And a tree putting on a spring show:
 |
| All photos copyright 2012 K Buffaloe |
At the time of this writing, the lake was closed for swimming. For information on seasons and times, call the park office or check the website at www.ncparks.gov
A personal glimpse of outdoor destinations in and around the Carolinas. All photos and content copyrighted.
Showing posts with label Goldsboro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goldsboro. Show all posts
Cliffs of the Neuse
A sunny day with a seventy-percent chance it would stay that way, so we traveled to Cliffs of the Neuse State Park (click here to read my original post on this NC destination) where we once again hiked the moderate Spanish Moss Trail. Eastern North Carolina is just waking from her dormancy, so we found only violets and an abundance of Carolina Jasmine in bloom.
And a tree putting on a spring show:
At the time of this writing, the lake was closed for swimming. For information on seasons and times, call the park office or check the website at www.ncparks.gov
And a tree putting on a spring show:
At the time of this writing, the lake was closed for swimming. For information on seasons and times, call the park office or check the website at www.ncparks.gov
Waynesborough Park, Goldsboro
Or more accurately, Waynesborough Historical Village. I'll stick with "park" for this report.
My husband and I finally found Waynesborough Park after several failed attempts to locate it. With an address like 801 Hwy US 117 Bypass South, one can understand our confusion. To make matters worse, the unadorned entrance is just south of a conglomeration of intersections that still confuses me though we've lived in the area for almost a year.
The entrance to Waynesborough leads to a parking lot surrounded by the Visitor's Center (stop in and sign the guestbook before you inspect the display cases filled with artifacts!), the General Store and several other small buildings that form the "village". We went inside the Wiggins House and the Bethany Friends (Quaker) Meeting House. After inspecting hatched snake eggs (ewww) laying nearby, we walked down the trail, over the creek and past the old hay barn to a large field where one can camp or picnic. There should be restrooms in the area, but we didn't search for them. There's also a water fountain.
The park has about three miles of hiking trails. One leads to the boat landing floating in the Neuse. One of the trails is part of the Mountain to the Sea trail system. It was hot the day we happened on the park, and dressed in jeans and a black shirt, I wasn't about to go hiking. We'll return later.
My husband and I finally found Waynesborough Park after several failed attempts to locate it. With an address like 801 Hwy US 117 Bypass South, one can understand our confusion. To make matters worse, the unadorned entrance is just south of a conglomeration of intersections that still confuses me though we've lived in the area for almost a year.
The entrance to Waynesborough leads to a parking lot surrounded by the Visitor's Center (stop in and sign the guestbook before you inspect the display cases filled with artifacts!), the General Store and several other small buildings that form the "village". We went inside the Wiggins House and the Bethany Friends (Quaker) Meeting House. After inspecting hatched snake eggs (ewww) laying nearby, we walked down the trail, over the creek and past the old hay barn to a large field where one can camp or picnic. There should be restrooms in the area, but we didn't search for them. There's also a water fountain.
The park has about three miles of hiking trails. One leads to the boat landing floating in the Neuse. One of the trails is part of the Mountain to the Sea trail system. It was hot the day we happened on the park, and dressed in jeans and a black shirt, I wasn't about to go hiking. We'll return later.
The Last Major Offensive
"The most terrible battle I ever imagined . . . . It was the most fearful scene I ever witnessed."1
"that day, which opened so calmly and beautifully, was to be a day of battle and death."2
Draped in London Fog to protect myself from the elements, I walked across the gravel drive of the Visitors Center toward the cemetery in silence, head hung low against the forty mile an hour winds slowing my advance. I watched my feet as they trod soundless in the howl, and allowed images to scroll through my mind.
It had been overcast at the end, I decided, and like today, the grass and pine straw would have been wet from recent rains that turned nearby creeks and rivers into angry torrents. Confederate escape routes. The flat, sandy field now before me had been torn apart by feet, cannons, horses, bullets. Men, thousands of them, using hastily formed trenches and gangly longleaf pines as shields, wiped sweat and dirt from gaunt faces as they tried to spy strangers through the smoke. Enemies. Monsters who had killed, burned, raped, destroyed and who brought on them a battle that should have been fought only at the gates of hell. Not in Bentonville, North Carolina.
