It is only the start of the fifth week of classes, and already I\u2019ve become aware of so many new areas close to school that I never would have thought to explore.\u00a0 One of the major reasons I came to this school was because of the myriad of diverse outdoor recreational activities that I knew existed in the greater Richmond area.\u00a0 Growing up camping with my family and spending most of my time outdoors, I knew that wherever I wound up for college, it would be imperative that natural escapes be nearby.\u00a0 I never would have imagined that one would essentially be the university\u2019s backyard.<\/p>\n
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We\u2019ve only been back in school for five weeks, and already I\u2019ve visited and seen more of the James River Park system than I had in an entire year last year solely because of this class.\u00a0 How many other students here at UR get to say that they\u2019re having class at Pony Pasture, or that they\u2019re spending their Friday afternoon kayaking with their class?\u00a0 Not very many.\u00a0 This class has really opened my eyes to all of the really wonderful natural escapes that I\u2019d been seeking, and it\u2019s left me with a desire to explore so much more.<\/p>\n
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From Brown\u2019s Island to Belle Isle to Pony Pasture and all of the other portions of the James River Park System that we\u2019ve explored, we\u2019ve seen so many aesthetically different areas, all rich with riparian vegetation and really driving home the key themes we\u2019ve been learning about in class.\u00a0 Each place is unique, and draws about a certain type of crowd based on the recreational activities available.\u00a0 For a people watcher like me, this is probably the most interesting part of all.\u00a0 I love to see these diverse (and yet they\u2019re all part of the same park system) habitats draw different crowds of people to the same area for similar reasons.<\/p>\n
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I love all of these places for their differences.\u00a0 I love Belle Isle for the soothing rush of its rapids, Pony Pasture and Huguenot Flatwater for its calmer waters and ideal kayaking, Brown\u2019s Island and the canal walk for its interesting connection to downtown Richmond, and I love the places I\u2019ve yet to explore.\u00a0 One of which I found with a fellow Earth Lodger (Andrew) when we couldn\u2019t find our way to Pony Pasture for the park clean up (Oops!).\u00a0 The 42nd<\/sup> street entrance to the James River Park, on an early Saturday morning, the first Saturday morning that actually felt like fall, was absolutely beautiful.\u00a0 The thick forest was enough to draw me in; I\u2019m a sucker for huge green trees and the type of forests you can get lost in.\u00a0 I cannot wait to explore this area more, especially after the leaves start sporting their fall fashion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My eyes have definitely been opened to the James River Park System, and I don\u2019t plan on closing them anytime soon.\u00a0 I cannot wait to explore and learn more about all of these areas, if only so I can find a cool place to do homework on Saturday afternoons that I can brag to my friends about later.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (For more on a description of the 42nd<\/sup> street entrance to the James River Park System, visit \u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/www.dgif.virginia.gov\/vbwt\/site.asp?trail=1&loop=CRI&site=CRI11<\/a> )<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It is only the start of the fifth week of classes, and already I\u2019ve become aware of so many new areas close to school that I never would have thought to explore.\u00a0 One of the major reasons I came to … Continue reading