Spring Vacation: part I

Back in 1986 Karen and I took the kids on our first family vacation. Our first trip was to visit Karen's brother and sister-in-law in Richmond Virginia. As I recall we did Washington DC, Williamsburg and Norfolk on that same trip. From that time on and for several years we would take a spring vacation to the East Coast sometimes to Virginia, sometime, Maine, sometimes to the Carolina's and all parts between. Once the nest was empty we continued to make an annual pilgramage to the east and usually stopped in either Richmond or Annapolis, another one of our favorite places. We have friends that lived near Annapolis and we enjoyed visiting them and the sites that are in that area. After a few years we discovered some interesting events that happen around the first of May so we started planning our trips around going to those places or events as well. There is a really nice Art Festival in Richmond VA the first weekend on May and there is a Duck Decoy Show in Havre de Grace MD about that same time.

A few years ago I started training to run in a mini marathon in Indianapolis and that conflicted with the trips to the East. Well, after a couple of years doing the Mini and several medical adventures that made doing the Mini in 2011 impractical, so we planned another trip to the east coast. This year schedules worked out so that we could do both the Richmond Art Festival one weekend and the Duck Decoy Show the next and still leave plenty of time inbetween to visit family and friends and see some sites.

We left Indiana early Friday morning April 27 and headed or Richmond arriving in the early evening. The next morning, Saturday, Mark, Susan, Karen and I headed over to the Art Festival. As Art festivals go this one is pretty big. There were over 400 booths

Here is Mark and Susan going by one of the many booths

As you can see the day was sunny and I can report that it was warm, but not hot. I think we at least look at every booth in the park

We bought a couple of prints, a leather belt, and a grand hat for Karen that you should see later on in this post.

The next day, Sunday after church we headed out for another adventure, this time to Belle Island. Belle Island has quite a storied past. It is out in the middle of the James River. In low water conditions you could probably wade out to it. On the day we were there the river was raging. I tried to get Susan and Karen to try to wade across, but they held out for the bridge crossing.

Apparnetly during the Civil War Belle Island was a POW camp, and a pretty bad one at that.

Later on there were various industries and quaries on the island. Today there are remnants of those old industrial ventures that are still visable, but the primary use of the area is a park. There are trails all over the island and one main trail that leads around the perimeter.

A major highway bridge passes over the island and there is a pedestrian bridge that is suspended below it that allow pedestrian and bicycle access to the island.

There are still some remnants of a former bridge that is dwarfed by the new structure.

Here are a couple of shots that illustrate the extent of the flooding that day.

In contrast to the boiling water of the river there was a quarry pit that seemed to unaward of the turbulence just a few yars away.

Here is Karen in her grand hat, sister-in-law Susan and brother Mark standing on top of a section of old flood control wall.

Mark was nice enough to let me get into one of the pictures

There were some rather interesting ruins left in place that provided a nice photo op.

This scene reminded me of one of those adventure films like Romancing the Stone

Here is adventurer Karen the fearless staring down a band of marrauders.

Maybe not.

Under the bridge is the site for the POW camp.

below is a view of the bridge from another bridge as we were heading out to another part of Richmond.

We ended up down by what was formerly an industrial area that is being rehabilitated as urban housing. From up on an overlook Mark and I spotted this catwalk below and over head rail tressel. We found a path leading to a head wall and a fixed ladder that got us access the the catwalk. Karen and Susan thought that they should stay high and dry.

There were areas that had developed sand bar like areas under bridge and there were a few people fishing. This fellow had pretty good sized catfish that he had just landed.

There were lots of other two legged creatures fishing.

There were dozens of Great Bule Herons flying in, out and around the bridge and landing on the river bank and out on the rocks in the middle of the river. We watched this guy land and stare at the water. Then we notice what he was watching there were thousands of shad swimming up stream right below his feet.

The water is pretty muddy, but in the picture below you can see the dark spots in the water just to the right of the concrete wall. There were perhaps fifty fish in that little area alone.

The water was moving really fast and it appeared like the fish were trying to stay near the edges to gain some advantage against the current.

You can see why karen and Susan stayed up above. One slip and you would be fish food.

To be continued.