Sunday, March 08, 2009
Bridge makes a big difference in Heritage Park
New River Field Guide
Recent columns
- The Field Guide has led readers on five years of adventures
- New River Deli in Pembroke is still down-home
- Sal's of Radford fame comes to Blacksburg
- Virginia Tech athletes put their all into track challenge
Back in the day, there was a lot of fuss about Brown Farm, now known as Heritage Park or something like that.
Would Blacksburg keep it exactly like it was or bulldoze the whole place?
Neither of those things happened. Instead, slowly and somewhat quietly, the park has evolved. And now, with the creation of a bridge over Tom's Creek, it seems to me that it's just about right.
The bridge makes a big difference, especially to bikers and parents with kids too small to get across by themselves.
On a recent trip, I crossed the creek both the new way and the old-fashioned way.
The old-fashioned way is possible, but it's ungainly and carries the risk of a wet foot or, much worse, a wet 3-year-old.
The new way, using the bridge, was wonderful. In fact, it was such a nice spot we plopped down and had a picnic right there on the bridge. It's wide enough that we weren't concerned about getting run over. And it has good railings, so I could let the kids roam free without worry.
By crossing the bridge, we were easily able to visit a corner of the park that I had visited only once or twice before. From there, one can follow a gravel road toward the far end of the park, cross the road and head up the mountain on the Gateway Trail. It will be a glorious day when the Gateway Trail is connected to the Huckleberry Trail and the bridge brings it that much closer.
I hope Blacksburg decides that the park is "finished" now and keeps it that way, focusing on removing graffiti and maintaining the paths. (Actually, a discrete bathroom wouldn't go amiss, either.)
Bottom line: Heritage Park's new bridge opens up new possibilities for an already wonderful park.
