Back in May I went to check out the Dominion Riverrock festival in Richmond, Virginia. This annual event, sponsored by Dominion Power, is a celebration of the outdoors and outdoor sports. The festival is held on Brown's Island which sits in the middle of the James River in downtown, big city Richmond.
The two bridges above connect Brown's Island to the City of Richmond while the footbridge below connects the city with Belle's Isle. Belle's Isle played a deadly role in the Civil War - as the site of a prison camp where many thousands of prisoners died due to weather exposure and starvation. Today Belle's Isle is a treasured park within the heart of the James River Park System that caters to all outdoor enthusiasts.
The footbridge allows walkers, runners, and bicyclists to access the island without dealing with the dangerous flow of traffic crossing the highway bridge above. The footbridge steps across the river in graceful arcs that at one point place people more than 45 feet in the air above the water.
By arriving at the festival location super early in the morning I was able to get a wonderful parking spot - and was able to access almost any place I wanted. Apparently when people see a guy walking around early in the morning with a camera they assume that guy is a paid professional with an All Access Pass. Score!
This is the calm before the storm. Literally. The series of mountain bike races held throughout the weekend started on this lonely stretch of pavement before winding quickly into the surrounding dirt trails. Two hours after this photo was taken, the road was covered in four inches of swiftly running water from a very serious storm. Where was I during the downpour? Underneath the railroad trestle trying to keep my camera dry. My socks and shoes were soaked within seconds but the camera stayed dry!
A local artist created this "LOVE" statue with event related items.
This is the Start/Finish of the Mud Run. Best it looked all day. By noon, runners were losing shoes and getting stuck as deep as their knees in the muck and mire.
One of the old bridges across the James. This bridge was constructed with iron from the Tredegar Iron Works that is located less than 200 yards away. This bridge was built to replace one of many burnt by the Confederates as they fled Richmond in 1865.
Yes. Yes that IS a tractor trailer with beer taps all the way down the side. This was a very popular place all weekend long!
Stand Up Paddle Boarding. For when plain 'ol kayaking has lost it's edge.
Due to the streets being blocked off for pedestrian traffic the kayakers had to carry their boats about a mile to get them to the water's edge.
This group is holding a yoga session on paddle boards. They did not remain seated and did a full range of positions. This crew did things that made the Stand Up Paddle guys look like weenies!
There were plenty of food vendors.
....to be continued.
No comments:
Post a Comment