This charcoal is an amalgamation of many trips to the mountains. The most direct sources of inspiration for this drawing was a trip that Julie and I took in Mid Summer to the Swift River in Maine and along the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire, as well as the riverbed often visible when driving through Farmington Maine.
One of the areas we stopped in was nearly water free. The low water (almost absent) added a whole new type of interest to the river scene for me. I find rivers and water in general to be a fascinating subject. From reflections of sky and trees, to rapids, to the ebbs and flows of river channels, and of course water falls. Along the river bed were occasional puddles which reflected the trees, clouds, and sky overhead. That's a subject (or three) for another day.
In this case I've altered the composition somewhat to allow the viewer to see the river bed. In reality, the growth along the road was so thick, that you couldn't see the river bed which ran to within a few feet of the tote road. In exploring the riverbed, there were some areas where the trees obscured the sky above, letting only mottled light through to the rocks below. It was breathtaking.