Clouds were scarce, but the temperature really wasn’t hot like it would’ve been back in August.

I needed to stop by the main Post Office near downtown to mail a few letters and snapped a these couple pictures as I crossed the bridge on 2nd Street.

At one point when I younger it seemed to take forever and then all of the sudden it happened so fast, growing up I mean. It was 1996, I was 16 and it was the summer after my junior year at Cave Spring High School. I don’t remember the exact day but my father graciously arranged for the purchase of my first car. It was a sun-faded, grey 1986 Ford Taurus. And to say I was thrilled was an understatement.

To this day that is the largest single gift, as far as monetary value, I think I’ve ever received from anyone. I never have been good at accepting gifts. Maybe it’s, no, I know it’s a form of pride and a strong instinctive notion that I’m capable to do and provide for myself. But, I was only 16 and my dad knew all about the issues with my pride, probably because I came by it naturally. So, he had a solution for it all.

He handed me the keys and basically said, “Ok, you have a car, but cars aren’t free to maintain. And, you better have insurance yesterday.”

And that was about it. As I look back now it was all really just an informal test. My dad wanted to see if I would start my journey at finding my place in the world, and on my own.

Well, my first step on that journey, as far as the working world goes, began in fast food. The Taco Bell on Route 220/Franklin Road (near Walmart) I called my home away from home. I was the typical young punk behind the counter. (Well, except without any implied notion of narcotics use!)

Throughout that remaining summer, and nearly every Friday and Saturday night during my senior year in highschool, I spent saying, “Welcome to Taco Bell, can I take your order?” I started out making $5.50 an hour and have never in my life have felt so rich as the time I received my first paycheck. No debt, practically non-existent bills, and enough free time that it felt like a form of youthful retirement.

As it turned out a really good friend also worked similar hours. So after we both learned the ropes of taco preparation the time on the clock became a form of hanging out on house arrest. Chances are if you came to that Taco Bell drive-thru on a weekend night during late 1996 to 1997 you encountered one of us.

I didn’t stop working there after I graduated from Cave Spring. Well into the following years while attending Virginia Western Community College I still made tacos like the best of them. I even had a short stint as a shift manager and the promise of moving into higher management positions within the company. Probably more interesting, I saw and met my first serious girlfriend at that Taco Bell restaurant (she was a customer).

So, even today the place for me has a kinda nostalgia associated with it for many reasons. I still remember most of the food items, the ingredients, and how they’re made.

I just didn’t know how good and easy I had it then. But, maybe we never do until after the fact and we’re looking back. And maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be.

And finally by late this weekend the rain had stopped and the weather cleared up enough for me to head downtown and snap a few photos.

(If there is something in Roanoke you’d like to read about or see pictures of just drop me an email and I’ll work at putting it on this site.)

A sign in the side/back yard of the museum confirms the opening date of November 8, 2008.

The view as seen standing at the intersection of Salem Avenue and Williamson Road. Hotel Roanoke visible to the right.

Looking down Salem Avenue, Wachovia Tower in the background.

The height of the museum is basically at a comfortable eye level when standing on the nearby Williamson Road bridge.

The back side of the museum is in close proximity to the railroad tracks.

A view from the side/back when standing on the sidewalk of the Railwalk.

It’s officially the Fall season in Roanoke (and, well everywhere!).

By the time I left work yesterday evening around 6PM the rain from a coastal storm was already falling and the wind had picked up a bit. All put together it made for a somewhat chilly walk to the car. The weather hasn’t been cool long enough for me to develop the habit of wearing a jacket, but at this pace by next week I’ll be making that addition to my daily attire.

But, that’s autumn I suppose. I know it’s not even October yet but I really like the Christmas Season, and the cooler weather reminds me that that time of year is not really too far away.

In other news, gas prices seem to be back to “normal” around Roanoke after the unwarranted panic we all experienced a couple weekends back. Last night I filled up at my usual station (Sheetz on Apperson Drive) and paid $3.69.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Just after walking along the bridge at Walnut Avenue, I set out to check out this bridge along South Jefferson Street which was only a short walk away.

Here are some stillframes of my experience:

An interesting aspect of this old bridge (circa late 1920s according to a plaque) is that the bridge marks the end/beginning of Williamson Road.

This bridge is near what used to be an old mill (left) but I believe a large part of the area seen here has been acquired by Carilion for the expansion of medical facilities.

Looking out from over the edge, I-581/Route 220 seen to the right.

The bridge offers a wonderful view of Mill Mountain.

This old locomotive part, now gone, used to sit off in the brush about a stone's throw from the bridge.

(Note: My visit to the bridge took place some months before this railroad piece was moved, you can read about that in this article.)

Looking back in the direction of the Walnut Avenue bridge.

