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Virginia - Burke Lake
Virginia - Great Falls
Virginia - Iwo Jima Memorial
Virginia - Masonic Temple In Alexandria
Virginia
Virginia is the state where I grew up in and where I live now. I was surprised to find out that Virginia is a popular travel destination among
Americans, supposedly in the top states to travel to. The western part of the state is made up of rural mountains that offer many outdoor
activities, while the east coast has many beaches along the Atlantic. Some of the most historically important places such as the tomb of
US's first president, the former capital of the Confederate States of America, and the first permanent English colony are found in Virginia.
These photos are of the area in Virginia where I live, often
referred to as Northern Virginia. Above on the upper left
is the Masonic temple in old town Alexandria built by the
Free Masons. The photo above is the famous US Marine
Iwo Jima memorial with Washington DC in the
background. On the left is the world's largest office
building, the pentagon. The pentagon is the headquarters
of the US governments Department of Defense. Many
famous places such as the pentagon or the Iwo Jima
memorial are thought to be in Washington DC but are
actually located in Virginia.
Virginia Links
Virginia - State Capitol Building
Virginia - Old Coca Cola Advertisement
Virginia - Confederate Capital Building
Virginia - Bed That Stonewall Jackson Died In
Virginia - Hollywood Cemetary
Virginia - Confederate Jefferson Davis' Grave
Virginia - Mt Vernson Mansion, George Washington's House
Virginia - George Washington's Casket in the  Mt Vernon Mansion
Virginia - Train Carrying Coal Along the James River
Virginia - St John's Church Sign
Virginia - St Johns Church Entrance
Virginia - Richmond Skyline
The capital of Virginia
is Richmond which is
located right in the
middle of the state. It is
a decent sized city and
carries with it a lot of
history. The photo on
the right is my first
panoramic picture, and
was taken of the
downtown area. Even
though it looks like a
large city it only has a
population of 220,000.
Virginia's state capitol building looks much different than the other states. It was designed by Thomas Jefferson and is
the second oldest state capitol still in use after Maryland. Thomas Jefferson used this design to represent America's
European heritage. On the right is a photo of an old wall in Richmond when Cokes still cost only 5 cents each!
When I visited Richmond, St. John's church was being renovated so the best picture I could do is the photo of the
gate seen to the upper left. Saint John's Church was the location where Patrick Henry gave the famous speech urging
Americans to fight the British for independence. His speech ended with "give me liberty or give me death!".
Several other significant colonies existed in other parts of Virginia, one of the famous areas is in Alexandria, Virginia
which is just outside of Washington DC. Here is George Washington's mansion called Mt. Vernon, the first president
of the United States. George Washington lived in Mt. Vernon well before the Revolutionary War and his presidency.
As he fought in the revolutionary war, he was not able to reside in the mansion for about 8 years. After his
presidency, he retired back to the mansion where he spent the rest of his life. On the left is a photo of the main
mansion that he lived in, on the right is the tomb of George Washington located in Mt. Vernon.
Right across from the state capitol building is the old treasury building of the Confederate States of America, or CSA.
Richmond is not only Virginia's capital but was also CSA's capital during the civil war. The southern states in the
south wanted to seperate from the United States which resulted in America's bloodiest war. Even though this city is
very close to the Washington DC which was still under control of USA, Richmond was chosen as the CSA capital
because it had so many resources which were used to fuel the war. The world's first Ironclad warship was built and
used in battle in Virginia. On the upper right is a photo of a train carrying coal next to the James River.
Many other civil war battles where fought in Virginia. On
the right is the bed where Stonewall Jackson died after
being mortally wounded in a different engagement. The
cemetery seen above is called Hollywood cemetery and is
located in Richmond. The cemetery has tens of thousands
of buried soldiers, mostly from the confederate armies.
There are also 3 presidents buried in the cemetery. On the
upper right is a statue of Jefferson Davis, who was the
president of the Confederate States of America. He
believed that the Union had been corrupted and that the
Confederate government had to be pure in order to
survive. When the war was over, Jefferson Davis was
captured and put in prison. He was never charged with
treason and was released after two years.
