I spent the entire day processing some of the 3000 photos I took over the last 10 days.  Here are a two that I liked but did not find their way into earlier posts.

Thus far I have shown photographs of the first and third black bears we met during our 3000 mile road trip. Not mentioned was our second and closest “encounter” which happened so quickly there was no time to photograph it.  While driving through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park at dusk one evening, a small bear scampered across the road directly in front of us.  We were traveling at about 35mph and I immediately jumped on the brakes. We came to an abrupt stop but not before hitting the bear front and center. The bear seemed to “bounce” off the bumper and skidded across the road.  It made brief eye contact with me seemingly to inquire why I had run into him. I am not proud to admit that my first concern was for my 10-day old BMW. I immediately pulled over to inspect the damage and was totally surprised to find absolutely none.  I then checked up and down the side of the road expecting to find an injured bear cub or his really pissed off mother. Neither were to be found.  Apparently bears are very well cushioned and I had slowed enough to prevent injury. It was a very close call and I am extremely relieved it ended well.

Why, you may be wondering, is there a picture of a turtle in a post about a bear?  It is a reminder to drive slowly when traversing animal habitats. Jeanine discovered this fellow while we were visiting a war memorial in Gettysburg. For the record, I did not step on it or hit it with my car.

Stopping only for food and fuel we drove all the way back to Concord today, thankfully without any further animal encounters.

Natural Bridge is a geological formation in which Cedar Creek, a small tributary of the James River, has carved out a gorge in the mountainous limestone terrain, forming a natural arch 215 feet high with a span of 90 feet. It consists of horizontal limestone strata, and is the remains of the roof of a cave or tunnel through which the creek once flowed.  This morning we made a short hike along Cedar Creek and through the arch as far as Lace Falls. We stopped briefly to visit a Monacan Indian Living History Exhibit along the way and once again to watch a green heron hunting for breakfast.

Monticello sits atop a lofty hill in Albemarle County, Virginia, not far from the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson, its creator and most prominent resident, who spent more than four decades designing, dismantling and reimagining the estate he called his “essay in architecture.” A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, the property is considered a national treasure not only for its beauty and historical significance but also for what it reveals about the third U.S. president, a complex and controversial figure whose political philosophy fundamentally shaped the nation. We enjoyed a guided tour of the residence and then wandered the gardens and grounds which were equally fascinating.

By late afternoon we resumed our travels north completing the lower half of Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park (we did the upper half on our drive down).  Along the way we spotted our third black bear of the trip. We paused and watched as it flipped over rocks in search of the bugs underneath. As night arrived we were fortunate to find a nice campground at the Wolf Gap recreation area on the border between Virginia and West Virginia