But hell was upon them. And on March 19, 1865, in a small farming village surrounded by pine trees and fields, 20,000 war-ravaged confederate soldiers positioned themselves between General Ulysses S. Grant, waiting in Virginia, and an insurmountable force more than twice their numbers—one wing of General William T. Sherman's 60,000 men—in what became what park literature calls "the final decisive battle" of the War Between the States.
The fighting would rage for three days.
I glanced behind me, past my husband who stood outside the drab Visitors Center, to the white, two-story home that had once belonged to Bentonville residents, John and Amy Harper. It's a handsome home, with white clapboard siding, green shutters, and an inviting porch shaded by a tall portico. Like dozens of other homes along this stretch of NC 1008, it sits peacefully, just miles from where we had lived when we moved to North Carolina. When the wounded began to fall in the hours after the offense began, Federal commanders requested the use of the home as a medical facility. Knowing the enemy would take it anyway, John Harper agreed, resulting in Union officers permitting the Harpers to occupy the upper floor of the house. There, in four rooms, ten members of the family lived while blood flowed on their floorboards below—seeing, smelling, hearing a battle of another kind as doctors tossed bloody amputated arms and legs through the window and onto the ground in the sight of the hundreds of wounded who lay on the front yard awaiting medical treatment.
A tall, disfigured tree stands nearby in the neatly trimmed yard, watching, as it had in those days. The sole witness to General Johnston's futile attempt to break Sherman's army. The last to stand when Johnston retreated in the face of the unbeatable foe. So old its branches twist like arthritic fingers, did this sentinel see the arrival of Sherman's remaining wing? If so, it witnessed the end of the offensive and, essentially, the War Between the States.
Over 4,200 men died.
My husband reached my side and together, we walked across the sandy field. Other than the house, its kitchen and remaining slave quarters, the only remnants of the skirmishes fought here are the Union trench works, and the bullets, belt buckles, and other artifacts on display in the Visitors Center. Several eye-catching monuments placed near the Harper family cemetery mark the spot where 360 confederate soldiers sleep in a mass grave. Those testaments, reenactments held every few years, and the park's guides are all that's left to tell the story of the Gettysburg-like fury once fought on these now obscure lands.
"that day, which opened so calmly and beautifully, was to be a day of battle and death."2
Draped in London Fog to protect myself from the elements, I walked across the gravel drive of the Visitors Center toward the cemetery in silence, head hung low against the forty mile an hour winds slowing my advance. I watched my feet as they trod soundless in the howl, and allowed images to scroll through my mind.
It had been overcast at the end, I decided, and like today, the grass and pine straw would have been wet from recent rains that turned nearby creeks and rivers into angry torrents. Confederate escape routes. The flat, sandy field now before me had been torn apart by feet, cannons, horses, bullets. Men, thousands of them, using hastily formed trenches and gangly longleaf pines as shields, wiped sweat and dirt from gaunt faces as they tried to spy strangers through the smoke. Enemies. Monsters who had killed, burned, raped, destroyed and who brought on them a battle that should have been fought only at the gates of hell. Not in Bentonville, North Carolina.
But hell was upon them. And on March 19, 1865, in a small farming village surrounded by pine trees and fields, 20,000 war-ravaged confederate soldiers positioned themselves between General Ulysses S. Grant, waiting in Virginia, and an insurmountable force more than twice their numbers—one wing of General William T. Sherman's 60,000 men—in what became what park literature calls "the final decisive battle" of the War Between the States.
The fighting would rage for three days.
I glanced behind me, past my husband who stood outside the drab Visitors Center, to the white, two-story home that had once belonged to Bentonville residents, John and Amy Harper. It's a handsome home, with white clapboard siding, green shutters, and an inviting porch shaded by a tall portico. Like dozens of other homes along this stretch of NC 1008, it sits peacefully, just miles from where we had lived when we moved to North Carolina. When the wounded began to fall in the hours after the offense began, Federal commanders requested the use of the home as a medical facility. Knowing the enemy would take it anyway, John Harper agreed, resulting in Union officers permitting the Harpers to occupy the upper floor of the house. There, in four rooms, ten members of the family lived while blood flowed on their floorboards below—seeing, smelling, hearing a battle of another kind as doctors tossed bloody amputated arms and legs through the window and onto the ground in the sight of the hundreds of wounded who lay on the front yard awaiting medical treatment.
