If you don't like dirt, don't look here

Today I decided I wanted to go hiking because we haven't been in a rather long time. We thought about it in the morning and decided against Shenandoah because while we had a downpour that lasted from 1am-5pm on Friday, they were getting ice for at least the 1st part.

We decided then on going somewhere local where we haven't gone before (no real reason, really) - Bull Run Regional Park It's super close to where we live and people at work have mentioned it has great tent and cabin camping (and RV too I believe). So there you go.

According to the website it also has a public pool, bluebells in the spring, Miniature and disc golf. Also a public shooting center, which includes sporting clays, skeet, trap, wobble trap and indoor archery.

Something for the whole family and right down the street from me (come on over and visit! We have a lovely apartment now, nice and big!!)

It is also the start of the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail, a 17 mile trail. So we thought we would check it out.



I think though that they should have renamed it - at least for today - to the MUD TRAIL. This is the way it looked the whole way.



Some of the mud and water had a thin layer of ice, which made it more interesting - rather than just sliding in the mud, first you'd crunch through the ice then slide in the mud. I guess we better get used to it, since Phil the groundhog said we have 6 more weeks of winter.


We walked for less than 2 miles out. It wasn't the mud that stopped us. It was this:


Yes. And entire RIVER was flowing across the trail. We threw in a rock to see how deep it was and it was a good 3 feet deep. Since our gortec boots are not that high, we had no choice but to turn around.

We did see some signs we weren't the only ones out and about:


Deer Tracks


Some Kind of Hawk, we were debating if it had a red tail or not. (by the way I think I forgot to tell you all that I saw a bald eagle out my office window last week - I was so excited. There is something stirringly patriotic about seeing a bald eagle flying overhead when you can see the Washington monument in the distance.)

And finally I leave you with some humor:



Now there is that cabin on the other side of the fence and I believe what they mean is people in the park who are not renting that cabin can not use these picnic tables. They must be for campers only. But the sign next to the tables cracked me up.

Happy Groundhog Day/Super Bowl Weekend/Mardi Gras weekend!!