Thursday, November 8, 2012

Enjoying the High Water at Great Falls

With Glen at home a lot of the time lately while he looks for a new job,  we're trying to take advantage of some of the off-times between interviews/workshops/etc by going on outings together that we normally would not have the time to do.    Since we're trying to do things on the cheap, the outings almost always involve either running errands together or  spending time in the outdoors.  We've walked around lakes, gone to Costco together ( a new experience for him), explored new parks, and most recently visited Great Falls solely for the purpose of me taking pictures of it after Hurricane Sandy. 

Far from historically high levels, Great Falls was still a sight to behold on November 1, 2012 ( a few days after  our area was grazed by Hurricane Sandy).    It was supposed to have crested sometime that morning, so I think these pictures were taken at near its highest stage. 

The water was a roiling mass of debris and mud and it was awe-inspiring (and slightly disconcerting) to see how close we were to the water compared to normal water levels. 

Between the deafening sound of the river and the nearness of the water to the pedestrian overlooks,  it was somehow easier to imagine how the river ever hits those high water marks that look so unattainable up listed on the signs near the visitor center. 

After admiring the power of the falls for a while, we hiked along the river trail hoping to take in some beautiful fall foliage.  We did see some colors, but mostly they had already fallen to the ground. 

It seemed that the winds of the hurricane had hastened the leaves falling and with the gray clouds that filled the sky that day, the whole landscape seemed rather muted and earth-toned. 

A little off the trail we discovered this beautiful little inlet of water from the Potomac River, where the water was also surprisingly high.  I loved the natural stone walls here and it made me wonder if that's what the fjords of Scandinavia look like. 


We are praying fervently for Glen to find a job soon, but in the meantime I'm soaking up this bonus time with my husband and know that it will be  a serious adjustment for us both when life gets back to the REAL normal.  The normal where I drive the kids everywhere they need to go during the day,  where I go grocery shopping by myself again, and where my day-time conversations are either on the phone or with myself.  

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1 comment:

Steve-Rosanna said...

Lots of silver lining in those foreboding storm darkened clouds. Your family is truly blessed by your mining of those little lodes of sliver.

Thanks for sharing.

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