Rivanna River Trail to Charlottesville's C and A Railroad Power Plant Ruins, and Monticello Mountain

When you travel westbound on Interstate 64 and cross the Rivanna River near Charlottesville, look to the right, if you dare. The river vista is quite beautiful, but you probably couldn’t help but also note the tall, ornately decorated smokestack astride the railroad track. I had always assumed it was part of the Woolen Mills complex.  No, it is the C and A Railway power station, built in 1914. Charlottesville first power plant was DC. This replacement provided alternating current.

I decided this would be an appropriate target for my drone. But how to get there. It used to be the only way to get to this side of the river was to float, or cross the railroad trestle at the end of Market Street in the Woolen Mills neighborhood.

But now, thanks to the Rivanna Trails Foundation( http://www.rivannatrails.org/)  there is another way. The Quarry Park to the Woolen Mills trail is not the prettiest, or quietest of the Rivanna trail system. But it will get you to the other side of the Rivanna legally, without using a boat. It is 1.64 miles one way. RTF describes it as difficult; I agree.

Park at Quarry Park. From there, cross Moores creek on the sturdy pedestrian bridge. 

 The trail continues under the bridge over Monticello Avenue, where an unsavory but uninhabited hobo camp exists.

  Sandwiched between Interstate 64 and Moores Creek , the frequently narrow and rocky trail makes its way to the Rivanna River. There is one small ford on rocks over a creek.  The noisy interstate on the right is soon replaced by Charlottesville’s sewage treatment plant complex, providing another sensory experience. Here the trail widens.
Pause to marvel at a city’s sewage roaring into this gentle creek.

  As you approach Moores confluence of the Rivanna River, look to your left at the old Woolen Mills complex. Take note of the bricked in windows below grade aside the creek.

 From here I scrambled up to the railroad tracks and trestle. The trestle provides a tempting option for accessing the south bank of the Rivanna. But it is illegal to trespass on railroad property, not to mention really scary looking.

 From here the power station is visible on the north side of the east bound track, its beautifully decorated stack dominating the skyline.

 The base of the plant is just visible through the overgrowth.

You can see my drone footage of the chimney from above. I need more practice.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZmBuB8Kz3UI-3ml14W6cLQ

 I think a winter trip here, shoehorned with a trip down the river bank would be photographically more rewarding.

Just downriver from here is evidence of the old bateau tow path. You can still see where slaves laboriously pounded drill holes to blast a path through the greenstone. And strangely, you are now at the base of Monticello mountain. Jefferson’s house is less than one half a mile walk away. You can read about my trip to Monticello, the back way, here.

http://www.readthehook.com/84352/cover-back-way-monticello-timeless-beautiful-illegal

Wick Hunt 

Photo credits:

Wick Hunt

Electric Railway Journal Vol 44 No. 16

Holsinger Studio Collection

Wick's Youtube Channel

Link to my YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZmBuB8Kz3UI-3ml14W6cLQ

SpaceX Crew Dragon Test Launch Atop Falcon 9

 SpaceX  Crew Dragon Test Launch Atop Falcon 9

I had been in the throes of planning a ferry boat cruise up the Norway coast to above the arctic circle. I had always wanted to see the aurora borealis. But then I noticed that there was a launch planned at the Kennedy Space center during that time. According to the SpaceX website:   At 2:49 a.m. EST on March 2, SpaceX will launch Crew Dragon’s first demonstration mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This test flight without crew on board the spacecraft is intended to demonstrate SpaceX’s capabilities to safely and reliably fly astronauts to and from the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

It sounded warmer, sunnier and easier. The decision was made, I was going to Florida. A little research revealed that I could watch the launch from a little more than 3 miles away at the Kennedy Space center by buying “Feel the Heat” tickets. The tickets included a buffet meal, 2 beverages and a two day pass at the space center. 

https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/launches-and-events

About a thousand fellow rocket nerds dutifully lined up at 10:30 pm at the visitor center. After a long wait we walked through the center to buses. Our entertaining native driver gave a running historical commentary as we headed toward the launch viewing site. We detoured to drive aside the Space Shuttle landing strip, then arrived at the gargantuan Apollo/Saturn V Center hanger, home of the manned moon launch rocket. It is still the tallest, heaviest, and most powerful ever flown. And it was suspended from the ceiling!

It looked like there were about three hundred fellow rocket nerds at this primo location. We were served a very generous catered buffet and had tickets for 2 beverages, including alcoholic drinks. There was ample time to tour the vast facility, dedicated to the six daring  manned moon landings between 1969 to 1972.

Then out to bleachers. We were warned several times that this was an inherently hazardous activity and instructed on evacuation procedures. My assigned location was in a bus! Fat lot of good that would do if a rocket came down on us. My plan was to get under water in the lagoon with the gators. 

We looked 3.9 miles across Banana Creek at the bedazzling bright historic Launch Pad 39A, the site of the last crewed American orbital spaceflight, the STS-135 mission of the space shuttle Atlantis. The spacecraft itself was difficult to discern from the supporting structures without magnification.

It was a bit farther away than I imagined, but my Nikon AF-S Nikor 200-500mm 1:5.6E ED super telephoto drew the launch site in nicely. Photographers lined the walkway in front of the bleachers. We were adjacent to the forbidden grassy area bordering the lagoon in front. We were instructed that we had to crouch or sit down one minute before the launch as to not block the view from the bleachers. I had previously decided not to lug a tripod so my movie, shot through my Nikon 5500 SLR, was hand held from a seated position.

I think the launch movie speaks for itself. Sorry about the sailor words:

In addition to the launch we saw the 1st stage reentry burn, and the glow over the horizon from the landing burn, though the barge was not in sight. Elon Musk was reportedly there, though not where we were. I imagine he was sharing doobies at launch control.

 A very organized return to the buses ensued, and I arrived back at my hotel by 4:00 am. Our bus driver, when asked if there were closer viewing locations, replied that there were closer places, but he felt that we had been to the best, as there were no intervening trees, and we had bathrooms.

 I’m ready to do it again.