Virginia – Page 15 – Roadkill Crossing

Photographing a Dream

Old Engine 611 blew its whistle as it passed below us.

As a young child, I loved trains. I remember running outside seven decades ago to watch the steam locomotives roar past my grandfather’s home.

The combination of the thick black smoke boiling out of the engine’s stack, the pure white steam issuing like little clouds at each tug of the train’s whistle, and the chug, chug, chug of the wheels that drive the train onward thrilled me.

When I had a chance to relive that experience recently, I couldn’t pass it up. Our son and daughter and their spouses and children gave us a gift certificate for our anniversary to ride on an excursion train. A diesel engine pulled this one, however.

As it happened, a famous steam locomotive, “Old 611,” “Spirit of Roanoke,” or the “Queen of Steam,” was pulling another excursion the same day as our ride through Virginia’s lovely Shenandoah Valley, where we live.

The timing was perfect. After returning to the station, we could drive to the beautiful countryside and watch the 611 power along the tracks below a highway overpass. We had checked out the location beforehand to ensure we could see the train and still be out of the way of traffic.

We need not worry about the traffic. The seldom-used country road afforded a great view of the train and the mountains beyond.

So, after our relaxing ride with a delicious lunch from a local restaurant, we drove west 20 minutes to our selected spot. A couple of other train enthusiasts were already there. They knew as we did that many train chasers would arrive and crowd in to photograph the train, too.

Why all the excitement about a steam engine? The 611 is the only remaining member of Norfolk and Western’s class J-4-8-4 streamlined steam locomotives. Having been built in May 1950, it is one of the last mainline passenger steam locomotives fabricated in the U.S. Rail fans consider the 611 the climax of steam locomotive technology. Diesel engines soon replaced this gem of an engine.

We chatted with these gregarious men, one from Pennsylvania, the other from Tennessee. They taught my wife and me a great deal about the train we were waiting on. Just as expected, others soon joined us.

First, we had unexpected treats. An eastbound Amtrak Cardinal train zoomed by, followed by a westbound one an hour later. They were opening acts for the main event, the 611.

We could hear the shrill whistle of the steam engine as it crossed roadways far in the distance. It was time for the show. We all got ready to be thrilled.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them.

Soon, the train neared our chosen spot. My wife started the video on my phone, and I aimed my camera to capture stills of this icon steaming by. The day had warmed into the 60s, but I still had goosebumps. I felt like a kid again.

The train roared along beneath us as I snapped photo after photo. In less than a minute, my throwback to childhood had ended.

Still, it was a dream come true. The memories from yesterday and yesteryear remain fresh in my soul.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of Old 611.

Autumn’s Amazing Colors – The Last

Brilliant Sugar Maples in the Park View neighborhood of Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Following my day in Shenandoah National Park, my wife and I headed south to Augusta County. We had more than colorful leaves on our agenda.

The “Queen of Steam,” Norfolk & Western Railroad’s Old 611 steam engine was running excursions twice a day from Goshen, Virginia, to Staunton, Virginia. Friends had pointed out a perfect place to observe the 611 heading east to Staunton.

So, Neva and I were up early to get a good spot at the bridge over the Buckingham Branch tracks at Swoope, Virginia. I wasn’t familiar with the area, so I wanted to scout different locations, too.

It was another beautiful day in the Shenandoah Valley. Cool temperatures in the morning, but a promised warming into the 60s by afternoon. The drive down to Swoope was nothing less than gorgeous.

Our spot on the bridge where we would have seen the 611 engine pulling the excursion train.

We arrived in Swoope at 8:30, and the train wasn’t scheduled to leave Goshen until 9:30. We didn’t know how long it would take the special train to arrive at our location. Besides a few walkers and joggers, we were the only people around.

Confident that our spots on the bridge wouldn’t be taken, we drove around the lovely valley dotted with rolling hills, pristine cattle farms, and gorgeous trees. The mixed hardwoods on Little North Mountain and the North Mountain beyond it were at peak color.

