Back in 2013-2014 I traveled all over Virginia researching and writing a hiking guidebook. You’ve probably seen those “Falcon Guides” in book stores or outdoor stores, like REI, that carry books. They have the distinctive yellow covers. Well, mine was Falcon’s Hiking Waterfalls in Virginia. I featured 48 hikes all over the state, though as you would imagine, most are in Virginia’s mountainous parts.

They’re not all in the mountains, however, and, there’s really no better excuse for a summer road trip than a waterfall/swimming hole destination. So, I thought it would be fun to pick a few hikes out of the book and highlight one a week over the summer. (If you want to see them all, click here.)

First up, the Falls of the Nottoway…

The Falls of the Nottoway was one of the most surprising entries in my book. It sits in the middle of nowhere — geologically speaking — yet it boasts a pleasing series of slides offering large pools at the bottom perfect for swimming. These are no sheer, Last of the Mohicans-style falls, but then even in the mountains, Virginia doesn’t have many of those. This place is a perfect summer waterfall trip because the swimming holes are numerous and quite large. You’re not likely to have it to yourself if it’s a warm day, but the pools are big enough that plenty of people can swim here without bothering each other.

Getting there: I’ll skip the road directions because you can easily type this place into Google Maps and find your way there. But once you arrive and park in the gravel lot just after you’ve crossed over the Nottoway River, the service road is off to the right. Follow it for just a few feet and look for the narrower trail that’s been created by decades of people thronging the falls. You’ll pass under the Route 49 bridge first, then enter the woods for just a few hundred feet before you see the falls on your left.

Here’s an overhead shot of the rock outcrop that creates the falls taken by William and Mary University.

I’ve written this before, but it bears repeating: Get yourself on the Friends of the James River Park’s email newsletter. They do a great job highlighting the group’s work and other events/happenings in and around the park. (Even better: Become a member and help support the good work they do.)

VCU graduate student Elina Oehlert with a section of mural at Texas Beach. Credit: VCU

Case in point: Their most recent email blast featured the recently completed mural project on the cement staircase down to Texas Beach. From the Friends:

In a project jointly sponsored by City of Richmond Parks and Recreation, VCU Painting and Printmaking Department, Friends of the James River Park, and James River Hikers, students from the VCU Painting and Printmaking Department painted the walls of the North Bank Park stair tower. The 30 colorful murals depict turtles, herons, raccoons, bats, owls and ladybugs, as well as other creatures that dwell in and around the James River.

The muralists are VCU students Rebecca Grennan, Elina Oehlert, Dorothy Sysling, Ji Yun Park, Sarah Burnley, Megan Michelle Phillips, Julia Stewart, Dellil Mohammed, Kana Danzey, along with Ross Newcomb from Richmond Parks.Project Directors were Professor Ruth Bolduan and Graduate Student Michael Royce. Park Superintendent Nathan Burrell and members of the Richmond Parks staff viewed students’ initial drawings for the murals last fall, offering helpful suggestions. Students painted small versions, that were enlarged for the mural sites. With the painting begun last fall and ended this April, the murals are a beautiful synthesis of nature and art for the enjoyment of everyone who loves the James River and its trails.

The Sports Backers have officially opened registration for the Virginia Credit Union Moonlight Ride, which will take place on Saturday, August 25. If you’ve never done this ride, check it out. It’s a great event, especially for a group of friends — or the whole family.

The casual nighttime bike ride has grown into one of Richmond’s favorite cycling events, and 2018 marks the 10th anniversary of the ride. The Virginia Credit Union Moonlight Ride takes riders on a scenic course that goes through the Boulevard, Lakeside, and Bryan Park before finishing at Sports Backers Stadium with a street-festival style celebration for participants.

New features for the 2018 Virginia Credit Union Moonlight Ride include a family-friendly two-mile ride that starts at 7:30pm, with the full eight-mile course taking off at 8:00pm.The two-mile option will provide a great opportunity for families to enjoy a shorter course alternative, closed to vehicle traffic, at a relaxed pace, before heading back to the finish area for the Agee’s Post-Ride Party. The minimum age for participants in the family ride is five years old, while the minimum age for the full, eight-mile course distance is eight years old, though child seats and bike trailers are permitted in both distances for children under those ages.

Registration fees are currently $30 for adults and $15 for youth aged 5-14 years old, with a price increase set for July 1. Children under the age of five do not need to be registered, but their parent or guardian must complete a waiver to have them take part as passengers in an approved child seat or bike trailer.

Click here for registration and more event details.

I’ve had a lot of conversations with cyclists over the past week about the new protected bike lane on Franklin St. downtown. Many of those have been with my wife, who uses the street to commute and has seen many cars parked illegally, blocking her path and forcing her out into the street. Apparently her story isn’t uncommon.

With all that in mind, I wanted to pass along the below email from Max Hepp-Buchanan, director of BikeWalkRVA:

If you live or work in Richmond, you may have seen the new two-way protected bike lane on E. Franklin Street between Monroe Park and N. 9th Street. People who have been using the bike lane love it and our counts from last week have already shown that bike traffic on Franklin has doubled because of the bike lane. But there are also questions about the “floating parking” lane on the north side of the street against the bike lane buffer, so hopefully the below illustration and explanation will help answer some questions. 

Please click here to download the flyer and share with others.

We know that it will take several weeks to adjust to the new configuration of Franklin Street, but we also know that “floating parking” is the best way to retain on-street parking and keep people on bikes safe from motor vehicle traffic, and that it works in cities large and small across the country. Thank you for your patience and help educating others in your community.