A tall, disfigured tree stands nearby in the neatly trimmed yard, watching, as it had in those days. The sole witness to General Johnston's futile attempt to break Sherman's army. The last to stand when Johnston retreated in the face of the unbeatable foe. So old its branches twist like arthritic fingers, did this sentinel see the arrival of Sherman's remaining wing? If so, it witnessed the end of the offensive and, essentially, the War Between the States.
Over 4,200 men died.
My husband reached my side and together, we walked across the sandy field. Other than the house, its kitchen and remaining slave quarters, the only remnants of the skirmishes fought here are the Union trench works, and the bullets, belt buckles, and other artifacts on display in the Visitors Center. Several eye-catching monuments placed near the Harper family cemetery mark the spot where 360 confederate soldiers sleep in a mass grave. Those testaments, reenactments held every few years, and the park's guides are all that's left to tell the story of the Gettysburg-like fury once fought on these now obscure lands.
Until those struck by the forgotten history of this small town come along.
Bentonville Battlefield is one of twenty-nine stops on the Battlefield of Bentonville tour, which travels from the Harper House, across NC 1008, up Bentonville Road, and down Devil's Racetrack Road. Bentonville Battlefield is located at 5466 Harper House Road in Four Oaks.
1. (www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hs/bentonvi/chronol.htm)
2. McClurg, Alexander C., The Last Chance of the Confederacy. The Atlantic Monthly, vol. 50, issue 299 (September 1882)--(footnote from Cornell University Library at cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/browse.author/m.83.html)
Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center
Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center:
A CarolinasAdventures Learning Experience
East coast members of the CarolinasAdventures hiking group banded together for their first official group hike last weekend. Our destination: Howell Woods Learning Center in Johnston County, NC. An apt name for this obscure treasure, and I couldn't have chosen a more knowledgeable (and amiable) group of people to experience it with.
According to their website and various brochures, Howell Woods is part of Johnston County Community College, which uses the 2,800 plus acres as an outdoor classroom. Fortunately, the college graciously allows the public to use the land for hiking, camping, horseback riding (byoh), bird watching, and hunting. There is a fee for hunting, horseback riding, and camping, but hiking is free.
We rendezvoused at the Learning Center's parking lot shortly after 9:00 A.M. After signing in at the Center as required, we took a few photos of HW's permanent residents--a turkey vulture, an owl, and two red-tailed hawks that can no longer survive in the wild--and then began the hike.
The closest trailhead is located several yards behind the Learning Center, in the direction of the Savannah Pond. Using the trail map we found on the website, we hopped on the Leopold Loop and slowly worked our way into the woods.
Though a bit drab this time of year, sometimes desolate, and what I called "crunchy", Howell Woods is nonetheless fascinating. They have incredibly diverse habitats ranging from arid to soggy (longleaf pine savannah, bottomland hardwood, mixed pine, a variety of wetlands, and more.) We literally walked from a savannah to a cypress swamp, passing a grass and shrub area as we went. Even more incredible, their brochure not only lists the trails, the trail length, and the surface type, it also lists the dominant habitat in that area. Unfortunately, the brochure wasn't the best resource to use to navigate those trails. When we thought we were heading for one area, we ended up in another. One road should have been on one side of the woods, but somehow it intersected with a road in another quadrant. Consequently, we ended up meandering a lot. According to the brochure, there are over twenty-five miles of hiking trails and paved roads in Howell Woods, so we meandered quite a bit.
But we stopped often to explore as we went. We saw birds, large and small, flitting through the tall grasses of the savannah and through trees. Three turkey buzzards circling overhead caught our attention several times. As we hiked, our resident botanist, KT, pointed out various non-flowering plants and trees and encouraged us to identify them. He asked us questions about the habitat we were walking through and how we knew the type (i.e. a savannah or a mixed pine) without sneaking peeks at the brochure to find the answer. We stopped to take pictures of the first spotted wildflower of the season—a violet that should have been named Brittany for all the photos we snapped of it. We also took time to investigate a swamp with clear water, one with stagnant water, and a pond so still we wondered if the shocking shade of putrid green of what turned out to be duckweed hid ground or water.
Howell Woods also has a diverse wildlife population. We saw deer tracks on a number of occasions, tracks that may have belonged to a raccoon, and ruts we decided had been created by a few members of the feral pig population. Wild turkeys, gray squirrels, and waterfowl also reside in the woods. Because Howell Woods states their focus is "Conservation through Education", I was surprised to learn they allow hunting on the premises. I'm having a hard time understanding that, and how monies collected from hunting related activities can, as one brochure states, be "used to fund the ongoing operations benefiting the wildlife/habitat management...." Can someone clarify this for me? (Someone did. Please see comments below.)
