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| Copse of Trees, East Island in the Ragged Island Wildlife Management Area, Virginia. (click to enlarge) Fujifilm X-T4; 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 lens @ 55mm; 1/160th sec.@ f/11; ISO 160 Black and white conversion in Silver Efex 2 |
For more than 48 years and literally more than a thousand times, I've driven by the Ragged Island Wildlife Management Area located off U.S. Route 17 along the southern shore of the James River in southeastern Virginia. Each time I whiz by I see this copse of trees and tell myself that I need to stop and photograph it. In fact, I've envisioned photographing it on a foggy morning so as to obscure the surrounding wetlands and industrial areas in the far distance. But, as with many things in life, I have never taken the time to do so—until this week.
On a day with a temperature reaching 93 degrees F (34 C) and a heat index well north of 100 F due to extreme humidity (the weather people classify it as "tropical), I decided to finally stop, walk the path out into the wetlands and see if I could make a decent image of that distant copse of trees. The image above is the version I like best. The images below, in color, are nice but just don't seem to click as well with me (pun intended, of course!).
As I approached the the parking area I noticed no other vehicles around. I would have the place to myself. After grabbing my backpack filled with my Fujifilm gear, I set out along the well worn 10 ft. wide pathway, keeping a keen eye out for cottonmouth moccasins and other kinds of snakes which may be sunning themselves or just lurking along the way waiting for a hapless or inattentive victim. I wasn't interested in being a victim so I watched carefully what may lie in my pathway.
The Ragged Island Wildlife Management Area has had some unwanted and very high profile notoriety in the distant past. It was here that on that a double murder occurred as part of the famous 1986-1989 so called "Colonial Parkway Serial Killer" series of murders in which a number of young couples were murdered. At the time, as a police detective in one of the area police departments, we all were involved in helping the FBI solve those gruesome serial killings. That said, today, the four couples' murders remain unsolved. What is baffling is that these killings stopped. Serial killers normally don't stop. They move elsewhere and continue in their new location, become disabled and can no longer carry out their plans, are imprisoned or die. None of these explanations, according to the FBI, occurred. A real mystery to this day.
Here is the Wikipedia paragraph about the double murder in Ragged Island:
"On September 20, 1987, David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were shot to death in the Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge, on the south shore of the James River in Isle of Wight County, near Smithfield, Virginia. Knobling's black Ford Ranger pickup truck was found at the refuge parking area next to the James River Bridge with the wipers and radio on and some articles of clothing inside. Three days later, the two bodies were discovered by Knobling's father and a search party along the water's edge of the James River."
As I mentioned none of the murders have been solved and each time I have driven by Ragged Island since 1987, I have thought about David and Robin, wondering how they met their fate, who their murderer is and if their families will ever get closure. Needless to say the two of them dominated my thoughts as I silently walked through the wetlands. I'll be honest. I had a really creepy feeling. Not ghost creepy, but just thinking about how they may have met their deaths and who may have done it.
Nonetheless, I walked the path and subsequent boardwalk to the southern shore of the James River looking for anything that may have potential for an interesting image. Not finding much besides this copse of trees, I photographed it from several vantage points and with several focal lengths. Additionally, I photographed them without and with a polarizing filter as the building cumulus storm clouds billowed behind. Finally, I decided to make several shots to later merge for panoramas in case those brought out more of the distant detail.
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| Alternate version 1 (click to enlarge) |
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| Alternate version 2 (click to enlarge) |
By the time I returned to my car, I was soaked with sweat. I was miserable as I was carrying that heavy backpack and there was no wind. Did I mention the heat index was over 100 F? Did I mention there wasn't a cloud in the sky above me to shield me from the sun or provide just a bit of shade as as respite from the blistering sun?
In any case, I've now visited this infamous spot, made the images I planned to make and probably will wait until a foggy morning to make the journey out into the wetlands again. Next time I may also ask someone to go with me as I said, I just had a real creepy feeling walking alone out there.
As for Daniel, Robin and their families, I pray they get closure one day soon.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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