Two Hours in DC

If you had two hours - only 120 minutes - in Washington DC, what would you do? That was my dilemma yesterday. My job sent me there for the day to attend a seminar, and I left on the 5:08AM Amtrak train, arriving at Union Station at 7:20. I hopped on the Metro and arrived at the seminar site at 7:45. With 15 minutes to kill, I walked from Federal Triangle to the Washington monument, its soaring white obelisk magnificent against the cerulean sky. As I walked back to the Ronald Reagan Building where the seminar was, I began thinking about what I would do at 3PM when the seminar ended. I would have about two hours before needing to head back to Union Station to catch the 5:50 train.

Our Nation’s Capital is probably my favorite city. There is so much to see and do. So what could I do in two hours? The American History Museum was right across Constitution Avenue from the Reagan Building. Then there is the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, or the National Gallery of Art, all wonderful. I could catch the Metro to the Zoo, or head over to the Museum of the American Indian, or the National Botanical Garden.

Or I could do a walkabout, a sort of urban hike. What if I told you that it was a beautiful late fall day, with cool but comfortable temperature and the bright hues of autumnal colors? Would that influence your decision about how to spend your time? It did mine, and even if it sounds dorky, the walk is what I choose over all of those other grand options.

In two hours in peak walking condition, I can cover about 9 miles if I don’t have to stop for traffic or sight seeing. I am not in peak walking shape right now but could still easily walk 8 miles under those conditions. But I would be stopping to look at things and, of course, for the legendary Washington traffic. So maybe 5-6 miles was more realistic. During breaks, I plotted out a route, and after the seminar, I pulled my running shoes from my daypack and laced them on, business shoes consigned to the darkness of my pack after a full day of use.

I headed out towards the Washington Monument again, hoping to go to the top, but the tickets were sold out. From there, I walked down the Mall to the amazing World War II Monument. I went there with my late stepfather in 2005, and will always remember how moving it was to visit this long-overdue memorial with this proud WW II vet.

Next stop – the Jefferson Memorial, my second favorite monument in DC (and actually my favorite until a few years ago). As I walked along under the cherry trees, I remembered the day a few years ago when I was here when the Japanese cherries were at their absolute peak blossom. It was like walking through a forest of soft pink, and was incredibly beautiful. Yesterday, I was treated to the autumnal yellows as their leaves were changing color.
I lingered at the Jefferson Memorial for a while, savoring the architecture and the views back to the White House. Then, I started walking along the west side of the Tidal Basin, and reached my current favorite spot in Washington – the fairly new Franklin Delano Roosevelt Monument. Unlike the others, this Memorial is not a single spot, but essentially a journey through FDR’s presidency. Just like every other time I’ve been here, I was so moved by some of the displays. I find it a very emotional place, this tribute to a man long gone when I was born, and the artists and designers have done an incredible job with it.
Next on my walking tour was the Lincoln Memorial, also always inspirational. This man, like FDR, saved our nation in a very perilous time. Now, I had a decision to make, and a difficult one at that. I had wanted to cross the Arlington Memorial Bridge and go into Arlington National Cemetery to see the Kennedy gravesite, but had run out of time. I could still cross the bridge and catch the Metro there, or I could swing through the Vietnam War Memorial and walk back to the Federal Triangle Metro stop. The latter was a longer walk but I choose it because the Metro ride would be shorter, and I didn’t want to risk missing my train. Plus, it was my older brother Chris’s birthday yesterday, and he is far away right now. So I could honor him by visiting the Vietnam Memorial on his birthday. I am thankful that his name is not on the dark, black wall, but am sure that some of his comrades’ names are.

My walk ended with me hoofing it back up the Mall, past the WW II Memorial again, past the Washington Monument, and back to the Federal Triangle stop. As it turned out, I had plenty of time, as the train was 45 minutes late. Combine that with a snails pace due to some kind of trouble for the first 15 miles of the trip home, and I arrived home nearly at 10PM instead of the planned 8:15. But it was a fun day, and a nice little walk in our Nation’s Capital. Oh, what more I could have seen with just one more hour!

That is how I chose to spend my 120 minutes (actually it was 110 because the seminar ran late) in Washington, DC. What would you have done?

