from north of the big river

One year since the last time I'm back on the James River. And riding the Jamestown Ferry for the first time in four years. This time on the ferry Pocahontas pulling out of Jamestown and heading south for Scotland Wharf.

back to the James

During a trip to Virginia to visit family and attend the Richmond Folk Festival, I did some field recording.

Having been by, but never to, Ragged Island WMA, I thought it'd be worth a try to record both the James River Bridge (longtime fixture in family history) and the river itself.


I started near the bridge. Which was fine for that objective. But later took the observation trail to further down river. Both places I used the highly kludged together Big Fluff windscreen made with fake fur on plastic cross stitch grid whatever.

James River at end of observation boardwalk trail, Ragged Island WMA, Carrollton VA, noon 8 October 2010


Roughly a 1/4 mile away, the bridge traffic is still a big part of the sound. Noontime sirens sound across the river in Newport News.


Birdsong at Tredegar Iron Works 9 October 2010


The next day at the Richmond Folk Festival, I barely had time to get out my lo-tek MP3 player to do a quick and dirty recording of this birdsong coming from a small tree near Tredegar Iron Works.

Train passing overhead on trestle near Tredegar Iron Works/James River, Richmond VA, 10 October 2010


That following day I took a break by the riverside and a train came over the trestle.

The last day there I went down to Chippokes Plantation State Park, where I hadn't been in over 3 years. Once there, I found a spot on the James I wanted to record.



Forgetting some essential adapter gizmo for mounting my recorder, the tripod was dead weight (on a very mosquito infested trail) and I had to improvise.



James River near end of James River trail, Chippokes Plantation State Park 13 October 2010


I recorded a couple of other spots on the beach, then switched to some DIY piezo mics for my first outdoor attempt at using them as hydrophones. Below is the sound of them dragging in shallow surf on sand and broken shells.

DIY piezo mics as hydrophones in the James River, Chippokes Plantation State Park 13 October 2010


Time allotted was running out. I went by the Visitor's Center to see if there was any last fast opportunity.



Near a picnic shelter I just fitted the recorder with the Lil' Fluff windscreen my wife had kindly fashioned from the aforementioned fake fur.



And pointed it down to the banks of the James roughly 100 feet below.



James River surf below Shelter 1 near Visitor's Center, Chippokes Plantation State Park 13 October 2010 A



James River surf below Shelter 1 near Visitor's Center, Chippokes Plantation State Park 13 October 2010 B

33rd Floor

Ida & the ferry

Tropical Storm Ida, originally uploaded by VaDOT.

More from the aforementioned VDOT TS Ida set. This one at Scotland Wharf.

Long Gone Away

This homebrew music video uses some stills from the Night Wanderer post and one of the razed Walnut Mall lot. And an unblogged photo of the Coliseum Mall demolition.

Plus Super-8 footage circa 1998 of the so-called ghost house in my old neck of the woods and other area bits & pieces.

Like Pons Store or the James River seen from Hog Island.

on & off the five mile loop

After riding north on the Jamestown Ferry, I drove the five mile loop on Jamestown Island.











Though hardly a naturalist, I'd never seen this plant before.



One common name for it is American Beautyberry. I'd later see it growing near the river at Chippokes Plantation.





An osprey's nest, I guess . . .





I'm a sucker for wooden causeways.



And the places they cross.



After the five mile loop, I rode along the Colonial Parkway and stopped off by the James River. (Click here for sounds of the James that day.)





A distant view of Hog Island:

north on the Jamestown Ferry

Late September during an extended visit with family, I took the Jamestown Ferry just to cross the James River and feel the river breeze.

Here are some pictures while waiting at Scotland Wharf and riding north to Jamestown.





Below are a couple of the spare ferries, Surry and Virginia.



Virginia is one of those ferries I wish was running but rarely is when I ride. It has the open upper deck to take in a wide view of the river and feel the air. Great for a warm September day.






After boarding the ferry Williamsburg, here's a look back at Scotland Wharf from an upper deck window:



A heron on the pilings at Scotland Wharf:



Here we go . . .



Views of historic Jamestown:





Bridge on the scenic Colonial Parkway:



A whole other kind of bridge . . .



Abstracts of the deck's metal plating and painted markings:





The ships at Jamestown Festival Park:

heading south on the Jamestown Ferry

Posted out of sequence with the more recent north on the Jamestown Ferry. More images and tweaking of sequence to come . . .

scenes from the James River, Richmond VA

While at the aforementioned National Folk Festival, I took some stray pictures of the James.