LA friends in D.C.

Barb, Dave and their daughter Kiah have been friends for many years. When I met them they were living in a small farm house not too far from my house in Covington. We shared a common interest in a love of the outdoors among other things. Just before Katrina, they moved to a house in the uptown area of the city. You all know the story. After Katrina hit they spent several months traveling and staying with friends and family in different parts of the country. After much contemplation, they found work and a place to live in the Washington, D.C. area. I couldn't wait to see them. We hadn't seen them since the storm.

We found a wonderful place to camp in a National Park (Greenbelt) not too far from their house. It was hard to believe that a National Park in a major metroplitan area could feel so much like the country. The woods were full of deer and other mammals. We took the Metro into the city for every visit from a stop not too far from the campground.

We visited the C and O Canal (http://www.nps.gov/choh/)on the Potomac River west of the city. We had a wonderful day riding our bikes along the path on the side of the historic canal. We were amazed at the falls along this river. Despite the crowded path that was sometimes hard to ride in and out of the all the people, we had a great time and enjoyed some spectacular scenery.

On another day we visited a natural area along a river that lead to the Chesapeake Bay. We had hoped to paddle in the marsh but low tide and cold temperatures prevented it. As we were walking the trails in the area, we met a guy who had gone to school at LSU to get his masters in wildlife biology. We enjoyed talking with him about many different subjects.