“Oh-skan-ohn-doh in Oneida.” – Secret Vistas – By Glynn Wilson – BIG MEADOWS, Va. – Finally. It’s 1:47 on a Sunday afternoon. Me and my loyal dog Jefferson are taking a break in the camper van, aided by a little afternoon air conditioning — and an April shower on the mountain in May. It’s been…
Secret Vistas
Patapsco Valley State Park: An Urban Oasis
Secret Vistas by Glynn Wilson PATAPSCO VALLEY STATE PARK, Md. — America is rich in secret vistas â little-known places that touch the heart and stir the spirit. Like quiet Gulf of Mexico beaches in the off season. Deserted Appalachian hiking trails and glistening streams thick with trout. Hidden forests with trees dating back to…
Full Corn Planting Moon in Maryland
Spring Comes to Patapsco Valley State Park
PATAPSCO VALLEY STATE PARK, Md. – The earth has turned on its axis to just the right angle for spring to start breaking out in Maryland, finally, although there are more April showers and cool nights on the way. A screech owl made a special appearance in the campground Saturday night from the Maryland Department…
Spring Has Been Ordered, But Like Everything Else, You Have to Wait for It
Tannehill State Park Flash Flood of December 2014
Secret Vistas: Christmas on Display at Tannehill State Park
Ducks on the Pond at Tannehill State Park
A Photo Essay in Progress – Secret Vistas – By Glynn Wilson – We pulled into Tannehill State Park on a cloudy, drizzly Friday the week before Christmas and stumbled onto perhaps the best deal on a campsite we’ve seen after three months of camping all over Maryland, Virginia and the Gulf Coast. There’s a…
Living in a Camper Van, if You Don’t Like the Weather, Move on Down the Road
Riding Out Election Day in a Mountain Campground
Secret Vistas – By Glynn Wilson – BALDFACE ROCK OVERLOOK, Va. – It is election day all across America and the big question is whether the Republicans will take over control of the U.S. Senate. But since I am not now living and working in Louisiana, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Arkansas or one of the…
More Autumn Color from the Virginia Mountains
Secret Vistas – A Photo Essay – By Glynn Wilson – SOMEWHERE IN THE MOUNTAINS, Va. — We continued our journey on Wednesday by leaving the Shenandoah National Park and coming out at the little town of Elkton. We headed back north to continue the loop around Washington, D.C. and found a beautiful private campground…
Camping Along the Appalachian Trail at Big Meadows
SECRET VISTAS – By Glynn Wilson – BIG MEADOWS CAMPGROUND, Va. — We pulled into this largest campground in the Shenandoah National Park on Sunday afternoon late, and without knowing it, picked a campsite right on the Appalachian Trail. The view Monday morning at dawn was stunning, and we found out from hikers it was…
The Final Weekend of the Fall Season at Mathew’s Arm Campground in the Shenandoah National Park
Images from Skyline Drive in Virginia – Secret Vistas – By Glynn Wilson – SHENANDOAH, Va. — It is the last weekend of the season at Mathew’s Arm, the northern most campground in the national forest. We scouted it out on Thursday, secured a campsite and toured the first 22 miles of Skyline Drive, stopping…
Early Autumn Color in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Autumn Arrives in Style in a Maryland Park
Hiking and Camping at Patapsco Valley State Park, Maryland
Autumn Foliage Color Report for Virginia
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” – L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables – Secret Vistas – By Glynn Wilson – As of September 29, the Virginia Department of Forestry was still reporting that while the calendar may say it’s fall, Virginia’s forests are still mostly green. “Nature’s…