I am the new volunteer task force leader for the Alamance portion of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. This means I'll be gathering hordes of volunteers to help build this trail. So exciting!
One of the proposed areas that we want to begin working on right away is the soon-to-be-opened Shallow Ford Natural Area located on Gerringer Mill Rd. in the western part of Alamance. I drew this map in Google Maps to show the area. My map is based on this map from TheHaw.org.
View Shallow Ford Natural Area in a larger map
As we figure out some dates to begin work on this property, we'll gather our team together and see what we can do!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, December 21, 2009
Adventure #9: Run at the Rock
Another Alamance treasure is Cedarock Park, but I'll discuss that in another post. For now, let's discuss the annual Run at the Rock, a 7-mile (or 14-mile if you opt to do it twice!) trail run through Cedarock Park. Cedarock is located in the southern half of Alamance County. The race is held annually on the first Saturday in December.
In 2008, Tony and I ran the 14-mile portion and it was great. Missed it this year (2009) due to a work obligation (super sad about that!) but I'll try again next year to make it.
Things that make the race good:
-- it's a beautiful trail with lots of variation in the scenery, lots of little creeks to jump over and high banks on some of the trails (fun!), and the mountain bike portion is only a few miles long.
-- the trail is well-maintained and blown off a few days before the race so it's not so leafy
-- in 2008 they served Krispy Kremes and homemade soup after the race, what could be better?
-- the volunteers: there are a lot of them and they are nice.
-- good size: race is capped at 700.
-- good swag: in 2008 they gave embroidered hats and copies of Trail Runner which was nice.
The only bummer about the race, and it's not even a serious one, is that the 14-mile is just running the same 7-mile loop twice. This means that while half the participants are finished and eating donuts, running off the trail into the arms of their loved ones, we 14-milers get to KEEP GOING and DO THE WHOLE THING AGAIN. You have to have some serious intestinal fortitude to keep going when you can literally smell that chicken noodle soup from the trail and see everyone getting high-fives. I think 14-milers should get an extra piece of swag if they finish the whole thing.... :)
In 2008, Tony and I ran the 14-mile portion and it was great. Missed it this year (2009) due to a work obligation (super sad about that!) but I'll try again next year to make it.
Things that make the race good:
-- it's a beautiful trail with lots of variation in the scenery, lots of little creeks to jump over and high banks on some of the trails (fun!), and the mountain bike portion is only a few miles long.
-- the trail is well-maintained and blown off a few days before the race so it's not so leafy
-- in 2008 they served Krispy Kremes and homemade soup after the race, what could be better?
-- the volunteers: there are a lot of them and they are nice.
-- good size: race is capped at 700.
-- good swag: in 2008 they gave embroidered hats and copies of Trail Runner which was nice.
The only bummer about the race, and it's not even a serious one, is that the 14-mile is just running the same 7-mile loop twice. This means that while half the participants are finished and eating donuts, running off the trail into the arms of their loved ones, we 14-milers get to KEEP GOING and DO THE WHOLE THING AGAIN. You have to have some serious intestinal fortitude to keep going when you can literally smell that chicken noodle soup from the trail and see everyone getting high-fives. I think 14-milers should get an extra piece of swag if they finish the whole thing.... :)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Adventure #8: Elon Runners & Mebane Running Club
If you're into road or trail running, consider joining one of the two running groups in Alamance County:
Elon Runners is a brand new group of runners on the west side of town, and Mebane Running Club is a more established group on the east side of town.
Elon Runners is a brand new group of runners on the west side of town, and Mebane Running Club is a more established group on the east side of town.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Adventure #7: Haw River Trail
On October 10, 2009 the Burlington Parks and Rec department hosted a very easy hike on the newest piece of what will be the Mountains-to-Sea Trail through Alamance County.
The Mountains to Sea trail is a 1000 mile trail that goes from (you guessed it) the mountains to the sea, through North Carolina.
After enjoying biscuits from Biscuitville (another Alamance County treasure, but unfortunately it does not really qualify for "Adventure" status!) we started the hike. The piece of the trail that we hiked extends from Indian Valley golf course to Carolina Mill, through old Glencoe (see Alamance Outdoors Adventure #2 for more about Glencoe).
The hike was about 2.5 miles one way, and some of us turned around and went back. There was also a van to pick up folks who didn't want to walk back.
