The James & Maury Rivers & The Blue Ridge Parkway – October 9, 2016

Our latest adventure led us to one of our favorite destinations: the confluence of the James and Maury Rivers near Glasgow, VA.   There is something rather awe-inspiring and soul-touching to see one body of water merging into another, and each time we’ve visited this particular confluence, we’ve been impressed with how each river continues to hold its identify until far downstream.

We headed south on Rt. 29 towards Lynchburg and then we turned north on Rt. 501.  This scenic byway allows us to follow the James River upstream towards the town of Glasgow.

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The Blue Ridge Parkway–the scenic 469-mile roadway through the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina–intersects Rt. 501 at the James River, and we detoured briefly to go to the visitor center and to walk on the trail down to the river.

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The James was muddy due to recent rains, but we love this view of one of our favorite rivers with the mountains in the background.  A pedestrian bridge is built directly under the main bridge that crosses the James.

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Near the center of the river, we held up a tiny shard of quartz crystal and paused for a moment to “bless the waters.”  This is something we’ve done at numerous bodies of waters and in many different states over the years. We silently thank each river (or lake or ocean), offer our prayers for the health of its waters, and express our love for it.   Once a crystal has been charged with our love and prayers, we drop it into the water and visualize our blessings being used for the best benefit of all.

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As we returned to Rt. 501, we were soon rewarded with a beautiful view of the James River Gorge. Wayne and I both took pictures here.  🙂

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Descending from this elevated overlook, we crossed over the Maury River and arrived in the small town of Glasgow.  We turned on Jarvis Trail which leads to the confluence where the Maury meets the James.

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The Maury River, which is about 43 miles long, is formed by the Calfpasture and Little Calfpasture Rivers near Goshen, Virginia.  It flows south-southeast through Goshen Pass (another one of our favorite places) and historic Lexington, Virginia before joining the James River at Glasgow.  It always amazes us to see the fast-moving, green Maury River rushing into the James.

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You can tell which river is which well downstream of the confluence.  So beautiful! 🙂

The park and trail that they’ve created at the confluence and along the James River are very nice, too.

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But as we’ve seen on the banks of virtually every Virginia river we’ve visited, there are signs posted that warn of the dangers of eating fish caught in these waters.  In this case, certain fish contain chemicals called PCBs.

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PCBs are man-made chemicals that were widely used in hundreds of applications from the late 1920s until the 1970s when their production was banned.  As PCBs do not easily break down, these chemicals remain in the environment and they are found throughout the world.  You can learn more about PCBs and the health risks they pose by clicking on this link: http://www.greenfacts.org/en/pcbs/

Blessing the Maury River….

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Driving from the confluence on Jarvis Trail towards Glasgow, we could see a Kestrel riding the wind. After it swooped down into the field, it came up with something in its talons.  I was able to get a clear shot of this gorgeous little hawk once it landed.

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From Glasgow, we drove through the town of Buena Vista and got on the Blue Ridge Parkway to head towards home.

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What a beautiful day! We love our rivers and mountains!

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Trip map:

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https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xwcaTbqQWWsKyep5jN9wP1PQz7o&usp=sharing

 

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