Running at dusk

Sometimes there is nothing better than a run through the city after a long day. It's refreshing and reflective and sometimes even revelatory. In last night's case, I found myself exploring a dirt trail in Rock Creek Park I'd never taken before.

The trail wound through Dumbarton Oaks and Montrose parks, and I almost felt like I was seeing Washington from a vista I'd never had before. I don't know how I missed these trails. I have lived near an entrance to the park for almost a year now, but I guess like anything else, people tend to stick to what they know, and my norm is a paved trail that runs behind the zoo. There is something about running on a narrow dirt trail wide enough only for a single person, with a canopy of trees overhead that envelops you just enough to give shade and a little seclusion without feeling too cut off from the world.

I emerged in what I suppose would be called northeast Georgetown, where R Street is lined by gorgeous homes and a cobblestone sidewalk. On the way home, I passed embassies and headed north through Dupont Circle. One route - so many elements of the city at once.

Deer at home in the Garden at Dumbarton Oaks

The Oak Hill Cemetery