A Bridge, a Lake and a Cemetery

We decided to change things up for our next trip and go for a bike ride instead of hiking.  Our excursion started with breakfast at Blue Talon Bistro.  I love the truffled eggs.  We headed to Farmville and arrived at Sandy River Outdoor Adventures with time to spare.  Unfortunately, we soon realized that we were in the wrong place.  The bike rentals were at Sandy River Outdoor Adventures Store, which was about 20 minutes away.  We put the address into Google Maps and headed out.  After driving for a while, the voice on the phone said we had arrived, but instead of being at the bike rental shop we were at someone’s house at the end of a long driveway.  It didn’t help that they had signs declaring that they were gun-carrying homeowners and trespassers would be shot.  We made a very quick exit.  Once we were back on the road we re-entered the address again.  This time we made it to the right address.

High Bridge Trail is a 31-mile long trail.  The highlight of the trail is High Bridge, a 2,400-foot long bridge crossing 125 feet above the Appomattox River.  We picked up the trail next to the bike store which is 4 1/2 miles from the bridge.  The crushed limestone trail is wide and follows a former rail bed.    It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the ride.  At one point I suddenly came upon a bright green snake crossing the trail.  There was no time to stop safely so I swerved to miss him.  Luckily he was quick to respond and doubled back so I managed not to run him over.

The trail is lovely and an easy ride.  The amazing view from the bridge overlooks the tops of the trees around the Appomattox River.  There are several stops on the bridge where you can take in the breathtaking view.  I was in awe as I read the story of the bridges important part in history.  During the Confederate retreat to Appomattox, the soldiers burned the bridge.  The Union soldiers followed a wagon bridge under High Bridge to continue the chase.  When researching my family genealogy many years ago, I found out my great, great-grandfather was in one of the companies that followed the Southern troops to Appomattox.  Standing in the exact spot where he once tread gave me an incredible feeling.

As we pedaled our way back to town, I felt like we were in a wonderland surrounded by butterflies for most of the way.  They were everywhere, both on the trail and flying beside our bikes and I enjoyed seeing the multitude of different colors.

Once we arrived at the end of our journey, we realized the restaurant we planned for lunch, Charley’s Waterfront Cafe, was conveniently right across the street.  After lunch, we headed to Wal-Mart to grab steaks for dinner.  It was Longwood move-in weekend so the store was full of college students and their families picking up the last-minute items they needed for school.  I felt a tinge of sadness realizing that with Nick’s graduation in May, we would no longer be doing that trip.  Once again another chapter of my life has ended.

After driving through a horrendous thunderstorm we arrived at Bear Creek Lake State Park where we set up camp right next to the lake.  We had a gorgeous view.  Unfortunately, when I turned on the switch to inflate the air mattress, our power source made a loud pop sound and the inverter stopped working.  Of course, this is the first state park that we have stayed at without electricity at the site.  Chris carried the mattress up to the bathhouse to inflate it.  He was a sight, carrying the fully inflated queen size mattress back through the campground on his head.  We managed to get it to fit through the tent door (no easy task) and were back in business.

After our steaks, the rain became more intense so we retired for the night.  I must say it was a bit scary when the thunderstorm rolled in.

In the morning we had a lovely breakfast at Cumberland Restaurant and headed to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.  I have always been fascinated by cemeteries and the stories they tell.  Hollywood was not a disappointment.  Sitting atop a hill overlooking the James River and downtown Richmond it is home to two Presidents, President of the Confederacy, six governors, thousands of civil war soldiers and many other notables.  The grounds are absolutely beautiful.  Our first stop was at the Confederate Soldiers Monument, a 90-foot granite pyramid built in 1869 to honor the Civil War dead buried there.  As I wandered through the stones around the base of the monument I thought about all the “babies” killed in this tragic period of history.  Realizing most of these young men were younger than my own children brought me to tears. There were so many civil war graves, a total of 18000.  With the help of a map, I was able to find the first Civil War grave as well as the first grave in the cemetery, an infant buried in 1849.

I happened upon an Iron Dog guarding the grave of a 2-year old girl buried in 1862.  Apparently, she had loved playing on the dog at her grandfather’s house.  She died from scarlet fever.  During the Civil War, her grandfather had the dog moved to her grave to prevent it from being melted down for bullets.

The President’s Circle was hauntingly beautiful as it overlooked the river below, as was Davis Circle where the graves of Jefferson Davis and many of his family are.  We definitely did not have enough time to do justice to the cemetery and will have to return again, preferably when the weather is cooler.

Trip cost – campground $35.54, a tank of gas $25, bike rentals $30.