JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Travel to Great Smoky Mountains National Park with photographer Jeff Olson. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between North Carolina and Tennessee runs northeast to southwest through the centerline of the park. It is the most visited national park in …

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — Biltmore Estate And Gardens

Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson recently had the opportunity to visit one of the top tourist attractions in Ashville, N.C., the Biltmore Estate. Biltmore House, the main house on the estate, is a Chateauesque-styled mansion built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895. It is the largest privately owned house in the United States, at 178,926 square feet of floor space …

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — Chimney Rock State Park

Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson captured these scenic shots at Chimney Rock State Park, which is located in Chimney Rock Village near Lake Lure in the North Carolina mountains. Privately owned by the Morse family for more than 100 years, Chimney Rock was acquired by the state of North Carolina in 2007 to become part of the greater Chimney Rock State …

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — C&O Canal And The Paw Paw Tunnel

A hike along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and to the Paw Paw Tunnel near Oldtown, Maryland was on the agenda recently for Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson and his wife, Joanne Plager Burke Olson. The C&O Canal, occasionally called the “Grand Old Ditch,”operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Md. The canal’s principal cargo …

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine

Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olsons shares these shots of Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine, located in Baltimore. The coastal star-shaped fort is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British Navy in Chesapeake Bay in 1814. During the Civil War, the area where Fort McHenry sits served as a military prison, …

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — France Countryside, Summer 2015, Part 9

The Château de Chenonceau is one of the best-known chateaux of the Loire Valley in France, and that is where Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson’s travels took him Wednesday. Located near the small village of Chenonceaux in the Indre-et-Loire department, the chateau was first mentioned in writing in the 11th century. The current château was built in 1514–1522 on the …

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — France Countryside, Summer 2015, Part 8

Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson’s most recent day touring the French countryside included visiting Font-de-Gaume, a cave near Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil in the Dordogne department of southwest France. The cave contains prehistoric polychrome paintings and engravings dating to the Magdalenian period. His day ended at Château de Beynac, a castle where Richard the Lionheart lived in the 12th century. The castle is one of the …

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — France Countryside, Summer 2015, Part 7

The Tuesday market in Le Bugue — that’s where Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson, his wife, Joanne Plager Burke Olson, and their other traveling companions spent their morning. Le Bugue, located on the banks of the Vézère River a few kilometers before the confluence of the Vézère with the Dordogne at Limeuil, is a commune in the Dordogne department in southwestern France. …

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — France Countryside, Summer 2015, Part 5

Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson and his traveling companions, including his wife, Joanne Barclay Burke Plager, and Dean Plager and Barclay Jackson, has an “incredible day and tea in Salers, a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France. It is famous for the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée cheeses Cantal and Salers. It is also famous for the Salers breed of cattle …

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — France Countryside, Summer 2015, Part 4

On his recent European trip to France, Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson ended his boat travel in Mâcon, a small city in east-central France in the department of Saône-et-Loire, located in Burgundy. From there, he and his group headed west by automobile to Massif Central, an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateau with numerous castles and parks. Their …

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — Paris, Summer 2015

Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson captured these images from Paris recently. Among them are shots from Notre-Dame-de-Paris, also known as Notre Dame Cathedral; the Latin Quarter; The Sainte-Chapelle, a royal medieval Gothic chapel, located near the Palais de la Cité, on the Île de la Cité in the heart of Paris; and the Eiffel Tower.

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — North Dakota Nice

Here are a few spectacular photos from Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson’s recent trip home to North Dakota. They are a canola field near northeast of McKenzie,N.D., two of a Missouri River sunset through the smoky skies north of Double Ditch Indian Village, the result of Canadian forest fires, and a yellowheaded-blackbird in cattail slough northeast of McKenzie.

JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — Replica Of Historic Hermoine Arrives In U.S.

Here are some photos taken Thursday morning at the Alexandria City Marina By Old Town of the French frigate Hermoine, a replica of the tall ship that brought Gen. Marquis de Lafayette from France to America in 1780. The stop is part of a 12-city tour along the East Coast that includes public tours of the ship and traveling exhibit.

JEFF OLSON: Arsenal Of Democracy Marks End Of World War II

B-17 bombers, Stearman biplanes, Hellcats, B-24s and many more vintage aircraft took part Friday in the Arsenal of Democracy flyover of Washington, D.C., which marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Up to 5,000 people watched from on or near the National Mall, with thousands more on downtown rooftops. 

JEFF OLSON: Earth Day At Everglades National Park With President Obama

On Earth Day, President Obama visited Everglades National Park. The president used the opportunity to talk about how climate change is affecting the 1.4 million acre park, which was created in 1947 to conserve the natural landscape and prevent further degradation of its land, plants, and animals. Known as the “River of Grass,” the Everglades fuel the region’s tourism economy and water …

JEFF OLSON: End Of The Civil War — 150 Years Later, Part 2

The surrender of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee to Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant 150 years ago today April 9 was a milestone event in the end of the Civil War. Among the anniversary events to commemorate the event were a re-enactment of Lee’s last clash with Grant’s troops and of the Confederate surrender in the McLean Virginia farmhouse. Also …

JEFF OLSON: National Cherry Blossom Festival, Part 2

The National Cherry Blossom Festival concludes today. For 80 years, Washington, D.C., has celebrated the 1912 gift of cherry trees to our nation’s capital by the mayor of Toyko. Each year,  big crowds gather around the Tidal Basin and National Mall to view the springtime magic of the blooming cherry trees. This weekend, Washington’s famous cherry blossoms are hitting peak bloom, according to …

JEFF OLSON: National Cherry Blossom Festival

The National Cherry Blossom Festival concludes today. For 80 years, Washington, D.C., has celebrated the 1912 gift of cherry trees to our nation’s capital by the mayor of Toyko. Each year,  big crowds gather around the Tidal Basin and National Mall to view the springtime magic of the blooming cherry trees. This weekend, Washington’s famous cherry blossoms are hitting peak bloom, according to …

JEFF OLSON: End Of The Civil War — 150 Years Later

The surrender of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee to Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant 150 years ago today was a milestone event in the end of the Civil War. Among the anniversary events to commemorate the event were a re-enactment of Lee’s last clash with Grant’s troops and of the Confederate surrender in the McLean Virginia farmhouse on April 9, …