Another New Year Celebration came and went last night.  It sure was a great year for me here in Virginia, I got to see lots of new places in the Southeast, spent lots of time(by my loner standards) with great friends, and I even married a woman who is beautiful inside and out.

To celebrate the onset of 2014, I did what I always do: I go take photographs.  

The wife was down in Charlotte partying with her friends, which meant I could do whatever I wanted!!  I ended up at Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The parkway is closed on either side of Doughton Park, so you have to hike in from the Alligator Back/Bluff Mountain trailhead.

 The thing I like about Doughton park is the wide open fields and solitary trees that shoot up into the sky.  Just like the lone tree, I had Doughton Park all to myself. 

A lone tree in Doughton Park

Doughton ParkDoughton Park is a reacreation area located on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. The area has many pullouts and great views. It has lots of hiking trails, a lodge, and camping/picnics areas.

I really like all the exposed rock in the area.  They all contain some great details that are interesting to look at whether or not you plan on taking a photo.

Doughton ParkDoughton Park is a reacreation area located on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. The area has many pullouts and great views. It has lots of hiking trails, a lodge, and camping/picnics areas.

There were lots of clouds on the horizon where the sun was setting, preventing any real color from happening.  But it didn't matter.  I had this whole place all to myself(well I had to share with a few whitetails who were grazing nearby).  On the way out I opted to walk down the parkway instead of going back on the trail where I came in.  I did this partly because I am afraid of the dark and didn't want to be in the forest at night, and also partly because I wanted to see all the ice that has closed this section of the parkway!

The sun doesn't really hit this part of the parkway during the winter, prompting the Park Service to close it down.  The ice does build up quite a bit and large chucks were all over on parts of the road.

I used a flashlight to illuminate the ice in the next 3 images.  

Ice on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Ice and stars on the blue ridge parkway.

Ice formations on the Blue Ridge Parkway

And just like that, I had watched the last sunset of 2013.  I hope next year is just as great as this one was.  And I wish all of you 365 awesome sunsets for next year.

Sunset and twilight over North Carolina.