In Search of a Hobo Camp

Ryan's parent's house back right up to a popular bike trail called the W & OD. Before it was paved into a bike trail it was an old railway line. The quick access to the path makes the Nokes' house a great location. But before the houses were built, the railway line made it a great location for a hobo camp. Because the green growth in Virginia is so dense, it would be easy to camp just a little off the tracks, just out of view. In the 20's or so, there was indeed a hobo camp in that very location, and interestingly, there are a number of relics there which have been left relatively untouched, except by the elements. Ryan and I grabbed some flashlights and head lamps and went exploring.

Remnants of some sort of wash tub or bucket

Another old washtub

It may be a little difficult to see what's going on here, but we found  mattress springs. It appears that an entire mattress was left here to decay. All the springs are arranged in straight lines, just as though the materials degraded overtime, just leaving the metal. 

The other direction down the path Ryan said he found an old jalopy in the winter. We searched for a while, but had to head back before we found it. The spring had brought too much undergrowth (much of it in the form of wild raspberries, which made exploration difficult) and it was getting to dark. Another exploration for another day.