The trail system at Howell Woods consists of gravel roads intertwining with boardwalk, sand, and mowed paths. The street signs at the corner of several trails reminded me of those at Dupont Forest in Brevard, where individuals and organizations wrenched back that land as it was being developed into an upscale neighborhood. While the signs do detract from the outdoor experience, they are helpful, especially when used in conjunction with the hybrid satellite photo/trail maps signs, which are posted at several intersections.
As mentioned earlier, we began the hike at the Leopold Loop. From there, we connected to Bartram Trail, Diversity Dr, Longleaf Ln, Wild Turkey Ln, and Hannah Creek Trail, which took us to the far edge of Howell Woods. Somewhere along the line, we stopped at a picnic area. From there, we hiked up Cornell to the BW Wells trail, and then attempted to turn up Thoreau, where a trail full of water hampered our progress.
Note: attempts to circumvent the watery path of Thoreau will result in bushwacking through what KT referred to as wicked prickles, the sting of which feels like thorns until one encounter the thorns. After several minutes of attempting to play the tough hiker, only to find more water and more prickles, we backtracked to BW Wells, and then took Plantation and Howell Dr to the Learning Center (which was, to our surprise, only three quarters of a mile away.)
If you plan to hike through Howell Woods, wear comfortable hiking shoes and pants to protect your legs from bugs and brambles. During bug season, wear a long sleeve shirt or take plenty of bug spray. On second thought, take plenty of bug spray period. Also, watch out for snakes. We encountered a long, grouchy black snake on one of the trails.
Howell Woods is an experience. And because of the sharing of knowledge by the participants on this hike, we not only received lessons in a variety of subjects such as plant life and habitats (pop quizzes and all), but the multiple observations too numerous to mention made by everyone throughout the four-hour hike enhanced this outing experience ten-fold. Don't know individuals familiar with birds, plants, or North Carolina's natural communities? No worries. Howell Woods offers several programs including Plant and Tree ID, Bird Banding, No-Trace Camping, and a course on habitats. For more information, check out their website at http://www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/programs.htm
Howell Woods is located at 6601 Devil's Racetrack Rd in Four Oaks. From I-95, take Exit 90 and go south on 701. Turn left on Stricklands Crossroad, and then left on Devils Racetrack. For more information on Howell Woods, go to
www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/about.htm and
www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/HabitatDiversityTrailBrochure.pdf
A CarolinasAdventures Learning Experience
East coast members of the CarolinasAdventures hiking group banded together for their first official group hike last weekend. Our destination: Howell Woods Learning Center in Johnston County, NC. An apt name for this obscure treasure, and I couldn't have chosen a more knowledgeable (and amiable) group of people to experience it with.
According to their website and various brochures, Howell Woods is part of Johnston County Community College, which uses the 2,800 plus acres as an outdoor classroom. Fortunately, the college graciously allows the public to use the land for hiking, camping, horseback riding (byoh), bird watching, and hunting. There is a fee for hunting, horseback riding, and camping, but hiking is free.
We rendezvoused at the Learning Center's parking lot shortly after 9:00 A.M. After signing in at the Center as required, we took a few photos of HW's permanent residents--a turkey vulture, an owl, and two red-tailed hawks that can no longer survive in the wild--and then began the hike.
Though a bit drab this time of year, sometimes desolate, and what I called "crunchy", Howell Woods is nonetheless fascinating. They have incredibly diverse habitats ranging from arid to soggy (longleaf pine savannah, bottomland hardwood, mixed pine, a variety of wetlands, and more.) We literally walked from a savannah to a cypress swamp, passing a grass and shrub area as we went. Even more incredible, their brochure not only lists the trails, the trail length, and the surface type, it also lists the dominant habitat in that area. Unfortunately, the brochure wasn't the best resource to use to navigate those trails. When we thought we were heading for one area, we ended up in another. One road should have been on one side of the woods, but somehow it intersected with a road in another quadrant. Consequently, we ended up meandering a lot. According to the brochure, there are over twenty-five miles of hiking trails and paved roads in Howell Woods, so we meandered quite a bit.
