The tunnel, constructed in 1932, passes through 3514' tall Mary's Rock. It is 610 feet long and was engineered to avoid making an unsightly road cut.
Showing posts with label Shenandoah National Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shenandoah National Park. Show all posts
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Mary's Rock Tunnel on Skyline Drive
Shenandoah National Park's Only Tunnel in the Snow
The tunnel, constructed in 1932, passes through 3514' tall Mary's Rock. It is 610 feet long and was engineered to avoid making an unsightly road cut.
The tunnel, constructed in 1932, passes through 3514' tall Mary's Rock. It is 610 feet long and was engineered to avoid making an unsightly road cut.
Monday, September 30, 2013
The Summit of Stony Man in Shenandoah
Taking in the View from the Top of Stony Man Mountain
Sunlight breaks through the clouds...
...as hikers enjoy the view across Page County.
Sunlight breaks through the clouds...
...as hikers enjoy the view across Page County.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Driving Rainstorm on Skyline Drive
Impressions of a Summer Storm...
Pouring rain distorts the view of the Drive...
...and that of the trees...
...as seen through the windshield.
Pouring rain distorts the view of the Drive...
...and that of the trees...
...as seen through the windshield.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
A Morning in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Early Morning Visit to Shenandoah National Park
Sugar Hollow as seen from Skyline Drive. You can see Charlottesville's reservoir in the distance.
A trip to the mountains was way overdue. It doesn't help that fellow blogger Lynn Mitchell [click to read] was describing her latest journey to Shenandoah in delicious detail. I had a full day of work Saturday so I arose early and decided to get up to the mountains in the wee hours of the morning.
Deer were everywhere as I drove to one of my favorite secret places. I saw a wild turkey up on a dark hillside. Bunnies were out everywhere. Rounding a corner of Skyline Drive, I saw the face of a bear peering out from the thick brush. I quietly eased the car onto the grass and set out to get a better look, but the bear saw me and I heard him clattering down a steep riprap embankment.
Later another bear dashed across the drive. I watched with wonder how such a large animal can run like a fine steed through thick brush and uneven terrain. The morning was refreshing and I headed back to work with a refreshed sense of wonder!
I saw two black bears. One was peeking out through thick brush, the other running fast. This photo is from another trip when the bear actually stood still for me!
The only animal I actually photographed this time was this bunny on an overlook wall.
Sugar Hollow as seen from Skyline Drive. You can see Charlottesville's reservoir in the distance.
A trip to the mountains was way overdue. It doesn't help that fellow blogger Lynn Mitchell [click to read] was describing her latest journey to Shenandoah in delicious detail. I had a full day of work Saturday so I arose early and decided to get up to the mountains in the wee hours of the morning.
Deer were everywhere as I drove to one of my favorite secret places. I saw a wild turkey up on a dark hillside. Bunnies were out everywhere. Rounding a corner of Skyline Drive, I saw the face of a bear peering out from the thick brush. I quietly eased the car onto the grass and set out to get a better look, but the bear saw me and I heard him clattering down a steep riprap embankment.
Later another bear dashed across the drive. I watched with wonder how such a large animal can run like a fine steed through thick brush and uneven terrain. The morning was refreshing and I headed back to work with a refreshed sense of wonder!
I saw two black bears. One was peeking out through thick brush, the other running fast. This photo is from another trip when the bear actually stood still for me!
The only animal I actually photographed this time was this bunny on an overlook wall.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Snowy Skyline Drive Sunday
Scenes from Shenandoah at Swift Run Gap
A clear snowy day along the Skyline Drive...
...and trees along the Drive.
A clear snowy day along the Skyline Drive...
...and trees along the Drive.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Christmas Color on the Appalacian Trail
Sumac Berries on Bear Den Mountain in Shenandoah
Sumac Berries on Bear Den Mountain overlooking Crozet...
...are just a short walk along the AT...
...from Beagle Gap.
Sumac Berries on Bear Den Mountain overlooking Crozet...
...are just a short walk along the AT...
...from Beagle Gap.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
A Walk on Shenandoah's Wildcat Ridge
Autumn Color Paints Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains
Rocks Mountain is visible from the trail on Wildcat Ridge.
Rocks Mountain is visible from the trail on Wildcat Ridge.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
The View from Trayfoot Mountain
Sunday Afternoon Hike to Panoramic View
I walked up Trayfoot Mountain from the Valley Sunday and as the cloud cover rolled away the light began to play on the next mountain.
I walked up Trayfoot Mountain from the Valley Sunday and as the cloud cover rolled away the light began to play on the next mountain.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Sunset on Blackrock in Shenandoah Park
Evening Light Paints the Rocks and Ridges
Camping near Blackrock allows you to watch the evening light and the dawn in this wonderful place. This is my painting of the evening light on the rocks.
