Lots of great ballooning advice here. While on the ground, you may want to drop by Garden of the Gods and the Mount Evans Scenic Byway. Look for mountain goats at the top. Have a great trip.
Richard's list and Oddjobber's comment make a near perfect mantra for "getting the shot". Write it down, don't leave home without it.
In Nova Scotia, you might swing by Baddeck Bay. There is a light house on the bay that photographs well from the park at sunset. In Peggy's Cove, understand that it will be like Disney World crowds most of the day. However, there is a restaurant near the lighthouse that draws the people in at dinner time, giving you a better shot at lighthouse/late day shots. Cape George Scenic Drive also has a nice lighthouse. Pictou has a lot to shoot.and so does Sherbrooke. Have a great trip.
Been around a while. When Nikon first started making "plastic" lenses, the "Nikon folks" about went crazy. "Gonna fall apart". "Not gonna last". "Image quality will suffer." My "go to" lens for the past decade-and-a-half is and has been one of their "plastic" lenses which, when tested, was found to be among the sharpest they have ever made. Took it to Death Valley and Arizona as well as the UK and Norway this year. Odds are good you will be pleased.
Very nice. Shooting lighthouses at the end of the day can "hide" a lot of the clutter that often surrounds them. So I presume the area "closes" at sunset? Too bad. Dusk lighting might have been really spectacular that day.
Teton Viewer sure has a good point. As much as I love the US Rockies, I was really blown away by the Canadian Rockies. Lake Louise, Valley of the 10 Peaks, Emerald Lake, Lake St. Mary. Face it ... you're gonna need more time. Have a wonderful trip.
The mountains are always great, even if the light isn't. Love the canoe, though. A splash of red never hurts, does it?
And a great image of it you have there. I spent my college years in the Carolina mountains and "the rock" was one of my favorite subjects. Great job.
I agree with pauld that using multiple cards does not answer the "back-up" issue. I only meant that the purpose of backing up your images is so they will be safe. When I put cards in the "storage spot" in my camera bag, they are secure (as long as I am alive) until I get home and download them.
I agree with Adicus. When I travel, I take several cards. When I have images safely captured at the end of a day, I put that card away in my camera bag and start a new one. May add an extra step-or-two when I get home, but my images are secure.
OK. I'm jealous. Sounds like a great trip. About the filters, ND Grads used to be the "rule" for landscape shooters. Film, especially slide film, could never capture the full range of brightness in a bright sky over a less-bright landscape. The only way then to capture detail in both was to "hold back" the sky a bit and expose for the land. Still much the same with digital, there are just too many "tones" to get them all with one shot unless you can "quiet down" the sky a bit. A circular polarizer can do that, too, depending on where the sun is. Cokin makes ND Grads, too, but most shooters I know complained that they weren't completely neutral, imparting some hint of color in the sky to some degree. Depending on your computer skills, you can actually forego the filters in the field and "fix it in post" after the fact.
About your trip, I agree that you should include a stop in Jackson Hole. The Tetons are incredibly beautiful, especially around sunrise/early morning. Look for the beaver pond at Schwabachers Landing in early morning light for a sight you'll never forget.
So I'm curious (still). Nobody else has mentioned using a filter made from didymium glass. Did any other landscape shooter ever try one of these?
Love the shot. Was in your neck-of-the-woods in the spring. My skies don't have nearly as much blue in them as yours does. Great picture.
For the ballhead, I can strongly recommend the Slik SBH 320. Works well, doesn't slip, supports 15-and-a-half pounds. Unfortunately, that head will run you over $150. Don't really know of a good tripod for $50.
Well, there is always the ExpoDisc: https://www.expodisc.com/. I used to use these in difficult lighting situations when I was shooting chromes. But for me, I used to get just the effect I wanted shooting film that was balanced for daylight. So when I see the golden hour light lighting-up mountains or buildings, I set WB to Direct Sunlight. Works for me.