trip! And not only the trip itself, but the planning of it, should prove to be quite fun and educational.
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The area I can recommend most highly is the New River Gorge area in West Virginia. It is "The Grand Canyon of the East"!

The New River is surrounded by a most rugged and grandiose landscape of steep wooded ridges along with deeply cut ravines. The New River itself is a misnomer, as it is actually believed to be one of the oldest rivers in the world. It has an abundance of class 5 rapids, and is popular as a whitewater rafting destination. The coolest thing about he New River Gorge is that it is not just one place that you go to, look at, and leave. It is an entire area about 50 miles long, and every mile is ripe for exploration and do-it-yourself style adventure.

Here is a 26 minute long video that gives a good overview of both the New River's natural history and human history:
https://www.youtube.co​m …zn5q17mhmxE0Wq_​IzVcVBM5HQ

Specific things in the New River Gorge area that might really interest you are:

. - Sandstone Falls are particularly dramatic, as the river has an abundance of islands that are actually naturally built into the falls themselves. You can hike out to the islands and spend a few hours or a whole day walking around on the falls, right there in the midst of the tremendous waterfalls. This video is really informative, and I especially like the ariel view that you see at 0:55 to 0:58 really shows you what the falls are like, on a grand scale:
https://www.youtube.co​m/watch?v=CXFzv-XIh7E

. - The Glade Creek grist mill in Babcock State Park:
https://www.google.com …LAhUUHGMKHa8JB3​UQ_AUICCgD

. - The Gorge Bridge - the world's longest single span steel arch bridge!
https://www.google.com …&q=new+river+go​rge+bridge
You can actually drive all the way down into the gorge at the base of the bridge, via small switchbacking gravel roads on either side of the river. These roads take you right past the footings of the bridge, and you can really gain an appreciation of the bridge's enormous size.

. - The tiny, very historic town of Thurmond, WV.
http://www.rivermen.co​m …he-history-of-thurmond-wv
The Park Service has restored the train station there, and it makes for one heck of an interesting exhibit. In its heyday, Thurmond was a town rife with controversy and intrigue.....much of which has been written about in books on the area's history. It was a place where wealthy businessmen would go to engage in a bit of riotous living, far from the eyes of society. It was ever so much a town of vices. Murders were not uncommon. I bet that 120 years ago many of Thurmond's visitors said, "What happens in Thurmond stays in Thurmond!" Besides the restored train station exhibit, it is little more than a ghost town today.
A neat historical fact: Thurmond is the site of the world's longest poker game; it lasted for 14 years!
Another fact: The 1987 movie Matewan was filmed in Thurmond.
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Another place I can highly recommend is the Cades Cove area of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. It has a campground, and services such as gasoline and food are available in the tiny town of Townsend, Tennessee, which is about a 20 minute drive from the Cove itself, and lies at the foot of the mountains. If you are there in the spring, like, May or June, then you should have no problem finding wild Black Bears and Wild Turkeys to photograph...not to mention the numerous Whitetail Deer (fawning time!). The Cove area has a lot of days with fog and mist, which can make for some very interesting scenic photography. The Cove is extremely rich in human history as well as natural history. Many extremely old habitations, an ancient church, and an old mill have been more or less preserved, and there is a lot of historical information about the Cove's early settlers should you care to learn about them.
_______________

Yet another thing that might be really fun to do is in Pensylvania itself. A canoe trip down the Susquehanna River, from Duncannon down to Dauphin, would be a real treat. Although the river is almost a mile wide in this area, it is exceedingly shallow. And there are lots and lots of islands and big huge boulders that stick up out of the rocks. Often, in the mornings you will have mist and fog over parts of the river, which can make of some magical imagery. Take a tent, a cooler of food, and other camping gear, and plan to spend a night or two camping out on one of the many islands. That way, when you awaken for that magical early light, you will already be out there in the very middle of the river! Whereabouts in Pennsylvania is your folk's summer house? If it is near south-central part of the state, a Susquehanna River canoe trip may be easy to plan and execute.

I am attaching a photo of the Susquehanna River that I took from an island campsite back in 2006. Sorry about the image quality; it was back when all I had was a point and shoot, and no skills. But it should at least give you an idea of how beautiful the river can be. The trees in the distance are actually more islands, not the mainland. Some of the islands are huge!

