Lincoln Memorial at Dawn

The Lincoln Memorial is in Washington DC. It sits at the western end of the capitol mall. I've passed it hundreds of times on the way to/from business in DC. It's a cool spot to visit because it's an impressive building with an impressive statue and it's right next to the Korean War Memorial and Vietnam War Memorial. It's like a 3-for-1 in a single trip.

Lincoln Memorial

I haven't tried to photograph it much. There's always a crowd and I don't like a lot of people in my photos. I've lived nearby for a long time; I've had lots of time to photograph the monuments; I'm just not interested. There are millions of photos taken of them all the time. There's nothing new.

Well, actually there is something new. I admire the work of David Coleman (https://cherryblossomwatch.com/photography-tips/) and Pete Souza (https://www.petesouza.com/). Both of them have photos online that show the Lincoln statue in beautiful dawn sunlight. The sun lights the statue this way only around the equinoxes, that is, for a few days before/after the first day of Spring and Fall. And you need perfect weather conditions: no clouds in the east at dawn. The memorial is oriented with the opening to the chamber facing east, and the pillars usually cast shadows on the statue. But this time of year there's an unobstructed shaft of light shining right on Lincoln at dawn.

We're in a long string of no rain and few clouds. Perfect weather. It's the equinox. Perfect timing. I went to the Lincoln Memorial at dawn. I set up by the reflecting pool and shot toward the statue. Too many people in the way.

Then I went into the chamber and started shooting. It's so large that it's hard to get a flattering shot of the whole statue from that close, so I went for tight head shots.

My favorite is this silhouette showing the face in profile, illuminated by the golden light, with the dark unlit chamber wall as a background.

Quiet at the Refuge

My last two trips to the refuge have been pretty uneventful. I've seen a few deer and eagles but nothing I could get a good clear shot at. The ospreys are still there; I expect they'll be gone pretty soon. I wouldn't even bother with a blog post, except I got a lifer.

Common Yellowthroat

Not a lifer, this osprey stared at me as I walked below him/her. I always like those big yellow eyes.

Osprey

It was a pretty unrewarding trip, probably because of the time of year and the fact that there were lots of people in the refuge even at the early  morning time that I went. At least I got some exercise.

W&OD Trail

Normally I write this blog only about photography. But today I did something I've wanted to do for a long time and I want to write about it.

After several years of letting my bike gather dust, I decided to start riding again. I took a look at my old bike and decided that it was time to start over.

I did some research, asked some friends who ride, and settled on a model and bought it. Then I started the long slog to get into riding shape. Those first few rides were pretty short. After a month or so, I started exploring routes and settled on a regular 22 mile route from my home to a park at the mouth of the Occoquan River. Eleven miles out, same route back. And there's a big climb (big for me anyway) out of the park so I was getting some lung burning workouts. More importantly, I was getting into shape. I'm never going to be fast or ride for dozens of miles at a time, but I'm reaching my goal of exercising more.

It's Labor Day weekend; I decided it's time to do the long ride that I've wanted to do for a while. I put my bike in the car and drove to Purcellville. My wife drove away, leaving me there at the trail head for the W&OD trail. Because I started at dawn, I mostly had the trail to myself and even startled a family of deer. The miles flew by, probably at least partially because the trail descends from 600 feet toward sea level. I flew through Leesburg. I started running into traffic in Herndon: pedestrians, joggers, more bikers. Reston was crowded. So was Vienna. Finally I reached the other end of the trail in Shirlington after 45 miles of riding. From there I took the 4 Mile Trail to the Mount Vernon Trail next to the Potomac River. I rested for a while at Gravelly Point to watch airplanes, then rode to the Pentagon, where I had arranged for pickup.

My total mileage was 52.9, with breaks in Leesburg, Reston, Falls Church, and Gravelly Point. This is a personal record, exceeding my previous record by about 3 miles. Man it was fun, and I'm expecting to pay for it tomorrow with sore thighs and a painful ass. But it was absolutely worth it.