Picture of the day - May 16, 2007

Trestle On The Virginia Creeper Trail

Yesterday afternoon, Cheria and I joined Tami, Olivia and Madison on a long walk on the Virginia Creeper Trail, but instead of taking our usual route beginning at the trailhead in Abingdon, we decided to drive the short distance to the Watauga community and enter the trail there. After we arrived at Watauga and found a parking place, we all agreed that we should head down the trail towards Abingdon instead of going the other direction towards Alvarado. So we retrieved Madison's stroller from the trunk of our car and off we went... Since it had been quite some time since I had last hiked this section of the trail, I had forgotten just how pretty the area's scenery actually is. We found yet another spectacular vista waiting for us around every turn! As we followed the old abandoned railway turned hiking/biking trail, we passed old barns, gently flowing streams and countless interesting plants including black cohosh, mayapple, colorful wildflowers and plenty of the trail's namesake Virginia Creeper vines. At one point in our trek, it became quite apparent that tiny Madison needed a little extra attention (i.e. a diaper and bottle break), so we stopped at the next bench we came to where Tami got busy doing her motherly duties. Not one to hang around in such situations and get in the way, I walked over to a nearby trestle and began taking a few pictures. By then it was getting pretty late in the day, and the shadows had become very long and deep while the sun's rays simultaneously lit up the trees above, the deep contrast making the scene appear just a bit on the surreal side. As I sat there taking picture after picture, I couldn't help but notice the intricate architecture of the trestle. Just like the numerous other trestles along the old Virginia Creeper line, the entire structure consists of tarred timbers and treated lumber. It boggles the mind to think that all of these humongous trestles were originally built - by hand - way back in the early part of the 20th century! And they were well built too, carrying the train and its heavy cargo day in and day out for well over half of that century! When Tami had completed her important tasks, we headed back up the trail to our cars, noticing a lot of things that we had missed on the way down. in fact, one of the most enjoyable aspects of walking the Creeper Trail is seeing something different on every trip. Thanks to the Rails To Trails project, the legacy of the Virginia Creeper railroad spur will be enjoyed by many generations to come.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"