I took several shots of trees and farms and returned to the bridge. Soon, other rail fans arrived, and the chatter began. We listened for the train whistle to echo through the valleys. All was still.

Finally, a guy arrived who had information about the 611. It was listed as “static” at Goshen, meaning the engine wasn’t moving. A mechanical problem prevented 611 from running that day. The excursion would be pulled by diesel engines.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them.

My wife and I decided to return home. The morning had already brought much beauty into our lives. We had enjoyed the colorful trees, the well-maintained farms, and the congeniality of strangers.

The next few days, I continued my quest to photograph the beauty around Harrisonburg before the weather changed and brought the leaves down. I am happy to share them with you.

Our backyard when we arrived home from Augusta Co.

Autumn’s Amazing Colors – Part 3

Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park was my next destination for leaf peeping. I had seen photos from the park on social media, so I knew the colors were peaking.

The day was promising, with bright sunshine and only a few clouds. I was anxious to get to Shenandoah National Park before the crowds arrived. I entered at the Swift Run Gap station and headed north to the central part of the park. After only minutes on Skyline Drive, I found a beautiful scene, shown above. The sun was just reaching over the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains, backlighting the treetops.

I stopped at three west-facing overlooks for some more photos. The colors were nice, but I saw a bank of clouds sailing over the Shenandoah Valley toward the park. I hoped they would dissipate.

I pushed on, stopping at other pull-outs before parking at Big Meadows to photograph the deep ambers, browns, and russets of the foliage that fills the bowl-shaped meadow. The clouds arrived, unfortunately, but the colors still seemed vibrant without the sun’s assistance.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them.

I stopped at Franklin Cliffs overlook to enjoy the view and eat a light lunch while perched atop the sheer cliff. A Common Raven called and sailed back and forth on the air currents only yards in front of me. Why is it that common snacks taste even better while you are enjoying nature’s many gifts?

I continued driving north, pulling into one overlook after the other. I also walked a few trails, looking for more intimate shots. The sumac and blueberry leaves were aflame, the sassafras deep golden, and the raspberry leaves variegated red and green. Late-blooming wildflowers somehow grew among them. Even the grasses joined in the color carnival.

At the Old Rag overlook, the landscape looked more like a painting than reality, even with gray skies. I could have stayed there the rest of the day. But I pushed on, driving through yellow tunnels of hickory and tulip poplar trees.

Groups of Sumac grace Skyline Drive like crimson guardrails. Vivid golden streaks ran down the tips of mountain ridges as if someone had painted yellow stripes.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them.

As I neared my exit point of Thornton Gap station, I got my first look at the wildfire lapping the park’s eastern edge. Firefighters from several agencies were working to contain the flames. Smoke trailed north, filling the runs and hollows below. As of this writing, the fire had burned 1,900 acres, including several hundred inside park boundaries.

By now, I had spent nearly six hours in the park. The overlooks were overflowing with global visitors. It was time to head home.

I made one detour to Storybook Trail on Massenutten Mountain at New Market Gap. I wanted to capture the mountainside, the valley, and the Blue Ridge Mountains all in one color photo.

I arrived home in time for supper, and then it was off to a women’s volleyball game at Eastern Mennonite University. It was a good way to unwind from an invigorating day in Shenandoah National Park.

From Massanutten Mountain looking east toward Shenandoah National Park.

Autumn’s Amazing Colors – Part 2

The Dry River in western Rockingham County, Virginia.

My quest to capture fall’s unique colors continued. The weather was incredible for taking photos. The blue skies, unseasonably warm temperatures, and the desire to get outside and enjoy creation spurred me on. Plus, my wife was more than happy for the time to spruce up the house with me out of the way.

I originally had planned to go to Shenandoah National Park at the eastern end of Rockingham County, Virginia’s second largest in square miles. Instead, Shenandoah Mountain on the western edge of the county called my name.

Sugar maples at Pleasant View Old Order Mennonite Church.