But we stopped often to explore as we went. We saw birds, large and small, flitting through the tall grasses of the savannah and through trees. Three turkey buzzards circling overhead caught our attention several times. As we hiked, our resident botanist, KT, pointed out various non-flowering plants and trees and encouraged us to identify them. He asked us questions about the habitat we were walking through and how we knew the type (i.e. a savannah or a mixed pine) without sneaking peeks at the brochure to find the answer. We stopped to take pictures of the first spotted wildflower of the season—a violet that should have been named Brittany for all the photos we snapped of it. We also took time to investigate a swamp with clear water, one with stagnant water, and a pond so still we wondered if the shocking shade of putrid green of what turned out to be duckweed hid ground or water.
The trail system at Howell Woods consists of gravel roads intertwining with boardwalk, sand, and mowed paths. The street signs at the corner of several trails reminded me of those at Dupont Forest in Brevard, where individuals and organizations wrenched back that land as it was being developed into an upscale neighborhood. While the signs do detract from the outdoor experience, they are helpful, especially when used in conjunction with the hybrid satellite photo/trail maps signs, which are posted at several intersections.
As mentioned earlier, we began the hike at the Leopold Loop. From there, we connected to Bartram Trail, Diversity Dr, Longleaf Ln, Wild Turkey Ln, and Hannah Creek Trail, which took us to the far edge of Howell Woods. Somewhere along the line, we stopped at a picnic area. From there, we hiked up Cornell to the BW Wells trail, and then attempted to turn up Thoreau, where a trail full of water hampered our progress.
Note: attempts to circumvent the watery path of Thoreau will result in bushwacking through what KT referred to as wicked prickles, the sting of which feels like thorns until one encounter the thorns. After several minutes of attempting to play the tough hiker, only to find more water and more prickles, we backtracked to BW Wells, and then took Plantation and Howell Dr to the Learning Center (which was, to our surprise, only three quarters of a mile away.)
If you plan to hike through Howell Woods, wear comfortable hiking shoes and pants to protect your legs from bugs and brambles. During bug season, wear a long sleeve shirt or take plenty of bug spray. On second thought, take plenty of bug spray period. Also, watch out for snakes. We encountered a long, grouchy black snake on one of the trails.
Howell Woods is an experience. And because of the sharing of knowledge by the participants on this hike, we not only received lessons in a variety of subjects such as plant life and habitats (pop quizzes and all), but the multiple observations too numerous to mention made by everyone throughout the four-hour hike enhanced this outing experience ten-fold. Don't know individuals familiar with birds, plants, or North Carolina's natural communities? No worries. Howell Woods offers several programs including Plant and Tree ID, Bird Banding, No-Trace Camping, and a course on habitats. For more information, check out their website at http://www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/programs.htm
Howell Woods is located at 6601 Devil's Racetrack Rd in Four Oaks. From I-95, take Exit 90 and go south on 701. Turn left on Stricklands Crossroad, and then left on Devils Racetrack. For more information on Howell Woods, go to
www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/about.htm and
www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/HabitatDiversityTrailBrochure.pdf
Cliffs of the Neuse State Park--Goldsboro, NC
Cliffs of the Neuse is located about thirteen miles south of Goldsboro on Hwy 111, just west of Hwy 70 (which is the road between Goldsboro and New Bern.) The "cliff" that provides the park with its name was created when the fault line that runs along the Neuse River shifted, causing part of the earth to eventually drop about 90 feet. The resulting precipice provides a picturesque view of the Neuse River, and a stunning contrast to the flat lands in this region.
There are four trails at Cliffs of the Neuse: Bird Trail, Galax Trail, Spanish Moss Trail, and the aptly named 350-Yard Trail. Bird and Galax are to the right of the parking lot and trailhead, at the end of the gently sloping, sandy 350-Yard Trail that leads to the river's edge. Spanish Moss Trail branches off to the left of the trailhead. All the trails together add up to 1.7 miles.
Having taken the 350-Yard trail on a quick scouting expedition last year, we opted for the Spanish Moss trail on this trip. I absolutely love Spanish Moss, and miss seeing its tattered tails fluttering from the boughs of tall oaks in the Lowcountry breeze. Unfortunately, we saw only a handful of what is apparently a member of the pineapple family during our short hike.
Unlike the easygoing 350-Yard trail, the Spanish Moss trail descends to river level via a series of steep stairs built into the hillside. At this time of year, dead oak, maple and other leaves from deciduous trees litter those steps, hiding small indentations in the sand. I turned my ankle ever so slightly after taking one step, but caught myself on the wooden railing provided to assist hikers on their descent. As with all outdoor destinations, if you decide to visit the park, please watch out for hidden as well as exposed obstacles that may put a quick end to your fun and adventure.
