Taking Time to Smell the Roses

Without a doubt, my favorite thing about walking is that it gives me the opportunity to notice things I'd likely otherwise miss. Especially on these training walks, when my mission is to walk (rather than get to a destination), I have the freedom to take time to smell the roses along the way. Today was one of those wonderful days. As I covered 14.1 miles, I was lucky enough to see several pretty sights along my path.

I set out at about noon, and the weather was sunny and warm, definitely warmer than on any of my walks so far this training season.

I was happy to see my first magnolia of the early summer season as well as these other pretty flowers.

Rolling Thunder is in town for the weekend, and as I crossed over Route 66, I passed by a few of the several hundred thousand motorcyclists.

After crossing 66, I headed west on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, walking through western Arlington toward Falls Church, where I lived from 2000 through 2007.

By this point, about four miles into my walk, the sun was partially covered by clouds, but it was still very warm.

I diverted from the trail for about a quarter of a mile to walk through a neighborhood near the East Falls Church Metro Station, and I came across this little guy, right in the middle of my path. He was kind enough to let me take his picture before curling up for a nap in the sun.

Continuing west, I saw some more pretty flowers just before I crossed into Falls Church.

I thought that this bench, right along the trail, looked like a perfect place to stop for a rest, but I resisted the temptation and kept on walking, headed toward Fairfax County.

The section of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, near mile-marker 8, was covered with Queen Anne's Lace and honeysuckle, both pictured below. While the honeysuckle isn't much to look at, the smell was lovely as the warm breeze carried it through the air.

Just before getting to the Beltway, I turned around and headed east, crossing from Fairfax County back into Falls Church.

On the western border of Arlington, I decided to veer off the trail, and I had one of those fun moments of discovery when I came across this sight in Benjamin Banneker Park.

The stone block above is one of the original boundary markers for the District of Columbia. As I mentioned earlier, Arlington used to be part of the District, and this marker was a boundary stone that marked the southwestern border of the District of Columbia. Of the original 40 boundary stones marking the 100 miles of territory that became the District of Columbia in 1801, 36 markers survive, and they are the oldest federally placed monuments in the United States. The markers were placed by a survey team led by Andrew Ellicott, who went on to teach surveying methods to none other than Meriwether Lewis. One of his assistants was Benjamin Banneker, for whom this park is named. See why I love walking? It's like a history lesson. Then again, that may have more to do with the fact that I majored in American History than the fact that I'm training for the 3-Day!!

From the park, I walked south to Seven Corners, where I stopped by a craft store to pick up some thread for my latest cross-stitch project. As I walked east on Wilson Boulevard back toward home, I walked under a mulberry tree and something that looked like some type of cherry tree.

Farther east on Wilson Boulevard, I walked by one of the many Civil War historic markers that dot the landscape of Northern Virginia. This marker commemorates a Confederate outpost that was located on a nearby hill. In August 1861, the Confederate Army established the fortified outpost to guard the road that ran from Georgetown to Falls Church.

And then, I came across the prettiest sight I've ever seen on a training walk: the Bon Air Memorial Rose Garden, which opened in 1951 and is dedicated to those who serve the country. This is one of the largest rose gardens on the East Coast, and as you can see below, the flowers were gorgeous on this late spring day.

After spending about 15 minutes admiring the beautiful roses, I continued east along Wilson Boulevard toward home, stopping along the way to enjoy a much-anticipated milkshake. What a great end to my training walk!