This awesome video features two of our favorite people: local photographer, videographer and RichmondOutside contributor Elli Morris and Riverside Outfitters raft guide/jack-of-all-trades Mitch Davis.

Davis shows his skills at whitewater standup paddleboarding, navigating Richmond’s gnarly downtown rapids . He talks about the importance of clean water, how it is everyone’s responsibility, and why it matters to him particularly as  a SUP’er. Davis also discusses the value of waterparks and why such a park would be beneficial along the Falls of the James. This is the beginning of a series of interviews from Morris on people sharing a particular goal they have for the health of the James River. The video premiered a couple of weeks back at Films on the Floodwall.

On a recent mountain bike ride, James River Park Superintendent Nathan Burrell told me about some audio tours recently developed featuring of different places in the JRPS. They’re narrated by Ralph White, he said. History, ecology and geology discussed as well as other noteworthy aspects of places like Pony Pasture, Belle Isle and the Floodwall (and more). I had intended to write a piece about the tours then, but it totally slipped my mind until today when the Friends of the James River Park mentioned them in their monthly newsletter.

There are layers of history on Belle Isle that the walking tour will help you discover. Credit: Ed Holden

Here are the details from their post: For your free walking-tour pleasure, you need only a mobile device and an internet connection. You’ll hear about what you are seeing, how it got there, and some of the reasons why the JRPS is special and worth preserving! Listen to any of the tours listed below at www.righthereonce.org:

• The Ecology of the River and Shoreline: A Sound History for the Trails of The Pony Pasture
• Indians To Industry: A Sound History For Belle Isle
• A Sound History For The Manchester Flood Wall
• Geology of the Fall Zone: North Geo Tour
• Geology of the Fall Zone: South Geo Tour

The first three tours were written and narrated by Ralph White and produced and developed by Vaughn Whitney Garland with financial support from The Friends of the James River Park. The two geology tours were produced by Anne Wright for the Science In The Park website, developed by Vaughn Whitney Garland, and narrated by Ralph White.

The James River got a bit of attention on the UCI bicycle race course this past week. “Arts & Cultural District Drains to the James,” the 4’x4’ raindrop posters proclaim. To let people know why it matters what goes into the river, each poster has a photograph of someone (or some ducks) enjoying the river.

One image shows Jack Martin running whitewater rapids on his stand up paddleboard boasting the slogan, “7 miles of rapids run through RVA.” Riverside Outfitters rafts through downtown asking people to “Follow the raindrops to the river.” Amanda Gibson looks like she’s loving life high in the sky at Jump Rock declaring, “Clean Water, Clean Roads, Clean River.” Lauren Morris dances on the bank for “RVA Love, Arts Love, River Love.”

Thanks to the Arts & Cultural District Micro Grant Program, along with CultureWorks, I received funding to place 14 PSA posters in storefront windows in the ACD. The James River Association and Bike Walk RVA lent a hand in the project, as did Storefront for Community Design. Michelle of Mtouchettemedia.com designed and helped place the posters, and Richmond Signscape printed them on static cling material so no harm would come to any of the windows.

The idea to have a map of downtown showing that the river borders the area was long in the making. Originally conceived as a response moving to Richmond eight years ago only to discover no one knew if they were “up river or down river” when asked for directions, the timing was right to put the posters up during Richmond2015 with so many visitors expected to the city.

Not many cities have a swimmable, kayakable, paddleboardable, playable river running through the heart of downtown. The project involved getting that word out, letting people know Richmonders get IN the river so we need it to be clean. Hopefully, seeing the connection of us playing will trigger a better response as to why land actions matter to water quality.

The posters will be up during the races and through the fall First Friday season. Richmond on Broad (University of Richmond) café wants to keep theirs up indefinitely. “I see no reason to take it down. It speaks to what we want to do and our involvement with the city,” said Chef Manager Matt Lee. The variety of businesses sporting a raindrop also speaks to the vast community that cares about the James.

Keep an eye out for the big blue posters while wondering around downtown and thank the store owners for caring about the mighty, majestic, and mysterious James River. You can find the posters at: Bunkie Trinite Trophies, Hilton Garden Inn, Mama J’s Kitchen, Moore’s Auto Body & Paint Shop, Pediatric Dentistry, Richmond Public Library, The National, Candela Books & Gallery, Hummel Associates, Steen Wear bicycle apparel popup storefront, and a for-rent storefront at 208 E Broad.