This weekend I was the passenger in a vehicle coming back towards Roanoke from the Salem area, and I snapped a few photos of some of the sites along the way:

The railroad is never too far away at about any spot in Roanoke, and just off the street here. This is technically Salem (and Apperson Drive) but the back of the sign that marks the border can be seen to the right.

A wooden fence marks a vast and open field that exists at and just beyond the intersection at Peters Creek Road Ext.

(Note: I explored the above section of Brandon Avenue in a previous post.)

The recently renovated Patrick Henry High School can be seen in the distance when waiting for the traffic light to change at the intersection with Grandin Avenue.

Lakewood Park seen just off to the right of Brandon Avenue.

(Note: I explored Lakewood Park in a previous post too!)

Towers Mall is bustling with shoppers.

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Scenes of Roanoke - Around Town (#1)

Scenes of Roanoke - Late Spring ‘08 (Nature) Edition

As readership of this blog has increased modestly over the past several months I have become more and more conscientious about what I post. I don’t mean that I censor myself or place restrictions on what topics to post about. But, I mean that I genuinely try to provide thoughts, pictures, and overall hopefully enjoyable insight into a few of the many aspects that make Roanoke unique.

Long-time and new readers alike can proabably pretty easily observe that as a whole Noke News tends to focus on positive aspects of Roanoke. I suppose this came about naturally. I live here, as do many of you, and it makes sense to me that I should write more about the pluses, and not so much about the minuses. If I wrote too much about the minuses this site would actually seem to me to be a series of reasons to move away.

And that’s certainly not how I feel and it’s not the message I want to convey.

Now, I know Roanoke does have its share of crime, hot-button issues, crooked politicians (or just plain irresponsible ones), poverty, and other unpleasantries.
 
Those negatives exist without question, but in large part I’ve choosen not to put them in the limelight or give them publicity on this site.

Why?

Well, it’s not because I don’t have a personal opinion on a particular matter.  The answer is simply because I sometimes find that Roanoke is victim to a bit too much negativity already. And I believe there are many other unique and favorable aspects about this great city that are more deserving of the limelight.

From a greenway down by the river, to a quaint park with paths made out of pebbles and small boulders for sitting, to a meaningful memorial at the top of the mountain, there really is a lot of neat stuff around Roanoke.  Even now in looking back at the over 120 articles posted here I’ve only scratched the surface in mentioning just a handful of them.

But, to me all of this stuff deserves a place at the front of the line (or on the front page) every now and then. And I’m here to put it there.

In other words, I think being positive about Roanoke can be contagious and I hope to pass it on.

I associate Walnut Avenue and this bridge as basically being the foot of the mountain leading up to the Mill Mountain Star.

Like other bridges in the Roanoke area, this one seemed to be a joint effort by the City and Railroad to allow passage over the tracks. According to the plaque this one was completed in the 1920s.

Here are a few sights of and from the bridge:

Walnut Avenue bridge in Roanoke, Mill Mountain (and off in the distance The Star) seen in the background.

Plaque at the Walnut Avenue bridge in Roanoke (which could use a polishing/cleaning).

The start of Williamson Road seen to the right.

View of the railroad tracks below, and I-581/Route 220 in the background.

I may go so far as to call the former the Gas Price Panic of 2008 in Roanoke. By the time I left work in the early evening on Friday, all gas stations I passed were jam packed with at least 2-3 car deep lines waiting to fill-up. I had never seen anything like it before.

Normally, out of habit, I keep my tank at a minimum of 1/2 full at all times. This is partly for pyschological reasons so when I see the total on the pump I’m not shocked at the huge amount. Also, by just keeping plenty of gas in the car it’s one less thing to worry about in my busy life. I have a smaller car and only about a 12-gallon tank anyways.

But, I was scheduled to go out of town this weekend and had let the gasoline gauge fall to below 1/4 of a tank. Big mistake.

So, I just went home, fixed dinner and went about my normal business.

Later in the evening around midnight I went back out and managed to fill-up at the Sheetz at the corner of Apperson Drive and Electric Road. At that time they only had the 87 grade and for $3.79. I didn’t have to wait in line but most of the pumps were kept busy.

On Saturday, I traveled to Covington and along the way don’t recall any gas station being out of gas completely. As in with blank price signs or grocery bags on the pump handles. And most of them were $3.79-3.99 with no lines or anything.

I wonder why things seemed to go so crazy in the Roanoke area? I certainly hope no one paid anything in the $4 or higher range!

We also had a real hot and hazy day yesterday in Roanoke. I had nearly retired my A/C unit for the year and had to crank it back up. That machine probably ended up getting more work this past weekend then it had the whole previous week.

But, it looks like things will be cooling off now.

I’m ready.

 Here are a couple pictures I took yesterday while driving to Salem.

Clear view to the mountains in the background as seen when traveling on Brandon Avenue towards Salem. (9/14/08)

Apperson Drive in Salem, VA. (9/14/08)