August 6, 2019 [LINK / comment]

Summertime travel highlights

Summer is not over yet, but with the fall semester and school rapidly approaching, it might as well be. I had hoped to travel to South Dakota this summer, but scheduling conflicts (and my own indecisiveness) prevented that from taking place. As with my previous travel-related blog post (May 16), most of what follows are mere short-distance excursions, with the notable exception of Virginia Beach.

On June 2 (a Sunday), Jacqueline and I went on a casual drive to Goshen Pass for a picnic. We drove past Augusta Springs on Route 254 but didn't stop there. We did make a brief pause at the old bridge over the Maury River in the town of Goshen, and a bit later an unscheduled brief walk across a suspension foot bridge that I had never seen before. Apparently it's a favorite fun spot for local folks. Just a few miles after that we arrived at our destination, and I was surprised that relatively few people were there, given the beautiful weather. I was afraid that all the picnic tables might be taken already, but there were plenty available.

Maury River Goshen Pass

Maury River at Goshen Pass (June 2)

As noted in my July 9 birding blog post, I made several trips to the Hearthstone Lake (in northern Augusta County) area this summer, as part of a bird breeding survey. After one such outing on June 17 (solo) I stopped afterward in the nearby village of Stokesville, which was largely destroyed by a flood in 1949. For years I had been trying to capture a suitable photograph of the iconic bridge there, and at last I found the perfect vantage point to do so: along the river underneath it!

Stokesville bridge

Stokesville bridge (June 17)

Exactly one week later (June 23), I was joined by three Augusta Bird Club members on another visit there, during which we saw the construction activity at the Hearthstone Dam. (It was a Saturday, so no workers were there.) I look forward to seeing the lake itself once the construction has been completed, hopefully this fall.

Hearthstone Dam construction

Hearthstone Dam construction (June 23)

Virginia Beach

Early on July 13 Jacqueline and I drove to Virginia Beach, as mentioned in my recent birding blog post (Aug. 2). After a five-plus hour drive, we arrived in the early afternoon, and had a picnic at First Landing State Park, where we made further plans. It turns out that there is excllent access to the beach there, so we only spent a short time driving through the high-rise seafront district of Virginia Beach, stopping to buy souvenirs and that's about it. Our previous visit to Virginia Beach was in November 2014, but I never wrote a blog post per se about it; you can see several photos at my Chronological (2014) photo gallery page.

First Landing S.P. boardwalk, trees

The boardwalk between the visitors center and the beach at First Landing State Park. (July 13)

In the evening we had a great dinner at Croakers Neighborhood Grill (near Pleasure House Point Natural Area; see below), after which I watched the Nationals-Phillies game on TV at the Red Roof Inn. On Sunday morning, we had breakfast at Waffle House and then went to the Pleasure House Point Natural Area, which features sandy trails and lots of Loblolly Pine trees that surround a picturesque pond. (It was there that I saw a Blue Grosbeak and some Brown-headed Nuthatches.) We then headed to First Landing State Park, at which point Jacqueline went straight to the beach while I went birding along the inland swamp trail for a couple hours. I joined her about 11:00, and we stayed until about 12:30, soaking up the sun and taking a few more bird photos. It was just wonderful. Finally, we drove straight home to Staunton.

Pleasure House Point Natural Area pond reflecting trees

In the early morning light, a pond at Pleasure House Point Natural Area reflects trees like a mirror. (July 14)

Our Nation's Capital

As recounted in a recent baseball blog post (July 29), I went up to Washington D.C. to see a Nationals baseball game on July 28, along with Matthew Poteat and his son Julian. We parked on the south side of the new soccer stadium (Audi Field) that was completed just over a year ago. It is located about two blocks southwest of Nationals Park, and looks very impressive. It is certainly a big improvement over RFK Stadium, where D.C. United played until the end of the 2018 season.

Audi Field NW

The northwest corner of Audi Field in Washington, home of the D.C. United soccer team.

The above photos, along with many others, can be seen on my Chronological (2019) photo gallery page.