SkyWatch Friday: Morning in the Mountains

Morning sky at Hazel Mountain Overlook, Skyline Drive, Virginia. November 23, 2011.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

I would have trouble deciding which is more magnificent — mountains or the sky.  When they are together I am often struck by the sheer wonder of the scene before me.  Often I can only think “The Heavens Are Telling the Glory of God”.

Such was the case early one November morning last year when we stopped at Hazel Mountain Overlook on the Skyline Drive in Virginia to take in the sight above.

SkyWatch Friday: Morning in the Mountains

Early morning view from Hemlock Springs Overlook, Skyline Drive, Virginia. November 23, 2011.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

There are advantages to driving in the mountains early on a foggy, misty mountains.  We left Skyland Resort on such a morning to make our way home on our Thanksgiving trip.  We had to drive north along Skyline Drive to get to an exit from the Shenandoah National Forest.

We came upon this scene at the Hemlock Springs Overlook.  The fog had lifted in our immediate vicinity, but much of the valley below was still cloud-covered.  A few peaks were just beginning to show themselves above the clouds.

Early morning view from Hemlock Springs Overlook, Skyline Drive, Virginia. November 23, 2011.

I liked this picture so much that I wanted to see what it looked like as a black and white photo.  I like this version just as much and decided to share it with you as well.

Scenic Sunday: Headforemost Mountain

The view from Headforemost Mountain overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia. November 21, 2001.

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This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, we spent the night at Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway while on our Thanksgiving Trip.  Since we wanted to drive the Parkway and then Skyline Drive, we got an early start from the lodge.  We were driving north, which meant we were gaining altitude as we left Peaks of Otter.  We encountered patches of fog/mist as we drove along.

When we arrived at the Headforemost Mountain overlook, we were treated to the scene above.  Actually I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a mountain floating above the clouds as we drove by, and I had to back up to get back to the overlook.

A closer view Headforemost Mountain, Virginia. November 21, 2011.

We spent several minutes just enjoying the view.  My telephoto lens gave us an almost surreal scene across the valley.

Scenic Sunday: Abbott Lake

A view of Abbott Lake from our room at Peaks of Otter Lodge, Virginia. November 21, 2011.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

Betsy and I enjoy staying at the Peaks of Otter Lodge in Virginia when we are in that part of the company.  Last week we arrived after dark (driving the Parkway after dark can be quite adventure), but were treated to an early morning view of Abbott Lake from the balcony of our room.

Morning reflections in Abbott Lake, Peaks of Otter, Virginia. November 21, 2011.

Abbott Lake is man-made and is one of the attractions of the Peaks of Otter Park.  Fishing is permitted, but we just enjoy the beauty.

A small bridge on the path around Abbott Lake, Peaks of Otter, Virginia. November 21, 2011.

The park has several hiking trails.  One of the least strenuous is the trail around the lake.  It’s a great way to start the day.

SkyWatch Friday: Virginia Skies

Devil's Backbone Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia. August 5, 2010.

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

I feel I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off for the past several days, so I went to my archives for this sky picture.

In August of last year Betsy and I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway north from Asheville, North Carolina, into Virginia.  The Parkway is one of our favorite drives, and we had a beautiful, but cloudy day.

When we stopped at the Devil’s Backbone overlook in Virginia, we found a beautiful blue hole in the clouds with sunlight streaming through.

Scenic Sunday: The World Turned Upside

The Surrender Field at Yorktown, Virginia. June 22, 2007.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

This peaceful — and scenic — spot near Yorktown, Virginia, was the site of the surrender of the British army of Lord Cornwallis to the allied armies of America and France on October 19, 1781.

The British had been trapped in Yorktown by the Allies on September 28, 1781. Formal siege operations began o September 30, 1781, and the Americans and French began bombarding British positions on October 9.  On October 14 the Americans and French captured two redoubts (small fortified positions) in front of the British lines, which made the British position untenable.

When the British actually surrendered, French troops lined on side of the road in the picture above, and the Americans lined the other side.  The British laid down their arms and flags in the field on the far side of the road.

Tradition says that as the British marched down the road to the surrender site, their bands played a tune called “The World Turned Upside Down”.

Close Enough

Black bear seen along Skyline Drive in Virginia. August 6, 2010.

As most of you know, Betsy and I do a fair amount of hiking in our search for waterfalls.  Many of the trails are in remote areas, but we’ve always enjoyed them.  We’re often the only people on a trail, and that’s fine with us.

We have a friend who is scared to death of bears.  Just the mention of the word can upset her.  Betsy and I have encountered bears on the trail only once.  We were hiking near the entrance to Cade’s Cove in the Smokies and saw a Mama Bear and two cubs cross the trail quite a way ahead of us.  We stopped and watched the three of scamper up the side of  the hill.

The picture above was taken at an overlook on Skyline Drive in Virginia back in 2010.  The bear was close enough to be easily seen, but this picture was taken with my long lens, so he really wasn’t that close.  But just between us, I’m glad he didn’t come any closer.

Scenic Sunday #131: Schooner Alliance

The schooner Alliance, Yorktown, Virginia. June 19, 2007.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

I must confess that I love tall ships and consider them very beautiful and thus scenic.  This is the schooner Alliance, which sails out of Yorktown, Virginia, from April thru October of each year.  The Alliance is a 105-foot three-masted schooner and offers 2-hour river cruises during the season.

We weren’t able to take a cruise on the Alliance when we were in Yorktown, but I think the possibility of a cruise is a great reason for going back.

Down Memory Lane: Blue Ridge Parkway

On our way home from Williamsburg, Virginia, in 2007 we traveled part of the way along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We chose that route so that we could visit some waterfalls along the way.

Summer is not a great time for waterfalls, especially if they are small and there hasn’t been much rain.  But the drive along the Blue Ridge is beautiful any time of the year and the hikes to the falls were through beautiful woods and along pretty streams.

It may have taken us longer to get home by taking this route, but it certainly made the trip more enjoyable.

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

Skywatch Friday: Virginia Skies

Blue skies along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. August 5, 2010.

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

On Betsy’s birthday last week we drove north along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia on our way to Betsy’s birthday surprise.  During the early part of the day the skies were blue with white clouds creating pretty pictures.

Stormy skies near Roanoke, Virginia. August 5, 2010.

But later in the day the clouds got lower and darker.  When we were north of Roanoke the rains came, as you can see in the picture above.

Sky at sunset, Peaks of Otter, Virginia. August 5, 2010.

We drove in wind and rain for a while, but the skies started to clear as we got near our destination, the Lodge at Peaks of Otter.  And sitting on the patio after dinner we were treated to beautiful skies as the sun set.