All Saint's Day at Back Bay

November 1 was All Saint's Day, and although I did not go to church, I was in God's Great Temple of the great outdoors, once again at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Saturday would have been perfect for a hike, but it was the last day of their second or third short hunting season, and so the refuge was closed to all but hunters. Not having any desire to hunt, I sat on the beach in shorts and a tee in the glorious last-day-of-October weather, and read Backpacker Magazine.

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My hike on All Saint's Day lasted about 4 miles, and was done in three parts on this cool and blustery day. Wild weather always seems perfect for a beach hike, don't you think? The dike trails are now closed until April 1, so the first part of my hike was on the few trails that were still open. As many times as I come here, I always seem to notice something different.

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Inviting boardwalk path going through the marsh

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Four bald cypress trees in a small swamp

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Mother Nature is changing the carpet in her family room

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The bald cypress changes a beautiful rust color in the fall and then loses its needles, one of the few conifers to do so.

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Pretty yellow flower along an impoundment

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Next, I walked a couple of miles on the windy beach. I saw not a soul until a guy riding a bike passed me.

You can see a long way on the wild beach

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It often looked stormy over the ocean, but now and then, I could see a patch of blue

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Interesting sky

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This shell reminded me of an angel's wing, perfect for All Saints Day. I collected this one, because while I often see these nearly paper-thin shells in pieces, I've never found a whole one.

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Hard to believe that this dead sponge was once a primative living animal

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When I got back to the trail junction, I ran into a family of hikers. The woman said "Watch out if you go down that trail, because there was a very large snake on the path. We think it was a cottonmouth!" So even though I had already hiked on that path, of course I had to go check it out. I'd seen a big cottonmouth on that trail once before. I had no such luck this time, but did run into this beautiful little green snake:

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Here he is in the brush

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I held him for a photo. He would not hold still, but you can see his beautiful green color and his scales in this shot.

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I released him back in his environment unharmed.

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I hiked along, looking for the big snake. I snapped a couple of more photos of God's handiwork, and then returned to warmer places.

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Leaf Peeping

Today, we took a drive along the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, enjoyed the fall foliage, took a couple of short hikes, and ended the day with some wine tasting at one of Virginia's many excellent vineyards. The foliage was gorgeous on the 90 mile drive to the park, but had kind of gone past along the crest of the Blue Ridge. A young black bear about 50 feet up a tree just yards from the Skyline Drive caused massive traffic jams, and we saw a deer and many chipmunks on one of the hikes.

Here are some photos from the day.

Views from the Skyline Drive

The first hike went to Betty's Rock, with great views of the mountains and the Shenandoah Valley.

Our second hike went along the easy and scenic Limberlost Trail. The giant hemlocks that once dominated this area are all dead, killed by the wooly adelgid. It was sad to see these once vital giants lying dead on the forest floor. Huge populations of chipmunks were thriving in the mostly open woods, and we saw dozens of them along the trail.

The Limberlost Trail is pretty flat, and paved with crushed stone. It is actually considered wheelchair accessible, and there are nice benches placed along the way - perfect to have a snack, reflect for a while on nature, or even read a book on a nice day.

Mother Nature loves to dress up this time of year!

The giant hemlocks live no more in this area, and I find this quite sad.

Beautiful work was done on this bridge across a stream. I would love to quit work and spend much of my time volunteering at parks and for the defeating cancer cause.

I found the "heart-shaped" cavity in this stump unusual.

Back on the Skyline drive, we saw more beautiful scenery on the drive along the ridgeline.

Horton Vineyards seemed the perfect spot to end a nice day. Nothing like doing a little wine tasting on a beautiful October day. Of course, we bought several bottles to help the economy, including an intriguing red dessert wine that is infused with chocolate.

Lunch Break Hike on Belle Isle

I really hope that in Heaven, everyone gets October off from work. It is too nice a month to be chained to a desk, going to meetings, having to report on projects, and having 8 hours of your life under someone else’s control each day. If I had unlimited money and didn’t have to work, I’d be tempted to hike every nice day in October. Of the seven weekend days this month (counting a holiday), only three of them have been nice. We had a week of chilly days and rain, but starting this Monday, the weather has been gorgeous for four straight days. But work beckons. In fact, it insists.

