Today we decided to take advantage of the fair weather and tour the Richmond National Battlefield Park--which encompasses thirteen sites spread around an 80-mile loop. We started out in downtown Richmond at the Tredegar Iron Works on the James River, an iron foundry that produced much of the Confederacy's munitions, and which now serves as the main Visitors Center for the park.
We drove to the first site at Chickahominy Bluff and then on to Beaver Dam Creek, Gaines' Mill, and the Cold Harbor Visitor Center. We walked along trails and over ground where battles raged, and we saw defensive earthworks that have survived 150 years. One of the insights we gained was the importance of terrain. Another was the tragedy that commanders like Grant continued to use frontal assaults when the combination of defensive earthworks and long range accurate rifles had made them both futile and bloody.
Ken spotted this snake along a trail at Cold Harbor
By the time we had finished our hike at Cold Harbor, it was after 3:00 p.m. and over 90 degrees. We decided to call it a day. We may have seen enough battle sites for a bit.
We stopped to shop on the way home and bought among other things a USB powered sound bar to replace the cheap laptop speakers we've been using. The one-piece construction and single cord should make it much easier to travel with.
This evening we walked just as it was turning really dark and finally saw a couple of deer--well, kind of saw them, since it was dark and they high tailed it quickly. They looked rather small.
Tonight I baked some banana bread and some banana flax muffins, taking advantage of the cooler evening air.
We're signed up for a Twilight Paddle on Saturday evening, but I'm afraid it will be cancelled by Hurricane Irene, which might bring strong storms into our area. We'll see.
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