Photo Wednesday: Reach Out

 

 Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by.
- Carl Sandburg

 

I bet both the boy and the seal felt the joy when the other reached out. The young man went home moulded by nature, and the seal moulded by man.  

Reach out to someone today.

 

 

(Photo: Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, 2005)

A sneek peak to Appalachian life at the Humpback Rock

 

Another sidetrip along the parkway is the Humpback Rock Mountain Farm. It is located at milepost 5.8 on the Blueridge Parkway. The farm serves as an outdoor museum, reminiscent of an 1800s Southern America mountain farm. Most if not all of the buildings in the farm were relocated from nearby locations.

 

 

 

 

 Inside the cabin you will see old knick-knacks on display, such as a small bed, a wooden crib, an old-fashioned mouse trap, a spinning wheel, a witch broom, and a home-made doll made from corn husks. The cabin is not fitted with indoor plumbing. You will learn that Appalachian life is a little backward as compared to the rest of 19th century America. Isolation is seen as one major reason, hence, the construction of the Blueridge Parkway.

 

 

 

 

Throw your cares away and be a hillbilly (but certainly not stupid) for a day. Take a pick of your spot and enjoy the breeze while listening to bluegrass music.

 

 

The best time to visit is during the summer months when the cabin and the outbuildings are open and when costumed rangers demonstrate early mountain life.

 

 

 

A visit to this mountain farm opened my eyes to how some of the early mountain settlers lived in America. I didn't know about Appalachian Culture apart from stories of the hillbillies from the movies and books. Indeed, it is a great place to learn about another culture that is totally different from the America we now know.

 

 

 

Photo Wednesday: Gates of Heaven

Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem as if we were
looking through the gates of Heaven.
- John Lubbock 

 

Baywalk along Manila Bay is a popular place of recreation among Manileños. In the morning, the 2 kilometer stretch is full of people. Runners, joggers, and walkers all share the ample space beside Roxas Boulevard. In the afternoon, the romantics come out and enjoy the world famous Manila Bay sunset. It is said to be one of the most breathtaking sunset in the world. Be sure to check it out when you are in the area. Let your imagination run wild and you might just see the gates of Heaven.

 

 

(Photo: Manila Bay, 2009)

Road Trippin' over at the Blue Ridge Parkway

 

 

 

Cited as one of America's scenic highways, the Blue Ridge Parkway stretches over North Carolina all the way to Virginia. Along the highway, there are several scenic points where motorists can stop and enjoy the  scenery. Ravens Roost is one such place. Located at milepost 10.7 on the Virginia side of the parkway, it is a great side trip prior to a wine tasting spree in the area.

 

 

 

 

Aside from the "official" viewing deck, there are other interesting spots not far from Ravens Roost that offer equally magnificent views of the highway as well as the mountains.

 

 

 

Just be careful while traversing the sharp and pointed rocks over the steep cliff. Be on the lookout also for poison ivies (at least there were some when we went there).

 

 

 Don't lean too far! It's a long way down.

 

 

If you do decide to go on looking for secret cliffs like we had, do it another day or prior to any wine tasting tours you have planned. The idea of danger is always fun, but one wrong step and it would be bye-bye world. Don't do it our way -- that is .. rock climbing after wine tasting.

 

What were we thinking, you ask. The truth is, we were not thinking at all. Our trainer took us wine tasting in the morning and rock climbing after. Maybe he thought his "secret" cliff is too good to pass up when it was just along the highway back to Charlottesville where we were staying.  The wine robbed us of reason for that brief period of time.

 

Looking back, maybe the idea that we had  just wine, were not wearing proper footwear, and that we were about to traverse a steep cliff sort of awakened senses we didn't  know we had.  (read: we were extra careful.) Our senses worked full-time that whole time that we were still full of energy at sun down. It was as if our bodies were recharged. lol

 

It may have been liberating to do something spontaneous and for once not think of the consequence, but we were just lucky nothing bad happened. Not everyone will be lucky so don't risk it. Don't drink and climb!

 

 

 

** Please excuse the morbid closing as I am now back to my lucid and over-analytical state. :)

 

 

Photo Wednesday: Capones beckons

 

 

Capones Island in Pundaquit in the province of Zambales offers a different landscape from the usual coconuts found in a tropical island. It has big boulders and desert-like scenery that is sure to amaze anyone. It is unlike any other island I have been to.

 

 

 

 (Photo: Capones Island, Zambales, 2009)

Hiking at Shenandoah National Park

The Shenandoah National Park is sprawled over eight Virginia counties. A large chunk of its 105 mile stretch also covers the Appalachian Trail.  Hence, there are over 500 miles (800 km) of trails within the park. One of the easier trails is the Whiteoak Canyon Trail in Albemarle County. It is 2.65 miles (4.26 km) of alternating flat and steep hike over smooth and rocky terrain.

 

 

 

There are six waterfalls along the trail.  The first waterfall is a welcome sight to hikers after the first mile. This is the first of the three Lower Whiteoak Falls and is the tallest of the six standing tall at 86 feet.

 

 

 

Just a few minutes from the first waterfall is the second Lower Whiteoak Fall. It is much smaller in comparison but creates a mini slide for the hikers.

 

 

Along the way, the scenery does not fail to disappoint. Wooden bridge, smooth and rough boulders, small ponds, interesting cliffs, and the Blue Ridge Mountain are just some of the views that you can see along the trail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We only completed approximately 2 miles before we called it a day. We didn't know that it was barely a mile more to the sixth falls. Had we known, it might have encouraged us to go on with the hike some more. Or not. Some enjoyed the hike more than the others. For a pack that consisted of one who is afraid of heights and another who was not into hiking, it was a great hike and a refreshing experience nonetheless. Another one for the books.

 

 

 

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenandoah_National_Park
http://backpacking-trips.suite101.com/article.cfm/day-hiking-at-whiteoak-canyon-shenandoah-national-park-va-usa

 

Photo Wednesday: Island Dogs

 

These dogs, their young, and their masters were the only ones living in the island. They looked so adorable wading in the clear waters of the sea while their young looked on from the shore. This was the scene that bid us farewell as we left the island of Antonia in Carles in the province of Iloilo.

 

(Photo: Antonia Island, Carles, Iloilo, 2010)