Great Falls National Park, Virginia

They're not great pics, but Nancy caught these guys in our daughter's back yard in Great Falls.  She tells us that they appear regularly to eat up her grass and flowers.  That big boy has a nice rack and he better stay in town and away from any hunter's gun sights.  It was dusk, and through a window, so that's why the pics are a little cloudy.

After our apple picking yesterday in Winchester, Nancy, Jennifer and Ali & Austin drove about 4 miles over to the Great Falls National Park.  

From Wiki:  Great Falls Park is a small National Park Service (NPS) site in Virginia. Situated on 800 acres along the banks of the Potomac River in northern Fairfax County, the park is a disconnected but integral part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The Great Falls of the Potomac River are near the northern boundary of the park, as are the remains of the Patowmack Canal, the first canal in the United States that used locks to raise and lower boats.

Now, I must let my readers know, that I did not make this trip with the gang.  So this blog will be mostly me showing Nancy's pics and I'll attempt to describe what her intent was for taking the pic.

Austin & Ali listening intently to the Ranger's talk.  And below, Austin standing in front of what appears to be high water marks of the Potomac River floods from years past.

Taking turns sitting in what looks like a kayak that is probably available for rent in season.

Austin listening to instructions from the Ranger on the Junior Ranger Program he is about to undertake, and Ali too.

And here they are doing their work to achieve the Badge.

Ali, making sure she knows how to stay safe, while Austin is checking out some old photos on the storyboard.  Below, the Ranger explaining the locking system used here on the Patowmack Canal.

Wonder who they flagged to take the pic?  The Ranger?

These pics need very little explanation.

Nice job on the pics Nancy!

Nancy tells me that these hieroglyphics are actually stone mason identifying marks.  When the lock was built, several stone masons were hired to cut & fit the walls of the lock, and this is how they "made their mark".

Hey, what are doing in there?

And here are the "Grands" getting their final instructions and signing the large Junior Ranger Registry of all the past Rangers.  And Momma is proud of them for completing the program.

Austin has several other badges from past visits to NPs.  Ali has some catching up to do.

So that'a about all I can say about Nancy's visit to the GFNP, and I thank her for taking the pics and spending time with them in the Park making memories.  Our next blog will probably be on the road tomorrow and will include Thanksgiving and Christmas with our family in Northern Virginia and here in Virginia Beach,  Till then, RVing Beach Bums signing off.  This blog was written & published from our home on Dec 26.