Warsaw, in Richmond County, seems to be a very friendly little place.
As started my journey by running out of the Family Dollar parking lot, a driver in a pickup truck gave a friendly wave. When I passed a salon, someone doing nails pointed me out to everyone in the shop in a friendly way. And as I was finishing up my run, perhaps a bit winded, a car stopped, asked how I was doing and if I needed a ride.
Warsaw wasn’t my first choice for a venue in Richmond County. I had planned to run at the Wilna section of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge. But the road leading into the park was covered with about 8 inches of snow and ice. About a quarter mile in, as Col would say, “I made an adult decision” and carefully backed out.
The county was originally formed in 1692 and the town was called Richmond Courthouse. It changed its name in 1846 to show its support for the Polish struggle for liberty.
While Warsaw isn’t the biggest of towns, it does have snowless sidewalks. I also found a few neighborhood roads that were safe to run on. Warsaw has a population of about 1,300 and is home to a branch of the Rappahannock Community College.
From Warsaw, being that it was President’s Day and my last run on the Northern Neck, I visited George Washington’s birthplace. I ate some cake, sang happy 282th birthday, and took photos of some historic animals.
72 runs downs, 62 to go.
