Picture of the day - April 28, 2007

The Beauty Of Straight Branch

The mountains of southwestern Virginia offer plenty of spectacular scenery for those who are willing to leave the beaten path and go for a hike on one of the numerous trails in the region, but it's possible to enjoy the beauty of Straight Branch without ever stepping outside of your car... Simply hit U.S. Route 58 at Damascus and head up the road towards Konnarock. You'll find yourself driving right past one picture-postcard scene after another, and since Straight Branch more or less parallels the winding highway you can enjoy much of it's beauty right from your car window! But there are a number of places along the route where you can pull over and enjoy the scenery up close and from a different perspective - such as the one featured in today's picture. Cheria and I take a drive up highway 58 and Straight Branch fairly often, and every time we do we find something of interest that we had always missed before. As the creek makes it way down the mountain, it makes thousands of twists and turns while splashing over millions of stones providing a perfect habitat for the trout residing in the deep, clear pools. It makes for some pretty amazing scenery for us humans to enjoy as well!   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"