THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607120200
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Summer Sun Days
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 63 lines
This may sound like heresy but there are ways to get about town without a car. In fact, one great afternoon getaway has nothing to do with traffic, stop lights and another round of wear and tear on the old buggy.
Here's the scoop.
Pick a sunny, cloudless day. Sit back and think about what's good for lunch and then rummage through the refrigerator for something to eat: a couple of sandwiches, some peaches, cold drinks, maybe some raw carrots.
Dust off a small foam cooler, tuck in an ice pack and tie it to the back of a trusty bicycle for a picnic lunch at First Landing/Seashore State Park.
It's a rare jewel in a city laden with strip shopping malls and enough parking lots to make Henry Ford spin gleefully in his grave. The park evokes a sense of antiquity that is all but lost in Virginia Beach and biking into it gives the sense that this place is what America must have looked like to those first, frightened settlers. And it provides a heightened sense of respect for the Indians who were first to call Virginia home.
Trees, ancient and towering, are too numerous to count. The swamp water is positively primordial and a sharp eye can spot turtles, birds, squirrels and, if you're not too squeamish, a snake or two.
People traveling by car have to pay an entrance fee of $2 on weekdays, $3 on weekends, but bicyclists are welcome at no charge. Bicyclists can enter at 64th Street after a pleasant pedal up the Boardwalk to 40th Street where one has to dash across Pacific Avenue to pick up the bike trail again.
Once inside the park's cool canopy the trail leads to the Narrows, the tight passage that connects Broad Bay to Linkhorn Bay. It's a favorite local spot for many reasons. People are allowed to park their boats on the beach, and while that may not exactly evoke natural splendor, it does offer a bit of entertainment: men with too much testosterone rumble up in boats that cost as much as a house, while their sons shove about in noisy jet skis.
There are plenty of modest pleasure craft as well but hardly any sailboats.
This beach has many faces. On some days, it's a crowded noisy place with enough people to fill a couple of movie houses. Other days, sometimes on the next day, it's nearly deserted, so the adventurous traveler can pick either one.
The beach at the Narrows often is populated with young parents, their children and dogs, that could not be happier, splashing about the water.
But remember this: There is no swimming allowed here. The currents at the Narrows are dangerous and unforgiving; even the kids on jet skis wear life vests. Do not swim there.
Fortunately, the beach has one element that can't be beat.
Shade trees.
Travel about the resort area's beaches, and you'll find plenty of saw grass, sand by the bucket full, but few of the stands offer shade trees to sit under.
A toddler can stay occupied running through the shallow pools of water, picking at pine cones and generally finding as many places as possible to make her parents jumping and keeping busy.
It's a nice place to kick back with the children while enjoying a nice, homemade picnic. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MORT FRYMAN
Johnny Respass, a city employee, fishes on the Narrows in First
Landing State Park, which also attracts boaters, bird-watchers and
other nature-lovers. by CNB