Under the bridge downtown...

 For the whole five months I've been in Richmond, I've been fighting just to survive day after day.  I got here after my quick escape form NC, and landed in the bus stop with about $3 in my pocket.  It's been rough, starting out homeless in a city I'd never been to, not knowing anyone or where to go and not go in the city.  There hasn't been much time to wander around and explore, which is what I normally do when I get to a new city.  But on New Year's Day, I took the bus down to Manchester, and walked west on the walkway on top of the flood wall by the big James River.  Here's a few pics I snapped.  Above, cool looking bridge supports.

 A group of kayakers doing a little brown water rafting.  The river was high from recent rains, so the water was pretty brown with sediment.

 The direct line down this bridge's supports.

 Rapids downtown?  Hell yeah, Richmond's got 'em.  I even saw what I think was a young bald eagle soaring above this island.  It looked too big to be a hawk, and the head was still brown.  A sign on the walkway said there are nesting bald eagles in the city limits here.  Cool.  There are also muskrats, beavers and even otters in this river.  Crazy.

 Looking northwest from under the bridge with the arches.  Pilings from a long gone bridge, and the big pedestrian bridge, with a lot of people out on New Year's Day.

Downtown Richmond (aka RVA) from across the river in the Manchester area.  Every section of the city has a long established name here.