Washington DC

Over Thanksgiving I flew out to Washington DC to have Thanksgiving with my son David and wife Lindsay, and their two girls, Eva and Leven. We all love to hike, so while Lindsay was working on her school work, the rest of us went over to Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge in Fairfax County Virginia to get some fresh air and stretch out our legs.

It was a gorgeous day filled with beavers, birds, water, trees and sky.

David and me, with Eva and Leven posing for a selfie!

Another evening we went to see the sun set over the Potomac River. Eva is a natural athlete,  and loves to climb trees! Such a sweetheart!

Over the years, we have spent many happy hours together walking up and down the Potomac searching for driftwood, shells and usable cast-offs.

Fortunately I was able to go with my family to the Scottish Parade in Alexandria,Virginia! The bands were exceptional, especially the bagpipes. Nothing quite like listening to the plaintive sounds of marching feet and the bagpipes playing Christmas carols. 

Lots of kilts that morning! If you don't know what a kilt is, it is basically a wrap around skirt for Scottish men, made from wool or twill,  traditionally with a tartan pattern. My sons are all proud of their Scottish heritage passed down through their dad, and none more than David. He even said he hopes to wear a kilt one day! You go David!

Eva and Leven talking to the "real" Santa Claus!

Me and David, on the streets during the parade.

After the parade, we walked through the Wilkes Street Tunnel, then onto the waterfront.

Alexandria is such a beautiful city, with so many old buildings, an abundance of brick and rock, the Potomac river and of course the magnificent sky!

Lindsay looking down the alley in the quaint Town of Occoquan, a suburb of Washington DC.  The name Occoquan is an Algonquian Doeg Indian word meaning "at the end of the water". 

To me, reflections are fascinating, especially in windows.  I took this shot of Eva, Leven and Lindsay in front of one of the stores with great windows. 

David, Lindsay and their two girls, Leven and Eva. Love that family!

The Occoquan River borders the town and  is a scenic tributary of the Potomac River in Northern Virginia. We saw a man fishing in the river, however not for fish but for old artifacts, with a special rod designed to accommodate his search.

David and Lindsay, filled with joy, and still loving each other after 20 years of marriage!

David took us on another hike in Huntley Meadows, also in Fairfax County, Virginia. The park encompasses a wetlands area with boardwalks to walk through the waterways. So much fun. 

It was a very peaceful day, although very cold and windy. 

A gaggle of Canada geese were walking through the wetlands searching for food, anything from berries and aquatic plants to insects, mollusks and small fish. Historically Canada geese are a migratory species, but most of these Canada geese stay in Huntley Meadows year round.

My granddaughter Leven was a mouse in the Nutcracker Ballet! It was so fun to watch her and the other dancers perform the ballet. So beautiful.

Here is Leven after her performance, celebrating the day!

The night before I left, we took one last excursion down to Washington DC to visit the Botanical Gardens. Lindsay's pictures give you an idea of how beautiful the gardens are!

After we visited the gardens, we walked over to the Capitol building and watched the Christmas tree come alive with lights. The bright light next to the capitol building is the moon rising.

That would be me, standing in the grass, with the Washington monument in the background. It was a wonderful trip, filled with family, hiking, food, and fun. Thank you David and Lindsay! It was a long trip home, but all things went pretty good and now I am home for the holidays. 

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia, our nation's newest National Park! The park was actually established in 1978 as a national river, and redesignated in 2020 as New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. That makes 63 National Parks that we now have in the United States, and I can proudly say that I have been to all 63 of them! On this last trip, I drove my sons truck from Virginia to Southern California, and took a side trip in the truck to visit New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The campgrounds at the Park are all primitive, free and beautiful, and yes that would be my campsite in Meadow Creek.

The New River runs right through the campground and here, it is quiet and lazy, a perfect picture of serenity. The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve protects and maintains over 70,000 acres of the New River Gorge in the Appalachian Mountains of southern West Virginia That makes me happy. 

Wanting to explore, I drove around and scouted out the sights. It was cloudy and threatening rain, but while I camped there it was mostly dry. Even though it hadn't rained, my tent was soaked from the morning dew, and had to dry out for a day before I used it again.

One of the nicest places I found was Sandstone Falls, which was not far from the campground. It was beautiful, with hiking trails all around the area, cascading waterfalls, trees and clouds.

This fruit tree was hanging over the river. I am not sure what it was, maybe peach or apple. 

From one viewpoint, the falls were surrounded in green foliage. So pretty!

Along the trails I took this photo, and as you can see it was getting late and clouds were abundant.

I liked the boardwalks and overlooks that were built to view the river. 