According to the NC Parks site, Cliffs of the Neuse has approximately 750 acres within its boundaries. According to Classifications of Natural Communities in North Carolina, much of those acres are an example of a Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest:
me·sic
Pronunciation: \me-zik\
: characterized by, relating to, or requiring a moderate amount of moisture**
Indeed, we did spot shallow water pooling around some cypress trees and noticed the dirt beneath some mulchy groundcover was damp. One would say of course, after all, the park includes a river. But in these drought stricken days, that doesn't mean much.
We searched for blooming objects as we walked, and while we saw a few bits of green, including ferns struggling to survive on a dry hillside, we saw only one type of blossoming shrub. ID TBD. Lady Slippers and Trillium reportedly bloom in the park during the spring. ETA TBD, but I can't wait.
Cliffs of the Neuse is a great day-trip destination. If you prefer an overnight trip, camping sites are available. In addition to hiking and camping, consider kayaking or canoeing down the tranquil blackwaters of the Neuse (byob--bring your own boat.) Swimming is available as well. From what I understand, the park has an eleven-acre lake, though we've yet to see if.
*Classification of Natural Communities in North Carolina, pg 41 and 42
** Merrian Webster online at www.m-w.com
There are four trails at Cliffs of the Neuse: Bird Trail, Galax Trail, Spanish Moss Trail, and the aptly named 350-Yard Trail. Bird and Galax are to the right of the parking lot and trailhead, at the end of the gently sloping, sandy 350-Yard Trail that leads to the river's edge. Spanish Moss Trail branches off to the left of the trailhead. All the trails together add up to 1.7 miles.
Having taken the 350-Yard trail on a quick scouting expedition last year, we opted for the Spanish Moss trail on this trip. I absolutely love Spanish Moss, and miss seeing its tattered tails fluttering from the boughs of tall oaks in the Lowcountry breeze. Unfortunately, we saw only a handful of what is apparently a member of the pineapple family during our short hike.
Unlike the easygoing 350-Yard trail, the Spanish Moss trail descends to river level via a series of steep stairs built into the hillside. At this time of year, dead oak, maple and other leaves from deciduous trees litter those steps, hiding small indentations in the sand. I turned my ankle ever so slightly after taking one step, but caught myself on the wooden railing provided to assist hikers on their descent. As with all outdoor destinations, if you decide to visit the park, please watch out for hidden as well as exposed obstacles that may put a quick end to your fun and adventure.
According to the NC Parks site, Cliffs of the Neuse has approximately 750 acres within its boundaries. According to Classifications of Natural Communities in North Carolina, much of those acres are an example of a Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest:
Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forests generally occur on sites that are sheltered by topography and moisture from fire. Fires were probably much less frequent and intense than in most of the Coastal Plain uplands. Fire was probably an important factor in confining mesic, fire-intolerant vegetation to these sites.
Associations: Usually bordered by Coastal Plain Bottomland Hardwoods, Cypress-- Gum Swamp, or Small Stream Swamp at slope base and Dry-Mesic Oak--Hickory Forest, Dry Oak--Hickory Forest, or Pine/Scrub Oak Sandhill above. May grade to Nonriverine Wet Hardwood Forest on flats. *
me·sic
Pronunciation: \me-zik\
: characterized by, relating to, or requiring a moderate amount of moisture**
Indeed, we did spot shallow water pooling around some cypress trees and noticed the dirt beneath some mulchy groundcover was damp. One would say of course, after all, the park includes a river. But in these drought stricken days, that doesn't mean much.
We searched for blooming objects as we walked, and while we saw a few bits of green, including ferns struggling to survive on a dry hillside, we saw only one type of blossoming shrub. ID TBD. Lady Slippers and Trillium reportedly bloom in the park during the spring. ETA TBD, but I can't wait.
Cliffs of the Neuse is a great day-trip destination. If you prefer an overnight trip, camping sites are available. In addition to hiking and camping, consider kayaking or canoeing down the tranquil blackwaters of the Neuse (byob--bring your own boat.) Swimming is available as well. From what I understand, the park has an eleven-acre lake, though we've yet to see if.
*Classification of Natural Communities in North Carolina, pg 41 and 42
** Merrian Webster online at www.m-w.com
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