Burke Lake above was rated one of the top parks in the country. The ratings were based on how close the parks
were to large populations and activities available. Northern Virginia has over two million people, so places like Burke
lake give people a good opportunity to go jogging in the morning and relax in their free time. The upper right photo is
of Great Falls Virginia which is a small park right on the border of Maryland and literally only minutes from the
capital. Great Falls has some good trails and great scenery, as well as some rock climbing and kayaking.
Virginia - Lake Accotink
Virginia - Almost A Dozen Turtles On A Log
Virginia - Jamestown Settlers
Virginia - Manassas Battlefield Stone Bridge
Virginia - Manassas Battlefield Cannon
The first fighting of the civil war took place in South Carolina, but the first major battle of the war took place in Bull
Run which is in Manassas, Virginia. The cannons you see on the left are replicas of the ones that general Thomas
Jackson brought with him as reinforcements. It was on that exact location where Jackson was first seen entering the
war and this is where he earned his famous nickname, Stonewall Jackson. The stone bridge to the right was
destroyed after the battle by fleeing Union soldiers. It has been rebuilt exactly as it was before.
The first permanent British colony was built in Jamestown Virginia in 1607. Jamestown is considered to be America's
oldest city and in 2007 celebrated its 400th anniversary. The original Jamestown is for the most part destroyed from
time, but a replica of Jamestown has been reconstructed in the area and is a major tourist attraction in Virginia. On
the left you can see some people dressed up as the original settlers were, on the right is a large replica of a building.
These two pictures are of Lake Accotink which is only a mile or two from my house. The best thing about the lake is
its 4 mile trail which I usually run when the weather is nice out. In 2007 I went jogging and for the first time ever I
brought my camera. I was pretty lucky that day because I caught over a dozen turtles on the same log!
Virginia - Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly
Virginia - Leopard Moth
Virginia - Pentagon
Virginia - Barn Spider
Virginia - Common Mule Deer
These photos are from random parts of Virginia showing different wildlife. Above are common white tailed deer,
found in all 50 states. Notice that the deer on the right has white spots, indicating it is less than a year old. White
Tailed deer are usually born in the spring, and lose their white spots after the first summer.
The white moth with black spots is known as the great leopard moth, and was found in my front yard. The large
butterfly on the right is quite popular in the east coast and is called the Pipevine Swallowtail.
Virginia - Old Rag Summit
Virginia - My Dad Enjoying A View From Old Rag
Virginia - Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah Park
Virginia - Shenandoah Mountains in the Winter
There are many places to enjoy the outdoors in Virginia, but the state is also home to one of the few National Parks
on the east coast. Shenandoah is found along the western border of the state along the Appalachian mountains.
Shenandoah is home to large populations of black bear, deer, bobcats, and even the rare flying squirrels. Camping,
hiking, and several other outdoor activities are available here; the above photos are from a hike to the top of Old Rag
Mountain, one of the best hikes in Virginia. You can see in the background of the first photo that the mountains are
completely covered in trees, while on the right, some steeper and rocky sections support only small plants.
I've hiked Old Rag almost a dozen times for the purpose of training for larger mountains. These top two photos I
took of my dad after I was able to get him to join me. On the left is him looking over one of the view points a few
thousand feet above the surrounding land, on the right is my dad on the summit of old rag, at 3,200 feet. Old Rag is a
great climb because of its challenging trails and it is a single mountain, not part of a mountain range so you can enjoy a
360 degree view from the summit. The photos from the above trip where in January, and the trail was covered in ice.
Virginia - Inside The Virginia Subway
Virginia - Pentagon City Mall
The northern Virginia population is in the millions, so many people use the subway to commute to DC and around
other parts of Virginia as well. On the left is a photo of one of the subway stops in Virginia that actually directly
connects to the shopping mall on the right. The mall on the right is called Pentagon City, located in Arlington Virginia.
