I have always loved living in the country.

Just recently I moved back to my hometown and have been shocked at how much cooler it is in the northern part of Virginia.  I only moved from about three hours away, so the fact that there is a climate difference, shocked me.  The leaves on the trees have turned and the fiery painted mountains paired with brisk air is a sign that fall is here.





I love to watch the leaves turn colors.  Its amazing how seasons bring about a change that is almost magical.

The best part about the country is the back roads.  They provide some of the prettiest scenes.  You can tell when a road is untraveled in the fall because when you drive down it the leaves form a mini tornado and flutter around as if they were bees buzzing out of a hive.





While taking one of my daily scenic adventures, I got lost amongst some leaves...

....The leaves were twinkling in the sunlight, and so was I.


I love the fall.

This summer me, my friend Jade, and my boyfriend Adam took a journey into Hurricane Earl.  We left Virginia in the middle of the day and met up with Adam in Rocky Mount, NC.  As the clouds started to form, we journeyed toward the coast for an adventure none of us will ever forget.

When we reached Plymouth , NC the rain began to fall.  After walking Martini, my little Shih Tzu, and spending 6 hours in a cheap hotel room whose accommodations were exactly what we paid for, we decided that we were not close enough to the storm and wanted more action.  After piling into the car, packed with supplies for our six day long trip, we charged forward toward the bridge in Manteo, NC where we would cross over into the outer banks to meet Earl head on.  


The winds were mind boggling.  We drove down the middle of the bridge in order to sustain balance while the Gail Force winds blew us side to side.  It was by far one of the craziest moments I have ever had in a vehicle.  When we reached the other side, we knew what we had to do.....  pull over.

The winds made palm trees bend and kiss the ground and trash cans danced in the rain as they tumbled through the streets.  We stopped at the Manteo visitors center to sleep in the car and watch natures amazing ride.  We were the only one's there besides a storm chaser who had a poor excuse for a "storm chasing vehicle."

After having a cop jump the car and beg us to turn around at day break, which still looked like midnight, we decided to plunge on into the madness of flooded streets, wrecked buildings, and dead birds.


 We could not believe what we were seeing.  We were excited to be in the midst of the chaos but had no idea where to go or what to do.  There was absolutely no one around.  We passed one truck on the road and as he went by, we were covered in waves of water.
                                             Adam in the road when we first got into the Outer Banks
                                                  yes folks, that's a road..


We contacted every hotel and campground possible and found no where to stay.  After deciding we were going to camp in the car, we made one more phone call to a little place with a name that lived up to our stay there.... Adventure Campground, a place where magic is made!

We stayed at the campground for two days before we moved up and down the islands of the outer banks, staying at various locations.  Although the Hurricane brought a lot of destruction, it also brought the most beautiful weather imaginable and the best waves OBX has seen in a long time, after the rain diminished.






My name is Katie, and I love to go on adventures.  Welcome to my blog.  Hurricane Earl was only one of the many amazing journey's I have been on.  My photography captures moments that some people may see as "un-ordinary."  I like creating art with my pictures and look through my lens with a creative eye.  I love anything that deals with nature, thus the reason why almost all of my photographs are taken outdoors.  From family portraits to modeling sessions, to that picture of the old car you saw on the side of the road, I try and capture the true essence of everyone and everything's personality with my camera.

Stay tuned for more stories, pictures, and adventures with The Ransom Gallery.  My Gallery for the un-ordinary eye.