Camping near Blackrock allows you to watch the evening light and the dawn in this wonderful place. This is my painting of the evening light on the rocks.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Snowy Afternoon in Sugar Hollow
A Favorite Family Spot in a Different Season
When my children were growing up, we often picnicked and played along the banks of the river here. One winter day I wandered up to our favorite spot as snow transformed it with a silent blanket of white. Here is my painting of it. Today this spot no longer exists as portrayed. A major storm has toppled the big sycamores and the river flows through an open place in the canyon.
When my children were growing up, we often picnicked and played along the banks of the river here. One winter day I wandered up to our favorite spot as snow transformed it with a silent blanket of white. Here is my painting of it. Today this spot no longer exists as portrayed. A major storm has toppled the big sycamores and the river flows through an open place in the canyon.
Monday, January 30, 2012
"Do Not Go Where the Path May Lead"
"Go Instead Where there is No Path..."
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson. ht/Lynn
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson. ht/Lynn
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Taking of Shenandoah National Park
The Dream and Displacement that Built Skyline Drive
The flamboyant promoter George Freedman Pollack owned the Skyland Resort and was one of the park's biggest supporters. His resort was preserved as a visitor lodging facility while Blackrock Springs resort in the Southern District and other private businesses were closed.
I grew up loving Shenandoah National Park. My Mother had hiked White Oak Canyon and Old Rag Mountain as a girl and I inherited her wonder at this beautiful world of natural splendor. Mom also went to school in Criglersville with schoolmates who's families had been removed from the land that was to become Shenandoah.
This week Lynn writes about Shenandoah's History [click to read]. Her story, accompanied by wonderful photos, is great reading.
I find the abuses of eminent domain in the park's aquisition troubling. The handful of residents who refused to leave could have been handled much more humanely. Indeed, the park's mission might have been better served in the long run had the State of Virginia created a 'Park Zone' and offered the option of life tenancy where it did not compromise preservation of irreplacable natural resources.
Shenandoah actually did allow life tenancy in a few instances. The last resident, Annie Shenk, lived in Shenandoah through the 1970s.
The flamboyant promoter George Freedman Pollack owned the Skyland Resort and was one of the park's biggest supporters. His resort was preserved as a visitor lodging facility while Blackrock Springs resort in the Southern District and other private businesses were closed.
I grew up loving Shenandoah National Park. My Mother had hiked White Oak Canyon and Old Rag Mountain as a girl and I inherited her wonder at this beautiful world of natural splendor. Mom also went to school in Criglersville with schoolmates who's families had been removed from the land that was to become Shenandoah.
This week Lynn writes about Shenandoah's History [click to read]. Her story, accompanied by wonderful photos, is great reading.
I find the abuses of eminent domain in the park's aquisition troubling. The handful of residents who refused to leave could have been handled much more humanely. Indeed, the park's mission might have been better served in the long run had the State of Virginia created a 'Park Zone' and offered the option of life tenancy where it did not compromise preservation of irreplacable natural resources.
Shenandoah actually did allow life tenancy in a few instances. The last resident, Annie Shenk, lived in Shenandoah through the 1970s.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Big Meadows Lodge on Skyline Drive
Hospitality in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia
The dining room at Big Meadows Lodge.
The Lodge, designed by Richmond architect Marcellus Wright...
...overlooks the Valley of Virginia.
Dining room menu from 1949.
The Gift Shop.
The dining room at Big Meadows Lodge.
The Lodge, designed by Richmond architect Marcellus Wright...
...overlooks the Valley of Virginia.
Dining room menu from 1949.
The Gift Shop.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
"Radiant Action..."
A World Full of Small Miracles is all Around Us
A spider web in Oxon Hill Maryland catches the morning light.
A young friend of mine asks why it is so difficult to believe in the magical. You get older and you learn "how" things really work and it follows that the wonder is somehow lost. I wish more people had had a Mom like mine. Her background was in Mathamatics and Physics and she would add to our childhood treasury of rhymes things such as this one by Pietro Calogero:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, now I know just what you are:
Fusing sphere of plasma mass, wrapped in iridescent gas;
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, super-hot that's what you are.
Mom's wonder was not diminished by understanding. Her kitchen doubled as a laboratory for our happy exploration. She had met Dad when they both worked in the Engineering Depatment at the Martin Aircraft Plant in Middle River, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore.
Mom went to work there in the 'forties, during the great war. She told the men in the department that she would do their calculations for them but she would NOT get them coffee!
Mom was ahead of the curve. My aeronautical engineer Father won the heart of this brilliant and beautiful woman. The story goes that Mom gave birth to me and took the call from her old boss begging her to come back. Mom had a new project now, and held me in her lap as she declined the offer. She raised five of us.
Mom had taught school before doing graduate work, what she sometimes referred to as the "Third Battle of Manassas." She was a born teacher though. Numbers always fascinated her.
