Yosemite Confidential

El Capitan and Bridal Veil Falls across the Merced River
(Click image to enlarge)

I was born in California and, as an adult, I lived in the Bay Area for nearly eight years. In all that time, though, I never traveled to Yosemite. Rather than head straight for the coast when we left Bakersfield, we headed inland and up the Central Valley through the heart of California's agricultural center and into Yosemite. If you haven't been to this national park, it's a must! It was almost as awesome as the Grand Canyon. My recommendation: go in the spring before Tioga Pass opens and before the place is overcrowded with tourists and campers. There were a lot of people while we were there, but not nearly as many as there will be in a few weeks. I definitely plan to go back here.




Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 05/09

Grand Canyon Confidential

Grand Canyon View

Despite growing up in Utah, I've never been to the Grand Canyon. Until today. One word to describe this natural wonder: Wow! The skies were hazy, which meant the canyon wasn't at its most spectacular, according to Maya, but I was still pretty happy to see this amazing place. Here are just a few photos.

Lipan Point : The Grand Canyon

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 05/09

Sunset Crater Confidential

Sunset Crater National Monument in the
Coconino National Forest just outside of Flagstaff, AZ
(Click image to enlarge)

As we're in the area where Maya grew up, today we went to Sunset Crater National Monument and the Wupatki Pueblos. Sunset Crater is a cinder cone and lava fields created by volcanic eruptions over the last 6 million years. The crater is part of the San Francisco Volcanic Field in the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests. This area is riddled with hundreds of volcanoes and makes for some interesting geologic viewing. Here are just a few pictures.



Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 05/09

Wupatki Confidential

Wupatki Pueblo National Monument--
a fine example of a 12th century pueblo in Arizona
(Click image to enlarge)

After Sunset Crater, we drove through the park another 18 miles and visited the Wupatki Pueblo National Monument. What makes Wupatki unique among pueblos in this area is the fact that this pueblo has many rooms remaining in the ruins rather than just a single room or one main building.

Pueblo detail and sky
(Click image to enlarge)

This pueblo includes living quarters, grain storage rooms, ceremonial courts, a kiva (prayer room), burial site, and trash room, among others. The Wupatki Pueblo dates back to the 12th century and showcases native life that flourished in an otherwise harsh climate. Enjoy the photos!



Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 05/09

El Morro Confidential

Native American petroglyphs at El Morro National Monument

After Acoma/Sky City, we went to El Morro National Monument hoping to see some petroglyphs. Unfortunately, we arrived about 30 minutes before the park closes, so we were only able to hike the inscription trail. Still, it was a cool sight to visit and we did see one or two native petroglyphs among all of the Spanish and immigrant inscriptions carved into the sandstone walls.



Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 04/09

LBJ Confidential

The boyhood home of Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States
(Click image to enlarge)

Traveling through the Hill Country took us to Johnson City, Texas. This bucolic town is the location of President Lyndon B. Johnson's boyhood home. It's now a national historic park maintained by the U.S. Park Service, along with his ranch a few miles out of town. We stopped in for a quick look and a tour led by park ranger Lou.



Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 04/09

Badlands Confidential

The Badlands National Park : South Dakota

After enjoying a donut at Wall Drug, we climbed back in the car and headed up the road to see the dramatic geologic wonder known as the Badlands. If you haven't seen this phenomenon, it's like looking at a miniature version of the Grand Canyon. While it isn't nearly as awe-inspiring as the Grand Canyon, it certainly holds its own.

As Far As the Eye Can See : The Badlands

Cathedral : The Badlands

I wish we'd had a geologist along for the ride to explain the different strata to us, as well as the age of the rocks and formations and how they were formed. No doubt there are one or two of you out there who might be able to impart some geologic wisdom? In the mean time, here are a few pictures to enjoy.

