Great Falls Park from Eleanor Mahoney on Vimeo.

In the weeks following the massive snowmageddon this winter, I was eager to get to Great Falls Park along the Virginia side of the Potomac River in Fairfax County. This extraordinary place is worth a visit (actually multiple visits!) as the landscape constantly changes, depending on the season and the precipitation. As the snow melt began, the falls grew in intensity, demonstrating nature’s power. It was quite a scene!  The National Park Service and all the other land managers and owners along the river did a great job handling the aftermath of our blizzards.

I was lucky enough to meet Park Ranger Aaron Larocca, who gave me a tour and offered up a little bit of the site’s history in the clip above.  At the park, the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it falls over a series of steep, jagged rocks and flows through the narrow Mather Gorge. The Patowmack Canal (George Washington’s idea) offers a glimpse into the early story of this country. Great Falls Park has many opportunities to explore history and nature and its only 15 miles from downtown DC. So check it out! And, if you want to make a day of it, be sure to visit Scott’s Run Preserve (right off 495 at 193) and Riverbend Park, adjacent to Great Falls Park.  Both are managed by Fairfax County Park Authority and offer fabulous views of the Potomac gorge along with great hiking.

Gateway Glances is an occasional travelogue series written by Eleanor Mahoney

 

I have to admit, I was a little nervous. This was my first trip across the infamous Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Situated at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, the enginneering marvel links Southeastern Virginia to the Delmarva Peninsula – my ultimate destination. Stretching some 17.6 miles from shore to shore, the span includes two 1-mile tunnels, two bridges, almost 2 miles of causeway and four man made islands! Impressive, yes. Scary, for sure! Worth the trip, definitely!

Once safely across the tunnel, I started a 2-day trip that would include visits to four designated Chesapeake Bay Gateways – Eastern Shore National Wildlife Refuge, Kiptopeke State Park, Cape Charles Historic District and Onancock Historic District and Town Wharf.

First stop was the Refuge visitor center, which features lovely panoramic views of a freshwater pond often frequented by waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds. Free binoculars and spotting scopes are available to see everything upclose and personal!  The visitor center is also full of exhibits on local heritage and environmental conservation, definite must-sees. 

Next I strolled the grounds and got to see the remains of huge World War II era concrete bunkers! You would not believe these things. Very eerie, yet interesting as well. Many thanks to refuge staff Alan Stanz and Jennifer Lewis for taking me on a great tour.

From the Refuge, next stop was Kiptopeke State Park, just about 5 minutes away. Kiptopeke means “big water” in the Accomac language and definitely lives up to the name.  Wonderful views!  The park provided me a bed for the night, in very neat lodges.  The accomodations were fabulous – large airy rooms, a fireplace, big kitchen and room for more than 10 people. Definitely worth considering if you are planning a trip with a big group of friends.  

The park offers visitors a host of fun things to do. Boating, fishing, swimming and bird watching (esp. hawks)  to name a few. There is an active birding community in the region and you can even watch folks banding migratory birds if you are lucky!

Cape Charles Historic District was the next on the agenda. What a wonderful downtown! A huge number of Sears Kit houses painted lovely colors and many shops and places to get a cup of coffee. Plus, great views of the water. I stopped at the local artists co-op and browsed through pottery, fine woodworking, jewelry and paintings.

Onancock Historic District and Town Wharf, further north along the peninsula was my final stop. Chartered as a town in the 1600’s, this charming village has a lot to offer in a space that is totally walkable (or paddle-able! Definitely bring a kayak or go out with an outfitter).  What a great reason to get out of your car! I enjoyed doughnuts at the wonderful Corner Bakery (TRULY HEAVEN!), a visit to historic Cokesbury United Methodist Church, a stop at Tangier Island Native Willie Crocketts’ studio and a quick tour of Ker Place,  a c. 1800 federal style house museum and headquarters of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society. I also got in a little shopping at Garden Art and Gallery Onancock, only a couple of the wonderful local shops and galleries in town. 

Check out this quick video of Ker Place Executive Director Peter Holland to learn more.

Gateways Glances – Historic Ker Place in Onancock, Virginia from Eleanor Mahoney on Vimeo.

Thanks to Richard Pearsall for his hospitality in showing me around Onancock - “foggy place” in Algonquin. 

Gateway Glances is an occasional travelogue series written by Eleanor Mahoney

 

Want to share your ideas on Chesapeake Bay restoration or comment on what the federal government has proposed? A series of public forums will be held throughout December on the recently released draft strategy for restoring the Chesapeake Bay, a document required by a Presidential Executive Order issued in May 2009. 

The public forums will feature officials from multiple federal agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture , U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Public feedback is important and valuable to the federal agencies. Comments may be submitted online at http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net by clicking on “provide comments.” The public comment period runs through January 8, 2010.

The public can also submit questions about the draft strategy by recording a 30-second or less video and uploading it to YouTube with a tag of “chesapeakebayeo.”  A selection of these video questions will be used at the public forums and for an online question-and-answer session with federal officials in January.  People can also join conversations about the draft strategy on Facebook by visiting the Chesapeake Bay Executive Order page and clicking on discussions. Additionally, updates on Executive Order news are available through Twitter by following @chesapeakebayeo.

Public Forum Schedule

District of Columbia : Tuesday, December 1 – 7:00-8:30 pm

Penn Quarter Conference Center , 701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW , Washington , D.C. 20004

Maryland : Wednesday, December 2 – 7:00-8:30 pm

National Aquarium in Baltimore (Auditorium), 501 E. Pratt Street , Baltimore , MD 21202

Delmarva Peninsula : Thursday, December 3 – 7:00-8:30 pm

Wicomico County Civic Center (Midway Room), 500 Glen Avenue , Salisbury , MD 21804

West Virginia : Tuesday, December 8 – 7:00-8:30 pm

Holiday Inn Martinsburg, 301 Foxcroft Avenue , Martinsburg , WV 25401

New York : Thursday, December 10 – 7:00-8:30 pm

Holiday Inn Binghamton-Downtown Hotel, 2-8 Hawley Street , Binghamton , NY 13901

Pennsylvania : Tuesday, December 15 – 7:00-8:30 pm

Farm Show Complex & Event Center (Banquet Hall), 2301 North Cameron Street , Harrisburg , PA 17110

Virginia : Thursday, December 17 – 7:00-8:30 pm

Nauticus National Maritime Center (Auditorium), One Waterside Drive , Norfolk , VA 23510

 

On November 9th, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a series of draft reports aimed at setting a new course for restoration of the nation’s largest estuary.  Interested in reading the report or on providing comments? Visit http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net/ 

“President Obama has declared that the Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and committed to a robust cleanup effort. Setting two-year benchmarks for progress will ensure that our actions are getting the results the President and the public expect,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This is the broadest and most publicly accountable cleanup effort ever seen on the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. It’s time for a new era of decisive federal leadership, and new partnerships with state government, nonprofits, the private sector and residents who have all been working to create a cleaner Bay.”

The public has 60 days to comment, till Jan. 10, 2010.

 

Working in conjunction with Friends of the Chemung River Watershed, the Upper Susquehanna Coalition will install 3-foot-wide by 1-foot-high aluminum signs on 45 bridges along eight rivers in the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed. The black-and-white signs will display the name of the municipality, route number over the bridge, and distance to the Chesapeake Bay.

Nine of the signs will be installed on bridges spanning the 45-mile-long Chemung River. The signs will also be placed on bridges over the Conhocton, Canisteo and Susquehanna rivers in the Twin Tiers. The $12,000 project was spearheaded by the Upper Susquehanna Coalition and paid for with a Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Grant.