When we last visited Catoctin Mountain Park, it seemed that peak fall colors would probably occur in a week. So, we headed out there again today. The best colors seemed to be at medium elevations and particularly on the eastern side of the park.
Continue reading “Fall Foliage at Catoctin Mountain Park”Old Post Office Tower
We visited the Old Post Office Tower this morning. It is operated by the National Park Service and provides access to a observation room above the tower’s four clock faces. There is also some historical information about the Old Post Office building on the path from the entrance to the elevators.
As it is in a newly redeveloped structure, one would expect that this historic section of the building would have been updated as well to provide a great visitor experience. However, it is a sad little place. Some of the window openings are protected by clear plastic, possibly plexiglass, sheets that are in terrible condition. Other windows are covered by strands of thick metal wire that run top to bottom. And there is a NPS staff member whose only job seems to be to yell at visitors when they touch the metal wire as touching it is prohibited. Definitely one of the worst NPS visitor experiences anywhere.
A little bit of investment is needed to at least replace the terrible windows with some quality glass. That would solve multiple problems at once. This place has so much potential!
Continue reading “Old Post Office Tower”National Cherry Blossom Festival 2023
We arrived at the Tidal Basin for what turned out to be ideal cherry blossom weather! The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and it was a warm Spring day! The cherry trees were at peak bloom and didn’t seem to be impacted at all by the rain the previous two days.
Continue reading “National Cherry Blossom Festival 2023”Catoctin Mountain Park
We visited Catoctin Mountain Park this morning to see the fall foliage. Catoctin is where Camp David is located, though of course we can’t go there! Overall, the colors were pretty good though as usual the trees were in a variety of conditions from completely green to completely without leaves. Still, it can be summarized as at peak or beyond.
Continue reading “Catoctin Mountain Park”Great Falls, Virginia
Yesterday, we visited the Maryland side of the Great Falls. Today, we visited the Great Falls Park on the Virginia side. While were there primarily to see the falls along with a bit of possible fall foliage, we ended up spending some time at Overlook #2 watching some birds that were nearby!
Continue reading “Great Falls, Virginia”