A Tale of Two Walks

Keep It Simple, Stupid

I am not ashamed to say that I enjoy a good walk. Perhaps, this simple passion shows my geriatric tendencies. If so, so be it. Certainly, most walks are not a blog worthy event. Nobody wants to hear about my boring, geriatric activities. However, if you can find just the right setting, perhaps that boring old walk can rise to the lofty status of being “blog worthy.” I could be wrong, but it’s too late to go back now. Without further adieu, I give you a tale of two walks.

The Desert of Maine

That’s right. Not too far outside of Freeport, Maine, there is a desert. Amongst all the lush green vegetation of the region, there is a dry, sandy, barren desert. Naturally, I had to go check it out…

As you can see, this is no small place created by some local guy putting a few tons of sand in his backyard. This is a legit desert, but yes, it’s man made. Basically, it’s a failure in farming that destroyed the soil. It started sometime back in the 1860s. The Maine soil in this area can be farmed, but it has to be farmed correctly. However, the economic pressures of competing with the more fertile farms to the west (everything is west of here) drove the farmer to push the land a bit too much. Additionally, the farmers added some sheep to graze on the land, which is often a problem. In the end, the farm land and lush forest was turned into dry, infertile expanse of sand. Bad news for the farmer, but it did make for an interesting walk among the dunes…

That’s it. The desert is really out of place for the area and somewhat interesting to see. I walked the dunes for an hour then got back on the road. Nothing particularly amazing happened to me…that’s why it only gets half a blog post. But, for full disclosure, this is not an unknown patch a land to achieve spiritual isolation. The entrance is a tourist trap. You have to pay a fee to enter. Then, you have to walk through this evil children’s’ play area. Once you clear the screaming kids, you can walk among the dunes and appreciated the rolling dunes that destroyed some Maine farmer’s life back in 1860.

Now for the Urban Jungle

OK, time for a radical change in venue. The setting for this walk is the downtown, river banks within Richmond, Virginia. The city of Richmond has the James River running right through the downtown, allowing for great development and tourist opportunities. The Canal Walk is one such attraction that allows tourists to take a scenic stroll along the river. However, this is NOT that walk. This story is about a much lesser known walk, called the Pipeline Walk. As I had read, the Pipeline walk is more of an unofficial walk along the river. Most of the walk is on top of old pipes and infrastructure that exists near and above the river. The city does not endorse this walk. There are no signs for this walk. After about 8 failed attempts, we finally found a local that directed us to the start of the walk.

I highly recommend certain safety precautions on this walk. Namely, go in groups and/or pack some heat. We were doing both. As you will see, this is Richmond’s underbelly. The only person we saw was one homeless guy. It’s isolated during the week. There is no one around to hear you scream. For my personal security, I brought my beloved wife, Carol, as well as the my martial arts trained sister, Storm. If the bad guys took them out, I could then shoot them. Anyway, onto the the walk…

The first part of the walk starts with a decent walkway with handrails. We caught some excellent fall foliage under the railroad trestle. Naturally, there was plenty of street art adorning all the flat surfaces. Sometimes the walkway was along the bank, and sometimes it was over the river…

The James River in Richmond actually has Class III rapids in the city. Yes, you can go whitewater rafting through Richmond. The Pipeline walkway provides excellent views of the river/rapids, as well as the deluxe accommodations on the trail. As much as I enjoyed the first part of the walk, the second part is better. You lose the walkway and handrail. Therefore, you just walk on the pipes…

The Pipeline walkway is not a long walk, perhaps a mile. It ended on a pseudo trail through a sketchy wooded area. Wisely, we decided that we had pushed our luck enough. Therefore, we did an about face and walked back the way we came. The James River Pipeline Walkway was definitely the most interesting downtown walk that I have ever taken. I highly recommend the walk if you are in Richmond. Contact me ahead of time so that I can tell you how to find it. And, most importantly, follow my recommended safety precautions.

Wrap It Up

That’s it. It’s just a tale of two walks. I give the Desert of Maine an average nod of approval. I thought the entry fee ($15 I think) was a bit steep for what it was. On the other hand, the Pipeline walk is free and we had a great time. Definitely, consider the pipeline when next in Richmond. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed “A Tale of Two Walks” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

Here was another great walkabout that may entertain you https://travelingwithpt.com/most-interesting-town-in-america/

There’s only limited, helpful information on line for the pipeline https://jamesriverpark.org/explore-the-park-pipeline/

P.S. CHALLENGE

I did not forget the CHALLENGE. In keeping with our pseudo theme, the CHALLENGE picture shows PugsleyTonks in Richmond, Virginia. I am in the hills looking down on the historic Lucky Strike factory. The proximity to James Rive led to Richmond being a major tobacco hub since the late 1800s. Naturally, all of this eventually came to an end. The Lucky Strike factory rolled it’s last cancer stick in 1987…but, it’s still some fine Americana. By the way, the Lucky Strike factory and most of Tobacco Row are now luxury lofts. Also, if you happen to be in Richmond, I also wanted to give a shout out to Joe’s Inn.

Joe’s Inn is a long time establishment in the Fan neighborhood of Richmond. Obviously, I am sure it’s success has a lot to do with their emphasis on Pabst Blue Ribbon. They have PBR on tap and it’s even available in pitchers. It had been a long time since I had a PBR pitcher. Well done Joe’s Inn.