Virginia - Fire in Springfield
Virginia - Fire In Springfield
I usually don't keep my camera around me when I'm at home, but I was lucky the one day I saw a huge cloud of
smoke coming up close to my house to have my camera in the car. I quickly followed the smoke to find a huge fire
engulfing a strip of townhouses in Springfield. The fire was pretty dramatic, and was brought under control by the fire
department. Three townhouses were completely destroyed with others receiving significant damage.
Virginia - Me & the Vice President Of Afghanistan
Northern Virginia is an extremely
diverse area, with a large population
from countries like Korea, Vietnam, El
Salvador, Afghanistan and others from
around the world. One Sunday I was
casually hanging out at home when one
of my Afghan friends called me and
asked if I wanted to meet the Vice
President of Afghanistan.
Opportunities like this don't come very
often so we drove 20 minutes up to
Arlington Virginia and I was able to
have tea with 2nd VP Abdul Karim
Khalili. Abdul Karim Khalili was
visiting the area to attend a peace
conference with Dick Cheney and
Condaleeza Rice.
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Virginia - Jamestown Homes
Virginia - Jamestown Ship Mast
Virginia - Jamestown Craftsman
Virginia - Jamestown Ship
Virginia - Jamestown Smoke House
Virginia - Garden House In Mt. Vernon
Virginia - George Washington's Farm In Mt Vernon
Virginia - Jamestown Powhatan Hut
Virginia - Jamestown Fur
The first settlers travel to what is now Virginia aboard ships
owned by privateer Christopher Newport of the Virginia
Company. The voyage took 5 months to travel from England to
what is now Virginia. Replica's of the ship are docked in the
Jamestown Colony and are able to be explored.
The Jamestown location was selected because no native tribes were currently living in the area although there were
significant populations nearby. The tribe that the settlers first had contact with where the Powhatans, whose capital
was about 20 miles from Jamestown. The first decade and a half was peaceful with the Native Americans, but after
the natives had concerns with the British settlers expanding colony they launched the an attack known as the
massacre of 1622. Above is what a Powhatan hut looked like, and on the right is a fur being dried out in the sun.
The early colonists had a difficult time finding more people to move to Jamestown and to get investments. Other
workers from different countries such as Italy and Germany also came to the colony in its early years. On the left is a
photo of what early homes from Jamestown looked like, on the right is a craftsman.
Although George Washington will forever be famous for his accomplishments as a statesmen, an officer at war, and
the first President of the United States, he was also considered a great farmer. Before and after his presidency, he
spent a lot of time maintaining gardens and farms which are still maintained to this day on his property.
Virginia - Catepillars
Virginia - Caterpillar Hunter
Virginia - Flowers
Virginia - Turkey Vulture
I returned to Shenandoah in the summer of 08 and found it to be a whole new world from my winter trips to Old
Rag. The forests here now seemed like a jungle in comparison to the dry and lifeless place it had been in the winter.
The large bird on the left is known as a turkey vulture and is common all year around and very easy to spot. On the
right is a camouflaged moth that looked exactly like a leaf. If i hadn't seen it land I would have never saw it.
Lots of insects are found in the mountains during the warmer months of the year. When spring first comes around
you'll see hundreds of caterpillars walking around the trees and forest floor. In June they began to make cocoons
along the branches and tree trunks like on the left, nasty! On the right is an enemy of the caterpillars, this is a species
of ground beetle, specifically known as a caterpillar hunter.
Virginia - Tunnel Under Chesapeake In Norfolk
Virginia - USS Wisconsin
Virginia - Virginia Beach Aquarium Puffer Fish
Virginia - Virginia Beach Aquarium Shark
Virginia - Virginia Beach Aquarium Snapping Turtle
Virginia - Virginia Beach Balls
Virginia - Virginia Beach Bar
Virginia - Virginia Beach Bike Trail
Virginia - Virginia Beach Cargo Rig
Virginia - Virginia Beach Concert
Virginia - Virginia Beach Fireworks 4th Of July
Virginia - Virginia Beach Fireworks 4th Of July
Virginia - Virginia Beach Fireworks 4th Of July
Virginia - Virginia Beach Fireworks 4th Of July
Virginia - Virginia Beach
Virginia - Virginia Beach Store
Virginia - Poseidon
Virginia - Virginia Beach No Cussing
Virginia - Virginia Beach Police
Virginia - House With Palms
Northern Virginia has several million people, but it is not the
most populated place in the state. Driving to the southeast of
Virginia is where the state's largest cities are found such as
Norfolk and Virginia Beach. The area is made up of channels
and is connected with several underwater tunnels, some of the
longest in the world. Norfolk also has the largest naval base in
the world, home to several US aircraft carriers. On the right is
WW2's USS Wisconsin at the Nauticus museum.
