The South Mountains

I got a few more photos as I made my way home past the cemeteries this past Monday. But remembering this photo, I decided to try to get images of the mountains that form the South border of the Wyoming Valley. So I managed to squeeze in two more panoramic shots, from perhaps 250 feet apart.

This first image is made of nine (!) overlapping photos and covers about 180 degrees. According to Google Earth, the snow-dusted humps in the middle distance are about 1.66 miles away, while the higher ridges are more like two miles, and are only about 850 feet higher than the spot where I was standing.


The same, but different: this panorama, a composite of five photos, is taken from about 250 feet to the East of the previous one. The main feature in the distance is Luzerne County Community College - just a quarter mile away, and easily accessible by foot if it weren't for the huge gully that surrounds it like a moat on its North side.

Here's an oblique Google Earth view of many of the places covered in this walk, facing South. The cemetery complex occupies much of the lower half, with the yellow brick road of South Walnut Street dividing it into two unequal parts. The Duplin (Skatarama / Bowl-O-Rama) is visible at the lower left. (The damage to the Skatarama side, with its missing roof, is visible even here.) Luzerne County Community College is in the upper middle left. The mountains that form the Southern border of the Wyoming Valley are in the distance.


Finally, here is an overhead shot, with North at the top (as is the standard convention.) Plymouth Mountain is at the middle top. The Susquehanna flows from the right top to the middle left of the image. Interstate 81 slashes across the lower right, paralleling the mountains and then slicing through them.


Naturally, as soon as I was clear of the cemeteries the sun emerged from behind the clouds, casting beautiful shadows on the snow. But by then it was too late for me. I had to finish the walk to my mom's house, shovel the sidewalks, and then start thinking about lunch. It was nearly 4:00, after all!