Picture Set here. The trash piles in some of the pictures are where volunteers (we think) are coming in to clear out the natural areas near the trail. The trash was stacked too neatly to have been placed there by vandals.
The Mountains to Sea trail is a 1000 mile trail that goes from (you guessed it) the mountains to the sea, through North Carolina.
After enjoying biscuits from Biscuitville (another Alamance County treasure, but unfortunately it does not really qualify for "Adventure" status!) we started the hike. The piece of the trail that we hiked extends from Indian Valley golf course to Carolina Mill, through old Glencoe (see Alamance Outdoors Adventure #2 for more about Glencoe).
The hike was about 2.5 miles one way, and some of us turned around and went back. There was also a van to pick up folks who didn't want to walk back.
Picture Set here. The trash piles in some of the pictures are where volunteers (we think) are coming in to clear out the natural areas near the trail. The trash was stacked too neatly to have been placed there by vandals.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Adventure #6: Piedmont Green Gala
Held annually in October at TS Designs, the Piedmont Green Gala is an all-day event to promote sustainable companies and services in Alamance and surrounding counties.
During the day, there was a variety of events, speakers, etc. And then at 6pm they fired up the grills and served delicious grass-fed beef from Cane Creek Farm - burgers and hot dogs - and wine from Iron Gate (I didn't have any, so can't comment, but people said it was great) and of course, fresh Red Oak beer and ale. Yum.
Here is a picture set of our day.
Of the sponsors that caught our eye, Claire and I were especially interested in Cycle 9 bikes, and Peacehaven Farm.
During the day, there was a variety of events, speakers, etc. And then at 6pm they fired up the grills and served delicious grass-fed beef from Cane Creek Farm - burgers and hot dogs - and wine from Iron Gate (I didn't have any, so can't comment, but people said it was great) and of course, fresh Red Oak beer and ale. Yum.
Here is a picture set of our day.
Of the sponsors that caught our eye, Claire and I were especially interested in Cycle 9 bikes, and Peacehaven Farm.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Adventure #5: Local Wineries
First, some links to get you some background on Alamance County (end close environs) wineries:
1. Haw River Wine Trail
2. North Carolina Wine Country
Last Saturday at about 4pm, we were in need of an afternoon activity on a hot day. We looked up the directions to the various wineries nearby, and headed to Grove Winery because it was the closest to our house. The web site said they had a tasting on that day until 6pm. Never having been to a wine tasting before, we figured that 90 minutes was plenty of time.
We arrived in short order, found parking easily (there were only two other cars there). We walked in the front door to a pleasant entry area with a wooden bar and shelves of wines and some local items for purchase (watercolors, etc).
Not sure what the official title of "the guy at the bar" was (nor his real name, but I think based on this description of the Grove Winery Team he might have been John), but he was really nice and welcoming. He didn't even give us a hard time for being clueless about wine tastings. Yay!
First, the-guy-I'll-call-John gave us a sheet with the different wines on it, and said we could try 6 for $4. What a deal. I chose a selection of 6 reds (my thinking is that they would be easier to compare if they all had something in common). Tony chose a selection of 3 reds and 3 whites. There was also some sort of deal where you got a free tasting of one other special red too, so in all it was a 7-wine day. They also had some small crackers set out, and some grapes from the vine. The grapes were very good. I could have eaten a lot of those!
My favorites were the Tempranillo and the Cabernet Franc. There was also a 2007 Cabernet that was very, very good but I wasn't sure how much it cost so I was shy to ask. Tony also liked the Franc and the Traminette.
After we were done with our tasting, it was nearly 5:30 so guy-who-might-be-John said he had to stir the grapes and did we want to watch. Yes!
So we went back to the wine-making area and there was a pair of giant rectangular vats full of grape skins and proto-wine.
They were soaking there, covered by sheets of cloth. As they sit, the skins float to the top and get dried out as the liquid sinks to the bottom of the vat. After stirring, the mixture is more wet and spongy-looking.
We then looked at the barrel room and asked lots of questions, etc.
In the end, Tony ended up buying one bottle of Traminette (dry white) which surprised me because usually he only drinks reds. With the tasting you get to keep your wine glasses, so that was a nice surprise.