Buttermilk Trail will be part of the course for the 50-miler of Saturday’s Tour de Fall Line. Credit: Phil Riggan

If you run, bike or paddle on and around the James River in Central Virginia, chances are you’ve benefitted from the work of the James River Outdoor Coalition and RVA Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts. The former is made up mostly of paddlers; the latter of mountain bikers. But their effect on the outdoor recreation landscape goes beyond their chosen recreational pursuits. Ever taken your boat out at 14th Street? JROC helped fund and build that. Ever walked your dog along the switchbacking, intricate-stonework and cool-arched-bridge section of the Buttermilk Trail? RVA MORE helped fund and build that.

So, if you intended to run, bike or paddle this weekend anyway, why not do it in a way that aids those groups?

On Saturday, the second annual Tour de Fall Line goes off from Mayo Island in downtown Richmond. The event — featuring multi-distance bike rides, a group trail run and group paddle — is a celebration of what we have here in Richmond: World class singletrack and whitewater in an urban environment. All proceeds go toward these groups that work so hard to maintain these amenities.

Last year, Richmond MORE’s Michael Taliaferro told me, they had about 150 people sign up for the bike rides and about a dozen do the paddle. This year they’ve added a trail run.

“The paddle is a full run of the entire fall line,” he said. “It starts at 9 a.m. and we have room for 30 people on rafts. The cost is $40 which includes the paddle, beer afterward, and food from Lee’s Fried Chicken (or Mellow Mushroom for vegetarians).

Hollywood Rapid can be a dangerous to the uninitiated. Credit Elli Morris

With the world coming to Richmond — i.e. tons of tourists descending on our fair city for the impending bike races — the James River will be a big draw. It’s an incredible resource right in the center of all the action. Will visitors be aware of the dangers that accompany the river? Let’s make sure they do.

Having been involved in a few river rescues lately, this article is primarily aimed at locals, people that know the river but might not know how much they don’t know. But the information should be good for all those out-of-towners who want to go experience the mighty James as well.

Each rescue I saw involved someone new to the river. This isn’t too surprising given the enormous amount of diversity, from flat water to rapids to tidal areas, with a changing river bed from spot to spot where it’s rocky, sandy, shallow, or deep enough to jump off bridge embankments. Additionally, the water levels can change from day to day, which has a major impact on river conditions. Those variables are partially what make the Fall Line so amazing and such fun, but also treacherous.

Swiftwater rescue team in training. Credit Elli Morris

However, each rescue victim was accompanied by a Richmond local. Locals that obviously didn’t think they were being reckless and negligent yet clearly put their friends and family in danger.

Being able to safely swim the river, particularly in the downtown rapids, involves quite a few skills, ones that might be so intuitive as to be forgotten in one’s spiel about how to be safe. For example, swimming across the current above Hollywood Rapid can be done, but as a frequent river person you might not even be aware you are using eddies, reading the lines, looking out for obstacles. Telling someone to “keep your feet up” is accurate and necessary advice. But it isn’t going to keep them from being swept down through Hollywood Rapid. It isn’t enough information for them to stop being churned around in “God’s Hole,” or being pushing into the “Washing Machine,” and it isn’t going to help them figure out how to get behind a rock to get out of the current.

Saying your husband and son swim above the rapids all the time doesn’t mean it’s OK to let a 12-year-old swim unsupervised and unaware of impending rapids. Before anyone swims in the river, they must become aware of what’s in the current, what’s down-river, how to get out of the current, and what might happen should each escape goal be missed.

Richmond’s swiftwater rescue team enters the water near Pipeline rapid. Credit: Elli Morris

Wearing a PFD (Personal Floatation Device or life jacket) is always a good idea. Using one in a whitewater kayak or canoe is mandatory. Especially when taking new lines with people who aren’t boaters. Not taking such risks, particularly with newbies, ought to be basic knowledge. The City of Richmond law mandates a PFD be used when the river is above 5 feet. Above 9 feet a permit is required to be on the water. Safe river levels generally fall between 3.5 to 5 feet. However, each location in the river is dynamic, wild, and changing, so learn to be wise about where you swim, boat, or float.

Remember, being a “good swimmer” is not the same as being safe on the river. Don’t get carried away with wanting to take visitors to your favorite spots. Take them to a safe, easy location, where they will have fun. Because getting carried away in a river rescue raft is not what anyone should experience as their first introduction to the James.

Use these resources for more information on how to safely enjoy the James River:

*The James River water level can be found on the RichmondOutside.com home page (top left corner)

*James River Park

*James River Association River Watch

Credit: Chris Siess

The dog days of summer are here and while the sun has been scorching of late, the fly fishing around Richmond and central Virginia has been hot too!

