Always on the lookout for photographic opportunities as well as places to camp, we decided this would be a good place to explore. Due to the size of our motorhome, we were limited as to how close we could get to the park, but we decided on Laurel Ridge Campground in Otis, MA. If you decide to visit Bash Bish, be aware that the road is pretty hilly starting on the western side of the Mass pike. The directions read “Park Directions- Bash Bish Fall State Park is located in the south-west corner of Massachusetts. From the Massachusetts Turnpike (Rte. I-90): take exit 2, Rte. 102 west, Rte. 7 south, Rte. 23 west, Rte. 41 south, follow signs.” Our motorhome strained to get up the hills. Having the car towed behind us didn’t help. We ended up taking the car off and I drove it to the campground. 

The next morning, we were up and out of the camper by 4:30a.m. It was just about 20 miles to Mt. Washington Rd. and the signs to Bash Bish. As we got closer, we saw a sign that said ‘road to Bash Bish closed!’ We could see the road had been repaved and they were not finished. Well, that was surely a disappointment! But, we didn’t come this far to turn back.

We found a place to park the car, wrote a note to leave on the windshield and off we went. With our hiking shoes on, girlfriend Kelly and I hiked the 2 miles to the falls. There are other ways in but we didn’t know how to get to them. They are definitely shorter. We got to the waterfall itself about 7a.m. It felt so peaceful and desolate. No one around at that hour! The last 300 feet or so to the water level is pretty steep from the trailhead we reached. Then there are stone steps for the final descent portion. We were told later that there are trails all around the falls and next time, I’ll seek them out. We could have gone to the top which I suspected would not be as dramatic as the falls itself and also we could have gotten to the other side for other perspectives. Next time. 

Kelly settled down to snack and just watch the scene. It’s great to have a friend who will allow you all the time you want to compose and ponder a composition. I chose my position and headed to it. I wanted to place myself at the base of the falls as much as possible. I started down carefully picking my way from rock to rock. Suddenly the center extender pole on my tripod fell off. "Yikes" I yelled as it jingled from one rock to the next to the next heading to the swirling water. As luck would have it, it stopped right at the edge of the water. I don't think I would have considered going down that far, but now I had to! The shot above is from the vantage point I got to just because my pole fell off. Lucky me, huh??

Once settled, I got my tripod into position and turned it to shutter priority. I played with various shutter speeds like 1/30 and 1/16. Less than 1/16 made the water too white. I also shot most of the 52 pictures I took in RAW format. Now that I’m using CS2 for processing, the RAW files open as quickly as TIF or JPEG and there is such a nice range of adjustments available when you open a RAW image. The light worked well as it was still early morning. No harsh shadows or blown out highlights. When I emailed some club members that I was going to shoot Bash Bish and for them to wish me ‘luck’, Paul Smith wished me ‘clouds’. Being the master photographer that he is, that struck me. It’s true, clouds mask harsh shadows! 

I knew I wanted some color in the shot so I focused on some of the trees at the top, not too much but some. Also, when I processed the images I was able to bring out the greens and browns and grays that were on the wet rocks. 

Is it a favorite place? Well, I do intend to go back at some point. I could say waterfalls are now a favorite category because I plan to hit at least 2 more this season in NH.