Today, I had another alcohol injection for the neuroma in my foot, which meant I had to miss my carpool to get to the doctors this morning. But that also meant I didn’t have to be restricted to a 45 minute lunch break. Belle Isle, in the James River, is almost a four mile round trip walk, not feasible for 45 minutes. But if one can take a hour and 15 minutes for lunch, and work late to make up the time, it is very feasible to not only do the walk, but spend about 20 minutes sitting on the rocks as the river roars by just feet away. It is my favorite spot in the City of Richmond. I am sure that the men imprisoned here during the Civil War in a horrible and brutal prisoner of war camp would be amazed that people voluntarily come over to the place of their torment and misery. But it is popular with the lunchtime running, walking, and biking crowd.

So I packed my running shoes, a tee-shirt, and spare socks, brought a little pack and my camera, and hit the streets and then the trails around Belle Isle for a little mid-day break from work madness. Sitting on the rocks eating my simple lunch of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a banana, and a pear was like eating in a five star restaurant. It was so beautiful there, and with temperatures in the 70’s and a nice breeze, I had to force myself to return to work for my 1:00 meeting.

Here are some photos from my hike. Although great blue herons, osprey, and an occasional eagle can be seen along this hike, the only wildlife I saw today was a grey squirrel and some Canada geese.

Looking downriver, it is clear that you are near a big city. You can see the Robert E. Lee Bridge with the suspension bridge underneath for pedestrians.

But turn to the left, in the exact same spot, and look upriver, and you could mistakenly think that you are nowhere near civilization. I once brought a friend here, and he could not believe the remote feeling so close to the downtown.

My lunch spot was feet from this rapid, part of the Hollywood Rapids. Talk about a table with a view. Are you jealous?

Across the river is beautiful Hollywood cemetary, one of our traditional last training runs for Team in Training.

This inviting trail makes a loop around the island. Other than needing to get back to work, I could have stayed here all day.

Another view of the wild James River after hiking a little ways up the trail. I think that the James might be the longest river in the United States that is entirely within one state.

This sign reminds us that things were not always so peaceful and beautiful here. This six acre spot on the south end of Belle Isle was once hell on earth for thousands of Federal prisoners during the Civil War. Many hundreds of them never saw home again. The sign says that both sides in the war deliberately mistreated and underfed prisoners to break their will to want to serve in the army again if they were released.

The Hike That Wasn’t

Oh, the best laid plans! Last June, my friend Doug called and said “Hey, want to go to the James Madison – Villanova game on October 17?” Doug’s son is a freshman and JMU and I am a Villanova grad, so we both thought that it was a great idea. Since October is the best month of the year in Virginia – warm days, cool nights, beautiful colors, I suggested staying over somewhere in a motel and spending Sunday hiking.

My job was to plan the hike and set up the motel. Since it was homecoming for JMU, we decided that a hotel in Harrisonburg made no sense. So I found a place in New Market, about 20 or so miles north. That would put us close to the northern part of Shenandoah National Park, a part of the park I rarely get to hike in. This was really something to look forward to. I read up on hikes in that section of the park, picking several good ones out as possibilities. The leading contender, I thought, was the Little Devil’s Stairs circuit hike, which is supposed to be rigorous and very scenic. It was one I have wanted to do for a long time but never had.

Then, this week arrived, and with it nothing but cold and rain. It has been raining continually since Wednesday night, and the forecast was for rain at least through the weekend. I am not against hiking in the rain if you are already out there, although Little Devil’s Stairs with its rocky climb would be a poor and dangerous choice in the rain. But I am opposed to spending $75 for a motel to hike in the rain. So Thursday, we reluctantly decided to just make it a day trip for the game, and I cancelled the motel.

It was still a fun day. We tail-gated with Doug’s son and a friend of his for a couple of hours, and went to the game, which started at 3:30. The rain started about 4:00 and kept up all through the rest of the game. With a temperature in the low 40's, we were all feeling chilled by the end of the game. The half-time score was Villanova 20 – JMU 0, and most of the big enthusiastic homecoming crowd disappeared at halftime. That was too bad, because they missed the great JMU marching band, and also I felt that their team deserved their support. After all, they played the whole game, and didn’t give up, even though they lost.

