There is nothing better than a day outside when Spring has begun to cling onto the end of Winter and the world comes alive once again with beaming life.  In the woods on a trail you see the world for what it is and gain a different perspective.  You’re away from the ugly bothers of life and you see and appreciate the tiniest of things that give you the opportunity to once again take a deep breath of life.  Instead of watching the latest television show or listening to tunes, you’re in solitude by yourself, with a loved one or with others seeking that same experience.  The pictures below are from two separate adventures.  The first was a trek on our mountain bikes riding down to the Fredericksburg Quarry following a path along the Rappahannock River; the other was a nice walk along single track along the Rappahannock to view some simple yet beautiful natural flora.

My Specialized Stumpjumper FSR is my old faithful.  It has been nothing but an amazing bike due to its versatility.  In the background you can see me sitting on something called a Helinox camp chair from REI.  It is one the best investments I have ever made.  It’s packable in my CamelBak and I’ve even taken it on motorcycle tours.  It’s a truly amazing piece of gear and while out I even had people asking me about it.  It’s super groovy!

While hanging out at the Fredericksburg Quarry my wife found one of the coolest yet unknown little creatures we have ever seen.  We couldn’t figure out if it was an underwater spider, a crab, some sort of crawfish or a combination of all of them.  Take a look below and if you can figure it out post what it is in the comments.

 So here is this little guy.  I can’t quite figure out how my wife found him.  He is well hidden and well adapted to his environment.  A good question is how did he get here.  This is a fresh water quarry so how does a creature like this get in the water when the river is well over 200+ yards away.  If you can figure out what this little guy is, do tell.  I have no clue!

Here is my wife standing in front of the quarry sporting her brand new Trek.  This bike is great because its dual purpose.  It rides very well on the street yet can hold its own on single track and gravel.  It was definitely an awesome buy.

Here is a great shot of the Fredericksburg Quarry with a solid sun reflection.  We were trying to capture some colors here but they didn’t completely come through.  At the quarry you’ll often see divers coming in to get certified.  Some day I’d love to get dive certified however I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to make that happen due to Epilepsy; however I will never say never say never because you simply never know.

For me this is one of the most epic parts of the trip.  The magnitude of this bridge when you are underneath it is phenomenal.  This is no record breaking bridge or some bridge that spans a raging river, its the Rappahannock River bridge. The road above is Interstate 95  Interstate 95 travels north and south from that runs from Florida to Maine and is a part of one of the oldest highway systems in the United States.  As of 2013 it is estimated that this bridge serves approximately 153,000 vehicles per day going both north and south.  To put that in perspective that is almost 56 million cars per year!  Keep in mind that data is from 2013 and this area is still continuing to expand due to rapid housing growth so I would think the numbers would far exceed 56 million in 2017.

Here is a shot of yours truly simply being EPIC and awesome! 🙂

You must close out the day with a well timed selfie with my beautiful bride.  The pictures below are from a few days later.  The weather was absolutely amazing so my wife and I decided to take a stroll on foot on another portion of the Rappahannock River.  It was a relaxing little stroll that we’ve taken many times but it is always great to see the local spring flowers popping up.

I believe these natural flowers are called Virginia Blue Bells.  They’re native to the Rappahannock River and are typically scattered along the paths and through the woods.  Here is a close-up.  As you can see they’re very beautiful.

I’m not sure what type of flowers these are but they were also scattered along the trail.  next time I make it out I will ensure I bring a better camera as this was taken with my iPhone and it simply doesn’t do the flowers justice.

Here are some yellow flowers that I was not able to identify.  I think the lesson for me is to always ensure I have the right camera equipment on hand to take the right photo’s.  Again this shot doesn’t quite do this unique wildflower justice.  At least it was memorable for me.  I may have to go back with a better camera and capture this again.

and finally……here are a few leaves still hanging on for life from the fall.  If you look in the background of this picture you can see that the water levels on the river are pretty low due to not having much rain or snow this winter.  Hopefully this post has given you the urge to get outside and do some exploring.  Make it happen.  Get some exercise and take a breath of life.  It’s all around you.

Take care my friends…….

Will