The other night, I took a drive out 'the 4 lane' towards Whitetop Mountain.  I stopped in Independence at Powerhouse Falls and had a little fun playing with flashes and glowsticks first!

I strung up a few glowsticks to some fishing line and casted away!  I set the camera to shoot continuous 30 second exposures and threw the glowsticks up into the top of the falls and let them wash on down.  I then used a few flash pops to give a little light to the trees.

Neon WaterfallGlowsticks in a waterfall, at Powerhouse Falls in VA

After that, I headed out to Whitetop Mountain for some stars.  The full moon really lit up the scene nicely.  Full moon really inhibit the ability to see stars, but I love having a foreground!  I can handle a lesser amount of stars.  I shot many series of photos, and while I did have fun shooting and sleeping in the back of the ford, the sunrise was my favorite part of the 'night'.

I'll leave it at that.  Enjoy

Stars over the Southwest Virginia MountainsUsing a Canon 70-200 f4L I REALLY had to up the iso due to the relatively short shutter speed when shooting stars with a telephoto lens.

A lone tree lights up with the morning sun.

A 'quiet' sunrise over Whitetop and the surrounding mountains

WhiteTop MountainWhitetop mountain is an open area near the Mount Rogers Recreation Area and Grayson Highlands State Park. It is a good area to view the stars, watch the sunset, or start/end a hike on the Appalachian Trail.

On the way back, I spotted a little cascade from the road and took a little extra time capturing some reflections.

A tree lights up with the morning in this reflective pool.