I am definitely getting old. The college kids all look so young! That time of my life seems like another person’s lifetime sometimes.

I guess the Little Devil Stairs will have to wait. When I hike it, I wonder if I will run into my old pal, the little red devil?

Sudden Death from the Sky!

I stopped and scrutinized the brown object on the ground about 100 meters from me, using my just naked eyes. Well, technically speaking, I used my optically corrected eyes. I am pretty sure that if a 40 foot tall giant tossed a three ton boulder that landed at my feet, I might not see any of it with my naked eyes. “Must be an animal,” I thought to myself, as I pulled my field glasses from my pack. “Maybe even an otter if I’m really lucky.” I “glassed” the brown object – definitely an animal. Not an otter. It seemed hunched over like it was eating something. Maybe a raccoon? I turned on my camera and walked slowly towards in, trying to walk quietly on the gravel road along the east dike of Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Without warning, the brown object took off flying, immediately ruling out otters, raccoons, or nutria. It was a large hawk, and it was carrying part of an unfortunate creature in its talons. It landed nearby on a telephone pole, and started eating again. I reversed direction to go get my pack, and then went back towards the hawk. Along the way, I stopped at the site of the kill, which was a good sized bird. Only its beautifully marked wings and a chuck of flesh was left. I watched the hawk for a good 10 minutes, and then continued hiking.

I was out at sunrise to hike in Back Bay for the first time since late May. Unlike the last few times I hiked here, there was no need for bug repellent, as a stiff 15-20 knot breeze was blowing in the cool morning air. I hiked about 5 miles – 2.5 miles out and back – and although I didn’t see a ton of wildlife, the hawk was a spectacular sighting. In addition, I saw a rabbit, several American egrets, two great blue herons, and a couple of kingfishers.

I am thinking that the hawk’s prey may have been a kingfisher. I reflected on what it must be like to live in constant fear that if you let your vigilance down for a few seconds, then a larger, more powerful animal is going to come out of nowhere to kill you. It has got to be very stressful, but it is the cycle of life. The hawk has to eat, and it isn’t going to eat fruits and leaves. I am just glad to not be way down in the food chain, which I am sure early humans were. At one point, we were essentially cat food. Now, large cats are the endangered ones and will only survive if we humans can give them some space and stop killing them.

When I hiked through on the return hike, the remains of the unlucky bird remained on the ground near the dike. The hawk had moved its perch to another telephone pole nearby, and surveyed its domain. For one bird, sudden death from the sky. For another, a full stomach. It is the way of nature.

Here are some photos from the first of my three hikes today.

Although I rarely see wildlife from it, this nice observation building was added a couple of years ago right beside some impoundments.

Remains of bird - maybe a kingfisher? - killed and eaten by a hawk.

The hawk perches on a telephone pole. Despite what I thought would be positive identification features - black bars on its face, white cheeks, and a solid brown back - I could not identify him later using my bird books.

The dikes in the refuge impound fresh water, an important resource for the marshes wildlife.

Two different views across the marshes

I saw two egrets and a kingfisher in this impoundment. But other times, I've seen so much wildlife at this spot that it looks like something out of "Wild Kingdom!"

This friendly bunny let me get within a few feet and just kept on munching his breakfast.

The Nature Trail at Back Bay

My second hike of the day was a very short one mile walk on a couple of nature trails in Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. These trails involve a mixture of packed soil and “boardwalk” surface, and go through the zone between the marsh, wetland forest, and fresh and salt water. I don’t always see wildlife on these trails but do more often than not. I’ve blogged about this path several times in past hikes. Just search on “coastal” or "wetlands."

Here are some photos from this hike.

A good portion of the two nature trails I walked on go through very wet areas and have nice board walks to allow one to keep their feet dry.

Beautiful garter snake on the boardwalk path. I saw another garter snake a few minutes later. In this refuge, I have also seen cottonmouth, black rat snakes, a water snake, and a hognose snake.

Doesn't this make you want to take a hike?

Mother Nature sure knows how to dress up!