The reflections in the water always catch my eye, that and the driftwood stuck in the falls.

I had a long rode ahead of me, and the visit to this beautiful gorge gave me the strength to carry on. It was a total of nearly 3000 miles that I drove on that crazy trip.

The following day I drove up to the opposite end of the park to see the New River Gorge Bridge. At the visitor center I took these stairs, over 200 of them, yes I counted, down to the view point.

It was very early in the morning when I arrived at the viewpoint. No one else was around. Wispy fog encircled the bridge. It was amazing. 

The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel arch bridge, 3030 feet long, over the New River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. Quite impressive to see it in person. From the viewpoint I was able to see the train running along the river, and was reminded of the song, "Riding on that New River Train, riding on that New River Train, same old train that brought me here is gonna carry me away again."

After I packed up and left the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, I passed through a small town, got out and took some pictures. I cannot remember the name of this town, and if anyone recognizes it, please email me! Back in the car I headed toward Clarksville, Tennessee. 

After a nice visit with my friend Don Jarrell and family, I drove through several more states until reaching the McClellan Creek National Grassland in Texas. The water was all dried up and yet the landscape was just beautiful. However there were a lot of stickers there and I had to move my campsite several times to get away from them. 

By the time I resettled, the sun was setting and I noticed the unearthly sounds of thousands of cicadas, all making noise. The sound would ebb and flow like the tide, and it made me feel like I was on another planet!

Come morning, I packed up again and headed into New Mexico. That is when it really rained hard. It rained so hard that I thought it was going to crack the windshield! I just slowed down and said my prayers, trusting that I would make it through.

It finally stopped raining long enough to get out and look around. Near the railroad tracks I found some old rusty railroad spikes. It was cool. Just as I turned around and headed back to my car, the train came chugging by, fast as can be. 

As the sun started going down, the sky began swirling with color, orange, red, purple, yellow. A glorious sunset indeed. Time to look for a place to sleep. 

The next morning, I drove through Ludlow California and stopped for gas. I nearly died to see that it was $7.49 a gallon! I declined to fill up, and instead wandered in the back, looking at the sand and rocks.  When I turned around to head back to my car, 3 mules were staring at me. I think they were mules, but I am a city girl and could be wrong. And with that I said goodbye to the mules and kept on driving until I reached my home in southern Cali. O happy day! It is getting late and I must go. May God bless you and yours, and keep you safe this night and many more to come.  Adios! Susan Little

Zion National Park, Utah

Last month I ended my southwest extravaganza by visiting Zion National Park in Utah. Just before reaching the Park, I passed through Red Canyon and was able to watch the sun rising. It was perfect.

As soon as I entered the Park, all the "too good to be true" vibes from Zion hit me. Wow I was here!

I drove in through the east entrance, and was immediately drawn into the sights, sounds and colors of Zion, my home away from home. If you are interested, here is the NPS website for Zion National Park, with all of the much needed information for visiting this gorgeous place.

Its so pretty to see the green pines mixed in with the red and white sandstone. In the fall you have the added beauty of the leaves changing color; a most spectacular sight.

I stopped all along the road to take picures, talk to people and admire the scenery. But it was hot!

How lovely the mountains in Zion are, so strong and majestic.

That would be me, shooting a selfie while climbing around on the rocks.

Each hour got hotter and hotter. Determined to cool down, I headed for the river.

One of my old swimming holes, from back in the day when I worked in Zion. Once a co-worker and I were lounging around in the water here, when one of the male waiters showed up and wanted to show off. He took off his shirt and dove into the water, without even checking it out first. He came up groaning and holding his arm, which ended up being broken. He tried to hide it from his boss, but how can you hide a broken arm when you are waiting tables? Obviously you can't as he soon discovered. 

I hopped onboard the shuttle, as you can't drive past the turnoff to the lodge unless you are registered there. At the lodge I jumped out, and wishing to avoid the crowds, I walked across the street to the river and started wading downstream.

The water was ice cold, but that didn't stop me from taking the plunge.

It felt so good to escape the heat and submerse my body in the refreshing water.

An old gnarled tree stood on the riverside, a witness the passage of time here in the canyon.

After swimming a bit, more people jumped in and had the time of their lives. On my way out, I crossed the bridge and snapped this picture of a young couple that had befriended me. As soon as I took the picture, my plastic spray bottle fell out of my backpack and landed in the river, never to be seen again.

At that point, I decided to cancel my camping reservations in Zion National Park for the following week, and instead headed home.  The 105 degree heat was proving too much for me.  May God bless you and keep you safe and secure. May you get out into the natural world and see the things He has created. May you know and partake of His great love and mercy. Blessings! Susan Little