Vermilion Strata : The Badlands

Tiered : The Badlands

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 03/09

Rushmore Confidential

Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln : Mount Rushmore

Finally, after seeing Wall Drug and driving through 35 miles of the Badlands, we high-tailed it back up to Rapid City and then headed south for 30 miles to see one of America's most iconic monuments, Mount Rushmore.

Approach to Mount Rushmore

I have only one word to describe what is surely the second or third most recognized memorial in America and that is: Wow! If you haven't been to Mount Rushmore, you must make a point of going at least once in your lifetime. It is amazing!

Mount Rushmore
(Click images to enlarge)

To some, it doesn't look like much, but when you realize that the bust of Washington alone is 460 feet high and then you compare that to the Washington Monument, which is 555 feet tall, it really puts it in perspective and makes quite a heady impression (no pun intended.) Put another way, imagine if we took Mount Rushmore and put it on the National Mall next to the Washington Monument. The difference between the two would be a mere 95 feet. It was truly spectacular! After the Lincoln Memorial, I think this is officially my favorite memorial.

Mount Rushmore

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 03/09

Jamestown 1607

Belfry : Re-creation of the church in Jamestown Fort

Last week, I spent two days out in the states visiting the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia. The triangle includes Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown in the southeastern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

On Thursday, I spent the day in Jamestown, seeing the historic reconstruction and archeological digs of the oldest permanent English settlement in what would later become the United States. Founded on May 13, 1607 by the London Company--later the Virginia Company--Jamestown was the first seat of government in America beginning with the Jamestown Council in 1616.

Rope en suite : Aboard the Susan Constant

In 2007, the Queen of England revisited Jamestown to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the landing of the London Company and the establishment of this settlement. Prior to her recent visit, Her Majesty visited Jamestown in 1957 to mark the 350th anniversary and to participate in the dedication of the site as an official historic monument.

Rope on deck : Aboard the Susan Constant

These are just a few pictures I took aboard the replica of the Susan Constant, one of three ships that carried 104 men and boys across the Atlantic to Virginia. To see more pictures from Historic Jamestown, see the slideshow below.



Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 02/09

Reveal

Widewater Gap in Winter

Yesterday, in a need to get out for a little bit, I went over to Widewater Gap on the C&O Canal for some walking and to enjoy the sunset. I've featured the gap on here a few times. You can see pictures of this beautiful setting here in the late spring and here in the fall. The photo above is how it looks in the winter.

Sunset : Widewater Gap

The gap is one of my favorite places in the D.C. Metro area. There are very few places one can access with relative ease in this area that offer this kind of tranquility and beauty. I love going here.

Encore : Widewater Gap

After I got home, I had a conversation with Virginia of Birmingham Daily Photo. Later that evening, she sent me a few quotes she had lying around in her inbox. This one struck me most:

Winter Foliage : Widewater Gap

"Although we have been taught that if we let go
we will end up with nothing, life reveals just the opposite:
that letting go is the real path to freedom."
--Sonia Rinpoche

Reflected : Widewater Gap

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 12/08

Fall

Foot bridge over the C&O Canal.

Wide Water Gap near Angler's Inn.

Fall is here and if you want to see the colors up close, a good way to do that is to go walking on the C&O Canal. During the week, traffic on the trail is pretty light. Couple it with cooler temperatures, some breezes, and rain and you'll end up with lengthy gaps between the people you pass. In another week or so, the colors should be especially prolific. Due to drought this year, though, they won't be a vibrant as years past nor is it likely they'll last long. Still, it's one feature to like about living on the East Coast.

Contrast early fall with mid-spring by going back to these pictures I took in May.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential.

Emancipator

The Lincoln Memorial at sunrise.

South side of the Lincoln Memorial looking east toward the Washington Monument and the Capitol.

Detail of Lincoln's hand.

Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. Woodsman, Lawyer, Senator, President, Emancipator.