Overall, it is nice way to spend a few hours. Another fun thing would be to bring some friends, buy a few bottles in the winery, then sit outside on the patio and have some cheese and crackers and wine and just relax out in the country. It looked like a very peaceful setting. Nothing fancy, just real wine, made locally, and by nice people.
1. Haw River Wine Trail
2. North Carolina Wine Country
Last Saturday at about 4pm, we were in need of an afternoon activity on a hot day. We looked up the directions to the various wineries nearby, and headed to Grove Winery because it was the closest to our house. The web site said they had a tasting on that day until 6pm. Never having been to a wine tasting before, we figured that 90 minutes was plenty of time.
We arrived in short order, found parking easily (there were only two other cars there). We walked in the front door to a pleasant entry area with a wooden bar and shelves of wines and some local items for purchase (watercolors, etc).
Not sure what the official title of "the guy at the bar" was (nor his real name, but I think based on this description of the Grove Winery Team he might have been John), but he was really nice and welcoming. He didn't even give us a hard time for being clueless about wine tastings. Yay!
First, the-guy-I'll-call-John gave us a sheet with the different wines on it, and said we could try 6 for $4. What a deal. I chose a selection of 6 reds (my thinking is that they would be easier to compare if they all had something in common). Tony chose a selection of 3 reds and 3 whites. There was also some sort of deal where you got a free tasting of one other special red too, so in all it was a 7-wine day. They also had some small crackers set out, and some grapes from the vine. The grapes were very good. I could have eaten a lot of those!
My favorites were the Tempranillo and the Cabernet Franc. There was also a 2007 Cabernet that was very, very good but I wasn't sure how much it cost so I was shy to ask. Tony also liked the Franc and the Traminette.
After we were done with our tasting, it was nearly 5:30 so guy-who-might-be-John said he had to stir the grapes and did we want to watch. Yes!
So we went back to the wine-making area and there was a pair of giant rectangular vats full of grape skins and proto-wine.
They were soaking there, covered by sheets of cloth. As they sit, the skins float to the top and get dried out as the liquid sinks to the bottom of the vat. After stirring, the mixture is more wet and spongy-looking.
We then looked at the barrel room and asked lots of questions, etc.
In the end, Tony ended up buying one bottle of Traminette (dry white) which surprised me because usually he only drinks reds. With the tasting you get to keep your wine glasses, so that was a nice surprise.
Overall, it is nice way to spend a few hours. Another fun thing would be to bring some friends, buy a few bottles in the winery, then sit outside on the patio and have some cheese and crackers and wine and just relax out in the country. It looked like a very peaceful setting. Nothing fancy, just real wine, made locally, and by nice people.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Adventure #4: Town & Country Park
Wow. This park was nothing like we expected. We decided to head over to T&C park on a hot Saturday afternoon. (The thermometer on a bank on the way there said 94 degrees!)
This park was not colored green on any of the paper maps of Alamance County that we had, but we remembered it from our Christmas Day bike ride on Bike Route 1 (link goes to previous adventure).
We followed Church Street to McKinney, then followed street signs to the park. We thought was going to lead to a regular park entrance, like you would have at a regular park. But there was no parking lot, just a dead-end street and a park sign with graffiti on it.
Map to Town and Country park:
View Larger Map
When we previously took the bike trail to the park, it dropped us off at the north side where the map says "Riverside Dr." We remembered that the Haw River was (as the name of the street suggests) very close to this, and that it is possible to get close to the river easily (less than 100 yards of walking).
But this time we ended up being parked on the south side of the park. So, our objective was to get through the park to the river. What we didn't know is that there are no maps at this park, no directions, and no facilities.
Onward and upward. We parked the car, took our picnic basket and set out to explore, and hopefully find the river.
We headed into the park, discovered a concrete area where we think bathrooms used to be, and then found the start of a trail.
Most of the signage had been ripped down and it was quite overgrown, but we decided to take the trail.
This trail was not well-marked at all, and there were many decision points which were also unmarked.
The trail seems to have been blown off (leaf blower) at some point since Fall, since there were no leaves on it, but there were many spots with overgrown brambles and a fair amount of debris on the trail. There were skeletons of metal where public trashcans on the trail used to be, and there were a few old tree identification signs that had been ripped down.
