Shawnee Springs a Bridge over Frozen Water

It was a lot warmer on Saturday, with temperatures reaching up into the 50's. The ice on the rivers and ponds was starting to thaw, gooses sat on the ice crusts as though hoping their combined weight would sink the frozen slabs to the bottom of the lake forever. Despite lots of wing flapping and honking, I'm afraid they failed.

I passed over the Shenandoah River, looking down at my favorite white sycamore trees lining the banks of a spot that I like to kayak around, and was amazed to see a lone kayaker out on the river. For one very brief moment, I was almost envious, even considering getting my own boat out of the barn and having a paddle the next day, but then I thought of putting my feet in that frigid water and instantly decided against it. I could wait until spring.
Today I was going to Winchester to explore a small park called Shawnee Springs Preserve. The link is to a PDF which does take a while to load.

The preserve is 14 acres and protects springs, wetland areas and a woodland. I set off along the trail, noticing that many tree trunks were wearing jackets of English ivy, a beautiful plant but deadly to its hosts. I passed a few large rectangular concrete tanks, filled with green algae, and discovered later that these were the remains of Winchester's first waterworks. Someone had posted an online review of this little park, lamenting the ugliness of the green stuff, but I liked it. The rest of nature here was sleeping, the dusty browns and greys of last year's foliage carpeting the ground, and here was this vibrant green mantle, looking so fresh and healthy, a hint of the new spring approaching.

Nature lovers were definitely encouraged to spend time here. Signs commending the hugging of trees were posted, although all had been vandalized by the local scum. There were also signs indicating yoga spots, where the ground had been cleared so folks could relax and meditate while surrounded by nature. I heard tinkling and was delighted to look up and see a wind chime hanging high above me.

The Town Run is a local spring that was diverted by a concrete canal away from a residential area to reduce flooding. I did read that the water isn't drinkable, so was very glad that I hadn't let my temptation get the better of me. It did look quite clear, in areas watercress was spreading across the surface, although despite a lot of searching I didn't see any sign of marine life. There was quite a lot of trash along the banks and also dumped in the woodland areas, leading me to wonder if they held clean up sessions here. It didn't take long to walk around the preserve, and it was nice to notice that despite the graffiti and trash, there were others who appreciated the wild space. Small piles of bird seed and corn had been deposited on the flat tops of fence posts for the local wildlife, a man sat on a bench enjoying his solitude in the fresh air, and a few folks were walking their dogs along the creek beds. I liked this little park and hoped others would learn to appreciate it more.

I spotted this hexagonal house on my way back through the town center. It was built in the 1870's and is actually on the National Register of Historic Places, because these 6 sided houses are actually rarer than their 8 sided octagonal counterparts. Designed this way to allow more light into the residence, I wouldn't have turned down a tour, but alas, it's not open to us prying public.
My next explore of the day was to find a bridge that I'd seen photos of, but not located an exact address for, apart from being on Rte 50 near Upperville. I drove along, looking through trees for the stone arches and turned down a couple of wrong roads.

But then I spotted it and was surprised to discover that there was actually a small park area that we were able to walk around. I had been expecting to only be able to photograph it across a field from the road. I was pleased I could stretch my legs again and walked over the bridge.

Goose Creek Bridge was constructed between 1802 and 1810, over 200ft long and a lot wider than I had expected, it's the only stone bridge in Virginia with 4 arches and was a major chokepoint during the Civil War, with the Confederates raining gun fire down on Union soldiers on the other side of the creek. A tollhouse was once here, collecting 3c for a horse and rider and 12c for a carriage. Once Rte 50 opened in 1957 the bridge closed but it's now cared for by the Civil War Trust and NOVA Parks. There's a short flower walk through the woods, but with there being no flowers today, I wanted to get down to the water. Sitting back on my heels I slid down the bank, holding my arms out for balance and was soon standing under the arches.

The stonework has been well restored, with new grouting and support trusses in place. Huge slabs of ice were snagged in fallen trees close by or resting on the banks. The ice this year has really been intriguing me, I've seen so many different formations and textures, all enticing me to get photos, as well as the beautiful winter colors of a fallen white sycamore tree.

Walking along the river bank, I had to keep sliding down embankments to get close to the water, sheets of ice with webs of filigree fingers gripping the banks as though struggling to hang on and avoid being swept downstream. Huge slabs, like giant ice cubes, were held in the branches of dead trees that had been carried down river and then been frozen in place. But the river was already melting and I guessed that within a few days the ice would be no more, leaving in its place rushing torrents of melted ice, freed and gushing to distant estuaries, and leaving inches of slippery mud on its banks. I fared pretty well with the mud. I had perfected my technique of sitting back on my heels and sliding down the mud slopes to get to the water's edge, my boots acting like skis. I'd used tree roots to pull myself back up the slick slopes and ended up walking back to the car with just one muddy palm, when I'd lost my balance for just a second while clambering up from the river.
I'll come back here in warmer months, the meadow has been planted with wildflowers and the woodland trails will be pretty. I drove home through back unpaved roads, not wanting to finish the day by driving on interstates or with speeding vehicles, and passed only some people walking dogs and a couple on horseback. A blissful and peaceful end to the day.