a hike through mason farm biological reserve

Some time during the 1740's, the Morgan family settled in southeastern Orange County, NC. (Morgan - as in Morgan Creek - for you James Taylor fans). In 1894, Mary Morgan Mason, one of the last descendants of the Morgan family, gifted the farm and it's property to the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. Much of the property has reverted back to woodlands now and parts of the forest are 150 years old and contains trees that are over 300 years old. Amazing. There's a 65 acre ancient forest that has been continuously forested (never plowed or clear-cut) since before European settlement. The old fields, open since before the Civil War, are being rehabilitated to their wet meadow and Piedmont prairie states. Mason farm is 367 acres, set aside for study, contemplation, appreciation and exploration. On this day we hiked through slowly, to listen, explore and enjoy. The only sound was birdsong, summer insect noise and the occasion deer bounding through the woods.

When you see a tree in the woods, bent awkwardly but purposefully like this, you know that you've come across on old native Indian trail.

It was mid-day when we arrived so the birds were hiding in the shady growth,

but the dragonflies were everywhere!

 

 

 

 

 

meat camp creek environmental studies area

Not too far outside of Boone is the community of Meat Camp and hidden off one of the winding roads is a privately owned, 9.5 acre wetland that's an amazing birding area. The owners allow visitors to wander the dense fen and have created boardwalks for crossing through the particularly marshy areas and maintain trimmed grass paths for strolling a 1 mile trail. The brush is allowed to develop naturally so gets quite tall (dwarfing me!) but hikers are able to see Meat Camp Creek which runs through both sides, and an active beaver pond too. If you go, bring binoculars because over 130 species of birds have been recorded here, but don't get frustrated if the brush is too thick for good spotting.

The bird song symphony is awesome.

 Because the growth was so thick while we were there I didn't get photos of the birds we spotted, but we really enjoyed their song while we patiently waited for viewing opportunities  Easily seen though, was a really

nice variety of wildflowers and other blooming & berry-heavy plants.

Once you get through the marsh path you're led to a low, flat field and a fence line that eventually leads back to the small parking spot. Horses, cows and open-field birds enjoy this area. Having recently seen intriguing videos of cows responding to musicians who stopped along the side of the field to perform, Dave was inspired to give this a test. Do cows really respond to music? He sang them a few songs. And did they like it?

Why yes, yes they did...especially these three!

Want to go? Directions and list of spotted birds here.

walking the occoneechee speedway trail

The Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail (HOST) is located on a site in Hillsborough, NC, whose history dates to the 17th century, when the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation resided here along the banks of the Eno River.
In the late 1700’s, James Hogg, along with many other families, settled here and farmed the fertile land. Hogg’s 3-home plantation was named Poplar Hill. In the 1890’s, General Julian Carr purchased Poplar Hill and the surrounding land and expanded the farm to include a horse racetrack.

Tall trees line the old dirt straight-away.

In 1947, Bill France discovered the racetrack as he flew over Orange County. France partnered with 4 other men to form Hillsboro Speedway, purchase of the 200-acre parcel that included the racetrack in order to develop it for use as an auto racetrack - the Occoneechee Speedway.
In 1949, NASCAR hosted their first race on the 1-mile dirt track - a 100-mile race with over 20,000 fans in attendance. Interesting fact: NASCAR and automobile racing in the South originated in the early 1900’s as informal competitions among bootleggers who modified their vehicles for speed and handling in rural landscapes.

Dave takes the turn.

The track hosted many races, local athletic games, and community events over the next 20 years until 1968, when the opening of the Talladega track in Alabama took the place of the Speedway. The final NASCAR race at the track, “The Hillsboro 150”, took place on September 15, 1968, with Richard Petty as the winner.

The old cement grandstand remains, along with the concession stand decorated with Pepsi signage.

By 1969, racing had fallen out of political favor in the area and with the Speedway out of use, nature began to reclaim the land.




In the early 1980’s, this property was threatened as a proposed location for a bypass intended to redirect traffic congestion in the area. The Preservation Fund of Hillsborough, Preservation North Carolina, and the James M Johnston Charitable Trust, along with Classical American Homes Preservation Trust, worked together to preserve the natural and historic integrity of the Speedway property and surrounding land.

This skink makes his home inside the shell of car #72.

In 1997, CAHPT took ownership of the HOST property and in 2002 this site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2006 local racing enthusiasts formed the Historic Speedway Group to help in restoring and maintaining the site. In 2011, CAHPT joined with the Mountains-to-Sea Trail to connect HOST to the statewide trail system. The HOST is the only dirt track speedway remaining from NASCAR’s inaugural season.

(The information and text on this post was collected from site placards. The photos are all mine.)

rainy days

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said "The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain." Rainy days tend to get me down, but every once in a while, I'll pick up my camera and those wet, gloomy days suddenly become an adventure. 

"Something wicked this way comes"

In this case, we headed for the big front porch and watched the storm form in front of us.



 And we watched it move across the valley from left to right,

leaving rising moisture fog in it's wake.

 It can be mesmerizing to watch the patterns that rain drops make in inky, dark puddles.

Watching a heavy rain run down on the other side of a glass window produces

an ever-changing piece of fine abstract art.

 

 But not everyone dislikes rainy days...

...and if you're really lucky, there's a gift waiting for you at the end of the storm.

 



oh, hello!

in my backyard

saturday morning swim

dogs in cars getting coffee

 

 

 

peaceable kingdom

Bog Garden, Greensboro NC

dogs in cars getting coffee 2

Can't get enough of dogs in cars getting coffee? See more here: dogs in cars getting coffee 1.