Friday Five from Skyline Drive

Willy Nilly Friday: Update from Dickey Ridge

1. You'll find many pictures of Dickey Ridge on this blog. It's the first visitor center that we come to when we enter Shenandoah National Park at the Front Royal entrance, so it's less than a half hour from home. I've stopped there many times and have gone hiking there more than once.

So imagine my shock to read of a bear killing a hiker's dog there! This happened on Wednesday. The hiker and another dog escaped.



2. The incident happened on the Snead Farm Fire Road, which is closed to traffic but is popular as a walking trail. It's a short hike and fairly easy.  This picture of me on the trail is from a year or two ago. Note the hiking stick; it's a good idea to carry one. Not long ago another hiker fended off a bear with a hiking stick! But don't panic; black bears rarely attack humans. Dogs, however, will attack bears, so rangers advise keeping your dog on a short leash if you walk with him in bear country.

3.  Usually I see deer at Dickey Ridge, like this one that we saw from the Snead Farm Trail. She is wearing a radio collar because researchers are tracking the habits of deer in hopes of avoiding an epidemic when chronic wasting disease reaches Virginia.

3. I've visited Dickey Ridge all my life, and felt like it was a very safe place to walk because of the proximity to the visitor center, which has a nature exhibit and book store.

This boy has a bright orange shirt.

5. I've even walked Flash at Dickey Ridge but now I'm rethinking that idea. Often I carry an air horn to scare away bears, but most black bear attacks involve dogs. Our eastern bears are generally shy of people, although lately they have been wandering into towns in search of food. I saw a small bear in our neighborhood the other day in the middle of the afternoon!

• Becoming Bear Aware, Strasburg Police Dept.
• Enjoying Bears Safely, Shenandoah NP

Randoms on a Cold Monday

Random-osity

The Good: Frank seems to have found some good tenants for his house in Woodstock. They really love the house!

The Random: Lately I've been been running out of wall-art to share with Monday Murals but last week I happened to see one in the Whole Foods parking lot in Charlottesville. And just as I walked toward it with my camera, one of the cars parked in front of it pulled away so I almost got a full view. After I snapped the picture, I realized that a man was patiently waiting for me so he could pull his car into the spot! (It's a busy store.)

The Fun: Skyline Drive reopened today so we drove up there for a brief visit. There was still some ice on the road so we only went as far as Dickey Ridge.

Skyline Drive and the surrounding Shenandoah National Park are among my favorite places. Dickey Ridge is not far from us so I wind up there several times a month. 

Today at Dickey Ridge. Sharing with Through My Lens.

I made a collage of Dickey Ridge scenes. The snow scenes are from today and the others are from earlier in the winter. (Click on it to see it larger.)

Sharing with Mosaic Monday and Seasons

A Walk at Dickey Ridge

Yesterday the weather was decent so I drove Flash to the dog park — almost. As we approached, I could see the road was closed! It appeared to be flooded at the point where it passes under the railroad and there was a barricade across it. I turned the car around and decided to see if Skyline Drive was open. The entrance was only a short drive from where we were. That section of Shenandoah National Park had been closed for over a week due to the snowstorm, although the middle section had opened up a almost a week ago.

It turned out that the Drive was open so we headed for Dickey Ridge. On the way I stopped at the first overlook and looked out toward Front Royal. In the first picture you can see that view. The dog park is near the bend in the Shenandoah in the center of the photo. We continued up to Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, which is closed for the winter except for a couple of rest rooms.

The parking lot had been plowed and the snow on the lawn had either melted or been worn away by the deer who browse there. We walked around the Visitor Center and down to the road, then along the road to the entrance near the picnic area and then back across the parking lot to the car. The picnic area is closed and was still snowy. We didn't have a long walk but that didn't matter because the temperature was dropping and approaching the freezing point, so I was glad to get back in the car.

See all my posts about Dickey Ridge.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday and Scenic Weekends

and Friday My Town Shoot Out: Clouds and Skies

Dickey Ridge and Dogs

Saturday is Critter Day here in Blogland, so I’ll turn the narrative over to Charlie after I show a few pictures from Dickey Ridge in Shenandoah National Park. I made a brief visit there one day after a dental appointment in nearby Front Royal.

Did you spot the deer? I often see them at Dickey Ridge. 

In front of the visitor center is a beautiful view. Usually there are tourists here.

Dogs are allowed in the park on short leashes, except on some trails that are known for bear activity. Bears and dogs are a threat to each other. 

I was taking pictures of textures and a drinking fountain caught my eye. It’s funny because I’ve been drinking from these fountains since I was a small child. I don’t keep track of how many times I’ve been to Dickey Ridge. Over a hundred, I’m sure.

As promised, here’s Charlie!

Hi! My big sisters came to see me. We had a good time. 

Yesterday Marie bought me a new harness at Petco. It felt very comfortable walking through the store. But then Mom fastened it to the doggy seatbelt in the car and it did not feel good. 

But I know ways to get out of a harness. Mom asked me who chewed it, but I think she knew. She did not sound proud of me though.

I probably told you before that I don’t like riding in the car. It makes noise and moves around, and it doesn’t have a friendly smell.

It takes us places, though, like Seven Bends State Park. I like the smells there. Beagles are good sniffers.

