Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 2, 1993 TAG: 9309080439
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON RICHERT STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
- Annie Dillard, ``Pilgrim at Tinker Creek''
\ WATCHING, stalking. That's what Lee Lowe and Mark Sheely were doing at Tinker Creek one humid July Saturday. Only they called it ``nature exploring.''
The two Roanokers don't venture often to this secluded spot, where the rusty water wheel at Mason's Mill noisily turns the water from behind iron bars.
But they both agree they'll probably be back. If for no other reason than to drop their fishing lines into the creek, where they've spotted a giant carp wedged between two rocks on the still side of the dam.
Many of us have hit the creeks this summer. There's a good reason for this phenomenon, as if anyone had to say it: It's hot.
On these steamy days, nothing cools the bones like a wade in a creek, blue jeans rolled up to the kneecaps and shoes discarded along the bank.
Ahhh. Just the babbling noises the water makes are enough to cool the hottest minds. And never mind those slippery rocks and Johnny Darters. They only make creeking better.
So if you really want to beat the heat - and wind down, too - unpack the minivan and cancel those pricey beach reservations.
Instead, spend a few days doing the urban wade. It's free. It's relaxing. It's cool. And it's close to home - right here, in the creekbeds of the Roanoke Valley.
Just ask pre-teen pals Joey Larson, James Bryant and Shawn Edwards, all sopping wet, covered with mud and smiling.
This trio also is spending a hot Saturday at Tinker Creek, tracking mud up and down the trails along the Mason's Mill section of the creek.
They've been hanging out on the still side of the dam, where the water is a murky green. They've been been taking turns swinging from a rope tied to a low branch. Their splash into the ``spring cold'' water is followed by a quick swim to the side. Then each boy extends his arm for a friend's hand in climbing the mud-slicked bank.
``We don't care to get muddy.'' Which they are.
They've only known about the rope for a day, but already they're experts on this rope-swinging sport. Swing out far, make a big splash, and don't forget to tie the rope to the tree trunk so you can reach it next time.
Creeks, or cricks if you prefer, such as Tinker meander through the entire valley, through a few parks and along some roadsides, across yards and even over mountains. A Roanoke city/County map reveals too many of them to count - a few with names, most without. Finding all of these creeks proves even tougher than enumerating them.
Most noticeable on the map, though, is the Roanoke River, the length of water that flows wider and deeper than the valley's creeks, streams, runs, brooks, gills and rivulets. The river boasts plenty of deep spots for diving, which on a 98-degree midafternoon is heels-over-head better than a shallow creek.
Diving for rocks along a stretch of the Roanoke River on Salem's Riverside Drive is Noah Dempsey. The 13-year-old Salem entrepreneur is searching the river bottom for amber and amethyst, which he says he'll either sell or keep for himself.
Noah comes here every day to cool off and ``deep sea'' search. ``I don't belong to a pool,'' and the river, after all, is free and too large to be overcrowded. He went home cooler, but hadn't made a killing on ``gems.''
At Green Hill Park in Roanoke County, where the river is calm and shallow in many spots, Leroy Parker is stretched out the length of a picnic table, soaking up the rays peeking through the trees. He drives to this area from Elliston a couple of times a week to swim and sun. But this time, ``I just wanted to try out a new fly rod I hadn't used for a long time.''
His interest in the art of fly fishing was rekindled after he saw Robert Redford's 1992 movie, ``A River Runs Through It.''
``I hadn't used my fly rod in about 20 years. It sort of motivated me into using it again.''
Back at the county's Garst Mill Park, the water wanders crookedly through the park. Roanoker Misty Hall pushes her toddler, Kevin, on his tricycle in the cool creek.
``There wasn't hardly nobody when we came up here,'' she says between pushes. ``Now it's piling up. Must be a popular park.'' Kevin just laughs.
On this, another sticky, sunny day, there are kids wading and splashing up and down the creek. A few are running from the grassy side and jumping into the air, ``cannonballing'' into a deep pocket in the water. Parents sit on the creekbanks watching. They can't help but pull their shoes off and dip their toes into the chilly water, too.
Many of the kids are searching for the perfect stone to skip, such as 11-year-old Kara Marianetti and her little brother Justin, 6, who skipped his four times.
But the real reason they're in the creek, Kara will tell you, is the heat. Her prescription for beating it: ``You just kind of walk around and get your feet wet.''
Ahhhh.
by CNB