It was always a subtle transition in topography for me when I came to Reston. I would leave Roanoke where I was surrounded with mountains and drive up Interstate 81.
When I cut across on Interstate 64 there would be a brief crossing of the mountains and then they would be gone fading into the hilly terrain that followed me to Reston.
By the next morning I would be comfortable not seeing my familiar mountains in the distance.
Not being in the mountains had some advantages. In Reston the sun didn't drop behind the mountain and bring shadows well before sunset.
This weekend high winds hit Roanoke. They fanned a fire rumored to have been started by an ATV. The winds turned the fire into a major forest fire which you can see fourteen to fifteen miles away in the picture at the top of the post.
While the mountains make you feel safe from the problems of large cities and dense populations, they have their own challenges. Fire is always a scary possibility and heavy rains often get concentrated in the valley bottoms and end up causing flooding.
Reston gets its fair share of traffic, but there probably haven't been major roads closed by smoke from forest fires.
At the coast we can often see the smoke of controlled forest fire burns in the distance, but mostly we worry about water and winds.
I suspect the major worry in Reston is traffic. I guess that is a measure of how much the urban life has brought nature under its sway.
