Sunrise at Richard’s Fruit Market, Middletown, PA

0840  51,984  43°  Thankful for another fun Harvest Hosts stop, we headed south towards home.

1203  52,100  67°  Scottsville, VA

Parked at the Canal Park for lunch and walked the levee along the James River. 

We learned that Scottsville was a major port in the mid-1800’s. The James River and the Kanawah canal were designed to join the Ohio Valley to ports on the east coast.

Four horses could pull a hundred ton boatload twenty-four miles a day on a canal. This was significantly more efficient than the same number of horses pulling one ton twelve miles on an ordinary road.

This canal warehouse served as a depository for goods like tobacco and flour waiting for shipment. It was set on fire by Union Forces during the Civil Way, but much of the brick building survived and was reconstructed.  It is undergoing a major renovation during our visit.

Canals were replaced by railroads and tracks now run on the old canal towpath. 

Water levels are sometimes a challenge here. Note that the CSX RR signal control box is mounted on long legs to keep it dry high above the river in case of flooding. 

No passenger trains have stopped here since 1957, but the Scottsville Depot, built in 1915, still stands alongside the tracks.  Trains that do pass through  come down from the mountains filled with coal and return westward as strings of empty hoppers.

Every small town has a story and we’re always happy to find parks and signs that share the local history.

1316 Crossed the James River and headed towards North Carolina.

1615  52,249  77°  Home

We noticed that the batteries weren’t charging as we were driving. This is important because we run the refrigerator on DC while moving, and the batteries can’t keep up with the current requirements for long if they aren’t being charged. For more on troubleshooting and the fix click through to this post:

Saturday’s Route

(Click on any photo to enlarge)