Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve and Belle Haven Marina

After lunch we drove down the GW Parkway and noticed a sign for Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve. We have passed it many times before, but since it was so nice out today we decided to park the car and have a look around. Of course, neither one of us had on the proper shoes for the expedition, so we just roamed about a bit to get an idea what this place was all about. It started with a view of National Harbor across the Potomac River in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The Woodrow Wilson Bridge connects this place with that, and we could see the new Ferris Wheel that offers great views of the city, but it didn't look like much from this angle. Then came the ducks swimming and quacking along the shore. A variety of waterfowl or otherwise foul nests could be seen by the Belle Haven Marina - a very busy place on a lovely Friday afternoon. Several vehicles were unloading their water craft on the landing. A man in a canoe was just coming ashore. When we reached the stretch of trail in the Marsh, we saw a few birds, including my favorite Cardinals. We really do need to come back to this place when our neighbors come to visit in October. It sounds like the animal activity could be more vibrant at that time...eagles, red fox - but I could do without the water snakes. Dyke Marsh is the last large tidal freshwater wetlands in the DC area. We saw a lot of these types of places in Wisconsin...Horicon Marsh to name one. But there is something interesting about having a marsh like this so close to DC. You wouldn't think one would be there, and it's only a few minutes away. 

Jones Point Park

After driving to Alexandria for lunch, we felt like taking a little ride to somewhere. Before we got to our restaurant destination I noticed a sign for Jones Point Park. It reminded me that a few weeks back we found ourselves at the entrance of the park but didn't have time to explore it as we were trying to avoid and escape the George Washington parade traffic. Since it was so nice out today, we ventured forth with our google map. We didn't really know what to expect. I'm not sure we actually found what we were supposed to, but it wasn't worth getting out and looking around. It is essentially a place under the Wilson Bridge, and can be seen from National Harbor. It appears there are walking trails, and folks must have been on them based on the number of cars that were parked there, but not a lot of visible people. It appeared as though you could do some fishing, and biking, and there was a children's playground. There were also entrances to the park from other points in Old Town. The amount of parks in this area reminds me of the same in Milwaukee. I suppose everyone likes to find a place to hike and walk, but I much prefer the sidewalks of the city. But it was an interesting place to see, even it it was under the bridge.