Sometimes when the weather is not friendly, we go to a store that likes dogs. One day we got out of the car at Lowes and the car next to us smelled like a car at the dog park. I kept sniffing the tire. When we got in the store, we saw my friend Ryleigh from the dog park. Her mom took a picture for my mom.

The scary Halloween things are gone, and there are new decorations. This is also happening on our street.

The other thing I want to tell you is that it’s cold outside. The chair is warm though, so if you get cold, come inside and lie down in a chair.

Shadows and Smoke

 Dickey Ridge, Shenandoah National Park 

These views are from the visitor center at Dickey Ridge. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen that view. It’s a short drive from Front Royal. At times, the 5-mike section of Skyline Drive from Front Royal to Dickey Ridge is the only part of the drive that’s open. It’s not as high in elevation as many parts of the drive, so it’s less likely to be covered with ice or impassable due to downed trees after a storm. 

I don’t know what that smoke was from. There may have been a controlled burn going on. 

Views from My Deck and from Dickey Ridge.

Willy Nilly Friday.

 

1. Morning glory, growing in a pot on my deck.

Floral Friday and Friday Bliss.

2. Black and white: These drops are propelled by a very small solar-powered fountain in my bird bath. It took me quite a few shots to catch a decent photo.

3. I photographed the fountain from above but failed to get the drops in focus. I like it anyway. 

4. Yesterday at Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, Shenandoah National Park.  The building is not open on Wednesdays or Thursdays this year so I took a picture of the window with its reflections. 

5. Skywatch: I turned away from the window and got a picture of the view. No doubt I've taken pictures of this view a few dozen times, at least. 

By the way, September 26 is National Public Lands Day and admission to the park is free. However, since it is a Saturday the park may get crowded. 

 

6. People are wondering when the foliage will change in the mountains. I only saw a few trees that had donned their autumn colors so be patient. Check back in three or four weeks.

 

7. I took a short walk while in the park. I parked at the Lands Run lot and crossed Skyline Drive to the Hickerson Hollow trail. I did not venture far because I had a sore toe as well as weak ankles. I took some pictures with my cell phone. 

I saw a hiker on a trail farther up the hill and checked out the trailhead when I got back to the road. It's part of the Dickey Ridge Trail, which runs 18 miles from Front Royal to the Appalachian Trail near Compton Gap. 

That little building turned out to be made of cinder blocks and looks abandoned. I suppose it was a maintenance shed of some kind.

 

Denizens of Dickey Ridge

Deer in Shades of Sepia

If you go to Dickey Ridge just before sunset, you have a strong chance of seeing deer. Dickey Ridge Visitor Center is just four miles from Front Royal in Shenandoah National Park. Don't wait too long to visit because if chronic wasting disease strikes the deer in the park, this herd is slated to be thinned out. This is sad but overpopulation is already a problem for deer and the spread of the fatal disease will turn this into a crisis. 

I love seeing these graceful animals! They will often allow you to approach if you stay in your car. They do not hibernate so we often see them in winter.

Visiting the park can be expensive if you don't have a Park Pass. Watch for no-fee days like Martin Luther King Day, 1/18/2016. (However, the road may be closed if it's icy.)

My zoom failed to retract on this one. It messed up several other shots by leaving the head out of the frame.

This is my 66th blog post featuring deer. 

Sharing with Sepia Saturday and Saturday's Critters

The View from Dickey Ridge

Looking out from the Visitor Center at Dickey Ridge, Shenandoah National Park.

For motorists entering Skyline Drive at Front Royal, the Visitor Center may be their first stop. It features a frequently-repeated film introducing the park, some wildlife displays, a light-up map, and a bookstore.


Once upon a time there was a small restaurant here. Now you can bring food with you to eat in the nearby picnic area, or continue driving to Skyland or (if you are heading north) to Front Royal. That town has the usual fast food outlets and various restaurants, plus a Martin's Supermarket. Hidden in the historic district is the charming Main Street Mill Restaurant, and if you follow Route 340 north to Riverton Commons (just past I-66 exit 6) there's a new Cracker Barrel, a Checkers, and some other chain eateries.

Snowy Views from Skyline Drive

 Shenandoah National Park

Yesterday I had a dental appointment in Front Royal. Afterwards, I checked to see if Skyline Drive was open. The National Park website said it was still closed due to snow and ice. I went to several stores and then had lunch. As I was leaving Wendy's, a text came through saying that Skyline Drive had just reopened from Front Royal to Swift Run. All right! Fifteen minutes later I was at the entrance station.

Two other cars arrived at the same time. The park ranger commented that it looked like we all got the message. He checked my pass and handed me the winter newsletter.

It was already 3 o’clock, so not many other people showed up. I didn’t have much time because I needed to get back to Woodstock by five to pick up Charlie from day boarding. I set my phone to remind me to leave at four.

The visitors center at Dickey Ridge is closed for winter. I noticed that the roof replacement has not been finished. No doubt there have been many days that workers could not even get there due to the weather. Skyline Drive is mostly a recreational road, so it does not get plowed as quickly as commuter routes, plus storms tend be severe up there in the mountains. There are usually branches and trees down on the road after a storm. 

Skywatch

View Toward High Knob and Remount Road

I only drove as far as Gooney Manor Overlook, but I felt satisfied. 

I turned around and headed back toward Front  Royal. I passed deer on Dickey Ridge and took quite a few pictures. I’ll share more of them later, probably on Saturday.