Fishing more than fine on the Shenandoah
Andy Thompson
June 10, 2008 8:01 AM
I received this email from local fisherman Al Tusing this morning. This is very good news.
Just thought you and the T-D readers would like to know that the bass
fishing is back on the Shenandoah River. Last Saturday, Mark Dozier and I
did an 8 mile float trip on the South Fork of the Shenandoah near Luray,
and caught and released over 90 fish. Most of them were smallmouth, but we
did catch a number of good-sized bream. Besides the great number of fish,
none of the smallmouth had any lesions on them, and they all had some weight
to them.
For my recent interview with Shenandoah Riverkeeper Jeff Kelbe, click here...
What’s a sasquatch sighting worth to you?
Andy Thompson
June 09, 2008 2:49 PM
Field and Stream magazine and Bushnell are teaming up to offer $1 million to anyone who captures Bigfoot on a trail camera.
Read and sign up here...
In a related story, I’m willing to put up five of my finest American dollars for a shot of the Loch Ness Monster eating a unicorn.
Mountain biking Big Bear
Andy Thompson
June 09, 2008 11:00 AM
I spent the weekend with 600 of my closest friends in the mountains near Hazelton, W.Va at a 24-hour mountain bike race that truly is an epic adventure. A group called Granny Gear puts on a series of 24-hour races across the country. The one in W.Va. is the oldest of them all. They’ve been doing this for 17 years. This was my second year doing the race as part of a four man team. My teammates this year were Jay Miller, Drew Shoaff and Michael Harrison. I wouldn’t say we covered ourselves in glory, but we did get covered in mud and had a blast. The 12-mile loop was brutal, especially in the heat, but hanging around camp, swapping stories and commiserating over different aches and pains, all with an ice cold beverage in hand, made it worth it. Fellow Richmonder Jimmy McMillan did the race solo and came in fifth, an incredible result, especially considering the solo field was loaded with elite athletes.
Look for my column on the event this Friday.
The pic above gives you a sense of how many people showed up to compete. There were about 160 teams. We all camped in the abandoned airfield above, which stretches on close to a mile. Most of the teams came from the DC area and Pennsylvania. Considering how strong the MTB scene is in Richmond, I was surprised there weren’t more teams from the River City at the race. It’s definitely a race and event worth the 5-hour drive.
The Obsession
Andy Thompson
June 04, 2008 4:54 PM
There’s a fun article in the June/July edition of Outdoor Life magazine about the quest to land the world-record largemouth bass. If you’re into bass fishing or just fishing in general, it’s worth a read.
Find it here...
When you’re done with that, check this out...R.I.P, Dottie.
Albino Squirrel
Andy Thompson
June 04, 2008 10:09 AM
I love this.
Faithful reader Walter Smith is a resident of the Masonic Home of Virginia. He sent in this picture of an albino squirrel that roams the premises looking for white acorns, I guess. Smith also said in a note that the Masonic home grounds are home to another squirrel with a white tail and a grey body! Someone should really check the water out there.
Hiking Shenandoah NP with the ODATC…
Andy Thompson
June 02, 2008 12:12 PM
...That’s the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club. I hiked with a group from the club yesterday in Shenandoah NP. What a beautiful day with a good group of people. I’ll have a column on the hike and the club this Friday.
I highly recommend the hike we did. It was an 8.4-mile loop that started at the AT at Milepost 84 on Skyline Drive. We hooked up with Doyles River Trail and then returned on Jones Run Trail. We ran into a black bear mother and cub, a rattlesnake and a whitetail deer—all in about 4.5 hours of hiking. Pretty cool stuff.
That’s ODATC president David Olli in the picture above trying to get a shot of Jones Run Falls.
Video of Primal Quest Sprint Series
Andy Thompson
May 31, 2008 8:47 AM
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Primal Quest Sprint Series adventure race at Pocahontas State Park that a friend and I competed in (there we are above). Click here for the column...
Primal Quest has released a video of the day. It gives you a good sense of the event. If you’ve ever wanted to get into adventure racing or just want to see what it’s all about, this is a solid primer.
The big bad Primal Quest, held in Montana this year, is just three weeks away. 500 miles...100,000 feet of elevation gain...cougars?...amazing.
Shenandoah among list of threatened national parks
Andy Thompson
May 28, 2008 8:17 AM
The National Parks Conservation Association recently released a list of the 10 national parks most threatened by coal-fired power plants. Shenandoah made the list, as did the Great Smoky Mountains NP in North Carolina and Tennessee. The report states that eight new coal-fired plants are planned within 186 miles of Shenandoah NP. For more click here...then click on “Dark Horizons” to download the .pdf file.
ATV Park in Dinwiddie
Andy Thompson
May 27, 2008 6:07 PM
If you own an all-terrain vehicle this sounds like a pretty cool place to take it for a spin. If the people at Virginia Motorsports Park are lucky, maybe Gallagher will show up for the opener.
The VMP-ATV, Inc. is hosting a grand opening of its new, destination-quality all terrain family trails park. The world-class park is the first of its kind for the Commonwealth and the public is invited to tour the facilities on Saturday, June 14, 2008, at 8018 Boydton Plank Road in Dinwiddie County near the I-85 and I-95 intersection. The park will be open all day for riders from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and a special night ride will be available from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
The VMP-ATV Park currently features three specially constructed trails for instructional, beginner, and intermediate use. A fourth trail will be opening soon for advanced riders. The initial trails cover approximately 15 miles but will expand to over 30 miles once the system is complete. Riders can bring their own ATV or choose from a variety of vehicle rentals available at various price levels for full or half day use. VMP-ATV also offers a full-service concession stand open on weekends and during special events.
Dr. Beach is at it again
Andy Thompson
May 22, 2008 2:23 PM
What a job this guy has. Dr. Beach is back with his list of the best beaches in America. Cape Hatteras made the list at No. 8.
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