I grew up in Northern Virginia, a classic bedroom suburb of Washington D.C.  Here, the dominant landscape feature is the Potomac River.  Just fifteen miles upstream of the Nation’s Capital, the Potomac River approaches the fall line:  an abrupt geologic transition from the Appalachian Piedmont to the Atlantic Coastal Plain.  At this point, a dramatic set of cascades known as Great Falls have formed.  The Potomac River loses over seventy-five feet in elevation over the course of less than one mile from Great Falls through the Mather Gorge.

The Potomac River is technically in the state of Maryland.  However, my access point to the Potomac has always been from Great Falls Park, a National Park Service unit in Northern Virginia.  This photograph was taken below Mather Gorge where the Potomac River meets Difficult Run, a 16-mile tributary stream draining Fairfax County, Virginia.  While no one would describe the Potomac River as epic, the natural landscape of the watershed–especially around the fall line cascades–is far more impressive than you might expect considering the dense urban development that surrounds it.

Camera:  Nikon D700
Lens:  Nikkor 17-35mm f2.8 @ 22mm
Tripod:  Really Right Stuff TVC-33

Date taken:  February 3, 2015
Settings:  f9, 0.4 seconds, iso-200