Then southern most part of Virginia along the coast is
much warmer than the west and northern areas. Many
houses and businesses have palm trees growing on their
properties. This is probably as far north as you'll find this
many palms growing outside along the east coast. South
eastern Virginia does get snow and ice from time to time,
but the average the day temperatures are around 50F
during coldest months in Jan and Feb.
One of the most popular destinations in the state is Virginia
beach, located just north of the border of North Carolina.
Virginia beach has dozens of attractions in the city plus in the
surrounding areas. The statue on the left is of the sea god
Poseidon, and was built in respect for the Ocean's power.
I went to Virginia beach for the 4th of July weekend so it was pretty packed. On the left you can see hundreds of
people in a small area swimming and relaxing along the beach. The large cargo rig on the right stands out a lot while
you are at the beach, seems like a strange location to put it but the tourists don't seem to mind!
Virginia beach has all the typical beach stores and a big boardwalk like most large beaches in the US. There are also
dozens of places to ride bikes along the boardwalk and a bike trail that goes along the shops and beach.
Many people know Virginia beach for some of their strange laws. Cussing for example is illegal in Virginia beach and
is punishable by a fine. I'm sure cussing is technically illegal everywhere, but in Virginia beach it is strictly enforced
and $30 fines are common. Above are a do not cuss sign and a police hummer.
For those who don't want to get up close
and personal with local wildlife, Virginia
beach's aquarium has lots of native wildlife
from the local marshes and the ocean. The
huge snapping turtle on the left is probably
about 3 feet in height while it is standing up
vertically and lives in swampy areas of the
state. On the right are puffer fish and a shark
that are both common in Virginia's ocean.
Everywhere in America on July 4th people celebrate our nations independence. The day always ends with fireworks
once the sun goes down. In Virginia beach ships out in the ocean launched hundreds of fireworks while people
crowded along the boardwalk and beach to watch. On the upper left an unseen ship launches dozens of fireworks at
the same time, almost looking like missiles. Some of the fireworks looked like galaxies from space I thought.
After the firework celebration, everyone goes out to party and
continue the celebration. The above photo is one of a few free
concerts in Virginia beach on July 4th. On the right are people
crowded in a bar getting drinks.
Virginia - Black Squirrel
Virginia - American Gold Finch
Virginia - Butterfly
Virginia - Young Deer
Above is another butterfly seen out in a field, it was one of several that were attracted to the plant it is feeding on.
The spider on the right is called the barn spider, and was the same type of spider as in the book Charolette's web.
These spiders usually come out during the fall time when the temperatures just start getting cool.
Here are some rare wildlife from Virginia, at least I don't see these very often. The yellow bird on the left is an
American gold finch. I haven't seen one for years, but someone I work with claims he sees them all the time. I took
this photo with my new Nikon D80 so it came out blurry since I am still learning how to use it. The black squirrel on
the right is pretty rare in Virginia. From what I understand black squirrels are actually more popular farther out west,
but on the east coast I usually only see one every few years.
Above are two more photos from the city of Arlington. Arlington is split up into different districts such as Crystal City
or Roslyn. The downtown area of Roslyn is seen on the upper left. On the right is a photo on the edge of Roslyn for a
company that is contracted with the US government. Many people living in Arlington either commute to Washington
DC for work or work in Arlington itself with government jobs.
Above are some examples of typical homes in northern Virginia. The townhouses on the left are what I originally grew
up in, just not in Arlington or nearly as nice as the ones above. On the right is an apartment building.