The ROSEWELL Plantation home in ruins...Gloucester County, on the north banks of the York River. I wandered about the vine entangled ruins years before, on a weekend while studying at William & Mary, years before a group cleaned it up, like it is today. My directions were given the class back then by an excellent History prof.
I drove acorss the York River bridge early on that Saturday morning, carefully following each step on the map, in my little VW 'bug', with no problem and stopped along the country road in Gloucester County...where were the ruins? Only a cornfield and a large patch of woods in the middle.
Getting out, I pulled on my trusty Konica, then, found an open path and walked. Was summer hot, plenty of insects. My eyes were fixed intently on the woods in front of me, in the middle of the field.
A strange shiver of a feeling came over me as I approached the edge of the woods. The tangled vines and weeds made the going rough, but I was certain that my directions were on target. With my eyes adjusting, the outline of IT came into focus..........(more)....
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
1- BLUE RIDGE and APPALACHIAN MTS....VIRGINIA TROUT FISHING.....
You're being introduced to Virginia ADVENTURES, pure and simple, taken from the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mts. on both sides of our Shenandoah Valley, plus down along the rivers of the Chesapeake Bay. "Shenandoah" is a Native American word translated as "daughter of the stars."
a- Fly-fishing up in the North River gorge was my refreshing adventure!
Mountain trout are my fave, 'cause they MUST live in the icy cold streams in the mountains. As a high school-ager, two of my chums and I would take off, on the weekends to the North River gorge stream up in the mountainous area of Augusta County, in the VAlley. We would split up and head, separately, to our own "secret" spots. My fave spot was waaaaaay up past the other two fishing. Was one stretch where some beaver had built a dam. Usually, when walking into that nice stretch, pool, would forget that beaver were around and suddenly hear them slap those tails to alert the others, scaring me for a second or three. Would study the stream carefully, using polarized glasses, to search for trout patterns. Had discovered long ago how trout liked to roam...in a pattern. And I would "lie in wait" with a fly moving on top, down their way or an orange salmon egg, on a #10 Eagle hook, drifting on the bottom in the current. WORKED nearly every time! Had my limit of 8, often. Then, would take off my shirt, put on goggles from my rucksack and slip into the stream to explore the bottom, the outside of the beaver den.
Once, when sloshing back down the trail to meet up with the others, came across a looooong black snake in the woods, who promptly began chasing me! Little ron ran through the woods, like the wind!!!! The critter finally gave up but not me.
b- COMING....time a cougar/mt. lion stalked me through that same gorge. Another time, was caught in the middle of a terrific thunderstorm there. Time my father and his brothers, uncles, took me night fishing along a river bank, NOT stream. Can still "hear" those late night river bank sounds! One uncle pulled in a snake on his line, in the dark. We were using lanterns on the bank to see. Hmmm...never went there again! Simply DO NOT like snakes, period!
a- Fly-fishing up in the North River gorge was my refreshing adventure!
Mountain trout are my fave, 'cause they MUST live in the icy cold streams in the mountains. As a high school-ager, two of my chums and I would take off, on the weekends to the North River gorge stream up in the mountainous area of Augusta County, in the VAlley. We would split up and head, separately, to our own "secret" spots. My fave spot was waaaaaay up past the other two fishing. Was one stretch where some beaver had built a dam. Usually, when walking into that nice stretch, pool, would forget that beaver were around and suddenly hear them slap those tails to alert the others, scaring me for a second or three. Would study the stream carefully, using polarized glasses, to search for trout patterns. Had discovered long ago how trout liked to roam...in a pattern. And I would "lie in wait" with a fly moving on top, down their way or an orange salmon egg, on a #10 Eagle hook, drifting on the bottom in the current. WORKED nearly every time! Had my limit of 8, often. Then, would take off my shirt, put on goggles from my rucksack and slip into the stream to explore the bottom, the outside of the beaver den.
Once, when sloshing back down the trail to meet up with the others, came across a looooong black snake in the woods, who promptly began chasing me! Little ron ran through the woods, like the wind!!!! The critter finally gave up but not me.
b- COMING....time a cougar/mt. lion stalked me through that same gorge. Another time, was caught in the middle of a terrific thunderstorm there. Time my father and his brothers, uncles, took me night fishing along a river bank, NOT stream. Can still "hear" those late night river bank sounds! One uncle pulled in a snake on his line, in the dark. We were using lanterns on the bank to see. Hmmm...never went there again! Simply DO NOT like snakes, period!
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