Road Trip September 2016

Painted rock.

When I blogged last, a hurricane was possibly headed this way.  I was concerned that we might be without electricity for a while.  Fortunately, the storm headed out to sea just south of us.  We had a little rain, but that was about it.  After the storm, the weather turned nice and pleasantly cool.  We decided to head out on one of our trips.  I took a few pictures along the way that I wanted to share.

Road humor.

I like to take pictures of old buildings, folk art, and unusual signs we happen to come across along the way.  I have been trying to get a photo of this painted rock for a while.  We come up on it suddenly around a curve, so it has been hard to snap a picture of it.  This time I had the timing right.  I really enjoy when someone takes the time to make something interesting for others to see.  I really have not seen much new folk art this year.   I hope that more of it will be appearing soon. 

You just never know what you will see when you travel.  Amusement comes in all forms.  The back of a vehicle yielded the photo of the dinosaur joke. 

The Highway Workers Memorial is at a fantastic overlook.  You can see for miles up and down the valley.  Note the shape of the sign.  the cutout is
in the shape of a worker's face wearing a hard hat.

Highway Workers Memorial

This old barn is at a bend in the road.  It is very tall and thin compared to the average size barn.  I am not sure if the barn is still in use, but the area around it is well cared for and the roof appears to be in good shape.

The hay is in, and fields are left to grow as they will.  This field is filled with wild flowers called Black Eyed Susan.  These wild flowers are native Eastern and Central North America.  It is the state flower of Maryland.

It is interesting to travel the same route at different times of the year.  I see the road in the rain and fog of winter, the energetic burst of growth in spring, the fullness of growth in the summer, and the blaze of Autumn colors.  The vegetation is always changing and has something new to show on each trip.  Now that we are nearing the end of summer, the vegetation is starting to look a little tired and dry.  I can see that the change of season is coming soon.  At the higher elevations, there is a slight tinge of yellow and red on some of the leaves.  In seven or eight weeks, we will be at the height of color.  I can tell that the climate is warming.  It used to be that the height of color would have been about six weeks from now. 

The temperatures are already starting to cool down up there.  Overnight the temperatures would drop to about 56 degrees Fahrenheit (13.3333 C.)  Down below it was in the upper eighties (26.66 C) after the storm, but temperatures have returned to the mid-nineties (32.22C).  After such a hot summer, it was wonderful to have some cool days. 

Next blog post I will be back to blogging about the Vampire doll.  Check back on Sunday.