May 29, 2020

Mountain Rocks, Walls, and Flowers.

Shenandoah National Park
Willy Nilly Friday
 
Skyline Drive is open again, and I wasted no time going there and driving through a nearby section of Shenandoah National Park.  We were up there on Sunday in spite of fog, and went back yesterday when the clouds weren't so low.

The rain had brought forth springs of water splashing over the rocks. There were also splashes of color from wildflowers blooming in profusion.




Fences Around the World.
Most of the park facilities are not yet open. The store at Big Meadows is opening this weekend. Picnic areas, campgrounds, and restaurants are still closed.

If you've been to the central part of the park, you probably saw the profile of Stonyman. Here a rock formation makes the slope of the mountain look like the side of a face, as long as you use just a little imagination.
"Stony Man’s façade is greenstone, a metamorphosed ancient volcanic rock. Even though we think of rock as never changing, it does change – it weathers, erodes, and breaks down. A rapid event like an earthquake or a landslide could alter the shape of Stony Man’s face or make his nose fall off in an instant! No matter the shape of his face, the view from the top is worth the effort it takes to get there."


Skywatch: Next let's admire a view of Old Rag as seen from Thoroughfare Mountain Overlook. 


I was dismayed to see trash at this overlook and at other points along the drive. I hope this bad behavior does not discourage the Park Service from reopening the rest of the park. Overcrowding and carelessness were problems earlier in the pandemic when the park stayed open after most recreational places had closed. No one wants to pick up items that might be contaminated with the virus!


Rappahannock County has several trailheads leading into the park and they have chosen to keep them closed because hikers were blocking roads with the vehicles after trail parking lots filled up. County leaders are also concerned about people from other localities bringing the virus into their rural area.

I've heard similar concerns voiced in Warren County but so far they are still welcoming visitors.

On a more pleasant note, I'm closing with mountain laurel and a scenic view. Some of the flowering plants were planted when Skyline Drive was built. A landscape architect was actually employed and plants were purchased in nurseries in the valley. Like the well-engineered road, the landscaping blends in beautifully with the mountain scenery.

14 comments:

  1. A beautiful and refrehing nature!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ...it has been a slow reopening here, I'm afraid that many don't care about the number of deaths. Thanks for sharing these refreshing images. Take care Linda.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful park. I like the sound of waterfalls. Some people are just not bothered to keep public places clean. It is sad to see trash left behind by visitors of the park.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I went Tuesday. Drove all the way to Big Meadows and back. I was looking for mountain laurel!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the shots of water. Isn't it great that parks are slowly opening again! Wishing a lovely weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for bringing these beautiful views to me. I miss my Blue Ridge Parkway, which is probably having much the same use...I know it's crowded, no restrooms, no trash pickup. It's a beautiful day today here!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for taking us along, some great scenery and plants to see. So disappointing that people are trashy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The black and white is beautiful! I like Stony Man, too. I DON'T LIKE the way people drop trash at places like this!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like Stony Man. Beautiful photos and a great location to explore!

    ReplyDelete
  10. don't get me started on trash ... sadly the hubby and i see this all the time. makes your heart hurt. have a great week. hey there chickadee ... hope u r well this weekend. i for some reason am earlier ... i usually wait til my post is live ... mine will be alive tomorrow 5/31 ... but i had a moment and decided to go blog hopping. have a great rest of your week. i did deck staining today ... so i am just chilling this evening. it was nice exercise. always find new muscles i didn't know i had. LOL!! take care. ( ; ( ;

    ReplyDelete
  11. So good to get out into the national parks again Linda, we are heading on on a hike early tomorrow. Gorgeous views here, I liked your Stonyman profile 💙

    ReplyDelete
  12. You would really think that at this stage of our advancement as a species we could have reached the point where we don't litter the landscape wouldn't you?

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love those last two shots--so pretty.

    ReplyDelete

The View from Squirrel Ridge features thousands of views of the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding area. I post frequently so please visit often.

Your comments are appreciated. If you are responding to a post older than a few days, your comment will be held until we have a chance to approve it. Thanks for your patience!

Sorry, anonymous comments cannot be accepted because of the large number of spam comments that come in that way. Also, links that are ads will be deleted.