One of my favorite things about the Northern Virginia home I live in is its location along the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail, which connects one end of Fairfax County to the other with a series of connecting paths that cover over 40 miles of woodland.
I spend a lot of time on the trail but mainly within a few miles of home while I’m walking my dog.
Wednesday was a game changer when I laced on a pair of old hiking boots and set out with my husband and a friend to walk from our home up to the spectacular Great Falls on the Potomac River, which is 15 miles from where we started our trek.
Although we joked about it not being about the journey at all, and all about getting there to say we had done it, the truth of the matter is that the journey was magnificent. Around every curve was a new landscape and a new challenge and each mile held new discoveries.
Although a lot of people abhor graffiti, I was particularly delighted to find this on an underpass along the way. Art doesn’t need to framed and hung in a gallery to be legitimate. I’m a believer of the raw power of an artist with a can of spray paint working in the dark of night, so this stretch of hyper color after miles of continuous green and mud and water, was a welcome break for my eyes, in spite of and probably because of it’s incongruity.
Since it was National Selfie Day, this next shot was obligatory.
I’ve been wearing a Fitbit for a lot of years and several times have topped 30,000 steps in a day but this was the first time I’ve topped 40,000. Perhaps next time we’ll add a few more miles and a few more curves in the trail and see if a 5 pops up in front of those zeros!
pauses&clicks 
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Lovely collection of photos https://southamptonoldlady.wordpress.com
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Thanks for visiting my blog! Looking forward to seeing more of your images. The world is full of news from your side of the pond this morning. It was good to read your opinion on Brexit and the comments that followed.
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You have a lovely blog. Just posted another short post on Brexit – it feels like a hangover today!
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What a lovely journey you took us on this morning. I’m learning more about you all the time. Had no idea you were such an athlete! Hope you hit the 5 soon. Photos lovely! Thanks.
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Not expecting to hit that 5 mark anytime soon! I’m certainly not an athlete but I do love to walk and hike….used to be a long distance runner but as I’ve gotten older walking is much easier on my joints. Other sports? Not so much! Never had any eye-hand coordination.
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Hey I consider moving to a new house a “sport”. Having done so 7 times in my first 3 years of marriage, I am in awe of your history!
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I love that! I could compete in the moving olympics for sure!
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WOW 15 miles!? What a walk. This looks like a great way to spend the day. I’ve become fond of this type of graffiti lately, mainly street art styles.
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If you ever find yourself in Rapid City, SD go downtown and find Art Alley! It’s a sanctioned alley for graffiti artists and it’s amazing. The best aspect is that it’s a completely different space every time I’m there!
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You were well rewarded for breaking your routine. I’m sure you will have many more adventures to come.
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