ThomasDidymus wrote in post #17956408
Lastly I have no issue with going into NY and even all the way to Maine but I like more rural/ country areas

That, my friend, is most awesome! I, too, have always much preferred the natural things to the things that were man-made, such as the big cities.

.

I am in VA, about 45 minutes from DC, on a good day, 1.5 hours on a bad one. If you are going through the east coast, definitely stop by the cities by the water. But here in VA, you may want to see Williamsburg on the south east. It is a city rebuilt to look like it did originally and has many photo opportunities. Then there is the Capitol. DC is a few days worth of sightseeing and many monuments to shoot. A tour of the White House and maybe catching a ride to the top of the Washington Monument if the elevator works. It stops working about once a week.

And NYC is wonderful and you don't even have to stay in the city. Stay in Jersey and take the public transportation in and out. It's cheaper and less of a fuss. Must go to the top of the various high buildings. I haven't been back to do that in years. I may have to do that soon. And you haven't lived until you have walked around Chinatown and Little Italy and all those wonderful little communities. Everything is colorful and yummy.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #17956454
WOW! You should have one heck of an awesome time on your trip! And not only the trip itself, but the planning of it, should prove to be quite fun and educational.

The area I can recommend most highly is the New River Gorge area in West Virginia. It is "The Grand Canyon of the East"!

The New River is surrounded by a most rugged and grandiose landscape of steep wooded ridges along with deeply cut ravines. The New River itself is a misnomer, as it is actually believed to be one of the oldest rivers in the world. It has an abundance of class 5 rapids, and is popular as a whitewater rafting destination. The coolest thing about he New River Gorge is that it is not just one place that you go to, look at, and leave. It is an entire area about 50 miles long, and every mile is ripe for exploration and do-it-yourself style adventure. The Sandstone Falls area is particularly dramatic, as the river has an abundance of islands that are actually naturally built into the falls themselves. You can hike out to the islands and spend a few hours or a whole day walking around on them, right there in the midst of the tremendous waterfalls.

Another place I can highly recommend is the Cades Cove area of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. It has a campground, and services such as gasoline and food are available in the tiny town of Townsend, Tennessee, which is about a 20 minute drive from the Cove itself, and lies at the foot of the mountains. If you are there in the spring, like, May or June, then you should have no problem finding wild Black Bears and Wild Turkeys to photograph...not to mention the numerous Whitetail Deer (fawning time!). The Cove are has a lot of days with fog and mist, which can make for some very interesting scenic photography.

Yet another thing that might be really fun to do is in Pensylvania itself. A canoe trip down the Susquehanna River, from Duncannon down to Dauphin, would be a real treat. Although the river is almost a mile wide in this area, it is exceedingly shallow. And there are lots and lots of islands and big huge boulders that stick up out of the rocks. Often, in the mornings you will have mist and fog over parts of the river, which can make of some magical imagery. Take a tent, a cooler of food, and other camping gear, and plan to spend a night or two camping out on one of the many islands. That way, when you awaken for that magical early light, you will already be out there in the very middle of the river! Whereabouts in Pennsylvania is your folk's summer house? If it is near south-central part of the state, a Susquehanna River canoe trip may be easy to plan and execute.

I am attaching a photo of the Susquehanna River that I took from an island campsite back in 2006. Sorry about the image quality; it was back when all I had was a point and shoot, and no skills. But it should at least give you an idea of how beautiful the river can be. The trees in the distance are actually more islands, not the mainland. Some of the islands are huge!

Hosted photo: posted by Tom Reichner in
./showthread.php?p=179​56454&i=i113196269
forum: General Photography Talk

I'll try to come back to this thread and add some links that might be helpful to you.

That, my friend, is most awesome! I, too, have always much preferred the natural things to the things that were man-made, such as the big cities.

.

Tom Reichner... My Pa birth home is on the Susquehanna... I did not have camera gear like I do now last time I was there so yea there will be a lot of the Sisa'we'hak'hanna (Oyster River) on the next trip up.

ThomasDidymus wrote in post #17956423
O... Just any thing cool. Small towns, Historic stuff, state parks.. I will most likely take I-95 up or could take I-77 through the mountains so.. I am open about anything. I like anything nature and history so.