We made a few wrong turns, and ended up doubling back several times. We ended up coming out of the trail at the spot on the map marked "Hyde Street", and since we were pretty confident we could get to the river on the street more effectively than following the trails (and we were getting hungry!), we followed that street to Riverside Dr. We basically had to retrace our bike trail steps in order to find the river.
We ate our lunch on what I think is supposed to be a canoe put-in, watched the turtles sunning themselves on the rocks, and found the trailhead at Riverside Dr. We decided to follow the trail head back. It turned out to be pretty easy once we figured out which turns to make at a few of the more confusing parts.
Good things about Town & Country Park:
-- this would be a good running trail park
-- it's located physically closer to "town" than Cedarock Park, and since there is a bike trail going to it, it would make good brick training area. (Brick training is where you combine bike and run training together, such as for a duathlon or triathlon.)
-- the river is quite lovely and it's very quiet
-- there appears to be an area where you might be able to put in a canoe
-- there is less trash in the river than at Great Bend Park
Things that need improvement:
-- signage, signage, signage. This park suffers from inattention and neglect, and desperately needs signage showing the main trails.
-- a "main" entrance with a posted map (It looks like the trail is getting some sort of signs at the Riverside entrance. Some sort of small roofed "map" structures had been built but there were no maps posted on the day we went.)
-- facilities? How about a port-a-potty at least? A water fountain? Or at least a sign saying that these things are not available? We didn't need it, but I think other families might appreciate a little more guidance on what is available at this park.
This park was not colored green on any of the paper maps of Alamance County that we had, but we remembered it from our Christmas Day bike ride on Bike Route 1 (link goes to previous adventure).
We followed Church Street to McKinney, then followed street signs to the park. We thought was going to lead to a regular park entrance, like you would have at a regular park. But there was no parking lot, just a dead-end street and a park sign with graffiti on it.
Map to Town and Country park:
View Larger Map
When we previously took the bike trail to the park, it dropped us off at the north side where the map says "Riverside Dr." We remembered that the Haw River was (as the name of the street suggests) very close to this, and that it is possible to get close to the river easily (less than 100 yards of walking).
But this time we ended up being parked on the south side of the park. So, our objective was to get through the park to the river. What we didn't know is that there are no maps at this park, no directions, and no facilities.
Onward and upward. We parked the car, took our picnic basket and set out to explore, and hopefully find the river.
We headed into the park, discovered a concrete area where we think bathrooms used to be, and then found the start of a trail.
Most of the signage had been ripped down and it was quite overgrown, but we decided to take the trail.
This trail was not well-marked at all, and there were many decision points which were also unmarked.
The trail seems to have been blown off (leaf blower) at some point since Fall, since there were no leaves on it, but there were many spots with overgrown brambles and a fair amount of debris on the trail. There were skeletons of metal where public trashcans on the trail used to be, and there were a few old tree identification signs that had been ripped down.
We made a few wrong turns, and ended up doubling back several times. We ended up coming out of the trail at the spot on the map marked "Hyde Street", and since we were pretty confident we could get to the river on the street more effectively than following the trails (and we were getting hungry!), we followed that street to Riverside Dr. We basically had to retrace our bike trail steps in order to find the river.
We ate our lunch on what I think is supposed to be a canoe put-in, watched the turtles sunning themselves on the rocks, and found the trailhead at Riverside Dr. We decided to follow the trail head back. It turned out to be pretty easy once we figured out which turns to make at a few of the more confusing parts.
Good things about Town & Country Park:
-- this would be a good running trail park
-- it's located physically closer to "town" than Cedarock Park, and since there is a bike trail going to it, it would make good brick training area. (Brick training is where you combine bike and run training together, such as for a duathlon or triathlon.)
-- the river is quite lovely and it's very quiet
-- there appears to be an area where you might be able to put in a canoe
-- there is less trash in the river than at Great Bend Park
Things that need improvement:
-- signage, signage, signage. This park suffers from inattention and neglect, and desperately needs signage showing the main trails.
-- a "main" entrance with a posted map (It looks like the trail is getting some sort of signs at the Riverside entrance. Some sort of small roofed "map" structures had been built but there were no maps posted on the day we went.)
-- facilities? How about a port-a-potty at least? A water fountain? Or at least a sign saying that these things are not available? We didn't need it, but I think other families might appreciate a little more guidance on what is available at this park.
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