Solo camping and hiking

I returned yesterday from a two night solo camping trip. I camped at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in Kentucky. There was one other couple tent camping, they were very nice and helped me put the rain fly on my tent. I haven’t camped in 10 years and I haven’t solo camped for 16 years. I forgot how much work is involved. It was beautiful weather, it did get down to 46° the first night, but I slept better there than I did at home. I hiked 3 trails in 2 days, for a total of 11 mi. Cumberland Falls is called the Niagara of the South.

I prepared my dinner at home and had enough for both nights, it’s called black bean, zucchini and rice casserole. Of course I had to have some s’mores. I met another couple around my age who had a VW camper. I took my chair down to their area and we talked for an hour or two. It was nice to have company. Both couples thought it was brave of me to camp by myself.

One of the hikes is called Eagle Falls. It follows along the shoreline of Cumberland River with a beautiful view of Cumberland Falls on the way to Eagle Falls. I decided to dip my feet in the ice cold water, it was very refreshing.

One of the hikes was 5.5 mi and there was no one on it. There was no phone service, so it was a little creepy, but I only thought about the possibility of bears, snakes, and injuries for the first mile 😊

I drove 25 minutes to an area called the Natural Arch Scenic area (image above). It was pretty. When I got home yesterday, I unpacked, vacuumed my car, and ordered pizza. It’s good to be back.

2017 in Review (a little late)

2017 began with me on assignment at the Casino in Cincinnati for Cincinnati Refined.  A very colorful and loud party to photograph.

I continued finding much joy taking photos in my free time…like the sunrise captured in this church window a couple of minutes from our place in the country.

and Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati at night…

The Licking Riverside Historic District in Covington, Kentucky with a beautiful view of Cincinnati’s skyline.

Get-togethers with friends…

Over-The-Rhine, Cincinnati, Ohio

Family time…

My brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece.

I was busy growing my new business, Cincinnati Urban Adventures.  Friends accompanied me on trial runs for some of the tours.

The Carew Tower, Cincinnati, Ohio

My husband, son, and a girlfriend were models on my Over-the-Rhine Sights and Bites tour for my website.

I hired a few models for my Beyond the River tour in Covington, Kentucky.

Here are some of the photos shoots I did for Cincinnati Refined…

Cumberland Falls, Kentucky
Eighteen at the Radisson – a revolving restaurant on top of the Radisson Hotel
Cabana on the River, Cincinnati, Ohio
Diner en Blanc (everyone wears white and brings everything for the party including chairs/tables, decorations, food, drinks)
Taste of Cincinnati, an annual event
The Renaissance Festival
The Circus School, Cincinnati, Ohio
Danger Wheel
The Thanksgiving Day Race – I got up very early to be downtown in time and it was cold!
The La Boheme Opera at the Aronoff Center in Downtown, Cincinnati

I began managing an Airbnb located in Covington, Kentucky…

I had a few photo shoots for my own company, Sherry Lachelle Photography. A senior photo shoot…

A family photo shoot…

I was the Tour Guide and Photographer for a wedding with 40 people.  It was 5 hours long, but everything went smoothly.

And I photographed my first gay wedding – 2 beautiful ladies.

I attended an annual weeklong Urban Adventures meeting in Portugal and arranged a trip to follow for a few friends.  They met me in Lisbon, Portugal, where we saw the sights for a few days before moving on to Seville and Granada, Spain.

The La Alhambra, Granada, Spain
The Plaza de Espana, Seville, Spain

Cheers – Salud!

My husband and I were able to get away to Florida for a week in December.

As you can see, my year was very busy, filled mostly with photography and growing my business, with a little travel sprinkled in.