Here’s a sweet video to brighten your Thursday. Friend of the program and executive director of rafting at Riverside Outfitters, Dave Fary, shared this clip with us he made yesterday. In it he and some buddies paddle from a creek in his backyard, under Powhite Parkway, all the way down to the James. How Richmond is that?

Our friends at Keep Virginia Beautiful, who just rapped up a hugely successful Shiver in the River winter festival, just announced that they’re accepting applications for their 30 Grants in Thirty Days initiative.

The program is designed to empower groups all across Virginia to make an environmental impact in their communities. Keep Virginia Beautiful awards grants of $500-$1,000 for projects in each of these four categories:  Community Beautification and Greening, Litter Prevention, Recycling, and Cigarette Litter Prevention.  Since 2011, KVB has provided $178,000 for 230 different projects at schools, colleges, parks, counties and towns, environmental groups, associations, nonprofits, and service organizations.

To expand the reach of their 30 Grants in Thirty Days initiative, and in celebration of their 65th Anniversary, KVB will also give away cleanup kits to groups and individuals Names will be selected in a random drawing. You do not need to complete a grant application to enter the Cleanup Kit Contest!

Litter prevention is one of the areas KVB is offering grants for. Credit: 3blmedia

For the 30 Grants in Thirty Days initiative, online applications will be accepted through April 30^th. A panel of expert judges will review the applications in May, and we will announce our “30 Grants in Thirty Days” recipients each day in the month of June on social media and this website.

DESCRIPTION OF CATEGORIES:

• Litter Prevention – Grants will be awarded to parks, communities, government or nonprofit entities, or other groups that implement programs in Virginia to reduce litter. Funding will support educational outreach materials, and cleanup events. The purpose of these grants is to support sustainable prevention and a measurable reduction of litter within Virginia’s communities.
• Recycling – Grants are awarded to schools, parks, communities, government or nonprofit entities, or other groups that implement or expand programs to reduce waste and increase recycling in Virginia.  Funding will support educational outreach materials, receptacles, and recycling events. The purpose of these grants is to promote waste reduction and a measurable increase in reuse and recycling within Virginia’s communities.
• Beautification – Grants will be awarded to schools, parks, communities, government or nonprofit entities, or other groups in Virginia who support programs that beautify and clean. Funding will support community gardens, restoring vacant lots, highway and shoreline enhancement, plantings, graffiti abatement, revitalization projects, and sustainable neighborhood gardens.  The purpose of these grants is to support beautification efforts within Virginia’s communities.
• Cigarette Litter Prevention – Cigarette butts account for over 30% of all U.S. roadway litter and storm drain litter.  Grants will be awarded for projects that include public education and awareness of the issue of cigarette litter, placing ash receptacles at transition points such as entrances to public buildings, and/or distributing pocket or portable ashtrays to adult smokers.

Cool news on the front of the Times-Dispatch today about Maymont adding a new shark exhibit. Colleen Curran reported that “the new sharks at Maymont are chain catsharks, due to the interesting snake-skin-type pattern on their backs. They can typically be found in the Chesapeake Bay, as well as up an down the Atlantic Coast.”

Maymont acquired two of the juvenile (about 3 months old) chain catsharks, but they are currently in quarantine and won’t go on view to the public until this Thursday (March 22nd). So, tell the kids they have to wait a couple of days!

Click here for more info.

Invasive vines strangle trees at Huguenot Flatwater.

Reporter Colleen Curran has a nice feature in today’s Times-Dispatch about volunteer efforts to rein in the many invasive species that constantly encroach on the James River Park System’s urban wilderness. It is National Invasive Species Awareness Week, as we detailed here last week, and the Friends of the James River Park kicked things off yesterday with a volunteer event — about 50 people showed up — at Pony Pasture Park.

“We have this beautiful park, but it’s sick. Invasive species has become an urgent problem,” Mary Wickham, who heads up the invasive plant task force for the James River Park, told Curran.

Click here to check out the rest of the article. There are volunteer events organized by different groups every day this week. Click here to learn more.

Virginia State Parks is hanging out the “Help Wanted” sign for everyone from high school students to senior citizens. From lifeguards and snack bar workers to contact rangers and housekeepers, seasonal jobs are available in all 37 state parks.

“Seasonal employees are the backbone of our operations and allow us to provide a wealth of outdoor recreation experiences for guests,” said State Parks Director Craig Seaver. “A seasonal position is a great way to gain job experience in a variety of outdoor locations and facilities.”

Powhatan State Park is just 45 minutes from Richmond.

Seasonal work also includes AmeriCorps. Corps members serve as park interpreters and recruit and manage volunteers from nearby communities to improve trails. AmeriCorps workers get a stipend and qualify for an education award.

Also, state parks have multi-year paid summer internships for college students interested in becoming park rangers. The application deadline is March 1.

Virginia State Parks will host more than 5 million visitors between Memorial Day and Labor Day and fill about 1,000 seasonal positions to support them. Many seasonal park employees spend significant time working outdoors. Employees receive job-specific and customer service training.

Visit www.dcr.virginia.gov/jobs for a list of full-time, part-time and seasonal job openings.

For most of 2017, the Friends of the James River Park and Webbones LLC were hard at work evaluating, revising and reimagining the Friends’ website — jamesriverpark.org. Over the past few weeks they rolled out “Phase One” of this project. When you visit the site, some of the changes you will find on the revised site are:

• individual location data, including disability access information
• a rundown on activities offered by JRPS Education Staff
• a dedicated Trails Overview page
• new ways to support the park
• impact of Leave No Trace Partnership adoption

The goal is to provide a more complete online experience for new and frequent visitors to the site, and I’d say they’re on their way. Check it out here.