Throughout much of the better part of the day yesterday Roanoke received quite a soaking rain. Soon after it started, I could tell it wasn’t going to be one of those quick Spring/Summer storms. You know, the kind when the buildup of thunder and lightning beforehand actually lasts longer than the rainfall itself. Instead, this was just a steady pouring of rain that continued with no apparent end in sight.

But, there was a break around the middle of the afternoon and some rays of sunshine even managed to peek out from among the clouds.

So, during this break early yesterday evening I traveled over to the west part of Salem to pick up something to eat for dinner and, as I usually do, drove along Riverside Drive. This way in large part runs parallel to the truck route and Main Street, but offers less in the way of traffic and stoplights and more in the way of scenery.

On this particular evening, I should say the route offered more in the way of flying wildlife.

Along a section of Riverside Drive in Salem there are a couple spots right next to the Roanoke River which allow for cars to pull off the road. The one I stopped at also provides picnic tables, grills, and is a favorite location for fishermen and families alike.

This time when I stopped I was greeted by a small, slightly disorganized parade of friendly ducks.

Their little webbed feet marched around, and stopped only occasionally to straighten their feathers a little.

A couple of them took to the water and moved along like tiny tugboats against the current of the river.

For a few moments more I watched and marveled in their seemingly worry-free existence. Then, I went about my way.

After all, dinner was waiting and my stomach had already started rumbling.

Noke News explores parts of Roanoke by foot, equipped with a camera and a notepad, in hopes of learning something new. Perhaps you will too.

This time I have ventured slightly off the path of my routine travels. From time to time I make a trek from the SW part of the City over to Williamson Road, via 10th Street NW. So, I’ve seen Brown-Robertson Park before as it’s located along 10th Street at about the 1400 block.

The day started as a rather pretty Spring morning and I decided to make a special trip to the park and see what there was to see. The park’s origin and the meaning behind its name I also found interesting, which I’ll talk about a little later.

Let’s check it all out:

The main entrance to the park is directly off of the road, and is noticeable by a short series of small rock boulders placed at the beginning of a long sidewalk.

Entrance to Brown-Robertson Park

Main Sidewalk at the park

This paved sidewalk leads into the heart of the park. And all along the walk there are several benches for sitting, as well as young trees which have been planted just off to the left and right to help guide the way.

Besides these trees, the majority of the area on either side is open land for running and playing.

A housed patio can be seen in the distance at the end of the sidewalk.

At about the halfway point, the sidewalk stops for a moment and becomes a large circle made of a stone flooring.

I don’t know its significance, but it seemed to me to be a nice touch of decoration to an otherwise simple sidewalk.

Covered Picnic Tables, Basketball Court to the Left and Play Area to the Right

Up ahead at the end of the sidewalk is a larger, covered patio with a set of 4 picnic tables for eating and gathering activities. In direct view from the the tables is a basketball court to the left, and a playset area to the right.

The basketball court appeared to be full-size, and with painted regulation lines instead of blank pavement. The play area featured such favorites as slides and even included a scaled-down climbing apparatus for the young ones.

View of Brown-Robertson Park

As for history of the park, what I found out was interesting. Some internet searching led me to a press release from the Roanoke City website (dated 5/28/02) which shed some light on the park’s origin.

Before the flood of 1985 the area was primarily residential with homes existing where the park is today. But, after the waters rose it left the previous entire section of street in shambles, and 2 Roanoke residents dead.

After the destruction of the flood, the City acquired the land and eventually turned it into the park we have now. The 2 residents who passed away were Mrs. Dorothy Brown and Mrs. Hazel Robertson. Thus, the name Brown-Robertson Park was formed.

If you have driven along Brandon Avenue recently, in the vicinity of Towers Shopping Mall, you probably couldn’t help but notice a rather rough section of road that’s been under construction. I suppose it’s all part of the effort that has also led to a new sidewalk on the shopping center side of the road.

Just about a week ago back in late April I snapped this photo:

Construction on Brandon Avenue (4/26/08)

And by the following weekend, construction workers had already smoothed over the stretch of road with new pavement and fresh paint.

Construction on Brandon Avenue (5/4/08)

So, why is construction underway in this area to begin with?

Well, according to information at the VDOT website, it’s part of a larger project designed to lessen traffic congestion in the entire area. And specifically to help lessen the back-up of traffic that occurs on Route 220/I-581 at the Colonial Avenue exit during peak times of the day.

Though the heaviest congestion only seems to last for about an hour or so, it can be frustrating (and dangerous) having to line up partly in the shoulder of the highway before the exit. If you travel this way home from work you know what I’m talking about.

There aren’t going to be any new roadways constructed, just slight widening or reconfiguring of existing roads as part of a plan outlined by VDOT.

First of note is the construction on Brandon Avenue which has provided a left turn lane onto 23rd Street (the popular shortcut road that essentially runs through Towers Shopping Mall).

And, coming up according to VDOT, a new traffic light signal will be installed at this intersection of Brandon Avenue and 23rd Street. Then, work will commence at the above section of Colonial Avenue as the overall project is expected to continue throughout the next 6 months.

