Lye Brook Falls part 2: Water Pretty, Leaves Pretty, Dog Pretty Funny

Seen part one yet? If not, click here.

A few minutes before we arrived at the falls, we crossed paths with a couple headed back down the trail. The gentleman told us that when we got there, we should go up and to the left rather than straight ahead and down the trail to the river, as "the view was magnificent."

He was not wrong:



A couple of closer shots of the upper part of the falls:





A shot of the lower half:



Kaylee getting a drink:



While Mom and Dad stayed back by the ledge/outcropping where I took these first shots, I went along the trail toward the falls a little further to take a few more shots. Naturally, while I was there I also attempted a few motion blur photos, even though I didn't have a tripod or a place to set the camera down for stability. The photography gods were on my side today, though, as my handheld shots actually came out pretty decently.

I know these two are very similar, but they came out better individually than did the one shot of this entire section:





And some comparison pairings of two waterfall sections, one regular and one motion blur. First pairing:





The second pairing:





After I'd gotten all the shots I wanted, I picked my way back over to where Mom and Dad had settle to enjoy the light lunch we'd brought. Since part of that meal included cheese, Kaylee kept a very close eye on everyone—especially Dad:



Our food consumed and water drunk, we decided it was time to make our way back down the trail. Not far from the falls, I stopped to photograph this bird, one I didn't really recognize. Looking at this shot and a couple that I didn't post (wrong lens, wrong focal point), my best guess is that it was a Hermit Thrush—which happens to be the Vermont state bird. But I'm not laying any money on it:



I didn't take nearly as many photos on our return trip; navigating the rocks was just as tricky going downhill as it was going up, with the onset of leg fatigue adding yet another degree of difficulty. But I did get at least one more foliage shot I worth sharing:



I also focused my attention on trying a few leaf close-ups as we went along the trail, particularly on the return leg—the lower angle of light made for some particularly nice backlighting:









Finally, just when Mom and I were on our last legs (pun intended), we were back at the Jeep. Kaylee had been relegated to the back seat with Mom (who volunteered to let me have the front seat and thus the extra leg room), but she was still quite intent on getting her nose out the window on our way over—even when it meant standing on Mom's lap. So for the drive home both Mom and I dragged ourselves into the back and let Kaylee ride shotgun.

Naturally, not three minutes into the drive she decided to lay down on the seat. Facing away from the window, no less:



It appears that Miss Kaylee is accustomed to getting a few cookies from Dad whenever they're out riding together. So when none were immediately forthcoming, she decided to remind him of his duty by pawing at the pants pocket he usually keeps them in:



Ultimately, it was Mom who gave in and fed her one; she didn't really want to reinforce Kaylee's belief that a cookie is her due every time she's in a car, but the Jeep has a manual transmission and Mom didn't want Kaylee interfering with Dad's ability to shift gears.

Honestly, I'm still not sure how Mom and I managed to extricate ourselves from the back seat once we got back to Mom and Dad's house. But we did, bringing our Lye Brook Falls field trip to an end.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go chug down another bottle of ibuprofen before I drag myself upstairs to bed...