Getting to know Virginia – Westmoreland Park

We are experiencing unseasonably pleasant weather for late August, so I took a trip to Westmoreland Park yesterday, located in Montross, VA, about an hour and a half northeast of Richmond. It is on the Potomac River and separates VA from Maryland.

I want to go back after school starts, on a weekday, when its less crowded and hunt for stuff. I didn’t make it to the other side of the park this time, but they have a beach called “Fossil Beach” where combers have found ancient shark teeth (hence why I have to go back)!!

I did find some sea glass though (again, I need to go back)!

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The drive is mostly through farmland, but there are some antique stores and restaurants that look intriguing.

The drive into the park is heavily wooded and would probably look really pretty in the fall.

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When you enter the park, you are up on the cliffs overlooking the river. It is so expansive, it almost looks like an ocean.

 

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The land on the other side is Maryland – about seven miles away.

The park itself is very well maintained with lots of picnic benches, a pool, and a “snack shack.”

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Unfortunately there are jellyfish in the water. But after a quick search, I believe these are moon jellyfish and the stings are minor.

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A fish carcass.

I think this is an osprey.

The park also has cabins throughout the park that you can rent.

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All in all, it was a lovely day, with a lovely drive, and a destination I definitely will return to!

The Great (Richmond) Eclipse of 2017

As much as I wanted to see The Great American Eclipse from a city that would experience totality, I live a little too far away from the closest city, so I had to settle for our 88% of coverage.

Thanks to Mom, who is ALWAYS thinking of me, she ordered a solar lens for my camera months ago before all of the hype was…hyped!

I came down with a cold this weekend and stayed home from work, but I wasn’t sick enough to not throw on some flip flops and walk outside every 15 minutes to snap photos of the journey.

My camera records the time of day with each photo, but unfortunately the time was about 30 minutes off, so the times are my best recollection of the time I took them.

1:10pm just before the start!

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1:15pm

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1:45pm

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Same time, with some foliage for perspective

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2:00pm

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2:15pm

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2:40pm (roughly during the fullest coverage we received)

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3:00pm

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3:30pm

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4:00pm

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Richmond didn’t get to see the ring around the sun, or experience the sunset at two in the afternoon, but I did feel a significant drop in temperature (more like humidity). I also noticed a drop in ambient light in the living room, but not when I was outside, which I found interesting.

It looks like the next total solar eclipse in the US will be April 8, 2024. Never to early to start planning a trip!