Author Archives: rick0427

Ah, the storyboards. They get me every time. This time I was at Howell Woods. I went to Howell Woods to hike. Howell Woods is an Environmental Leaning Center associated with Johnston County Community College. But it has hiking and is a 2800 acre property so I figured I could get a pretty good dayContinue reading “Flatland Hiking-The Storyboard That Sucked Me In- Howell Woods and Bentonville, Four Oaks NC”

I love the mountains. But sometimes I feel like hiking but don’t want to do mountains. I am also on a quest to visit as many North Carolina State Parks as possible. So I am looking at where I haven’t been and find Goose Creek on the Pamlico Sound. By looking at the trails atContinue reading “Goose Creek State Park, Washington, NC”

One of my favorite hikes when living back east was the Rockcastle Gorge along the Blue Ridge Parkway Between Mabry Mill and Meadows of Dan Virginia. I went there the first time alone. The second time my trusty hiking pal Nate went with me . This trail starts out at the Rocky Knob Recreation areaContinue reading “Rock Castle Gorge, Meadows of Dan, Virginia”

Yes a speedway. Occoneechee Speedway was a yearly stop on the NASCAR circuit from 1948 to1968. It was built by Bill France two years before the official start of NASCAR. When it closed it was preserved by the city of Hillsborough and today is a hiking and walking venue in the city. Besides the dirtContinue reading “My most Unusual Hike…….Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough,NC”

If you follow the last few posts you will see I am always pushing west towards higher mountains. I love Mountains. Mt Jefferson began to push the limits of how far I could go, hike and get back home at a reasonable hour. it was 3 hours one way. Mt. Jefferson became one of myContinue reading “Mt. Jefferson, West Jefferson, NC”

I don’t know why Nate remains my friend or is ready to hike anytime I say. He never asks where or how far, his answer is always “let’s go”. It’s great to have a friend like Nate and I miss that here in Texas. I have put that guy through hell and back not theContinue reading “Doughton Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Laurel Springs, NC”

Everyone has heard of Stone Mountain………the one in Georgia. Very few people know that there is also a Stone Mountain in North Carolina. Two differences in the two Stone Mountains… both favoring the NC one. First at 2305 ft Stone Mountain NC is taller. Second the NC one isn’t carved up with a picture ofContinue reading “Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap NC”

Another half hour north of Pilot Mountain I found a beauty of a trail and creek. This was at the historic Cumberland Knob Recreation Area on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Why is this an historic spot. Well as the sign reads it was the first recreation area built on the parkway. But also this wasContinue reading “Cumberland Knob, Low Gap, NC/Va”

Yes we are still in NC. Yes I know I live in Texas now. (you don’t know how sad that makes me.) Although farther from home it was a shorter time to get to Pilot Mountain then Hanging Rock so I think I ended up here more often. How could that be? Well it wasContinue reading “Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle, NC”

I hate to go backwards in time but as I look through older pictures I remember more stories. This is a good one. Charlotte had planned a trip to Texas to see the grandbabies. So my mind started working. I had been walking and hiking around the Raleigh area but decided it was time forContinue reading “Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury, NC”