We hadn’t been to Harpers Ferry since our honeymoon, so we made a day trip of it to hike the Maryland Heights Trail. Never an easy climb, but we made it up to the overlook.
Along the way I tried out my new telephoto lens on a blue heron by the river and a lizard on a log.
The railroad tunnel sign and old Mennen Powder ad on the cliff made for interesting subjects.
Various details along the railroad bridge shone in afternoon light.
I also tried using the fisheye lens for distorted macro shots of tree stumps, which got me this interesting, almost geologic effect which made the rough fractures in the wood look like rocky cliffs.
Viewed from the overlook the town was almost like a world unto itself, surrounded by rivers swollen with recent rains and topped by cottony clouds in a blazing sky.
Historic houses were sleepily nestled side by side amidst summer greens, tourists and hikers buzzing in and out.
We missed the last bus back to the parking area so we had to hoof it back to the car along the Visitor Center Trail, which passed by the ruins of the old Shenandoah Pulp Mill. I brought a DSLR and three lenses along, but of all my photos from that day, the most popular one on Flickr was this throwaway shot of the ruins from my iPhone while we were walking back to the car.
