When The World Was New

Roslyn Landing Park: that’s where I went today. It was a nice November day, about 63°, sunny, and the sky was clear and blue. I went there just after the noon hour.

When I was a boy there were places in my small city that were sacred, or almost so. I’m not talking about brick and mortar churches. I’m talking about large stretches of woodland dotted with all kinds of mystery: clear–running brooks with minnows, salamanders, and crayfish; swamps studded with cattails growing tall; springs that flowed from the ground; hidden gardens offering a profusion of wildflowers if you knew when and where to look.

I spent many hours roaming the woods, walking along railroad tracks, walking along deer trails, wandering through thick forest with no trail to guide me. I felt a closeness to nature that was almost magical. The world felt new. Certainly, it was new to me. It was pristine – at least, the parts I traveled.

There were minor secrets: the stream that you had to know just where to cross; the swamp that you had to know the hidden path through. There were minor challenges: there was an empty field with tall grass and weeds maybe five feet tall. It was said among the group of boys I hung out with that the owner of the field would shoot you if he caught you in his field. Naturally, I and some friends had to go to the field and walk through it until the owner came out and tried to catch us. I don’t know if he would have shot me, but he did come out of his house carrying a shotgun. I crouched, hidden in the weeds, as he walked past carrying his shotgun just feet from me. It was great fun.

There aren’t many road signs to Roslyn Landing Park. You have to know to turn onto the road to the animal pound. You have to know to go around and past the animal pound until you see the little park. If it’s a weekend, you’ll likely see pickup trucks with boat trailers; there’s a boat ramp there. You’ll also likely see a few people sitting near the river bank fishing. Off to the right side near the river (as you drive in) is a paved walkway that meanders through the woods along the river.

The paved foot path (officially it’s the Appomattox River Greenway Trail) is being built in sections that will eventually join. I walked the first section and took photos. It was nice. It was not pristine: there was the occasional plastic bottle on the ground and plastic jugs floating in the river. I don’t blame the Lord for kicking us out of Eden. Give us a beautiful place and we’ll turn it into a dumping ground and fill it with litter in no time. I took photos and posted some of them here. If you go to the park in warm weather and go off the paved path, remember to watch for snakes. You may see a water moccasin near the water’s edge or you may run across a copperhead in the woods. I’ve encountered both more than once in this city.