Route 32, farther along, with redbuds

post #189

      I continue (for this third post) on Route 32, this time with blue skies and the redbuds in early bloom.  I love the redbuds, scrub tree though they may be!  They are nature's rosy, showy harbinger of the coming spring.  While I was trying to make most of the photos along Route 32 before the leaves on the trees came out -- in order to show the lay of the land more effectively -- I was grateful for the excuse to be out and about with the beauty of these trees.
      The first photos on today's post were made in the vicinity of a place where I was able to park my car, which is otherwise known as "my camera bag on wheels."

              TWO PHOTOS TO THE RIGHT:

            TWO TO THE LEFT:

       TWO ACROSS THE ROAD:

        It bears mentioning that this road runs mostly along a ridge. This makes for many good photo opportunities. However it also means that any major road construction impacts the health of the land around it. Runoff and debris can reach streams, just like what happens with coal mining.  There are wooded areas below this road that are known to be pristine and irreplaceable. They aren't so easily seen, but their loss would have a longterm impact on the natural environment that we human beings ignore at our peril.  What is the trade off for making a big road so that tourists can come to provide income to our area and the harming of the richness that the tourists would come to see?  Why does it always feel like we'd rather not worry about what we can't easily see or understand? After all, "we all live downstream" and we need to care for our one life and our one world.

      Anyway, next is another place where I could pull off the main road.  The photo shows a driveway on the left, and election signs:

     
     Route 32:

      
     and looking up the side road (Cold Springs Road):

        Moving farther east (and parking) along Route 32:

        These last two photos are along a straight stretch!  But notice the road sign indicating a curve ahead....  Feels like life.  Smooth going for awhile, then some curves.  Might as well enjoy some beauty along the way, noticing and appreciating what is actually around us instead of rushing through and passing it all by.

Please note:  I am going to be without my laptop for the next 8 days, so my next post will be delayed two days, until Tuesday the 20th.  Wish me luck being separated from my photos....