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Amsterdam
After arriving at AMS, we headed to the Apollo Hotel to check in. We then headed into historic central Amsterdam where we visited the Royal Palace, followed by the New Church, Old Church, and Basilica of Saint Nicholas. We also spent time walking by the city’s canals, had some Dutch snacks, and had a seafood dinner.
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Fall Foliage at Catoctin Mountain Park
The latest fall foliage report showed that Frederick County was at peak. So, we went to Catoctin Mountain Park to take a look. Peak is probably not how we’d have described what we saw! After spending some time hiking, we drove over to Frederick to have lunch and to take a walk through the small city’s downtown area.
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Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) Timelapse at Rockburn Branch Park
We were in eastern Howard County, Maryland tonight and ended up going to Rockburn Branch Park to see the comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS). This ended up being a pretty good location as we found an area that was clear of trees and artificial light. Although we still could not see it with the naked eye, we were once again easily able to photograph it.
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C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) in the Suburbs
Since our attempt to view the comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) this past weekend wasn’t exactly successful, we tried to view it locally tonight. This time, we had better luck!
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C&O Canal and Fort Frederick Near Hagerstown, Maryland
After leaving Martinsburg, WV in the morning, we visited the C&O Canal’s Cushwa Basin at Williamsport, MD. After a brief stroll, we checked out the visitor center and then drove 25 minutes upriver to Fort Frederick State Park. We caught the end of a musket firing demonstration, listened to some rangers talk, and walked through the fort’s historical buildings.
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C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) at Shenandoah National Park
We visited Shenandoah National Park this evening to try and see a comet, C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS). The weather forecast was favorable and things looked good on our way in with clear skies. Unfortunately, it was quite hazy and some clouds rolled in to the west before sunset and our viewing turned out to be only partially successful.
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Another Meadowlark Morning
We decided to head out to the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens again today, just like last Saturday! There was quite a bit new as many displays were setup for the annual Winter Walk of Lights. Some plants have been removed to make room, though there was still plenty to see. But, unlike last week, we didn’t see a single Eastern Bluebird! We did find a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker though, something we haven’t seen very often!
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A Bluebird Day at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
We decided to visit the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens this weekend as the weather was forecast to be pretty good. It was a bit questionable on our way there but the skies cleared quickly! We saw quite a variety of flowers, as usual, and many birds. In particular, there seemed to be Eastern Bluebirds everywhere! Later on in the afternoon, we visited the Red Rock Wilderness Overlook Regional Park in Leesburg for the first time.
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Meadowlark Weekend
We visited the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Fairfax County, Virginia twice this week, once on Saturday at sunrise and again on Sunday in the afternoon. Although there wasn’t an impressive sunrise, we did see plenty of flowers and birds. We even found a Swainson’s Thrush, a species we’ve never seen before. We also managed to find Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds on both days.
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Hongdae Before Departure
After waking up at the RYSE, we had our usual breakfast and went out to take a walk around Hongdae as well as had one final snack before checking out. We then took the train to Incheon to fly home to the US.
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