Elizabeth River Bike Trail

Ben, Shira and I finally rode along the Elizabeth River Bike Trail. The ride was made possible by my super, duper, uber dorky, tricycle. Erik W gave me a lot of advice on purchasing a trike as he is quite an aficionado. I'd have loved to own one of those low on the ground ones, but I am terrified of being driven over on the road. I decided the big, dorky looking one made me more visible on the road and would probably be easier on the legs. So, here i am in all my dorky glory.

What fun we had on the trail this morning. One of the first things we saw were these Navy ships.

Call me strange, but I think there is something rather beautiful about Portsmouth Marine Terminal. Did you know that the ports here are amongst the busiest on the Eastern Seaboard?

The terminal gives you a feeling that the economy has hope, that life is being breathed into the financial well being of the area.

While we were riding along the trail, we discovered a park that we never knew existed. Plum Point Park can only be accessed through the bike trail and is part of the wetlands reclamation project.


The kids got a good view of the effort the Elizabeth River Project is making to reclaim wetlands and thereby to protect the Chesapeake bay.


Shira was happy to discover that fairies live in Plum Point Park.

She didn't believe me when I told her that in Africa you get hollow trees big enough for people to live in. Perhaps this pic will convince her.

Though for now, she is happy to believe that fairies live in the hollow tree we found.

The children had a zillion questions about wetlands and reclamation that I couldn't answer, so instead of looking up the answers, I contacted the Elizabeth River Project and am in the process of arranging for their educator to meet us, and fellow homeschoolers at Plum Point Park for a lesson on the wetlands.

All along the bike path are markers filled with historical titbits. It's fun living in a city that has existed for most of the USA's history.


The highlight of the ride for Ben and Shira, was their first taste of honeysuckle nectar. I grew up with a huge honeysuckle vine in the garden and sipping its nectar is one of my shining childhood memories. There are so few things from my childhood that I can reproduce for my kids, that this little act was a big deal for me. Sometimes I find it rather weird bringing up children in a foreign country. I often struggle to explain to them what it was like for me when I was growing up. My kids can't get over the fact that the entire country I grew up in had no television when I was their age.

Here are Ben and Shira getting their first taste of honeysuckle nectar