I first returned to the Old Order Mennonite Church to capture more photos of the radiant sugar maples in the morning light. They had a funeral the previous day, and out of respect, I didn’t want to interfere, so I only took a few photos.

I wound my way towards the Allegheny Mountains, first stopping at Riven Rock Park, maintained by Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation, even though it is 13 miles west of the Friendly City. Despite the buzzing insects, it was the right decision.

Because the area has been in a moderate to severe drought for weeks, the Dry River was indeed nearly dry. The rising sun sparkled what water was there and drew a light fog from the forest. A few lucky leaves bathed in the sun’s rays in the narrow gap between the steep foothills.

I snapped a few photos and continued through the tunnel of trees of the George Washington National Forest. In a couple of miles, U.S. Route 33 instantly transforms from an arrow-straight highway to a zigzagging assembly of switchbacks for four miles to the peak of Shenandoah Mountain.

I noted several photo opportunities on the way to the mountaintop, as the state line between Virginia and West Virginia. I watched for places to pull off the winding, narrow roadway, too.

Within a quarter mile of my turn-around destination, traffic stopped. West Virginia Department of Transportation was doing some roadwork. Experience told me that it would be a while sitting in the line of vehicles since WVDOT uses a “Follow Me” pilot vehicle in construction zones. That is especially true in the mountains. It’s all for safety’s sake.

Once the line began moving, I pulled into the parking lot for Hightop Mountain Trail, which runs south along the state line to an old fire tower. Once all the cars behind me were gone, I headed back down the mountain. The look on the flagger’s face said, “Where in the heck do you come from?” I just smiled and waved until I reached my first safe pull-out.

I stopped several times, all the while being mindful of traffic from both directions. I often take photos with vehicles in the roadway for perspective and depth.

The next day, I chose to return to the Park View neighborhood of Harrisonburg and continue photographing the many beautiful trees there. I knew it would only be a matter of time before the trees would all be bare.

The sugar maples and the ginkgo trees complement one another.

Autumn’s Amazing Colors

The colors of Massanutten Mountain, Massanutten, Virginia. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh.

With our travels to Greece and Rome during the first two weeks of October, I thought we might miss autumn’s peak colors. I need not have worried.

My wife and I could readily see on our drive home from Dulles International Airport to our home near Harrisonburg, Virginia, that most trees still held their leaves, which were only now turning their true colors. I was glad we hadn’t missed the peak.

As we exited the Interstate highway at New Market, Virginia, a red maple caught my eye. I stopped to photograph the striking tree that stood center stage on a private school campus. It wouldn’t be my last photograph of the annual changing of the leaves.

I feared that with the ongoing drought, the leaves would be dull and simply fall off out of sheer fatigue. Strangely enough, this has been the most colorful fall yet of the seven autumns we have resided in Virginia’s lovely Shenandoah Valley. In fact, several valley natives told me that this has been the most colorful fall in years.

I delved into why that was. I discovered that the weather indeed influences the intensity of leaf colors. The combination of sunny, warm days and cool (but not freezing) dark nights help create the brilliant colors we have experienced here in the valley. From photos posted by friends on social media, I know the fall colors have been equally vivid in other locales.

Ironically, I found many of the brightest and most colorful trees in and around the neighborhoods of Harrisonburg. The colors of the trees and shrubs of both the Allegheny and the Blue Ridge Mountains appeared more uniform and consistent in color. Perhaps the lower valley elevations had more extreme temperature differences between the days and nights.

Here, then, are a few of my favorite tree photos I’ve taken between October 17 and October 24. Photos from Shenandoah National Park and Augusta County will follow in a subsequent post.

October 17

A sugar maple in Harrisonburg.
A sugar maple in my neighborhood.
An Old Order Mennonite school.
Even the soybean fields join the colorful riot.

October 18 – 21

October 23

October 24

September’s Super Harvest Moon

September’s Super Full Moon watched while the band played on.

