A back road journey

I needed to do a little grocery shopping today, but I decided to take the long round about way to get there just to see what I could see.  Sometimes those are the best journeys, and I wasn’t disappointed at all.  I avoided the Outer Banks area, and drove down a couple of North Carolina Scenic Byways instead.  So far I haven’t found anything that rivals the scenic byways of Idaho, but I found a couple of things of interest on today’s drive.

_MG_9567

I started out pretty much driving the perimeter of Alligator River NWR east and south of the RV pads.  The road eventually curved around to the west, and then I turned north on Hwy 94 that would take me to Columbia.  I saw this sign, and pulled in.  I had been hoping to find a rural stand selling tomatoes, but cantaloupe and watermelon would do just fine.  I would be attending a cook out honoring this year’s batch of interns at the refuge tonight, and I had planned to take a watermelon. 

Oh my goodness, what a deal I got.  The stand was on the honor system for paying, but the owner had just returned from picking the watermelons in the field along with his very large and friendly German shepherd.  I told him I wanted one of each kind of melon.  He picked out the biggest watermelon and carried it to the car for me.  I’m guessing that it weighed well over 30 pounds.  Then I chose a cantaloupe that was almost the size of a basketball.  My guess is it weighs 7-10 pounds!   I put my $5 in the jug, and started up the car to pull out.  That’s when he said, “Wait a minute, you forgot your free musk melon.”  He brought over another whopper, and put it in the trunk.  I love melons, but 50 lbs. worth?  I’ll be sharing my bounty with Peggy and George, the other volunteers.

_MG_9570

A little further up the road I came upon Mattamuskeet NWR.  This is one of the refuges that the Gateway Visitors Center that I work at represents, so I thought it was a good idea to take a look at it so I would know what I was talking about.  Winking smile

IMG_9571

Along the two mile entrance road, work is being done to restore a wetland area.  The road travels right along this area, and even though it was approaching high noon, I was able to find some wildlife.

_MG_9576 _MG_9577

    It seems it was the mid day preening and bathing time for this flock of Canada geese. 

_MG_9581

This doe found me about as interesting as I found her.  What a set of ears!  After stopping at the refuge headquarters to get my NWR Passport Book stamped, I headed back to Hwy 94 which bisects the refuge.

IMG_9586

The refuge was established to protect Mattamuskeet Lake, which is the biggest natural lake in the state.  The overlook that I stopped at is part of the Charles Karault Trail system here.  There are Charles Karault Trails at both Alligator River and Pea Island as well.  Some of you may remember his “On the Road” reports from years back.  He was a native of North Carolina, and loved the National Wildlife Refuges here.

I eventually made it to Columbia and the grocery store and back to the rig after 120 miles.  So I guess you can think of this as my “On the Road” report from eastern North Carolina. 

_MG_9572

                                                                               THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Whale Sharks, the Big Friendly Giants

Image
I was always told that seeing a whale shark in the water with you will leave you awe struck and speechless. If you know me in real life, then you know that there are very few times that I am speechless, much to hubs disappointment (especially when he's trying to sleep).  We made great time on our road trip and arrived in Oslob by around 9:30. As soon as you reach the small town, you're bombarded with signs leading to businesses that will take you out to see the whale sharks. I admit that it was a huge tourist trap but sometimes you just have to suck it up, put on your 'I love Cebu' T-shirt and fanny pack and join the other tourists in order to see one of the most amazing things I have ever laid my eyes on. We first had to sit through a five minute safety and informational speech. They explained to us that each day they send boats out that throw small fish into the water to attract the whale sharks. This is yes, for the purpose of tourism, but also so scientists in the
Read more

Yahoo! The sun returned.

Image
There was fog when I woke up this morning, but the power of the sun with no clouds in the sky soon burned it off.  Hot dog!  I hung out a load of laundry, and then got ready to greet my morning visitors. Bridget and John of Travels of John and Bridget….and Fred , finished their camp host volunteer assignment in North Dakota and stopped by for a visit while spending some time in Detroit Lakes.  What a beautiful morning we had for a tour of the refuge. My friend, the young bald eagle, was perched as if on cue by the Chippewa Picnic Area.  I parked the refuge truck, and we were able to walk right under its favorite perch without it spooking off.  It only screamed at us a few times.  We even witnessed a small kettle of northern harriers catching a thermal to spiral up over the Otter Tail River so they could attain altitude to continue their migration south.  It was a stellar morning to be out and about.  We could hear the far off guns of the waterfowl hunters, but we stayed in ar
Read more

"Masterchef " Finalist Tracy Nailor's Haute Dishes

Image
You may know Tracy Nailor as a finalist from Fox TV’s “Masterchef” with Gordon Ramsay. Nailor, a Pediatrician and Atlanta resident is not only a great cook, but she’s so much fun! Last night, my good friend Monique and I were invited by the Concentrics Restaurants group to dinner at the posh, Midtown haute spot Room at Twelve for a sample of Nailor’s creative dishes. We started off with crab cakes before moving onto the smothered chicken over rice. You can say it’s home-style comfort food that makes you want hug your plate. During dinner, Nailor gave a cooking demo on how to make her Caramelized Banana Napoleon. It was pretty tasty, particularly if you like a modern twist on banana pudding. She’s full of terrific recipes that make you remember your southern roots... so when Monique and I show up for Thanksgiving dinner, she shouldn’t be surprised! You can find Nailor’s recipes and others in the Masterchef Season 1 cookbook! What’s your favorite comfort food dish?
Read more