Hi Everyone, although the cherry blossoms have faded and turning into leaves, the weekend of March 25th was spectacular. It was cool, but the sky was a stunning blue. We are fortunate enough to be close enough to bike to Potomac Park and the monuments around the tidal basin. Since that weekend was the peak bloom (and Spring Break for many places), it was also the peak number tourists… it was packed, so being on a bike worked very well! In spite of the craziness, it was an amazing experience. Here are a few of my images from that day:
The Martin Luther King Jr Memorial with part of the inscription visible, “Out of the Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope.” Spectacular cherry blossoms that are only visible a few days a year with his stoic image is certainly cause to hope for a path of peace and tranquility.
Even the D.C. police were out. These two guys and I had fun discussing vantage points and lighting. It was pretty much awesome everywhere.
As you can tell, not all cherry trees are the same. Some have whitish flowers while others are heavier on the “traditional” pink. According to the National Park Service, there are 3,800 cherry trees. Apparently, 70% are Yoshino Cherry trees… However, I believe the tree below is a Akebono, which makes up 3% of the total. There are at least 11 different species in the park.
This is more the weeping cherry tree.
The cherry blossom canopy was surreal. The soft color palette really does transform the landscape.
Here, you can see just a hint of the mass of people wandering around the basin. Fortunately, I didn’t see anyone accidentally take a swim. Even though thousands passed within inches pf each other and many were equidistant to the water, no one bumped another into the water (at least that I saw!).
The pink, twisted trees were ethereal.
Well, that covers it for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Since we had missed the bloom in 2010, I was very excited to live it this year. The weather cooperated and the cherries did not disappoint. That week, I heard more than one person say this was on their bucket list. I can understand why. It was gorgeous.
Until the next adventure…
–Jim