If you haven’t tried fishing the famous James River through downtown Richmond and the surrounding areas, you are certainly missing out! Despite its urban setting, the James is home to a variety of species of fish that are all able to be caught with a fly rod, including smallmouth and largemouth bass, sunfish, striped bass, largemouth bass, carp, catfish and gar.

These fish are easily targeted by any experienced or novice fly (or spin) angler. The gear needed for a fun afternoon on the water is minimal. Waders are not necessary in the summer weather, simply wear shorts and a shirt that can get wet and an old pair of sneakers to protect your feet on the river bottom. Five through seven weight fly rods loaded with a matching floating line will be perfect for any situation you encounter on the James. A small backpack or side bag for a fly box, spool of 12 pound tippet, pliers and a bottle of water and you are set! Don’t forget sunscreen, polarized glasses and a hat too.

Credit: Chris Siess

Most anglers tend to think of the best fishing times as early morning or late evening, which is true. However, the fishing on the James can be fantastic throughout the entire day, even in mid-afternoon. The warm weather and bright sun brings out the damselflies and dragon flies and our clients’ primary quarry, the smallmouth bass, can be seen leaping out of the water to snag them out of mid-air. Dead drifting poppers across the surface in these same areas often results in a voracious strike.

When the smallies aren’t looking up, they can be caught on quickly retrieved streamers or crayfish and hellgrammite patterns drifted down on the bottom. Catfish and stripers will also readily take streamers and carp are always finicky with their meal selection, but catchable when carefully presented with a small, buggy looking fly or crayfish pattern. Sunfish, often overlooked due to their diminutive size, are most certainly the best looking fish in the river and can be a day-saver when other species have a case of lockjaw.

There are plenty of access points to the James including downtown just below the walkover bridge to Belle Isle on the city side, all around Belle Isle, Texas Beach, Pony Pasture, Huguenot Flat Water, and several other public points west of Richmond all the way to Scottsville. The further west you go, the less people you will see and less pressure the fish receive. Taking a drive to a spot further up river can make for a very nice Saturday or Sunday spent away from the crowds around Richmond. If you do fish downtown, week days are recommended as it can be hard to catch fish when the city’s residents also use the same fishing spots as a swimming hole.

Credit: Chris Siess

If floating the river and fishing is your game, you can always do a short afternoon trip from Pony Pasture to Reedy Creek. This should take about 4-5 hours if you fish it well. Be wary of the lower water levels later in summer as you may have to drag your kayak or canoe across some of the more shallow areas.

The James can be a difficult river to wade for beginners due to the uneven bottom, occasional strong currents and deeper holes that can catch a casually wading angler by surprise. The Rivanna River, which runs through Charlottesville and south through Palmyra, is a great spot within an hour drive of Richmond for a beginner to “get their feet wet” and catch some fish. It provides several public access points and a soft gravel and sand bottom that makes for easy wading. Most of the fish are small, but don’t be surprised to see two foot long gar, large carp and smallmouth bass in the trophy range that you can cast to. The big fish live in the smaller waters as well!

If you haven’t had the chance to try your hand at fly fishing the local central Virginia waters yet, now is the time to do it! The fish will still be active through fall and a day spent on the water is much better than any day at work, doing chores or watching TV!

Knot the Reel World Fly Fishing offers guided wading trips in the James and Rivanna rivers, kayaking trips on Chickahominy Reservoir and the Chesapeake Bay, as well as fly fishing lessons in and around Richmond. They also sell custom, hand-tied flies, shirts and hats. Advice is always available for free as well! For fly fishing tackle, check out Green Top in Ashland, VA.

Credit: Teresa Cole

A river-loving friend sent me a link yesterday, that I thought worth passing along. SUP: The Mag, a great resource for paddleboarders online and in paper form, posted a piece by Will Taylor on Monday breaking down Richmond as a destination for standup-paddleboarders.

Wrote Taylor: If you are looking for adventure, Richmond is the place to visit. The James River is 344 miles long, forming in the Appalachian Mountains and flowing to the Chesapeake Bay. The James River runs through Richmond, Virginia and boasts the only urban whitewater with class III and IV rapids (lower James). For those paddlers looking for something a little more mild, the upper James offers a chance to run class I and II. There are also several sections of flat water for those just getting started or wanting a more relaxed day.

If you haven’t been on a standup paddleboard before, or maybe you just haven’t been on one on the James, our friends at Riverside Outfitters are running a sweet Groupon right now. Their three-hour downriver paddleboard trip from Pony Pasture to Reedy Creek, which is usually $75 a person, is now $39 per person. Check it out!