We left the parking lot on River Road, Farmville, VA and proceeded to walk the 0.9 mi to the bridge stopping briefly at a planting bed to admire the blooms and other plants (real tobacco plants) that a local group plants each year.  I spotted a beautiful Smooth Green Snake (Grass Snake) dangerously positioned across the trail, so I gave it a bit of gentle encouragement to get to safety.

We approached the bridge and saw a couple of rangers who were manning a table with a few brochures about local State Parks in the area who informed us of the new trail down to the river that then winds back up to earthworks which were part of a small fortification that was there.

We slowly crossed the bridge and enjoyed a few well deserved and appreciate breezes afforded us so high up above the river.  We  stopped to enjoy the views of the area forests and farmlands as well as the river below.  We came to the end of the bridge and travelled a few hundred feet until we got onto the gravel path down to the river.  We sat down and I spotted another Smooth Green Snake on a log, so I encouraged it to move back to a safe place.

We rested, had a chocolate cookie, and a couple of the guys even waded into the water.  We walked under the bridge and then proceeded to go back up the other side of the trail and ended up at the newly renovated earthworks (see picture).  We then got back on the trail and bridge, took a few selfies, and then back to the parking lot.  Total trail time was 2.5 hours.

We went into town, about 3 miles away, got some nice sandwiches, headed back to the high bridge parking area and found a couple of picnic tables in the shade to enjoy a well deserved lunch.  A good day’s outing.

More info on High Bridge and the Civil War:  http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/high-bridge.html