The old bridge before construction began.

This one may stretch the definition of Central Virginia a bit, but it’s a destination worth the journey. I wrote about High Bridge Trail State Park a couple of years ago before work had begun on the actual bridge. It was a fun place for a bike ride then. I saw plenty of walkers and horseback riders, too, that day. Now that the park’s centerpiece is open, though, I think I need to go back. There’s just nothing else in this relatively flat part of the state that offer the kind of views this bridge over the Appomattox River does.

 Here’s the press release from the DCR:

High Bridge in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties, the centerpiece of High Bridge Trail State Park, will open Friday, April 6. The bridge has been under construction since March 2011 converting it from an abandoned railroad bridge to a pedestrian, bicycling and equestrian-friendly one.

Site of one of the last battles of the Civil War, the bridge is 2,400 feet long and towers 160 feet above the Appomattox River. It is the final link in connecting 31 miles of linear state park. It is the most prominent of numerous cultural and historic areas connected by the park. Efforts are still ongoing to extend the park into Burkeville on its eastern end and Pamplin to the west.

High Bridge is located approximately 4.5 miles from downtown Farmville. The park entrances closest to the bridge are Rice’s Depot Road, one-quarter mile off U.S. 460, approximately three miles east of the bridge and on River Road, three miles from N. Main Street in Farmville; approximately one mile west of the bridge. As the closest access to the bridge, carpooling is encouraged for the River Road lot. Bicyclists may want to embark from Farmville or Rice.

The bridge now

The James River Association, the Chesapeake Conservancy and the National Geographic Society are currently holding community meetings around the state to “Envision the James.” The idea is to get people along the river corridor and in the watershed to create “a common vision for the James River to benefit present and future generations.”

If you’re interested in the future of America’s Founding River, this is a great opportunity to learn about local and regional projects and to share your thoughts with the JRA team. The informal, participatory meeting will be held Wednesday, April 4 from 5:30-7:15 p.m. in Maymont’s Carriage House with parking located at 1700 Hampton Street, Richmond, VA 23220. Attendees are encouraged to come early to browse project maps and chat with the partners. Contact Gabe Silver with the James River Association at gsilver@jrava.org or at 804-788-8811 ext. 214 for more information.

Back on Feb. 21, we discovered that Go Ape! would be bringing its signature brand of treetop ropes courses to Williamsburg’s Freedom Park. Well, they obviously work fast, because the course is almost done. In fact, it’s set to open April 7th. As we wrote at the time, “some of you may remember that this ropes and zipline course through the hardwood canopy was supposed to be built in Richmond’s Byrd Park in the forest behind the Carillon. It was felled, however, by politics, as this Richmond.com piece explains:

In late 2010, Richmond missed out on a chance to bring a proposed ropes course at Byrd Park. The proposal generated opposition from nearby residents, citing potential damage to the course site in a wooded area behind the Carillon, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. A plan for a public meeting was canceled after J.R. Pope resigned as director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities over an unrelated matter. He was pinpointed by 5th district city councilman Marty Jewell as the person behind the Go Ape project.

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I took the time to lay down my feelings about how a minority of Richmonders are misbehaving down at the James River Park on Richmond.com.Read More

The waters are beginning to recede now, but yesterday and the day before the James River was a raging torrent. I’m always amazed, when the water is as high as it was, how many paddlers are willing to brave rapids like Hollywood and Pipeline. It’s a stroke of luck if you happen to be on Belle Isle or the Pipeline when they come through. RichmondOutside.com friend Chris Johnson was in just such a position Monday (on Belle Isle). Click “Continue “Reading” to see his pics. And that reminds me: We love great photos here at RichmondOutside. If you happen to be out and about in Central Virginia and you catch something worth sharing, shoot us an email. We’ll proudly put your work on display.

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A new program from HandsOn Greater Richmond, RVAhydro, takes traditional volunteering out of the box by combining education with service. RVAhydro combines service and education to create a lasting and effective volunteer experience. This year’s program will focus on water quality issues in the Greater Richmond area and we have scheduled projects with Chesterfield County, James River Advisory Council, and James River Parks and Recreation to bring in experts and educate volunteers about these issues and what we can do to help.

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Today’s T-D had a snippet on three people having to be rescued from the James yesterday. “The three had waded out in water that was between ankle-deep and knee-deep, but the water rose quickly before they could return, said Richmond Fire & EMS Lt. Robbie Hagaman. Rescue crews reached them shortly after 7 p.m. and brought them safely to shore.”

The river just west of Nickel Bridge looking north.

As much a sign of spring as blooming azaleas and dogwoods, these river rescues are extremely common this time of year. People just don’t seem to realize how fast the river can go from moving but manageable to frothing and angry. Check out the Westham Gauge to see how fast the river climbed since the weekend storms

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is sponsoring a series of dog walks this spring to draw attention to the pollution problems caused by pet waste in Upham Brook, an urban stream flowing through parts of Henrico County and Richmond and eventually draining into the Chesapeake Bay.Read More

The long downhill finish has been a highlight of the Richmond Marathon for years. Well, that finish is now changing, but the experience isn’t likely to.

At a press conference earlier today, the Sports Backers announced changes to the 34-year-old event, including a re-route of the finishing stretch: “The 26.2-mile course…has a new riverfront finish line at the intersection of 5^th Street and Tredegar Street. The course now turns right onto 5^thStreet from Cary Street, still culminating with a participant-pleasing downhill finish. Brown’s Island will be the new site of the Post-Race Festival, which was previously located at the James Center.”

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