On our way to Joia and Jamie's wedding we took a few days for ourselves and meandered through the Shenandoahs. On the way back we wandered east and drove up the coast and stopped at Chincoteague before heading home.
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Starting up near Front Royal, the Shenandoah Valley Overlook
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Bill and Nori at Gooney Run!
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Yay!
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It was an absolutely gorgeous day for a leisurely journey down Skyline Drive - 70s with brilliant sun
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The cameraman and the subject having lots of fun with the new toy :>
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Jenkins Gap
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Reflections of blowing kisses at Jenkins Gap
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A cameraman's self-portrait
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Nori (aka Little Miss Tuff-Fit) - the most expensive tripod!
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Skyline Drive has lots of stone walls to sit upon
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Contrail! This new camera captures such minute detail...
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Smiling Bill with Nori Tuff-Fit
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Skyline Drive
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It's either warp speed or a long exposure while driving 30 mph...
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Tunnel
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Tunnel Parking Overlook - there was this cool photo posted from the 1930s of automobiles parked here after the tunnel was first constructed
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Pinnacles Overlook
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A short trail lined with wild flowers led from the overlook to a small rock outcrop
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A thinker on the rock outcrop
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Blackrock Trail near the Big Meadows Lodge where we stayed for two nights
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The view from the Blackrock trail, including the roof of one of the lodge buildings
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Along the Upper Hawksbill Trail we met a friend out foraging...
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...luckily he was pretty intent on doing his own thing!
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But we hiked away just in case :>
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Hawksbill, the highest peak in the Shenandoah National Park at 4051 feet
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Hawksbill summit had a 360-degree panoramic view
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The birds liked it up there too!
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We saw our friend a second time on our way back down.
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I think he may recognize us!
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Nope
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This was another bear we saw along Skyline Drive. Several dozen cars had pulled over to gawk and snap photos, us included.
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He is standing about 15 feet from the road
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Wild flowers along the rocky scramble of the Bearfence Mountain trail
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Bill conquering the rocky scramble - which was actually a lot of fun!
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View from Bearfence Mountain
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An iridescent blue beetle
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View from our room at the Big Meadows Lodge
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Back on the road heading south on Skyline Drive
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The Point Overlook at Mile 56...
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...or maybe not :>
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A small cascade of the Doyles River
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28-foot-high Upper Doyles River Falls
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63-foot-high Lower Doyles River Falls
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42-foot-high Jones Run Falls, and our lunch break spot
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Walking stick!
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The first thing we did upon arriving in Greensboro was stop at Herbie's for a yummy breakfast; can't believe it's been three years already since last we were here!
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After the Greensboro festivities, we drove east to the coast stopping in Edenton, NC before visiting the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge on the border of North Carolina and Virginia
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It was very buggy, and so we only walked a mile along the swamp canal path before calling it quits!
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Farmland along the Virginia coast
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This turkey vulture was circling overhead but we escaped.
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Heading into the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel - on our way to Chincoteague Island!
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Wild flowers along the road
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The beach on Chincoteague Island - the water was very chilly according to my toes!
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We spent about an hour beach walking...
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and watching the waves...
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and the sand pipers eating...
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The Bay Bridge at sunset, and nearing the end of a fabulous road trip adventure!