Located at the west end of the National Mall, the Lincoln Memorial—honoring our 16th president, the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln—was authorized by Congress in 1911 and construction commenced in 1914. Building was completed in 1922 and dedicated by President Warren G. Harding. Lincoln’s only surviving son, Robert Todd Lincoln, attended the ceremonies. The Lincoln Memorial has been the site of many historical events, including the Rev. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered in 1963 on the steps of the memorial (a plaque in the steps commemorates the event.) As you enter this memorial, take time to read Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, his Second Inaugural, and the quote above Lincoln’s statue sculpted by Daniel Chester French which reads:

In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.

Zip: 20024

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 10/07.

Aquatic

Pair of waterlilies

Waterlily in pink

Waterlily in white

Lotus flower and bumblebee

Today, a couple of friends and I went over to Anacostia in southeast D.C. to visit Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. The park, marshes, and gardens are maintained by the U.S. National Park Service and are, according to the NPS, the only "unit dedicated to cultivating water-loving plants." The gardens are spread across 12 acres in southeast Washington and feature more than 35 ponds filled with a beautiful variety of water lilies, lotus, and other aquatic species. There are also more than 70 acres of freshwater tidal marshes, which makes for great bird watching, if you like that sort of thing, as well as butterflies, frogs, fish, and small mammals.

Zip: 20020

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential (09/07)

Shenandoah

Labor Day 2007: Part I, Saturday

Jewell Hollow Overlook, Shenandoah National Park, 3,320 ft ASL

Wildflowers, Shenandoah National Park

Spittler Knoll Overlook, Shenandoah National Park, 3,150 ft ASL. It was at this point that Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson marched 25,000 troops from Antietam to Fredericksburg in November 1862. Jackson would later be mortally wounded in the spring of 1863 at Chancellorsville and would die of pneumonia following the amputation of his arm. His arm lies buried outside Chancellorsville, while his body is laid to rest in Lexington, his hometown.

This weekend, I drove down to Lexington, Virginia, instead of fighting the masses going to the beaches. Rather than take I-66 to I-81 or I-95 to I-64, though, I decided to take the scenic route. Literally. To do that, I take I-66 West from Washington to Route 29. Then I go through Gainesville and Warrenton, where I take Route 211 and head up into the Shenandoah National Park, entering the park at the Thornton Gap Entrance Station (Mile Marker ~30)--2,304 ft above sea level.

Shenandoah National Park starts in the north at Front Royal and continues southward to Rockfish Gap--approximately 105 miles--where it meets up with the Blue Ridge Parkway. The highest point in the park is Hawksbill Peak, which tops out at 4,051 feet. The views and vistas are impressive and, when the colors change in the fall, Skyline Drive in SNP can be bumper-to-bumper with folks out to see nature's fireworks.

It takes about four hours to drive from Thornton Gap to Rockfish, but it's worth every mile. If you like hiking, the park is filled with trails and scenic views galore. There are also several camp sites and lodges. This past weekend, temperatures were easily 10 - 20 degrees cooler than the city, which made it a beautiful getaway.

Zip: 22835

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential (09/07)

Blue Ridge Parkway

Labor Day 2007: Part II, Saturday

Appalachian Farm Building, Humpback Rocks, Blue Ridge Parkway.

Common weeds, but when they're backlit by the sun, they acquire a halo-effect and are quite charming; Blue Ridge Parkway.

Vista just north of Whites Gap Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway

Once you exit the Shenandoah National Park at Rockfish Gap and cross over I-64, you then enter the Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs from I-64 in the north to just north of Cherokee, NC, approximately 470 miles. Saturday's drive covered about 1/10 of that and brought me out between Whites Gap Overlook (2,567 ft ASL) and Indian Gap at Buena Vista (pronounced Bwee-na Vista in these parts), 11 miles east of Lexington.

Near the entrance of the Parkway is Humpback Rocks Visitor Center, which features an Appalachian farm. In the 1800s, the government paid settlers to move out and settle the Appalachian ranges, thereby creating America's westernmost settlements at the time.

