There is a place near Fries, VA called Clito. It's along a road, about 3 miles long and a more beautiful place on planet Earth you will not find. My earliest memories are of this place and it draws me to itself every time I am in Virginia!
Elk Creek and Knob Fork Branch run along this gravel road. They are both beautiful and pristine streams.
Some of my earliest memories are about Clito and I have strong memories from every time of my life tied to this place. I learned about nature and wildlife by observation in this preserve. Feeling the horny heads nibbling at my toes while swimming at the swimming hole, or watching the tadpoles turn into frogs in a mudhole along side the road one spring, or watching the graceful flight of one of the herons who have lived on the creek - these and many more memories and observations come to me as I think about this wonderful place.
You can see a photo of the swimming hole in the gallery below. There's a rock slide that has water flowing over it (photo taken 4/1/17). You must hit a window in the summer to use the rock slide - the water is just too cold to go swimming in before June 1st. But by the middle of June, the water level of the creek has dropped such that the water is no longer flowing over the rock.
So do yourself a favor this summer. Go to this little slice of heaven on Earth. Don't worry, you will get used to the cold water in a few minutes and the horny head nibbles don't hurt. See you at the swimming hole!