Now she shared her fascination with us. She was fascinated by facts like these: The eggs of the potato bug hatch in seven days, the eggs of a canary in 14. A chicken's eggs hatch in 21. Waterfowl such as ducks and geese hatch in 28 days while the mallard takes 35. The ostrich and the parrot hatch in 42 days!
Did you notice that all are divisible by seven? Clearly new knowledge can lead you to new wonders.
A mossy world on the forest floor in Shenandoah National Park.
A spider web in Oxon Hill Maryland catches the morning light.
A young friend of mine asks why it is so difficult to believe in the magical. You get older and you learn "how" things really work and it follows that the wonder is somehow lost. I wish more people had had a Mom like mine. Her background was in Mathamatics and Physics and she would add to our childhood treasury of rhymes things such as this one by Pietro Calogero:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, now I know just what you are:
Fusing sphere of plasma mass, wrapped in iridescent gas;
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, super-hot that's what you are.
Mom's wonder was not diminished by understanding. Her kitchen doubled as a laboratory for our happy exploration. She had met Dad when they both worked in the Engineering Depatment at the Martin Aircraft Plant in Middle River, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore.
Mom went to work there in the 'forties, during the great war. She told the men in the department that she would do their calculations for them but she would NOT get them coffee!
Mom was ahead of the curve. My aeronautical engineer Father won the heart of this brilliant and beautiful woman. The story goes that Mom gave birth to me and took the call from her old boss begging her to come back. Mom had a new project now, and held me in her lap as she declined the offer. She raised five of us.
Mom had taught school before doing graduate work, what she sometimes referred to as the "Third Battle of Manassas." She was a born teacher though. Numbers always fascinated her.
Now she shared her fascination with us. She was fascinated by facts like these: The eggs of the potato bug hatch in seven days, the eggs of a canary in 14. A chicken's eggs hatch in 21. Waterfowl such as ducks and geese hatch in 28 days while the mallard takes 35. The ostrich and the parrot hatch in 42 days!
Did you notice that all are divisible by seven? Clearly new knowledge can lead you to new wonders.
A mossy world on the forest floor in Shenandoah National Park.
Monday, April 18, 2011
The View fron Turk Mountain
A Fairly Easy Mile Hike from Skyline Drive
Mountaintop View from Turk's summit.
Lichen on the rocks.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Fire Closes Trails in Shenandoah Park
North District Affected by Forest Fires
The Appalachian Trail near Sawmill Ridge Overlook in Shenandoah National Park.
Lynn Reports [click to read] in the Washington Examiner on the fires burning in Shenandoah National Park.
The Appalachian Trail near Sawmill Ridge Overlook in Shenandoah National Park.
Lynn Reports [click to read] in the Washington Examiner on the fires burning in Shenandoah National Park.
Monday, January 24, 2011
A Walk to Blackrock on a Cold Day
Shenandoah's Rocky Outpost Offers Great Views
An earlier hike to Blackrock, in warmer weather.
More Pictures [click to view] are to be seen in Hiking in the Blue Ridge [click to read].
Snow on the trail to Blackrock.
An earlier hike to Blackrock, in warmer weather.
More Pictures [click to view] are to be seen in Hiking in the Blue Ridge [click to read].
Snow on the trail to Blackrock.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Along the Appalachian Trail
Evening Light in November Paints a Colorful Scene
The Appalachian Trail near Sawmill Ridge Overlook in Shenandoah National Park.
The Appalachian Trail near Sawmill Ridge Overlook in Shenandoah National Park.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Fall Color Unfolding
Brilliant Maples Show their Colors
Last week this tree was still green...
...but what a difference a week makes!
Oak leaves.
The view from Raven's Roost.
Skyline Drive...
...and the view from an overlook.
Last week this tree was still green...
...but what a difference a week makes!
Oak leaves.
The view from Raven's Roost.
Skyline Drive...
...and the view from an overlook.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Morning in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Sunrise at Beagle Gap in Shenandoah Park
The morning sunrise as seen from Beagle Gap Overlook...
...illuminates the Southwest Mountains in the distance.
The Blue Ridge comes alive!
Here's the Sound Track [click to read] for the sunrise, provided by Lynn. I had a mini-retreat yesterday before work. Watched the sun rise, saw a black bear in the distance and a wild turkey! I'm sorry I wasn't faster with the camera but sometimes you just need to stop and savor the wonder of it all.
The morning sunrise as seen from Beagle Gap Overlook...
...illuminates the Southwest Mountains in the distance.
The Blue Ridge comes alive!
Here's the Sound Track [click to read] for the sunrise, provided by Lynn. I had a mini-retreat yesterday before work. Watched the sun rise, saw a black bear in the distance and a wild turkey! I'm sorry I wasn't faster with the camera but sometimes you just need to stop and savor the wonder of it all.
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