My wife and I had a triple treat last evening. We went to a football game to watch our grandson and granddaughter march in the marching band at their homecoming football game.

Besides playing the mellophone, Davis is also the assistant drum major for the band. Maren is an eighth grader and was invited along with 59 other eighth graders to play with the high school band.

Those were the evening’s first two treasures.

The third put the icing on the cake. We watched September’s Super Harvest Moon slink over the Massennutten Mountain and into a broken cloud deck. The moon played peek-a-boo with us for several minutes until it finally broke through to the higher, clear skies.

It was an enjoyable evening all around.

Summer’s Last Sunset

Silhouetted trees at sunset. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh

The Autumnal Equinox was a week ago for those living in the Northern Hemisphere. I was fortunate to catch the summer’s last sunset as I stepped out the front door of our daughter’s house in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

It had been cloudy all day, so the illuminated western sky was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t have my camera along, so all these photos were captured by my iPhone 14 mini.

When my wife and I reached an open spot on a hill behind Eastern Mennonite University, the sunset was reaching its peak. I snapped my way to the space that provided an unobstructed view of the Allegheny Mountains 30 miles away.

I was amazed at the various colors that summer’s final sunset produced. The blues and pinks hung high in the evening sky. Closer to the horizon, the warmer colors dominated.

It was a pretty punctuation mark on a summer that brought tornadoes, flooding, drought, wildfires, and days on end of gray skies here in the usually picturesque Shenandoah Valley.

Mole Hill is in the foreground left and the Allegheny Mountains are beyond.

Hot Air Balloon Surprise

One of a pair of hot air balloons that landed in our neighborhood. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh.

My wife and I had just returned from an overnight trip to Lansdale, Pennsylvania, visiting friends. We were tired from driving and had settled in for the evening to watch our favorite baseball team, the Cleveland Guardians. Then, our neighbor Jonathan came over to tell us two hot air balloons were sailing south of our home.

I went out the back door and photographed the balloons high in the sky. However, it didn’t take long to realize that the balloons were quickly descending. There wasn’t much wind, which isn’t unusual around sunset, so I wasn’t sure where they would land. We soon found out.

When I first sighted the hot air balloons.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them.

Both balloons began sinking toward our house. They briefly went out of sight but silently reappeared over other neighbors’ homes. Thinking they were aiming for our local park, Neva and I jumped in the car and headed there. I drove carefully as children raced on bicycles and people ran from their homes to watch the balloons land.

I initially drove into the park, but the first balloon was already on the ground, swarmed by curious folks, young and old. It was then I heard the second balloon fire its gas burner. I looked up, and it was between two houses, still heading north. It had overshot the park. We got in the car and drove to find where this balloon would set down.

When we found it, the skillful pilot had already gingerly landed it on a narrow street in our suburban housing development. With a tree on each side of the road, it had been a tight landing. The pilot kept opening the gas valve burner briefly to create more heat to keep the balloon’s envelope from collapsing into one of the trees. He kept firing the burner until the ground team arrived with the trailer to haul the balloons and their baskets back home.

As much as I enjoy baseball, I will take this unexpected and extraordinary entertainment any day.

The first balloon landed safely in the community park at sunset. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh.

It’s a Subaru Thing

This is not a commercial.

In recent years, I have noticed many Subaru vehicles plastered with stickers of all kinds, mostly on their back windows. Some of the decals promote conservation, some politics, and some are head-scratchers.

I figured I would document my observations when I came upon this one.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them.

What do you think? Have you seen Subarus covered with multiple decals like these? And for full disclosure, my Forester only has two such stickers. And yes, they are on the rear window.

To the Clouds

Please click on the photo to enlarge it.

The windrows of the fresh-cut alfalfa and the dark green rows of cornstalks seem to reach to the sky, thanks to the rolling field’s topography. In actuality, the fluffy cumulous clouds rolled over the Blue Ridge Mountains 40 miles east of Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Those are the raw details. The scene’s stark beauty speaks for itself.