A day on the Blue Ridge

Yesterday was one of those wonderful days in life where it is just plain good to be alive. The weather was perfect; I was spent it with a new friend, who is also both a photographer and a fiber artist (and, as an added benefit, seems to approach life with the same pace and gusto as I do); And we spent it on and around the Blue Ridge Parkway - one of the most spectacular drives in the U.S.A. It is dotted and crossed with numerous paths for the casual geezer or the intrepid Appalachian trail through hiker. While I was sure today I would wake up stiff from the climbing, bending, walking, etc, it is my neck that is sore! I think it is from the constant looking around. There was no end to the details and vistas to soak in, and of course, photo!

We even had to come to a screeching halt when a hawk swooped down to get a snake, but saw us and flew off. Note:  if you ever see a snake, and decide to check it out, be sure to look at it with your longest lens first, to see if it is a rattle snake. Then, if it is, get back in the car!!!

The wildflowers were stupendous! I have never seen so many trillium in  my life (see the top picture on this post), jack-in-the-pulpits, rhododendron (which I assume were only found in floral stores!), May apples (not quite in bloom yet, but covering the forest floor) and untold numbers of flowers whose names I do not know.

Then, there were my favorites; the mosses, lichens, and ferns. The understated textural plants that grab for the sun at this time of year, before the tree leaves cover it up for the summer. Covering the rocks, the logs, the trees, and hanging on for dear life!

Here is some of the  plant life we encountered; to see the pictures larger and in their full crop, click on them.

But I would be remiss if I left you with only the detailed beauty of the flora. The real 'OMG moments' on the Parkway come from the vistas, turn offs and land forms. One of our first stops was Wigwam Falls. The sheets of water flow over the rock walls in veils ending in white froth at the bottom. A lovely site. It is by an old set of railroad tracks that once served the loggers in the area, but now serve the hikers. The morning sun, long shadows and the surrounding trees were striking.

Susan spied this Scarlet Tanager up in the trees.

Wigwam falls is a beautiful sheet of water flowing over the rocks. Also shown are the steps and surrounding area.

Then there are the views. You may remember an earlier post I did (last fall) about photos from this same drive. It was amazing to see it in the next season! Here are a slide show of some of the vistas for you.