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Bill's Bikes

WELCOME NEW TRESTLE #21!
Photo: Tom Horsch

Trestle #21 was officially declared open as of 3/26/02 after a much anticipated replacement. The trestle was washed out by a flood on July 29, 2001 after heavy rains inundated the trail. A temporary bridge was put in place by USFS and volunteer workers to accommodate the fall trail traffic. The new trestle replacement was started in early January of 2002 and was completed in just a little over 2 months. The trestle was trucked in from Alabama in 2 pieces and assembled on-site. The contractor and USFS personnel need to be commended for a job well done. The area looks great and the trail is in fine shape. Come on out and see for yourself! Shuttles are running daily! Note: There will be a presentation on the trestle #21 project at the Creeper Trail Club on Wednesday, 3/27/02 at 7PM at the Washington Co. Library. All welcome!

Click for More Pictures
The Old #21 vs the New #21

Trestle #17 Update

I was interviewed by the USFS Law Enforcement officer and told by him that their investigation is ongoing but close to being wrapped up. They know where the fire started on the trestle and have been able to trace the burn patterns to see where the fire spread to. They have interviewed several residents from town. Officials say the investigation has been turned over the the National Park Service as they are the true owners of the trestle. All seem to think that they are close to wrapping up the investigation and will seek a settlement in the fire case.

Update on the repair: Mike Tripp, USFS Engineer from Roanoke reports that the contract for repair to trestle #17 will be let out very soon. Repairs expect to begin early to mid may and will possibly take 2 months to complete. Estimates for the repairs are between $50K-$100K. This includes removing 10 bents (the supports underneath) and replacing with 7 bents as the weight requirements are not the same as when the trestle was originally built. About 230 feet of handrail and deck board will have to be replaced. (Above news reported by Tom Horsch)

Fire on Trestle #17- 3/1/02 - (easy detour around this one)

January, 2002

"New" Trestle #21 Moving Toward Permanent Home

3/1/02 - With a crane, a shovel, good ole Yankee ingenuity and some brave workers, the permanent  Trestle #21 was unloaded at the Straight Branch Parking Lot and headed for it's permanent place across the Laurel Creek. Tom Horsch, a representative from Adventure Damascus was one of the few "civilians" on hand to witness the event. Below are exclusive pictures of the trestle unloading and moving. The trestle came in 2 sections by road early on 3/1/02 and was moving down the trail by 1PM the same day. (more story below photos)

All photos property of Thomas Horsch, Adventure Damascus Bicycles & Tours

The trestle will be slid across the creek on some dollies (axels on wheels placed down in the creek bed), then hoisted into place and set on the new abutments. So far, everything is going as planned and the workers and USFS are optimistic that all deadlines will be met.

Creeper Trail Trestle Replacement Ahead of Schedule

News Flash!  � US Forest Service/Mt Rogers National Recreation Area staff predicted that the replacement of Trestle #21 could be completed ahead of schedule! Work is to begin on January 28, 2002 and is scheduled to be on going for 8 weeks. That means if the weather cooperates, the trestle repairs should be finished by March 25, 2002.  

“Old� trestle 21 was washed out in a flash flood on July 31, 2001. Members of the Virginia Creeper Trail Club assisted the USFS/MRNRA staff with the construction of a temporary replacement trestle. The “new� trestle 21 will be a permanent structure and should once again open this section of the trail to all users. You can read more about the trestle saga on the official Virginia Creeper Trail web site or from the US Forest Service press release from the folks at the Mt Rogers National Recreation Area. 

The trail section from Straight Branch to trestle #20 will be closed during the construction period. We’ll still run shuttles and will pick people up at Straight Branch Parking Lot, just as we did when the trestle got washed out in July of 2001. This worked well and we want to stress that the TRAIL IS NOT CLOSED! 
 

New Adventure Damascus Tours for 2002

Adventure Damascus Tours had added several exciting tours for the 2002 season. Beginning with Birding Trips in January, February and April. Birding tours will be lead by area bird expert Wallace Coffey. and include visits to Konnarock/Whitetop, Virginia on January 19 to look for winter Finches, Burkes Garden, Virginia February 16 to look for Golden Eagles, Shady Valley, Tennessee for the spring migration of songbirds. Read more about them on our birding tours pages. 

Bike Tours include The New River Trail from Galax to Foster Falls on April 26 and Burkes Garden on June 7 and August 14. Both of these places are awesome biking destinations and our tours will be fully supported, so people of all skill levels are welcome. Read more about them on our biking tours pages. 

Clinch River Canoe Trips are set for July 12 and August 23. This trip was extremely popular last year so we’ve added an additional date. Interpreters from The Nature Conservancy will accompany us and teach us about the rare freshwater mussels that exist on the Clinch. We’ll stop and have a “hands on� session at Cleveland Island Preserve, a hotspot for rare mussels and a TNC preserve. Read more about this trip and the rare freshwater mussels on our canoe tour page. 

Our Clinch Valley Eco-Tours has been a popular tour for the last 3 years. This is our “signature tour� and one that includes learning, activity and “soft adventure�. Coupled with great accommodations and really good food, the value is hard to beat. Read more about them at  Eco-Tours Page.