Arlington National Cemetery
We pause on this very special day of remembrance to recall our visit to two hallowed grounds: Arlington National Cemetery and Washington, DC’s Congressional Cemetery.
Memorial Day
Tag Archives: Virginia
Geocaching Beaverdam Reservoir’s Northeastern Shore
Distant reservoir view from Edward Tillet Memorial Park
We enjoyed clear blue sky and February daffodils on the shores of the Beaverdam Reservoir. Continue reading
Hemlock Overlook in Winter Snow and Summer Sun
On the trail at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, 1/22/2012
Geocaching in Hemlock Overlook Regional Park during two outings months apart gave us more ways to appreciate the same beautiful place.
Walking In Wide-Open Beauty
Bull Run near “Uncached Territory” (GC238VA)
I used to burrow indoors during January, taking myself further away from the limited sunlight that makes its way to northern Virginia this time of year. Geocaching year-round’s led me into winter wonder along the trails and waterways of Fairfax County, a world of beautiful light and vision.
Landlubbers Paddle the Potomac, Part 3
On the southern shore of Heater’s Island
We go from a pirate’s gathering at the extreme eastern end of Heater’s Island to the extremes of endurance on our paddle back to Virginia, our first self-propelled aquatic return voyage ever. In between we meet some very particular beauties, come upon a buzzards’ bungalow, and enjoy a picnic on the Potomac.
Landlubbers Paddle the Potomac, Part 2
On the southern shore of Heater’s Island
With every paddle stroke in the downstream flow of the upper Potomac we move our canoe past our inexperience on the water and towards our geocaching adventure. We land on Heater’s Island. We step up into a young forest, walk deer trail and no trail, sometimes the two of us, sometimes five, sometimes more.
Landlubbers Paddle the Potomac, Part 1
On the southern shore of Heater’s Island
Come along as two dry-land enthusiasts who’ve never rowed or paddled anywhere in anything choose an outing together on the upper Potomac River for their joint maiden voyage. Watch as we drift downstream to Heater’s Island, Maryland in pursuit of fun and adventure.
A Summer Moment’s Wilderness
Hiking the fantastic terrain of Fountainhead Regional Park
Cradled in the snaky meandering embrace of the Occoquan Reservoir, squeezed upward from water’s edge into hardwood-canopied undulating green folds of rise and ravine, and threaded through with narrow ribbons of stream and trail was our bit of wilderness in Fairfax County, Virginia — Fountainhead Regional Park.
A Purposeful Walk In the Park
In search of a geocache in Hemlock Overlook Regional Park
“I have always hated to exercise just for the sake of exercise,” my good friend dagdvm once told me.
I agree completely. Sometimes it’s hard to just get on a treadmill and walk in place or go outside and walk in circles around some block or track or route or go out a ways and then turn around and come back. Yes, it’s exercise, but walking without purpose can get a bit monotonous. Wouldn’t it be great to have another reason to walk a good distance?
“Geocaching,” dagdvm continued, ” is getting me out and walking for hours at a time. It has to be good for my body.”
It sure does. If you go out looking for certain geocaches you’ll get some exercise without even thinking about it. If you go to a nice park full of geocaches you can walk around for hours having fun finding as many as possible. If you go to that park with a friend who belongs to an avid hiking superdog, well — it’s hard to think of a better way to spend a nice healthy day outside, and that’s exactly what dagdvm, her weiner dog Tilly and I did at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park in Fairfax County, Virginia on a fine Sunday in June.
Ascent Through the Trees
Looking back from ground zero
A geocache can take you somewhere special and move you through that space in a way that makes for a memorable experience. Nice place for a walk in Orange (GC2M32G) gave me just such an experience on a hot and sunny Saturday in early June.
Up, Up and Away at the Skyline Flyers Radio Control Club
Gordon’s Hobby Lobby Telemaster 40 just after landing
Last weekend I went searching for a pair of geocaches near Culpeper, Virginia, Little Up-Up and Away #s 1 and 2 (GC1 V34N and GC1V35T) located at the Skyline Flyers Radio Control Club (SFRC). I was hoping to grab myself a couple of moments of fun between one weekend chore and the next. I received a lot more goodness than I’d hoped for.
Ground Zero Takes Wing
Looking north into a songbird’s meadow
It’s a cool spring morning, low cloud crowned by high cirrus moving through pale blue as I step into the southern end of the meadow. May’s coming but isn’t quite here yet. April still has one more day to give, and this is it: sky high and fine, breezes dry and easy, open-throated songbirds on the wing as the sun continues to climb.
Somewhere near the northern end of this meadow is Joshua’s Cache (GC1M422), my sole geocaching objective for the day here in Ellanor C. Lawrence Park. Finding the hide is only part of what’s so satisfying about geocaching, though. You never know what interesting discoveries you’ll make along the way. Winding my way down to the north end of this green space brought another world into clear focus for me, a world I hadn’t paid close attention to for a long time. Two of its emissaries were just around the bend.
The Return of Bear’s Lodge
Walney Pond at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park
Last Sunday afternoon in Ellanor C. Lawrence Park I found a geocache I’d first gone looking for in March, Bear’s Lodge (GC18HZ8).
This is the first time I’ve watched the park move from winter into spring. Walney Pond is transformed from frozen gray into an explosion of life, including lily pads, yellow irises, mallards, Canada geese, red-winged blackbirds and all of us humans who flock to be in the presence of all this beauty. Walney Pond is a worthy destination and the perfect point of departure for the trails that lead up and away into the woods beyond.
Between Two Worlds
Near Knot Me! (GC2AN9T)
I like caches on the edge, in this case between the noisy chaos of I-66 and large, quiet green space. In the few seconds it took me to walk up to the hide I might have been seen by scores of people rushing by at 70 mph but they might as well have been in another county, another state. They could briefly knock on the glass but they couldn’t step through.
Two For A Dozen
Leaving koz’s reinkarnated klifton kache, GCZW0WY…
On Sunday, April 17th, a clear, sunny day after a long period of soaking rains, apc9296 and I went geocaching in Clifton and Burke Lake Park. We found twelve geocaches altogether, a single-day record for both of us; dropped off seven toys in seven different caches; and found some scenic places we might not have seen otherwise.
Geocache Chronicle 