Lake Anna State Park

After driving 870 miles from Northern Michigan over two days, I was feeling tired but in need of some exercise. So I decided on hiking a few miles at Lake Anna State Park, located about an hours drive from my home, and with 15 miles of trail to choose from. I hiked about 4.5 miles, making a loop out of the Turkey Run, Big Woods, Glenora, and Sawtooth Trails. It was a beautiful fall day, just cool enough for a long sleeved shirt but not so cool as to require a jacket. I saw wonderful fall colors on the way up and back, and on the hike. Our colors are peaking in Piedmont Virginia. They are not as gorgeous as say Northern New England or the Adirondacks, but still beautiful enough. I saw very little wildlife. Although I had hoped to find an animal that is increasingly rare and that lives in this area, I could not find any. I enjoyed my hike this afternoon, plus it gave me a chance to try my new boots under hiking conditions. Here is a view of the trees by the road at the start of my hike:
I saw a number of hikers, but even more horses and riders.
How about these interesting "double" trees? The second one is red cedars, and it is unusual I would think to find this condition among softwoods. Botanists - correct me if I am wrong.
There were lots of fall colors along these trails:
Part of the Big Woods Trail had views of this pretty Lake Anna cove:
I didn't see or hear any woodpeckers, but I did find their handiwork.
This smokehouse is all that remains from a large farm that used to occur here:
Mother Nature's finery: