Back then, I remember that at the gates closest to the balloons, were packed with people and one could hardly move!
This year, the festival was held at Plantation Field Horse Trials just outside of Unionville, and the venue change alone was awesome! Chester County at it’s finest!
That being said, be prepared to walk, up and down the long public slope that features live music, arts & crafts and food booths.
In the small valley, the balloons were unfurled and prepared for flight.
The extremely long fence line offered great close-up views for hundreds at a time, which was a welcomed change!
Detail Patriot – Space Shuttle – Chester County Hot Air Balloon Festival at Plantation Field, Unionville PA.
Detail Patriot – Space Shuttle – Chester County Hot Air Balloon Festival at Plantation Field, Unionville PA.
Sunset w/Patriot – Space Shuttle – Chester County Hot Air Balloon Festival at Plantation Field, Unionville PA.
Sunset at the Chester County Hot Air Balloon Festival at Plantation Field, Unionville PA.
Moon w/Patriot – Space Shuttle – Chester County Hot Air Balloon Festival at Plantation Field, Unionville PA.
Earlier in the year, I contacted the festival organizers about getting some Passes for the Chester County Photography Groups (Facebook, Flickr, Google+ and Twitter) and they provided me with 5 All Access Passes!
I posted that I had the Passes to the groups, and with an hour, they were spoken for.
After several round-robin emails and phone calls, I was able to give John Griggs and Michael Weinstein their tickets for the event.
To say that we were not excited would be a gross understatement.
With the passes, we were able to walk freely in the Launch area, as the hot air was being blown into the balloons as they slowly rose into the sky!
Just before sunset, after most of the balloons had launched, the Shaped balloons began their rise, and a featured balloon was the Patriot – The Space Shuttle.
It is HUGE!
It is 190 feet Tall, 115 feet Wide and weighs 992 pounds! [usflagballoon.com]
It is something that really needs to be seen live!
Some of the earlier launched balloons returned, and set up to do some night time glows for the large audience that was still there.
As 9:30 rolled around, there was a general slow exodus from the grounds.
I parked in nearly in the same spot as I did some ten days ago, when I was exploring the northern side of the boating launch on that foggy morning.
Today, there is more activity and the temperature is finally starting to reflect that it is late December…
While gathering my gear, I saw several people walking, some dogs running, and once I was ready, I headed toward south-east, along the shoreline.
Swimming Hole 01
As I walk in the sand, I know, just to my right, there is a very well-worn path that I have walked countless times before, but today, it is difficult to even recognize the “beach” where I have been many times before.
Looking at Rental Complex (North-East)
It was one of my easier walks to the end of the blunted point, that almost points due south, where I was once again greeted with more wood pilings (Woodhenge) sticking out of the lake’s bed.
In the mouth of the Cove
From there, I started into the cove, and I knew from previous walks along the dirt path, off to might right, that I was entering a heavy vegetation area, but once again, walking the shoreline made it look so different, and I did not expect it to drop off so quickly.
Deep in the Cove Looking East
Finally, I reached the end of the cove, or at least as I was far as I was willing to go.
We woke up to a very foggy morning that had engulfed our area during the night.
With nothing pressing on my agenda, I got my kids off to school, packed my car with my photo gear, and headed off to try to capture some of this elusive weather.
Morning Fog near Boat Launch
Not knowing how long the fog would last, time was of the essence, but I also knew that I had to be careful on a day like today.
In the back of my head, I heard my inner voice, my wife and a recent conversation with Joe all going off, so I drove down to the mega-sporting goods store in Downingtown, looking for orange apparel, only to find a very limited inventory, and in only youth sizes.
Do I drive over to Exton? Or just head on out, being extremely careful?
MCSP Boat Launch
Personally, I think I looked more like a bear, carrying a tripod, but that is another conversation…
I left the store, I jumped into my car, and headed north on Creek Rd, towards the boat launch area of Marsh Creek State Park.
As I drove along road, I could see areas of fog along the Brandywine that were beginning to thin out, and I begun to wonder if this day was going to be a bust of a trip, but I continued on.
Root Squid 01
When I turned on to N. Reeds Rd., and was looking over the horse pasture, and on to the lake, there was nothing but grey-white fog, and I knew I was going to have some fun!
I parked at the main lot at the bottom of the hill, where normally, the bumper of your car to the water is may be 40 feet, but now because of the drawdown and gradual slope to the ‘underwater’ terrain, the nearest lake water is easily over 100 feet away!
As I get out of the car, and I am packing my photography vest, getting ready for my walk, I can easily overhear three guys yelling between themselves about what to do about a boat.
I could not make it all out, but what I could, sounded was rather comical, and they where definitely making the best of it.
Root Squid 02
It is hard not to be amazed at this new landscape the 8 foot drawdown has revealed, and with the shallow slope of the southern launch area, the water seemed miles away.
The fog had receded a little bit, and condensed a little into a light mist, which would accumulate into water droplets when it hits such things as your lens.
It was not until I rounded the corner of the barbecuing point, did I realized why those three gentlemen had been so excited in their earlier conversations.
The launch ramp where normally one would back their boat down into the water, was now a mixture of sand, mud and rocks, and the water was well over 100 feet away.
No easy task, and the risk of getting your vehicle stuck was rather high.
Root Squid 03
The three gentlemen had used their truck to move their boat to the grassy area next to the launch.
From there, they dragged their boat over firmer sand and mud, and finally into the water!
Talk about dedicated fishers!
I continued north of the launch area, and rounded another small little point, where I saw a series of beautiful old tree stumps that had weathered over many years of being underwater, and now the roots look more like the tentacles of an squid.
As I continued to walk along the shoreline, I was greeted with forrest present-day fossils of shapes that were once living trees.
After some time of collecting more images, I finally reached the Chalfant Rd entrance to the park and proceeded along the coastline a little bit more, until I reached a very peculiar outcropping of rocks, that just made me stop.
Bent rock formation
It was very apparent that there was a layer structure to the rocks, but there also seems to be indication that the rock has bent. How?
This does not make sense, but it will be a good conversation with my wife later on tonight.
I turned around, and started back to the car, knowing that I had allot of image processing that I needed to start on…
Update
2012-Dec-17 – In doing my normal daily reading, I ran across these following links of interest at they relate to the Marsh Creek Lake/State Park water drawdown:
Earlier in the morning, after getting the kids off to school, and checking in with the digital world, I looked out the window to see if I should make the trip back to the dam at Marsh Creek Lake.
I was not too convinced that it be a good day, but I did eventually made it up to the dam, where I had only been two days before, but this time with my tripod.
My goal was to start at the spillway gate, and head north along the shoreline as far as I could go, and maybe even get onto the concrete of the main emergency spillway.
Spillway Gate
Walking across the rugged rocks, I wondered to myself several times, if I should not head straight up the hill to the vehicle road, but decided against it, and was greeted with this view when I looked back at the spillway gate.
When I got there, surprised to see that what looked like a dock or morning from a distance, seem to be pilings randomly placed poles into the shoreline.
Lonely Cat o’nine tails
I walked around the point, and onto a dry area which would have normally been covered in several feet of water, and continued looking for a way, to further explore down in the spillway.
In the Marsh
It was difficult walking in the dried swamp grass and cat o’nine tails, but I could see animal tracks heading the direction I wanted to go.
Tt was very apparent that the creatures knew how to maneuver the terrain better than I could.
Eventually time was getting the best of me, and I had to head back to my car before my kids got home from school.
