IMG_0134.CR2, Originally uploaded by evancparker.

I rarely — if ever — venture into downtown D.C. when the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom, but something inspired me this year. Not only do you have to deal with city traffic, but tourists, and they seam to get stupider each year.

Not to mention, I honestly don’t like the look of a cherry tree in bloom … at least not up close. They look like a floral pipe cleaner. I like my blossoms a little more random and well spaced. Maybe a dogwood, or magnolia.

This time, I went down the day before peak … and did it at some obscene hour of the morning. The foot traffic around the tidal basin was predictably insane (and I hereby vow to never do it again, again) but the more remote groves — like this one, north of the monument — were just as stunning, and much less crowded.

Cherry Blossoms
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unclevanya/sets/…6218/