That smell in the air - it could be methane, or it could be love.

The highest point in Fairfax County is the I-66 landfill.  At 567 feet, it offers stunning views of the county, overlooking Centreville all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains. These glorious views come from atop 5 million tons of garbage deposited over 110 acres for more than 20 years. The site ceased to be used as a landfill in 1982 but does still house a transfer station where you can leave solid waste for transport to the I-95 landfill, dump your hazardous waste, bring your recycling, or get free mulch for your garden.  [Information comes from Fairfax County's document  I-66 Fast Facts].

It's also where my wife and I went on our first date.

Today, the site is a chaotic industrial wasteland, with multiple traffic lanes converging in a cacophony of trucks, dumpsters and . . . uh, garbage. Popping in recently for a visit, I couldn't figure out even where to park, much less the best place for a romantic rendezvous.

Ten years ago, I remember it being much different. Sure, there were some dumpsters and the transfer station was still there, but we were able to casually walk atop the methane-spewing heap and watch the sunset. The landfill itself seemed almost like a meadow, albeit one with a great deal of venting. Now, the truck traffic made me almost terrified to attempt going up there.  (Okay, well, the truck traffic and the facility supervisor who warned me not to).

As first dates go, it was kind of nice.  Granted, I didn't know it was a first date.  My wife didn't tell me that until later. In my mind, it was more about me going to the transfer station and rooting through the garbage for some free furniture before somebody got wise and told me to scram (I liked to live frugally back then).  To her, though, it was a reason to be together.  Strolling lazily up the  hillside, the sky turning gentle shades of red and orange over the mountains far, far in the distance, turned out to be kind of romantic in a post-industrial, Mad Max sort of way. 

Believe me when I say there are worse places to go on a first date.  (The rendering plant, for instance, or maybe a waste-water management facility).

Anyway, the site nowadays and the surrounding area are used, probably logically, to house a lot of the county's civic facilities.  A juvenile detention center sits nearby, along with the Fire and Rescue Academy, Animal Shelter and some VDOT facilities. I'd like to propose, though, that a small space atop the landfill itself be set aside for one other purpose: as a scenic overlook. 

It's the best view in the county.