Sunbathing

A couple of large birds that were spreading their wings along the Little Devil's Stairs trail in Shenandoah National Park. We did a "training" hike for next weekend. Off to Yosemite!

All signs point to...

Haven't had an opportunity to take the camera out lately. Here's one I took earlier this month. I guess if you need a sign, this is the place to go.

Man's Best Friends

Farrah, who apparently tried to steal cookies from the cookie jar yesterday. Very sneaky!


And Riley, who is only running this fast because she thinks I have a treat for her.


Hmmm....maybe we don't feed them enough. ;)

3 Billy Goats

A few weeks ago, we were out and someone brought up the Billy Goat Trail in Great Falls. Well, I had never been there, so timfred suggested we do a Saturday morning hike. In typical fashion, there was little planning besides a Friday night call where we agreed to meet at 8 am off of MacArthur Blvd past Falls Road.

The next morning, I printed off two sets of directions to the "Billy Goat Trail" and we were off! On our way there, we passed several dozen cyclists on Clara Barton Parkway and MacArthur Blvd. Seems to be a very popular place to ride on the weekend. There are lots of giant hills though. You have been warned!

We pull into an entrance by the Old Anglers Inn. Some confusion follows...I call timfred to verify the meeting point...jokingly blame Jen for the miscommunication...get a physical beating from Jen...finally end up meeting by the visitor's center. By the way, I recommend parking by the Old Anglers Inn if you get there early enough (around 8 am on Saturday). It's close enough to the trail head and it's free! Try this link for a good description and driving directions.

Anyway, a good time was had by all. Section A of the trail has a lot of rock scrambles and great views of the river. Section B is much more flat. Check out some of the highlights:


Water levels were pretty low today


The Potomac


Lover's Rock


We must have seen at least 30 turtles!


Spent way too much time trying to photograph dragonflies


Very regal looking bird that posed along the C&O Canal

Also spotted were deer, frogs, and snakes. Check out the rest of the set on flickr. Great idea, timfred!

Tagged

Here's the stop sign that Jen talks about in her questionnaire. My answer is e) take a picture of it. :)

Lost City?

This is the top of one of the Capitol Columns at the National Arboretum in D.C. You should definitely check it out if you've never seen it. It looks eerie the first time you come up to it. Read more about the Capitol Columns at the Arboretum website, and check out the rest of my set here.

Dragonfly

I visited Paint Branch Stream Park on Sunday morning. I grew up very close to here, but I haven't been there in at least 10 years. The trees look much bigger, but everything else was the same. This guy stayed still for quite a while while I took many pictures of it. Luckily for you, you only have to see one.

Check out the rest of the set here.

Hello, Kitty

Jen spotted this "cat" as we were walking to get lunch at Union Station.

Budding Photographer

He's probably already better than me. :)

Faded

The sign used to say "No Parking Anytime"