While walking one day in early April with the Camino group, someone told me that Riverbend Park was a great place to walk because of the bluebells in bloom. Riverbend is a Fairfax County Park that sits beside the Potomac River upstream from Great Falls. On this beautiful spring day, we walked through the bluebells downriver to Great Falls and beyond, giving me a 5.38 mile hike.

bluebells along the Potomac

path through the bluebells

bluebells

bluebells

trees along the river
Across the river, we saw some eagle nests. I wish we’d had binoculars.

eagle’s nest along the Potomac River
Honey locusts, native to Virginia, have multi-textured bark.
We continued on toward Great Falls, where we stopped at the overlook.

leaning tree

daffodils

Great Falls

trees along the path

trees

fungi

some erupting buds
*April 8, 2018*
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On Sundays, I plan to post various walks that I took on our Four Corners trip as well as hikes I take locally while training for the Camino de Santiago; I may also post on other unrelated subjects. I will use these posts to participate in Jo’s Monday Walks or any other challenges that catch my fancy.
This post is in response to Jo’s Monday Walk: THAT BRIDGE, AND BEYOND.
A sweep of bluebells always fills me with joy, Cathy, and I have never seen them in such a setting. The Honey Locusts are beautifully textured and I love your leaning tree shot. 🙂 🙂 Walking groups are great places for sharing knowledge, aren’t they? Thanks, and happy Sunday, darlin!
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Thanks, Jo. This was such a beautiful day and the sky was so blue, I just had to post pictures of this walk. Happy Sunday to you too! xx
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It’s great! Thanks. We’re up the coast at the seaside and it’s lovely x
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Have fun! 🙂
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So different from recent posts. A lovely walk with plenty to catch the eye. The bark of the honey locust is a special favourite, as is the armchair tree bole (if that’s what it is.)
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Thanks, Meg. The East Coast and the American southwest are two different worlds, that’s for sure. It’s all green and lush here in the east, while the southwest is dry and arid, and often deserted. 🙂
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We had 32 degrees Celsius in Portugal last year in early October, people said this is unusual hot but even in Germany, Austria, England or /Skandinaviae we have experienced a real heat since Mid of April leading to a real drought just now. Difficult to plan excursions under such crazy climate conditions. I expect high temperatures for August when I will be in the mountains of Bavaria and Eastern-Tyrole (there 38 degree Celsius in July 2013 during our last visit). So don’t forget a lot of sunprotective items for the Caminho.
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Wow, that sounds miserably hot for early October, Ulli. I bet you’re looking forward to being in Bavaria and Eastern-Tyrole, but I hope the weather will be cooler this time. I’ll certainly have to bring sunscreen for the Camino. 🙂
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We are prepared for all kinds of weather, no problem, when it is too hot we either go to a lake or just at higher attitude > 2,000 m = summerfreshness. We do this normally each year in the Alps whereever (Slovenia, Austria, Germany or Italy). It is usually always nice, there is no bad weather, just wrong clothing.
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The lake and higher altitudes sound like just the cooling relief you will need! Enjoy! 🙂
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Wow, what a beautiful place. I like your walks so I’m glad you will be posting more of them.
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Thanks so much, Richard. I have to put a lot of miles in to train for the Camino in September, so I’ve been doing a lot of walking. 🙂
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Those bluebells are such a vibrant sky blue, I love them and I have never heard of or seen a honey locust tree, but what gorgeous textured bark it has. So much to see on this walk Cathy, I loved it
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It was such a lovely day walking through the bluebells and along the Potomac under that blue-sky day, Pauline. Thanks so much! 🙂
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What a relaxing walk that looks and your photographs illustrate it so well. I love the bluebells, they are among the spring flowers that carpet our nearby woods and that make walking through them – the woods I mean – such a pleasure. That is when weather permits, as it didn’t much this last winter. I’ve never heard of a honey locust before, what amazing bark. It’s a beautiful Sunday here and I’m feeling guilty being indoors even though it’s midday and one shouldn’t be out in it. Maybe it’s being on the computer that’s causing the guilt? In which case I’ll quit!
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Thanks so much, Mari. I loved our walk this day; it’s not often we get such beautiful days – humidity-free with such blue skies – here in Virginia. The bluebells really brightened my day. It’s going to be a hot and humid day here today, so I don’t think I will let myself feel guilty for staying in. Yesterday I walked nearly 5 miles carrying an 11-lb backpack (to prepare for the Camino) and I was so exhausted, I was useless the rest of the day. Today, I’d actually like to get some things done, so I’ll probably stay in all day. Happy Sunday!
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The bluebells are glorious. I’ve only ever seen them once, in a garden in the Blue Mountains. What an enjoyable walk this is, with all the signs of spring around you.
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It was such a lovely hike, Carol. Too bad we don’t have more days like this. Today, for example, is quite hot and humid, so I don’t plan on going out, even though I should probably make myself walk 5-6 miles! Hope you’re enjoying your trip. Did I see you’re now in Toronto? When will you go to Niagara Falls?
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Yes, in Toronto and it is very hot and humid here too. We’re still walking though. 🙂 Niagara is Thursday.
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Exciting! I hope you enjoy, despite the heat and humidity. I think Toronto has similar weather to ours generally, and it looks like the latter part of the week should be a tad bit cooler. 🙂
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What a beautiful walk. I love to see bluebells.
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Thanks, Anabel. It was a special treat for us. 🙂
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Thank you for sharing the walk! Beautiful captures. 🙂
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Thank you, Amy. 🙂
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A fantastic photo essay of a stunning place!
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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Wow, quite a beautiful day
Filled with nature’s bounty! Not sure I’ve ever actually seen a bluebell in
The wild. Wonderful!
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Thanks, Tina. I’ve lived about 20 minutes from Riverbend for most of the last 30 years, and I never knew about the bluebells! 🙂
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[…] Riverbend to Great Falls : the Bluebell Path […]
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Oh I like the honey locust bark, it looks like waves or folds in fabric. Your bluebells are different to ours, but daffs are daffs! And Our Lady of the Woods is shining beautifully before she puts her gown on.Thanks for the lovely stroll.
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I love that bark too – so textured and multi-layered. Isn’t it strange that your bluebells are different than ours? It seems they should have different names if they’re so different. Thanks for coming along, Gilly. I should go out again soon to walk there. It’s an easy and flat 5 miles and there are nice views along the way. Plus, it’s only about 25 minutes from home. 🙂
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I had to look up your bluebells too as they are very different to the English or Spanish type. I see they are Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) a native wildflower in eastern USA and belong to the Borage family. Such a pretty blue colour. As Gilly points out your daffodils are the same! This looks like a lovely area to walk in. Beautiful photos Cathy, I enjoyed the spring walk with you in the summer heat 🙂
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Good for you, Jude, for looking up and knowing your flowers. You certainly found more about them than I know. It was a nice spring walk, one of my nicer ones, as it seems we had lots of rain all spring. Thanks for coming along. It was a nice break from all my dry arid photos from out west, which I also loved, but so different! 🙂
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Wonderful!!!!!!!!!
The Bluebell by Emily Brontë
The Bluebell is the sweetest flower
That waves in summer air:
Its blossoms have the mightiest power
To soothe my spirit’s care……
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Thank you! I love the poem by Emily Bronte! 🙂
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I am glad that you enjoy it!! Hace a nice day!!!
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