The parkway--like its sister, Shenandoah National Park--features beautiful vistas and winding mountain roads.

Zip: 22945

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential (09/07)

Shenandoah Sunset

Labor Day 2007: Part VII, Sunday

Tom, an artist from Charlottesville, plying his craft in Shenandoah National Park.

Sunset over the Shenandoah Valley, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

And to round out the weekend, sunset in the Shenandoah. As well as an artist, plying his craft. Tom was kind enough to let me take a picture of him and his artwork.

A nice conclusion to the weekend.


Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential (09/07)

Industrious

Pierce Mill at Beach Drive and Tilden Road NW.
This view includes the side that would have housed the waterwheel.

Rock Creek at Pierce Mill.

Sometimes, instead of going through town to get home from work, I'll go a little out of my way and take Rock Creek Parkway. At the intersection of Beach Drive and Park/Tilden Roads is Pierce Mill.

According to a National Park Service plaque in front of the mill, Pierce Mill was "the last of several grain mills operating on Rock Creek during an era when most American mills derived their power from small streams. Located near an Indian site, the land was conveyed to Isaac Pierce by the Revolutionary patriot William Deakins in 1794. [The] mill was built about 1820 by Isaac and Abner Pierce, inherited by a nephew, Shoemaker Pierce, in 1851, and operated until 1897. Purchased by the Federal Government in 1890 and restored by the National Park Service in 1936."

Recently, the NPS replaced the roof on the building. At one time, there was a waterwheel on the side of the building--you can still see the trench that fed the water from the creek to the wheel, which turned the stones that ground the grain into flour--but none exists now. I don't know if the NPS is planning to rebuild it or if they're refurbishing it or what.

Zip: 20010

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential (Janet M Kincaid, 07/07)

Tranquility

Approach to Widewater from the east, C&O Canal Towpath,
Angler's Inn, Carderock, MD.

Bonsai-like outcropping with trees, blue heron, and reflection,
Widewater, C&O Canal Towpath, Angler's Inn, Carderock, MD.

When I can't get to the beach and I want somewhere quiet to sit and reflect, I get up early in the morning and go to the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath near Angler's Inn on the Maryland side of Great Falls on the Potomac.

The C&O Canal originally was built and served as America's first interstate commerce throughway for goods in our country. Today, in the D.C. Metropolitan Area, you can hike, bike, and kayak on more than 180 miles of trails and water. If you wanted to take on a bike trip, you could start in Georgetown, D.C.'s toniest neighborhood, and end in Pittsburgh, PA, Steel Capital of the World.

Here are some facts about the C&O Canal:

• Construction was started on July 4, 1828 and completed 22 years later on October 10, 1850.
• The canal cost $14 million to build and, at the height of construction, comprised a labor force of 4,000 men--most of them immigrants from Ireland and western Europe. In all, 35,000 laborers dug the canal, as well as aqueducts, culverts, locks, and lock houses.
  
• In the C&O Canal National Park, which was established in 1971, the canal is 184.5 miles in length, six feet deep, 60-80 feet wide depending on the section, and has an elevation of 605 feet. The towpaths, along which the product-laden barges were pulled, was originally 12 feet wide.
• There are 74 lift locks on the canal. They are 100 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 16 feet deep.
• The canal operated from 1850 to 1924.
• An average trip down the canal took seven days, working 18 hours per day.

The pictures above are of the approach to Widewater, about 1/4 of a mile west of Angler's Inn. The scene is idyllic and features a couple of tiny islands in the middle of this resevoir that have an almost Oriental quality about them. They look like large-scale bonsai. On this particular morning, the blue heron were especially active and, if you look closely, you can see several on the rocky outcroppings.

Zip: 20854 (Angler's Inn)
Zip: 20854 (Great Falls Nat'l Historic Park)

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential (Janet M. Kincaid, 05/07)

Facts About the Canal courtesy of the National Park Service, C&O Canal FAQs.