In the Clouds and Above

On Wednesday I ran a couple of errands in Front Royal and then went up on Skyline Drive. I could see there were clouds on the mountains but that's okay. It adds an air of mystery. 

Dickey Ridge Picnic Area is now open for the season. It is less than five miles from Front Royal, but no one was there in the fog. 

I drove south and spotted what looked like a large bird. Was it an eagle? There was no place to park so I shot two pictures from the car. In this rather awful photo you can see the edge of the passenger-side window. 

Saturday Critters / I'd Rather Be Birdin'

I was excited to view the pictures enlarged on the computer. Here you see the second shot cropped and enhanced. I'm afraid it's just a vulture. In fact, if I enhance the first picture, I see a reddish face so I think it is what we call a turkey vulture. A really big one. 

Oh well! Around milepost 13, I drove out of the clouds. Here we see a cloud lingering over Rappahannock County as viewed from Hogwallow Flats Overlook.

There are many white-tailed deer in Shenandoah National Park. I was glad I didn't run into any in the fog. I had slowed down though. 

I turned around at Range View Overlook. It has a great view and a big enough parking area to enable safe turns. 

I saw a few more deer on the way back home.