Last Saturday I went with a group on an early morning walk though the azalea gardens in the US National Arboretum in Washington, DC. If you live anywhere nearby, it’s worth the effort to drag yourself out of bed early and beat the rush to see them during annual peak bloom, usually around the end of April and into May.
The Arboretum is a big place, so after a mile or two of unstructured wandering around the slopes of Mount Hamilton admiring the azaleas, we stepped up the pace for an hour’s walk, looping east through the park and back to see the National Capitol Columns, which once adorned the East face of the US Capitol Building. From there we walked north past the Herb Garden to the Bonsai Museum and the end of the walk, about 4.5 miles altogether.
Life with John 
Great photos! I have always heard that early in the morning is a good time to take such photos, but I have not gotten around to testing my camera that way.
Hi John. Thank you for visiting my blog. These pictures of the azaleas are beautiful.
Thanks! The Arboretum is quite a treasure.