I’m adding this project to the Update 30, which means I’ll follow its progress and provide updates once each calendar month until complete

During these first few months as a blogger, I’ve encountered friendly neighboring blogs on or about Roanoke and which are written by fellow residents of this area. Some of them you may know or already follow, but just in case I’ve been thinking about a way to spread the word on these blogs here and this is what I’m going to do:

As I come across a blog with unique and relevant content I’m going to add a link to their site on my sidebar under the new heading of “Local Blogs”

Also (starting today and continuing every so often) I’m going to highlight a few of my favorite recent posts from these blogs.

So, without further delay welcome to the first edition of the Roanoke Blog Roundup!

This Week on the Market (April 27, 2008) - Rebecca provides some scenes of goings on at the Roanoke City Market downtown. (@ On the Market)

Showers & Seeds (April 28, 2008) - Roanoke RnR has posted pictures of some of those things in nature that April showers tend to bring. (@ Roanoke RnR)

A New Spot on Keagy (May 4, 2008) - David writes about his experience living in the Keagy Road area in connection with all of the construction taking place nearby at Keagy Village and The Townes at Hidden Valley. (@ View from the Mountain)

Now that any and all overnight freeze scares seem to be behind us, late last week I began what has become an annual tradition during Springtime in Roanoke. About this same time each year, and lasting a couple weeks or as much as a month or two, the period begins when my home thermostat basically goes into hibernation mode. No heating or air conditioning is necessary.

And, in-turn I open the windows to receive some all-natural fresh air.

By and large, Springtime days in Roanoke are quite mild with temperatures teetering from the 60s to the 70s. And similiarly, the Springtime nights are only slightly cooler and with a hint of briskness, but not cold.

This combination of comfortable day and night temperatures means just opening my bedroom window at night is all it takes. Essentially, the window becomes the thermostat as I decide how little or much to open it, letting come in just the right amount of a refreshing breeze.

I’ve always considered this time of the year as rather unique, and a compliment to the moderate temperatures (for each season) Roanoker’s experience all the time. Each year in the Valley we usually see some snow, are relatively good about safely maintaining the rain gauge, and then also have many days of pretty sunshine and warmth.

And, by August there will even likely have been a scorcher or two thrown in for good measure!

Back in January of this year I launched Noke News in the blogging format it is today. And during those first 2 months I gathered my thoughts and formulated a plan for the site. At that time I really wasn’t sure where all of this would take me.

On March 1, Noke News officially became a consistent aspect of my life, and has continued to grow out of my enjoyment and eagerness to learn more and more about this area in southwest Virginia.

My hope is that we all discover, and continue to re-discover Roanoke and a few of the aspects that make it up. And, it’s not nearly as fun taking this journey alone. Thank you for also coming along and taking part in the experience.

Now, on to some news about the site itself (which I’ll try to keep brief):

First, over the past several weeks I’ve encountered some very friendly neighboring blogs in our area. And I have some ideas and am working on a way to provide links and information on these blogs here, in order to help spread the word about them. More on that in the coming weeks.

Second, I’m going to change the posting schedule a bit. From this point on, scheduled posts will be updated on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays each week.

Also, I’m going to post at 9AM on each of these days, that way you’ll know when to expect the updates. Until now the exact posting time has been a bit sporadic, but I’ve been adapting well to juggling Noke News with my other 2 jobs. (And of course, in addition to these scheduled posts, it’s not unusual for another 1-2 to be added at various times throughout the week.)

As always, feel free to leave a comment to a post or write me directly for any reason.

See you at the 100th post (and beyond!)

Noke News explores parts of Roanoke by foot, equipped with a camera and a notepad, in hopes of learning something new. Perhaps you will too.

When traveling along Memorial Avenue in the direction of downtown, eventually you must drive on an old bridge in order to continue on your way.

Memorial Bridge in Roanoke

It also allows passing over the Roanoke River and it’s here that Memorial Avenue is linked to, and turns into, 13th Street SW.

The bridge is just past Ghent Hill Park.

Several times a week I zoom across the bridge by car in order to get where I’m going. But, taking the time to walk across the bridge by foot reveals a bit more.

Let’s take a closer look:

For a little history, there is a good article on the Memorial Bridge in Roanoke City at Wikipedia.

In short, as Roanoke grew (circa 1925-26) a more direct route became necessary to connect Central and Downtown Roanoke with the Southwest part of the City. And upon completion the bridge was to act as a memorial for military veterans from the first World War.

To this effect, there are a series of historic plaques on display along the bridge, predominantly at the four corners. (The specific contents of these plaques are I think far better appreciated in person, rather than repeated by me here.)

And along the the bridge are a number of American flags mounted at the top of posts. This seems to be easily one of more recognizable aspects of the Memorial Bridge.

Also special about this, and any bridge, are some of the views that are seen when peering over the edges.

The Roanoke River, as Seen from the Memorial Bridge

The Roanoke River runs beneath the Memorial Bridge and is partly covered on one side by trees extending their reach outward, and who I suppose are yearing to see some of their new green leaves reflected in the water.

The other bank had some open patches, which provided space for a mid-day fisherman to rest while waiting for a bite.

There is also a set of train tracks running beneath the bridge, which I found memorable enough to capture in a picture. I’m fascinated in looking at a small section of track like this, and then watching it quickly disppear in the distance.

I wonder where it eventually goes?

For aspects like these I think a bridge ends up being more than just a bridge. It’s not only the structure itself that acts as an attraction, but also the views and corresponding thoughts that come about as a result.

And after a visit, you may even be writing me with stories!