Thomas, you'll get more suggestions by being more specific. What may be "cool" to me, won't likely be to you just based on our age difference. I thought visiting Ft. McHenry in Baltimore, MD on the 4th of July was "cool". You might think otherwise.

Another vote for the New River Gorge area. Great area for photographs.

If you like history and historic places, check out Savannah, GA and most of all, Charleston, SC. You need to spend more than a day or two in Charleston. It's rich in history and architecture. Beaufort, SC between Savannah and Charleston is interesting too.

If you have to narrow it down to one stop ..... Charleston is it .... without a doubt.

Have fun.

Charleston is amazing from what my friend who lived there has told me. We are planning a trip there next spring for a week. So much to see.

charleston is a must. DC. you have the whole coastline for beaches, none are particularly scenic over another, unlike the west coast. if you've seen one east coast beach you've seen them all. if you like boats kent island maryland. when you get to jersey detour into pa instead and go up the delaware river to the water gap.

Charleston is differently on my short list as in the New River Gorge. I like Civil War area history. I have been to both Andersonville and Fort Chinch. Gettysburg Will be one of the places I plain on stopping as well.


Now my next question is if I was going to add a lens to my gear for this trip (Rent or buy if over $1500) what should it be? Or should I rent two lenses?

PS: My Lens posted below for refference..

Sony E PZ 3.5-5.6/16-50mm OSS , Sony E 1.8/50mm OSS , Sony E 4.5-6.3/55-210mm OSS
Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED, Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5,Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm, f/1.8G, Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G, Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II, Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II, Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G

Tom nailed it. Be careful to not spend all your time in a car traveling. Rather than see lots of places I would suggest pick just a few and really get to know them.

You can easily spend thrree or four weeks between Nantahala Gorge, Pisgah NF, GSMNP, Blue Rdge Parkway in North Carolina and not get bored. The Appalachain Trail winds through some of the best scenery in NC and has many, many road and spur trail access points.

I've hiked and camped in many east coast states, Maine, NH, PA, VA,NY and traveled through many more on back roads and think that the area between Nantahala and New River Gorge is the most scenic out here for natural beauty.

Btw the New starts in NC and flows north to WV ... A strange geogical phenomenon for the northern hemisphere.

Oh as for the lens, buy one used if you can, if you take care of it you will be able to sell it later for potentially the same price, and definitely less than what you would pay for a few weeks rental.

I would avoid the interstate. You won't see anything interesting. You want to manually plan the route and use google maps with satallite imagery turned on. Try to take mostly roads that are labeled SR __ or CR __ (state roads and county roads). These are the places where you'll see all kinds of great things, especially in Appalachia. I just spent two weeks criss-crossing West Virginia between a number of small towns for work, and end up taking a lot of small back roads and there are lots of old farm houses, mills, factories and things to photograph. There are also state parks about everywhere in most of the states, and most have camping facilities. Just go online to each states' state park web page.
If you go to Charleston, check out Fort Sumter, and the Hunley conservation lab in North Charleston. There's a lot of great buildings to photograph in downtown Charleston. It's also where I went to college.

> even all the way to Maine
If you get to Maine, Acadia is fantastic place to take pictures. Also, along the Maine coast is very photo rich.

Have a great trip,
dms

OK So to up date. I will have quit a bit more as far as $$$ goes for this trip. My question that I was going to rent a lens for the trip to save money but now will almost have enough to buy two or more lens off my wish list. My question is now more what would be better. I will almost have enough to buy a trinity 14-24 2.8, 24-70 2.8, and the 70-200 2.8... My main camera is a Nikon D610. I also have a Nikon D7000, D3300 and a Sony A6000

On the Nikon lens I have the 50 1.8, 24-85 3.5, and a 70-300, 4.5-5.6

On the Sony end I have the 50 1.8, 16-55, 55-210

I could also go D810 with the 70-200 with a teleconverter and the 14-24, 2.8 as i have the 24-84 that has been good to me but I have never played with the 2.8's so....

My question that any lens I buy would also have to be great once I get back and try to get more work around Church and home.. I know the 2.8's speak for themselves so help me decide..