Around Reston

We opted for a quieter day with the intense heat and temperatures forecasted to be 90 F. We took a leisurely walk through the local woods. There are a series of paths and trails marked out. It was still very humid ander the trees.

We were lucky enough to see about 5 deer grazing near the stream. They seemed unperturbed by us.

We freshened up witha swim in one of the outdoor swimming pools that are scattered around Reston for the residents to use.

Later in the day we made a visit to the second centre of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum which is based near Dulles Airport.

There were a multitude of planes and spaceships to see.

We saw one of the retired Concordes.

And a replica of the Apollo 11 landing module. There was even  a space rocket named Maggie!

Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt.

No. 21 A Picture of Myself Representing the Season.

I have posted quite a few Scavenger Hunt photos throughout my blog and have now added these.

Trying to beat the heat today whilst visiting Washington Zoo proved to be a challenge. I joined all the children under the misters as a last ditch attempt to cool off.

No. 18 The Waterfall

The walk down and the climb back to see this waterfall from the Skyline Drive in the Sherandoah National Park was wheel worth the effort.

Washington Zoo

On a very hot day we set out to visit Washington Zoo. The Zoo is part of the Smithsonian Museums and therefore has free entry which is obviously beneficial. We did wonder whether all the animals would be asleep because of the intense heat. This did prove to be true for quite a few. The Giant Panda baby was asleep in a tree but we did see one of the parents.

The elephants have a large enclosure and we were able to view several of them. One was intent on eating bamboo.

Outside one was busy with a dust bath.

The gorillas were not too lively.

We had hoped to see the Orang Utangs on their aerial transport wires but they too were resting.

We had more luck with the tigers where one of the youngsters was trying to catch a duck!

The same could not be said for the lion.

We only saw a small number of the animals.

Despite various methods of cooling down.

The heat finally defeated us and we headed home.

More Skyline and a Visit to Winchester.

We stayed overnight at the Skline Resort where we had the most fabulous view from our room.

The whole resort including our chalet was both quaint and atmospheric.

We continued on along the drive.

We then headed to Winchester a historic town which I was interested to visit due to my connections to Winchester, England. 

We were struck by the rail track stretching along the road.

We then spotted a goods train crawling through the town.

There were a number of interesting buildings.

We were advised by a local to visit the library and we were not disappointed.

Bear Spotting and Other Activities on Skyline Drive.

Due to lack of internet I was unable to blog last night so I have included a double bill tonight.

Yesterday morning started with a refreshing swim before breakfast in the hotel pool.

We then had our first visit to an American supermarket. We were impressed by some of the fruit which we are not used to seeing in such quantity.

There was also some serious preparations for July 4th.

This included a good number of flags.

We then set off onto the Skyline Drive through the Sherandoah National Park. This is a 100 mile drive with a speed limit of 35 miles an hour. There are breathtaking views all along the route.

The day included a picnic.

And a walk to a waterfall.

There was quite a climb back to the car. Several rests were needed!

We were on the lookout for wildlife all day.

And finally the highlight of the day was a bear. Photos courtesy of Emma.