Wander: Dutch Gap Conservation Area

As much as I enjoy the blog format here, I’m thinking video is more the way to go these days. So I’m trying my hand at getting a YouTube channel going, which I hope to keep updated with the same sort of content: Travelogues, photography gear and techniques, and bits of history and nature blended in too.

This past weekend I headed out to Dutch Gap Conservation Area for a trial run. I hope you enjoy!

Below are some photos featured in the video. Going forward, I’ll try to make companion posts here when I upload a new video, but please feel free to subscribe to the YouTube channel if you’re of a mind to do so. I’d appreciate it!

I started out with a stroll to the river bluff behind the reconstructed Citie of Henricus. After Jamestown, this was the site of the second English-speaking settlement in what would become the United States of America. The reconstructed village is worth a visit!

From the bluff, a trail descends to this dock along the James River. I found some of the fall color I was looking for!

Moving along to the Dutch Gap trails, the path crosses a small drainage canal where I always spot a Great Blue Heron or two fishing.

Much of the loop trail is like this, simply gorgeous any time of year.

But this time of year, of course, I’m all about the yellows and oranges and reds. I moved from Florida, so this is all still new for me!

Crossing the footbridge over the James, I spotted a bald eagle! It was heading away from me and then around the river bend, but I did manage a shot or two from a distance.

This floating boardwalk I discovered on the way out–it has its own little parking lot, just before reaching the main gate to Dutch Gap/Henricus Park. Such a diverse ecosystem in this area, well worth exploring.

I hope you enjoy the video. I’m looking forward to sharing many more wanders in the future!

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