About a month back a friend of mine invited me down to my alma mater (Virginia Tech) to catch their home game against Central Michigan. It occurred to me that I had a perfect opportunity to get some good digital shots around campus. I bought my current digital camera (a Nikon D70) in 2004, which was just before I graduated. Before that point I only took film photos, so that means the vast majority of the pictures I’ve taken of Virginia Tech over the years are virtually inaccessible - all “locked up” on film in a box in my home! I had to fix that - at least partially - during this trip.
We arrived on the campus around 9:30 or so. I immediately went for the middle of the drill field to get this sweeping 360 panorama of the campus:
360 panorama from the middle of the drill field
I got another one over near War Memorial Chapel too - this one somewhat less in terms of coverage:
The view from War Memorial Chapel
Found atop the chapel, Memorial Court is one of those key sites on campus, so I couldn't neglect that. Here are the leftmost four of the eight pylons (representing Brotherhood, Honor, Leadership, Sacrifice, Service, Loyalty, Duty, and "Ut Prosim"):
Four War Court pylons
Here are the other four:
The other four pylons
Heading to just past the opposite side of the drill field you'll find the duck pond, where you can see this beautiful bridge:
Duck pond bridge
There's also a nice gazebo alongside the duck pond where you can chill out:
Gazebo
The next day (after Virginia Tech absolutely destroyed Central Michigan in the game) a few friends and I went up North on I-81 to hike Devil's Marbleyard. I'd never been there before, but being well-versed in the terrain around the area I felt I wouldn't encounter too many surprises. How wrong I was! Devil's Marbleyard was unlike anything I'd seen before - an entire hillside covered with boulders the size of cars. It was amazing! Here is a small panorama from the base of the mountainside to provide some perspective:
Devil's Marbleyard
Here's a 360 degree panorama from about midway up. My friend Factor is in there to add some scale!
360 pano of the marbleyard
Here's the full gallery of pictures I took on my visit:
