Get Outside! Weekend Update: 9.25-9.27
September 25-27, 2009
By RoanokeOutside.com
Weekend Update – OUTSIDE!
- The Artie Levin Memorial Ride to benefit MS Society 9/26-27
- Medieval Faire & Highland Games at Green Hill Park 9/26-27
- Smith Mountain Lake Wine Festival 9/26-27
- National Public Lands Day at Carvins Cove 9/26
- Big Lick Triathlon at Smith Mountain Lake 9/26
- Lower Gauley River Rafting 9/26
- Henry Street Heritage Festival at Elmwood Park 9/26
- Middle Mountain Mama Mtn. Bike Race at Douthat State Park 9/26
- Virginia 10-Miler 9/26
- Potts Mtn Trail Hike 9/27
- Mill Mountain Star Trail Hike 9/27
Pete’s Picks
My Saturday Itinerary – In the morning my family and I plan to celebrate National Public Lands Day by attending the event at Carvins Cove Natural Reserve (see event description farther down). In the afternoon we are going to get medieval at the Medieval Faire & Highland Games at Greenhill Park, and in the evening we are going to build a backyard campfire!
Go Explore – Each week a new hike will be added to the list as we compile the Top 10 Hikes in the Roanoke Region. This week we add a series of hikes that allow you to explore the 2nd largest municipal park in the US – Carvins Cove Natural Reserve. Click on the name and you will be able to download directions, map, and some tips:
- McAfee Knob section of Appalachian Trail
- Dragon’s Tooth section of Appalachian Trail
- Chestnut Ridge off the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Star Trail on Mill Mountain
- Roaring Run Recreation Area (and natural water slide)
- Explore Park trail system
- Cascades Hiking Trail (also fishing!)
- Carvins Cove trail system
Got an idea? Send it to pete@roanoke.org
Get OUTSIDE!
Pete (friend me on Facebook)
Tonight (9/24) Washington Park Aquatic Center Community Input Session 
Roanoke Parks & Recreation would like to hear your thoughts on rehabilitating the current pool at Washington Park and making it into a modern family aquatics experience.
Is this what you want? – let your voice be heard!
Tonight, September 24, at 7 p.m., Roanoke Parks and Recreation will host a public input session for our citizens (everyone is welcome) and will present the potential benefits of this effort. The input session will be held at the Roanoke Civic Center’s Performing Arts Mezzanine on the second floor. Can’t make it? Leave your comments below and I’ll share them with the parks department.
In 2007-08, Roanoke City Council adopted the Parks and Recreation Master Plan into the City’s Comprehensive Plan. This effort identified the needs, challenges, and opportunities for the Parks and Recreation Department to focus on. One of the focus areas is outdoor pools in the city that have outlived their functional life cycle. The city is in the process of determining if it is feasible to re-develop aquatic features of existing pools that appeal to a wider consumer base, include family friendly amenities, and possess an efficient management system.
National Public Lands Day
National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands we all enjoy. Join the Roanoke City Parks & Recreation department at Carvins Cove Natural Reserve to help celebrate this event. Volunteers from Roanoke Valley Greenways will be on hand to lead a trail improvement project. There will also be nature-based activities for parents and children facilitated by the good folks from KIVA (Kids in the Valley, Adventuring). Come help improve upon one of the Roanoke Valley’s finest outdoor recreation venues!
Where: Carvins Cove Natural Reserve – Bennett Springs parking lot
When: Saturday 9/26, 8am-1:30pm
The first four hours of the event will be a workday on Hi Dee Ho trail. At noon there will be a catered lunch by Comfort Cuisine.
The first 50 adults and first 50 children who RSVP to Michael Clark (michael.clark@roanokeva.gov) receive a free event t-shirt. Those who participate will also have a chance to win a Gary Fisher mountain bike donated by East Coasters bike shop.
Bicycle Ticketed for excessive awesomeness
The police in Toronto have got it going on. Perhaps our local police can do this in conjunction with some similar programs they already do. Programs exist that allow officers to reward kids they see wearing helmets – what are some other ideas?
Read the complete story and leave your comments>>>
Low-water bridge over Roanoke River to be replaced
The low-water bridge across the Roanoke River in Wasena Park will soon be replaced – and this is great news for canoeists and kayakers who like to float the river. Low-water bridges and dams pose great hazards to paddlers. At higher water levels the nature of their design creates a dangerous back-flow of water, known as a hydraulic, that can trap a person or boat (two people recently died on low-water dams in Franklin County). As it is now, boaters must get out of their boats and portage around the low-water bridge at Wasena Park – but come next spring this will all change.
Do you run or bike near cars?
Courtesy of Rhonda Chatten and More Than a Ride – -
“Let me tell you a story about a hike, a 17 year old, a bike and an ER.
Last night I met up with a group of friends that meet every Wednesday evening to hike around a local mountain. Mill Mountain is a nice hike with some challenges. It is so wonderful to have a group of friends to share all sorts of adventures with. Well ten minutes into the walk up the old road to our trail head, we see a seemingly calm young man sitting on the wall. We looked over closer and noticed a good amount of road rash and blood, so we hopped on over. We get over and he could not see us clearly, he was seeing in pinks and greys. He looked really hot and really pale and a lot in shock. Continue reading the rest of the story on Rhonda’s blog More Than A Ride>>>
Upcoming events to keep your eye on
- Banff Radical Reels Film Festival & GET OUTSIDE Expo 9/30
- Free Fly Fishing Casting lessons 10/3
- Poor Mountain Hill Climb 10/4
- Orvis Beginner Fly Fishing School 10/4
- Kid Bike Race (Bike Blast) 10/4
- Dane Zane & Friends at Jefferson Center (kids) 10/11
- Skateboarding Competition 10/11
- Run For the Arts 10/17
- Into The Darkness 4 Mile Trail Run (at night) 10/24
- Blacksburg Brew Do 10/24
- Rowdy Dog Mtn. Bike Race 10/25
- Drumstick Dash 11/26
- Blue Ridge Marathon (full & half) April 24, 2010
Want to meet other outdoor folks?
Need a Group to hike, BIKE, or Paddle with?
Here are a few outdoor social groups that allow you to meet other people and get outside!
- Meetup Roanoke Outdoor & Social Group this group seeks to bring together people from around Roanoke and the New River Valley who are interested in outdoor activities. They attract a wide variety of people with varying interests and experience levels and provide a mix of activities (hiking, backpacking, biking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, caving, etc.) that can be enjoyed by all. Events range from hikes to whitewater rafting to social mixers.
- Roanoke Cycling Organization, Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, and New River Bike Association are three great cycling groups to check out.
- The Creek Freaks is a local paddling club that does events throughout the year
- KIVA (Kids In the Valley Adventuring) is a group that helps families and kids connect with nature
- Roanoke Sunday Hiking Group (on Facebook only – request to join the group).This is a group formed by “people who don’t have free time on Saturdays. We seek to create a group of friends who want to explore the world around us. Whether it is walking in the woods, cooking out, or visiting something new and exciting, we seek to do something other than just lay around on Sundays.”
