Author Archives: John M

The Young Victoria Collection Wins NGC Best in Category Award for 2012

Posted on January 13, 2013 by John M

On January 11, 2013, Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), the official grading service of the American Numismatic Association and the Professional Numismatists’s Guild, announced the NGC Collector’s Society 2012 NGC Registry Award Winners. The Young Victoria Collection was awarded the Best in Category in World … Continue reading →

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Four Mile Run: Barcroft to Glencarlyn

Posted on January 9, 2013 by John M

Last Sunday wewent for a walk along Virginia’s Four Mile Run. The stream, which takes its name from a misreading of the label “Flour Mill” on an old map, runs parallel to the trace of the old Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) railroad, and … Continue reading →

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Rock Creek Park Trail: Dumbarton Oaks & Montrose Parks

Posted on January 1, 2013 by John M

This past Sunday afternoon a group of us went on an urban walk in Washington, D.C. Although it was a sunny day with a high temperature of around 40 degress, a gusty wind made things seem a little chilly until it subsided a … Continue reading →

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News They Can Use

Posted on December 31, 2012 by John M

The other day a couple of friends and I were thinking about going to the National Gun Show held last weekend over near Dulles Airport. We eventually decided against it, due to a combination of bad weather, crowds, sickness, and … Continue reading →

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Christmas in the City – National Mall

Posted on December 25, 2012 by John M

What better way to spend the last beautiful Sunday before Christmas than a walk around the National Mall in Washington DC?! About 70 locals gathered at the Smithsonian Metro exit on the Mall, where I took the opportunity to pass out … Continue reading →

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Hiking Hawaii

Posted on December 14, 2012 by John M

Quite some time ago I met a visitor from Hawaii during a few walks around the DC area who invited me to visit Hawaii to do some hiking with a group on Oahu, the Hiking Oahu Trailblazers (H.O.T.). Last week … Continue reading →

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Cross County Trail: Wakefield to Accotink

Posted on November 19, 2012 by John M

After a couple of mountain hikes to Bull Run Mountain and Raven Rocks, it was nice to get back on relatively flat ground last Saturday, with a 5-mile walk along the Fairfax County Cross County Trail. The Cross County Trail is a … Continue reading →

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Raven Rocks

Posted on November 14, 2012 by John M

A challenging Sunday hike on Veteran’s Day at Raven Rocks, along the Appalachian Trail near Bluemont, Virginia. To maximize carpooling we assembled in Vienna, and the scenic 1-hour drive up VA-50 and along the Snickersville Turnpike just served to build anticipation for the trail! The … Continue reading →

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Kingstowne Lake

Posted on November 10, 2012 by John M

The end of autumn was heralded by a blaze of color during the past few weeks at Kingstowne Lake. The lake is really only the size of a large farm pond, formed to capture runoff water from nearby neighborhoods. But it’s home to waterfowl such as Canadian … Continue reading →

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Rock Creek Park

Posted on November 5, 2012 by John M

Cleveland Park to Rock Creek Station A nice 5-mile Sunday walk through Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., from the Cleveland Park Metro to Rock Creek Station and back. Boulder Bridge is a scenic spot along the route, and was built in 1902 at a … Continue reading →

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