Swinging at the Bridge-Trip report for Natural Bridge hang
Hot dog, Old Dominion Hangers had our "Swinging at the Bridge" service hang at Natural Bridge state park this weekend and it was great! We had 11 people in attendance and it cooled off nicely for us. Inc fact, I had to break out my underquilt.
Thanks to all who helped with meals with special thanks to Startthru and J Cole with is "Wabbit salad," we HAVE to entice you back man, that was good! Shari, Startthru, did her usual extra effort with. among other things, breakfast in the morning, for which we are all grateful and just plain "full." My wife, Minniesoda, did some excellent cooking with pulled pork BBQ, corn pudding, baked beans and cobbler. Thanks hun! I am sure that I am missing someone and I apologize but it was all so good.
We got to break in new hammock hanging ground, with the "Golf Course Road" area of NBSP. This used to be the Dominion Virginia Power confidence course area and state parks is planning to make it into a campground. Currently it is ...fun and challenging for hammocking. This was not just pulling up to a group campsite and car camping but it wasn't really backpacking either. I was glad for my Tacoma TRD "off road."
For our little "project," we ended up helping state parks with a safety issue, as well as beautification, in the park, near the visitors center. We cleared overgrown landscaping from the hillside/guardrails along the highway above the parking lot and next to the old wax museum,now the maintenance, building. Oncoming traffic could not see around the curve but, much more importantly, park personnel could not see out when they tried to pull out of the maintenance area, especially with the front end loader. Also, this has just become an eyesore. I remember this place from when I was a child and it has really become overgrown and run down in recent years. We cleaned out a good deal of this as well as cleaning out the cement ditch surrounding the old wax museum building, thanks Coastiemo!
Angel and her friend, my apologies but I do not remember the name, did a lot of hauling of debris to the dumpster, and everyone chipped in on brush cutting. The park personnel were very appreciative of our help. Jay, from maintenance, in particular was very happy with what we accomplished.
We knocked off about noon. and spent the rest of the day enjoying the Natural Bridge. :shades: If you have never seen this natural wonder then I strongly encourage you to do so especially now that it is in the hands of VSP and no longer costs nearly $30 to get into. I think they said it is now $8 a person. We did not have to pay but I did ask.
All in all, this was a fun hang, it was free (and that is always good) and I (at least) left feeling like we contributed something to this newest state park and very old natural wonder. What more can we ask?
Next up is the NOVA/ODH hang at Prince William Forrest Park on Veterans Day weekend in November!
Oh, pictures are on my phone and I shall post them later today.
