Does anybody know of any nice hills or places to have a picnic, preferably private and with a good view of the stars at night, preferably in the Reston area? Thanks.

Lake Fairfax, right down baron cameron on the right before you get to route 7. But they lock up at 830 or so unless you're camping out their for the night.

ok cool, i was thinking about lake fairfax actually...i guess if i wanted to get in before and out after 8.30, i'd have to bike or walk in, right?

there are no good locations. everyones smoking weed at them anyway

This spot is not near Reston but I love the Occoquan regional Park for a picnic. You can watch the boats and there are paths and lots of grassy areas. It is down route 123 on the left almost before you cross the brideg to Prince William County,.

Just a fun fact. I used to do private investigator work about 10 years ago. One place that was famous for lovers to meet was way down in Van Dyke Park in Fairfax City. One time I had to get a photo of a couple showing "affection" for an adultery case. I hid in the porta john for two hours and snapped the photo from there as they got back into their separate cars. My legs were tired ( I was standing on the toilet to see out the top) and it smelled , but I got a great photo of a guy feeling his GF's butt up and kissing goodbye after they had lunch and a makeout session in the woods.

Trickie

Since when is there viewing space on top of a portojohn door?

It's way high up so it can get air inside. I had to stand on top of the toilet to get my photos. Check any Don's Jon and you will see the open grated area near the top.

Oh thats what you mean. I thought you were looking over the door, not out the side.

remind me to pummel trickie into a bloody pulp if I ever meet him/her.

Great Falls Park, Burke Lake Park and Bull Run are three of my favorites. Just keep your eye on your kids if you go to Great Falls. Kids want to climb on the rocks by the water and that's probably not a good idea. Bull Run has a pool and lots of activities. You can rent boats at Burke Lake. Try some of the Hiking trails at Great Falls. If you want a pavilion I think you have to reserve them with the Park Authority.

If you really want some great views, travel about 45 mintues and go to Skyline Drive or the Shenandoah Valley by the river. Canoe on the Shenandoah River and stop at one of the great spots along the river. For about $20 a person you can take a 7 mile canoe trip complete with canoe pickup and delivery to the river(usually by school bus). Basically the canoe just drifts down stream and they pick you up at stops located along the river when your done. Inner tubing is also fun.

Trickie is a girl and what did I ever do to you to make you want to hurt me? Another good picnic spot is Eakin Park off Prosperity in Fairfax. There is never anyone there and there are picnic tables and a nice trail too. Also they have play eqipment for kids.

Tricki

You observed them doing stuff covertly.

That was my job! I didn't even know them. This was for an adultery and child custody case. Private investigators do this all the time. If you want to be angry at someone, it should be the married man (or woman) who is playing around covertly on his spouse. It's not like I was some kind of stalker. Talk to any attorney who specializes in family law. You will find that they all have a cadre of investigators on hand to do surveillances just like this on a regular basis.

Trickie

Trick, whats the pay like for what you did/do?

Your camera would look good crammed up your azz

The last time I worked as a PI was 8 years ago. I worked for Fairfax Private Investigations but the owner has since died and the business closed. I made then $15 an hour for PI work and $12 an hour for basic office work ( answering phone, typing reports, billing,doing on line searches with his resources, picking up legal papers at court house) I also served legal papers for several law firms and I earned about $30 for a simple serve more if I had to wait or find them. Often times I would be out all night or all day parked on a street or somewhere trying to find proof of adultery or child neglect etc. PI's woth a license to carry a gun or with more experience make much more - $20 to 25 per hour. Most PI's do not do this full time unless they own the business. Many were ex police or Secret Service. I had a full time job also so I mostly did PI work in the summers or on weekends as I filled in depending on how many cases we had going. I wish sometimes I was still doing it because I did enjoy the work. It gets cold in the winter and hot in the summer if you have to sit in your car a long time. Plus most firms expect you to have all your own equipment. You have to get your license renewed every 2 years at the DMV and take additional courses to keep up your credentials.

how can one get started in that line of work?
Just curious. Got an email addy?

I attended classes at night for about 20 weeks at Forensic Science Associates. It was taught by former FBI career personnel. Their number is 703 644-6291. NOVA also has classes but I took the night classes to get my license sooner. Miller Consulting does training 703-241 4911 as does Central Training in Chantilly. 703-818 0552. You will need to submit your fingerprints and have no felonies or misdeamenors. You will need to pass a state test and must have the required number of hours of study as required by the Criminal Justice dept of the state of Va. You usually can work for more than one firm but you cannot work alone unless yu are a compliance agent registered in Va. Even now I still get calls from firms I used to work for because it seems people move on to other lines of work. Another thing I did was serve legal papers (no license required!) Most PI firms do that as well. I also was called to do some night time security work guarding construction areas from vandals and theives. But with a PI license only and not a security license, you can only accumulate a certain amount of hours doing that unless your employee calls it "surveillance"
Truthfully, I loved doing PI work but my husband was not wild about me being out all night especially in some bad areas like Georgetown South in Manassas. I never felt unsafe and enjoyed the job. Luckily, for me, I look like the quintessential soccer mom and no one ever guessed what I was up to.
I am sorry but I did not have time to look up web sites but you can Google them. Good luck if you decide to pursue this. The classes are very interesting.

Hugs, Tricki

Now, according to the original post, he wanted a place near Reston with good view of stars. Anywhere near FFX Cnty will not have a view of the stars. There is too much light.

Go west.

Agreed, I went deep into Loudon County during Hale Bopp (that comet in 97), and I felt like a city kid who had never been to the country. I could see shooting stars, tons of them, and the sky was just fucking filled with stars. I drove pretty far west into the county.

I - 66 rest area