Day 231 - Along the Skyline Drive

(Click any photo to enlarge.)

The Girl Scouts
lead the way.

I am on a road trip to the Smoky Mountains with my friend Norma.  We left this morning and headed for the Skyline Drive.  After stopping in Front Royal at the Visitor Center, we got advice from Ken, a volunteer there, and he told us of some good places to stop along the way.

The weather was clear and brisk.  It was between 42 and 44 degrees for most of our time along the drive.  One of our stops was at Skyland, where we found the Stony Man Overlook trail, one of Ken's recommendations.

No caption needed; read the sign.

We exited the car at the same time as a troop of Girl Scouts and their leaders.  We heard the whines from the 5th graders:  "Do we have to?  How far is it?  Can we wait in the car?"  They headed up the trail in front of us, doing the things 5th grade girls do, but we stopped to take a few photos along the way, which put some distance between us.

Spring emerging

The trail was rocky but quite manageable.  We had to keep looking down to avoid trip hazards.  Because of the elevation, it did not seem like spring had arrived there.  There were only a few new plants pushing up out of the ground, and the leaves were not on most of the trees.

View from the summit

At the top of the trail, we came out at the summit, to a rocky outcropping with beautiful views.  Of course, the Girl Scouts were spread out among the rocks, and after a few minutes their leaders gathered them up and herded them back down the trail.  We had the rocks and the views to ourselves.  It was worth the trip to the top.

Love mountain layers

Norma and I experimented with our panorama settings on our iPhones.  I have included one here.  They were fun to figure out.

Along the Skyline Drive

The way down was much easier, obviously, and the Girl Scouts were nowhere to be seen.  They probably ran for the car.  Norma and I both did our stint with scouts, and I spent 36 years in middle school, so we know the energy levels those leaders are dealing with.  They will sleep well tonight.

Hopefully, so will we.  From a Holiday Inn Express in Waynesboro, Virginia, good night!

Panoramic View from my iPhone

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Visit my photography show, "My Maryland," at the public library in Urbana, Maryland, on the lower level of the building.  It is there until the end of April.

Hurricane Sandy Relief: Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross. Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address. The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient. Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
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Email:  cam.miller@comcast.net

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use whatever camera is easy and convenient for walking comfortably; always have a backup camera at the ready in case of mishaps (I use the Nikon Coolpix P7700)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so