What is summer without a day camp program in Richmond Virginia sponsored by Aunt Liz, campers included niece Sophie and Mom, both demanding campers, expecting nothing less than an all out adventure. First stop, the canal ride on the James River. This includes a little bit of history from the boat driver and of course lots of wildlife - for the adventure side of program.
The digging of the beginnings of a towpath made it possible for cargo-bearing barges to navigate up the canal and beyond the rapids of the James River where it flows past downtown Richmond. Construction of the Great Basin by the turn of the 18th century and completion of the Tidewater Connection in 1822 allowed larger boats to enter the city below the falls. Mills and warehouses surrounding the Great Basin allowed direct loading and unloading of goods that were departing or arriving by water. Water from the canal channeled into millraces powered a number of gristmills, allowing Richmond to become one of the major world flour producers and exporters. By 1840, construction of the canal was complete from Richmond to Lynchburg. A series of wooden locks, most dating from the 1840s, permitted access to the upper James River, the focus of subsequent developments. By 1851, the canal system extended 197 miles westward, terminating at what would be its final destination, the town of Buchanan, VA in Botetourt County. The building of the “great lock” next to the present-day intersection of Dock and Pear Streets between 1850 and 1854 connected the James River with the Richmond Dock completing the James River and Kanawha Canal system. The location is now a small city park called the Great Ship Lock Park.
The 1850s were the heyday of the James River and Kanawha Canal, the time canal traffic was at its busiest. Nearly 200 boats passed through on a regular basis, with barges bringing raw materials like tobacco and wheat from western Virginia and returning with other products from the city. Passenger boats, called packets, made up only a small percentage of traffic on the canal. They typically carried as many as 40 people and, with draft animals pulling the boats from the adjacent towpath, took approximately 33 hours to reach Lynchburg.
In 1880, the Richmond and Allegheny Railway Company bought the canal and laid tracks on the towpath. This, compounded by flooding and damage suffered during the Civil War, marked the canal system’s demise and its eclipse by the railroads. Although it would never reach the Kanawha River, the James River and Kanawha Canal was nonetheless a visionary and monumental engineering effort that bypassed seven miles of falls and continued 197 miles through Virginia’s western mountain ranges. (copied from, http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/richmond/JamesRCanal.html)
A blue heron.
By far one of my favorite things to do in Richmond, winter, spring, summer or fall is to take a walk on Belle Island. No cars allowed. The views of the river are terrific and the shade of the trees in the summer is a nice relief to the scorching hot and humid days.
To get there you must walk over this wonderful pedestrian bridge which hangs from the highway above.
There are some vehicle dangers that you must be aware of and the kind city of Richmond had posted a sign to keep you mindful.
See how mom carefully walks over to the other side of the bridge as a biker is about to pass her.
And here is a picture of Tony's office building, it's the short one in the forefront, with the MWV logo on the right side of the face of the building.
We finally made it over the hanging bridge to stunning Belle Isle.
The Kanawha Canal was begun in 1785, and at its peak the canal stretched
187 miles to an area west of Lynchburg, Virginia. The canals were
damaged during the Civil War, then went into disuse with the rise of the
railroads after the war.
The James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District illustrates the
relationship between Richmond’s early inhabitants and the James
River. Following settlement by English colonists, the construction of
millraces parallel to the banks of the river provided water to power
mills and later electric plants. In 1784, George Washington voiced his
support to the Virginia General Assembly for a grand scale waterway.
His vision was to link the James River with the Kanawha River in
western Virginia, which would then open up access to the resources of
the American West via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Incorporation
of the state-sanctioned James River Company in 1785, with George
Washington as its honorary president, led to the development of the
James River and Kanawha Canal.
The digging of the beginnings of a towpath made it possible for cargo-bearing barges to navigate up the canal and beyond the rapids of the James River where it flows past downtown Richmond. Construction of the Great Basin by the turn of the 18th century and completion of the Tidewater Connection in 1822 allowed larger boats to enter the city below the falls. Mills and warehouses surrounding the Great Basin allowed direct loading and unloading of goods that were departing or arriving by water. Water from the canal channeled into millraces powered a number of gristmills, allowing Richmond to become one of the major world flour producers and exporters. By 1840, construction of the canal was complete from Richmond to Lynchburg. A series of wooden locks, most dating from the 1840s, permitted access to the upper James River, the focus of subsequent developments. By 1851, the canal system extended 197 miles westward, terminating at what would be its final destination, the town of Buchanan, VA in Botetourt County. The building of the “great lock” next to the present-day intersection of Dock and Pear Streets between 1850 and 1854 connected the James River with the Richmond Dock completing the James River and Kanawha Canal system. The location is now a small city park called the Great Ship Lock Park.
The 1850s were the heyday of the James River and Kanawha Canal, the time canal traffic was at its busiest. Nearly 200 boats passed through on a regular basis, with barges bringing raw materials like tobacco and wheat from western Virginia and returning with other products from the city. Passenger boats, called packets, made up only a small percentage of traffic on the canal. They typically carried as many as 40 people and, with draft animals pulling the boats from the adjacent towpath, took approximately 33 hours to reach Lynchburg.
In 1880, the Richmond and Allegheny Railway Company bought the canal and laid tracks on the towpath. This, compounded by flooding and damage suffered during the Civil War, marked the canal system’s demise and its eclipse by the railroads. Although it would never reach the Kanawha River, the James River and Kanawha Canal was nonetheless a visionary and monumental engineering effort that bypassed seven miles of falls and continued 197 miles through Virginia’s western mountain ranges. (copied from, http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/richmond/JamesRCanal.html)
Here is an old map of the river in Richmond and the canal running parallel to it.
And here is a picture of the whole canal system. On the bottom you can see the elevation of the land and how the canal was constructed up the terrain, fascinating. You can click the link to get a better view.
http://www.hmdb.org/PhotoFullSize.asp?PhotoID=82932
http://www.hmdb.org/PhotoFullSize.asp?PhotoID=82932
Today the area is teaming with wildlife!! Turtles!
Mom and Sophie looking intently for other wildlife.
Another camp day we went to the the Burger Bach as in Bachelor. I don't get it either. This is a New Zealand inspired Gastro Pub and all the meat (beef and lamb) is flown in from New Zealand. The rest of the produce/products are sourced locally in Richmond, VA ...we were told. But as you can see on the menu, the potatoes are from Idaho, so I am not sure what the nice waitress was rambling on about. Maybe she felt bad that the restaurant sourced it's meat from so far away taking away from the local economy? Never the less the burgers were fantastic and the french fries perfect as they were homemade! We will definitely go back for this luscious imported beef!
Very cool raised relief of a ....New Zealand??....cow.
Mom and her burger, the burger didn't have a chance!
A stunning view of the James River.
Ready to hit the trail!
Beautiful.
It is permitted to swim...carefully in the pools, not in the rapids!
Sunbathing is also a favorite pastime.
We had a blast just climbing around the flat rocks.
This is a small quarry lake. I think they used the blocks to build the civil war prison and nail factory which was housed on the island.
Kayaking and rafting are also permitted and Sophie and I decided that next year we were going to go rafting on one of our camp days.
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