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Some people refuse to give up on summer.
I’m one of them.
I love to swim and snorkel in the James. I visited several sections of the river Sunday (Oct. 4) with photographer Kevin Morley to gather material for our last James River Journal installment.
At Pony Pasture Rapids, several people were wading, body surfing and swimming in the river.
After Kevin left, I got my mask and snorkel out of the car and plunged in. I would have been warmer in a pitcher of ice water.
After a few minutes, however, I sort of got used to it—until I got really cold and had to get out. It was worth it, though. The river is low and clear now.
Was that the last plunge of summer? If the temperature climbs up to the high 70s or so sometime soon, maybe not.
Some river lovers aren’t giving up.
On a recent visit to Pony Pasture Rapids and the Wetlands, I saw people continuing to bask on rocks, take dips and otherwise pretend it’s still summer.
One guy, a middle-aged man with long graying hair, set up a lawn chair on a rock probably 40 yards from shore and did some reading with no one to bother him but his two dogs.
It strikes me that there is a season between the warmth of summer and the colors of fall.
What do you think? How do you enjoy the James at this time of year. Drop me a line at
.
It seems to me that the James River changes in late September and early October. We go into a quiet, but quite beautiful, season.
Most of the swimmers have gone. Most of the migratory birds have left. But many people know that this is one of the best times to get out along the river.
What do you like about the James at this time of year? Drop me a line at .
I plan soon to write an article about hydrilla, a non-native plant that is increasingly showing up in the James River.
Many experts consider hydrilla an invasive pest. That is seconded by people who have trouble getting their boats through it, or just don’t like looking at its green mats.
But others say the James, and many Chesapeake Bay waters, have lost so many underwater grasses that any new plant is good. It provide oxygen and gives young fish a place to hide.
Have you seen hydrilla? What do you think of it. Drop me a line at
My wife and I went snorkeling Saturday (Sept. 5) in Catfish Alley, a pool in the James near Shockoe Slip. The pool, about three feet deep, once contained dozens of huge, nearly tame flathead catfish that people could swim with and touch.
You may recall from earlier stories that poachers with nets and spears have killed a lot of the catfish. I have done two stories on the issue, including on on Saturday.
Sure enough, my wife and I found just four big catfish, including a huge one—maybe 3 to 3.5 feet—that my wife named Chubby.
We also met a man, an Iraq war veteran, who said he had recently caught one with a spear he made by tying a knife on the end of a metal bar. Even he felt bad that so many fish had been taken from the pool. He said there had been about 100 catfish in there at one point.
If you see poaching, call the state anti-poaching hotline at (800) 237-5712.
