Several members of the Nashville Photography Club traveled to Cave-In-Rock IL for a weekend of photography and fun on Friday the 23rd. We stayed in cabins in the Cave-In-Rock park. Some members showed up on Saturday, stayed in other locations, or just came up for the day. One of the first things we spotted was an eagle, and then another one. Here is a photo (from far away) from our deck. BTW, Kenna and I had the cabin with the deck with the best view.

Here you can see a barge moving down the Ohio River. The far side of the river is Kentucky.

This is just outside the “cave in the rock.” The trees on top give you a perspective of the enormous size of the rock.

The entrance to the cave is below. We all tried to figure out how anyone could write the graffiti on the ceiling of the cave entrance. One person said that sometimes the water level is high and maybe they just paddled a canoe into the cave during high water and were able to reach it that way.

Jeanette walking into the cave.

Inside the cave. It is quite a large area and the rock walls are colorful and interesting.

Saturday morning we were greeted with this beautiful sunrise. We just kept clicking away. One minute it was just more beautiful than the previous minute.

Garden of the Gods. It is a small 1/4 mile loop around but the views and rock formations are impressive. Also, as it is fall, there was the color of the changing leaves.

I encountered this beautiful little girl hiking with her parents. She was delighted to pose for me. What a sweetie!

Kenna, my roommate, was a great subject. Check out all that she is doing. Her photos are really good!!!

Later in the day there were more and more people on the tops of these formations. But we got there early before the crowds.

Here is Brent Wright showing off some of his Yoga moves. And yes, he is at the edge! Trudy looked a bit nervous.

Kenna and Doug trying to get the perfect photo. Doug was the one who suggested this tour location. Great suggestions.

Great textures in the walls at Garden of the Gods.

We went back to Garden of the Gods in the afternoon to get some different light. We found the light but also dogs and lots of people.

Here is Bob, climbing deep into the rocks to get the best angle.

After dinner, we went to Ponds Hollow Lake, where we had had a lunch picnic. But this time we waited until dark and took some pyrotechnic photos. Thanks Bob and Brent for creating such great photo opportunities, and such laughter. (You had to be there.)

By this time is was VERY COLD but we had to do the celestial shots. I was really happy to get the Milky Way.

Sunday morning’s sunrise was quite different from the Saturday one, but beautiful too.

The town of Cave-In-Rock is adorable. Painted bikes, painted benches, Halloween decorations, flowers, quaintness all around.

We had several meals at Rose’s – one of two or three places to eat in Cave-In-Rock. Meals were about $4 each including beverages!

Time for departure. This is the ramp to the ferry. As you can see, the ferry, which runs back and forth all day, and has a capacity of about 9 vehicles, was on its way back to pick us up. There is no cost to take the ferry. We wondered who pays for the maintenance and the “crew.”

All in all, a great weekend. It is worth the visit.