March 20, 2021

The Seasons of Wednesday

We spent much of the day in the car on Wednesday. I drove an hour to Harrisonburg, went to my appointment, stopped at JMU's arboretum to see the signs of spring, and took a scenic route home along Skyline Drive.

Saturday Critters / I'd Rather Be Birdin'

At the arboretum, we walked around the duck pond. The weather was sunny and fairly warm. 

A sign warns not to feed the ducks due to overcrowding. The ducks still looked at us hopefully.

Early spring flowers were blooming, including crocus and snowdrops.






As we drove toward the Blue Ridge Mountains, we could see clouds obscuring some of the peaks. I shared a photo of a view yesterday and here are a few more.


We entered Skyline Drive from Route 33 and drove north. In some places we found ourselves in thick fog from the clouds. I kept my camera around my neck in case we should see a bear, like one that appeared on a similar day a few years ago. It was walking along a wall in the fog, and I dared not stop to take a photo because visibility was only about 15 feet so another car could have run into me. But it would have made a great bear photo! 

Temperatures in the mountains were colder than in the valley. We didn't see signs of spring, and there were a few small patches of snow. 


Although we did not see a bear, we did see deer. I watch for them because they can appear rather suddenly, like this young one crossing the road. Since their color provides natural camouflage, you might miss seeing them if you drive too fast. 


It seemed to get colder as we drove on. Here I was a little chilly, but by the time we reached the rest stop at Panorama, a cold wind was blowing and we had to put our jackets on. 

15 comments:

  1. Beautiful flowers and critters. Nice captures!

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  2. Sounds cold! You look chilled. But such a wonderful Day trip! Glorious scenery, wonderful wildlife!!
    I want to send you my thanks for sharing this week. Happy Birding!!

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  3. Hello,
    Love the cute ducks and the beautiful deer. The flowers are beautiful! I am glad to know the Skyline Drive is open now. On a nice day we might take a ride there. Pretty shot of you with the line of clouds behind you. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great day and a happy new week ahead. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  4. Easy to see how deer get hit by vehicles.

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  5. The clouds add the right touch to things.

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  6. That's a beautiful drive but it DOES get cold and windy up on the mountains. Love the photos and you look pretty with the mts as your backdrop!

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  7. ...we finally have snowdrops and crocus here too.

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  8. Great scenic drive, so glad you captured photo of deer and yourself!

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  9. The deer must be cautious when crossing the road. I imagine their hearing warns them of cars coming. Beautiful signs of spring. Nice photo of you, you do look cold. Have a great week!

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  10. Looks like a beautiful early Spring in the beautiful country where you live! Here too, we dress in layers. When we lived at the Lake here in Oregon, deer were a constant worry along the country road to our place, especially at twilight.

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  11. Beautiful photos and I bet you were freezing!

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  12. A lovely selection of photographs.
    Nice to see you too :)

    All the best Jan

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  13. the mallards are so pretty and often overlooked, i am guilty of that myself!!

    i have really been enjoying the spring blooms!!

    it's nice to "see" who i have been communicating with all this time!!

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  14. Lovely photos. The mallard ducks remind me of my childhood in London. We often used to go and feed the ducks on the lake in Regent's Park.

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