We have wondered since moving here why there are so many roads and places with "falls" in the name. Today we found out. Yesterday was James's birthday and he requested, as part of his birthday celebration, that we visit Great Falls National Park today. I was surprised to find out it's only a few minutes away from where we are living, despite the busy roads. Since we have had quite a bit of rain in the last week or so, the Potomac River is quite full and muddy. There is a 70 foot drop but it doesn't really happen like the waterfalls I'm accustomed to in upstate NY. It's more of a rapids section of the river.
This is the first section we saw near the visitor center which used to be the Great Falls Tavern, a popular spot in the 1800's when the canal was built along the Potomac to allow boat transportation which had been impossible through this section of rapids. Due to flooding, the path over a bridge which would have allowed us the best view of the rapids was closed.
Here is a sign explaining the dangers of undertow in a river that, at times other then during this heavy spring run-off apparently often looks quite peaceful.
As we walked along the "tow path", a road along the canal for animals or sometimes people to walk along as they "towed" packet boats, we got to a point where we could see how difficult it had been to build this canal. On the other side of the fence you see in the left edge of this picture is a drop-off down to the Potomac. The placid canal is behind us at a level 70 feet above the river with a stone embankment built to hold up the canal.
The sun was shining and, although there was a cool breeze at the beginning, as we walked it got warmer and very pleasant out. It was nice to be surrounded by a lovely, natural setting amidst the constant clamor of city.
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