Gerry's Trucks

Not far from our house is parked a collection of old trucks. The trucks belong to the owner of a large, local trucking company who enjoys restoring older pickups, tractors, and semi-trucks. The vehicles are displayed alongside the highway so that people can stop and look. 

Jack Borrowed the Camera

Jack borrowed the DSLR this morning. Here's what he shot.

His subject matter is a bit interesting, but his composition isn't too bad at all!

This Mountain Bike Thing...

I've been at the bike riding thing for just over a month. In that short time I've gone from barely being able to pedal for a mile without gasping for breath and wanting to die to being able to pedal for three miles before I am gasping for breath and wanting to die!

My usual rides have been loops at Laurel Hills which is a section of the former Lorton Prison near the Town of Occoquan. Laurel Hills has a variety of trail types ranging from gravel singletrack that meanders across rolling fields to dirt trails that pass under the forest canopy.

Depending on the amount of time I have to ride my trips can be a quick four miles, or a longer seven miles. The elevation changes at Laurel Hills are not too bad but I still have to stop at the summit of several hills to recover. 

Here's my trusty ride at the parking area for Laurel Hills.

There is a large amount of history surrounding the Laurel Hills area. The prison covered a huge swath of land and many of the buildings and other structures remain intact. This bridge is the "Barrel Bridge". The Barrel Bridge is one of the only remaining examples of this style bridge building left in Virginia (according to the sign) and the bricks used in the bridge were made by the prisoners - who also built the bridge in 1922.  

A morning view from my cockpit.

This is the entrance to the SlaughterHouse Trail. Slaughterhouse is one of two trails at Laurel Hills that is rated MOST DIFFICULT. The trail really isn't that tough - I think it's more of an insurance requirement to cover the county in the event of an accident.

Aside from the long steep climb to the top of the loop, this is the toughest part of the trail. The creek crossing  is about 18" deep and littered with decent sized rocks, but crossing it successfully is as simple as carrying some speed and lifting the front wheel as you begin the drop into the creek.

The photo doesn't show it, but this is part of the long climb up from the creek. That log across the trail is there to help prevent erosion, but really all it does is irritate me as I slowly huff and puff my way to the top!

The other area I've been riding is Fountainhead Regional Park. This park is across the Occoquan Reservoir from my parents' house and has about 11 miles of mountain bike only trails. No horses, no hikers, just bikes!

Now, eleven miles may not sound like an abundance of trails but this place rocks! There are many stupidly steep climbs that will try to rip your lungs out, or attempt to set your legs on fire....but, what goes up MUST COME DOWN! The downhills at Fountainhead are epic. The downhills have perfectly carved berms that allow a rider to sweep down the turns without touching the brakes. Several of the berms are 20 feet tall at the outside apex. Try to not be startled when you are racing along at 35 mph and look to your right only to find that you are looking at the ground! The berms will anchor the bike solidly in the turn if you let it, and you will travel the turns almost parallel with the ground. Super fun!

These are views of the Big Bridge. This bridge was built during the recent 'remodel' and allows incoming riders to ride over the section of trail that the exiting riders are following. This allows for one way traffic on all of the trails and lets riders hit high speed without worrying about oncoming bikes.

This is the steep downhill of the Shockabilly Trail. This downhill section drops about 300 feet in a distance of   a quarter mile. I'm not an engineer or math whiz able to tell you the grade, but it's STEEP! The decking ramps are new additions and also seem to be an insurance cover for the county. The old trail had just the cross timbers to stop erosion. Either way, this is about as technical as it gets in Northern Virginia. I can ride it   by slowly picking a line down, but the crazy guys carry a lot of speed off the top and just go for it. I watched one rider race down Shockabilly and I swear his tires only touched down three times. Absolutely insane.

The Fountainhead Project was built by members of MORE (MidAtlantic Off Road Enthusiasts) with design support and a grant from the International Mountain Biking Association. The remodel of the trails was done to create a more sustainable trail system and to route the older trails away from ecologically sensitive areas. There are many sections of the trail that have bridges like the one below to keep bike travel off the wet areas. 

My trusty ride waiting patiently for me to catch my breath.

1972

If you squint a little bit this could be a photograph from 1972. 

O.K, not really! I was trying to age the photo a bit but I need a better post processing program.

Beverley Mill

Beverley Mill is one of the 'local' places that I have seen for years and years but never before explored. The mill was built in 1742. It was originally named Chapman's Mill after the father and son enterprise that built and ran the business. The mill has a rich history. One of the many uses of the mill was as a meat curing  and distribution center by the Confederates during the Civil War. The mill was burned by the Confederate Army while leaving the area after the First Battle of Manassas. By 1876, the Beverley family had restored the mill ruins to operational status and the mill was then known as Beverley Mill.

The mill was built in a stacked rock style and is seven stories tall. Beverley Mill is believed to be the tallest stone building in the United States. (I'm guessing the measure is of natural, uncut stone as there are plenty of buildings made of 'stone' that are taller.) The mill was in good general condition after a restoration effort in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A fire set by an arsonist in 1998 destroyed the majority of the wood in the mill structure.

 The remainder of the drive gears for the grind stone.

 An up close look at the 'stacked rock' building technique. 

 The power wheel. Not the original for sure as the builders would have used wood in 1742.

 This is a pulley situated over one of the doors used to load grain into the mill. Yes, that is a rock built into the stacked wall. And yes, the pulley is attached to the rock.

 In 2004, the first steps were taken to stabilize the ruin's walls. Exposure to water, vibrations from a nearby railroad track, and high winds threatened to bring the seven story walls down. The stabilization system uses internal bracing bolted through the stone work to keep everything standing. For now.

 Beverley Mill stands within 150 feet of I-66. Thousands of motorists speed past the mill each day. For many years I also passed by the mill and always wanted to explore the site. Usually the gate is closed and access restricted to the mill. I found this out today while talking to one of the caretakers. The gate was open so I drove up to the mill. Almost immediately after stopping the car I was startled by a knock on the driver's window. A man politely, but firmly asked me what I was doing there. I explained my desire to explore the site and take photographs of the mill. The caretaker explained that he had to lock the gate when he was done mowing and trimming the property, so he guessed "you have 20-30 minutes if you want 'em." I thanked the man, grabbed up my gear, and started shooting.

This little stone building is the Beverley Mill Store. The store is much newer than the mill, and now functions as a classroom of sorts for groups wishing to learn more of the Thoroughfare Gap area's history. The mill grounds are quite large and the group dedicated to the preservation of the Beverley Mill's ruins uses the property for educational and fund raising efforts.