Today the Community Build (C.B.) gang went out the West Ashley Greenway (W.A.G.) to get first hand experience of riding on the bike path. Since we are working with the Charleston Parks Conservancy, we wanted to get out on the path and do some site assessment and find possible locations for the projects of this semester and next. The Greenway and bikeway master plan assessment was done by Alta Planning + Design in 2019.
The zones of the Greenway hint at large landscape moves throughout the path. As we biked, I began to recognize the different zones as we passed through them. The forest tunnels include areas where live oaks stretch across the path creating a natural arch around the greenway. The Farm is the Coastal Research and Education Center for Clemson, where they research growing speciality crops. The Marshland Causeway is a beautiful stretch of land that the path wonders through exhibiting the stunning views of the marsh and wildlife that inhabits it. Piney Woods eases you down from the marshland into a small residential neighborhood, and finally the Palmetto Allee dips under Main Road and will terminate the trail at a new park that is scheduled to be finished by the end of the year.
Beginning our ride at the eastern trail head behind Earth Fare in West Ashley we got our bikes ready, contemplated taking turns on the tandem bike, and checking places on our map that we wanted to call attention to during the ride.
Just five miles into our trip out on the greenway, we were welcomed with a fantastic view of the marsh at high tide. It was a very welcome site to see the marsh cohabitating with the trail in a way where the trail respects the marsh and does not affect the tidal waters as they move in and out. The Marshland Causeway was my favorite stretch of the greenway. Everywhere I looked was something new and exciting to see. As we biked, flocks of egrets and loons flew overhead while tips of oyster beds bubbled in the tide and the salty air filled our lungs. The marshland hums with activity and is worth the trip out to sit and take in the view before returning to the city.
We completed our trip out to the western trail head and continued down to an area of land that is slated for a new park ( that I mentioned before) that is under Main road on the Stono river. The gang spoke about potential sites for projects and interventions. We plan to do a few smaller projects this semester with a larger project in mind for the next semester that address needs for the communities that surround the greenway.
On our way back we stopped by Krispy Kreme for doughnuts and coffee as we spoke about our ride and future plans to revisit the trail and our ideas for projects. That’s all for me this week!
Thanks for stopping by,