October 2013 part 4 - Pilot Mtn.

We had been discussing going to Pilot Mountain State Park (not to be confused with Mt. Pilot made famous by Andy Griffith) to go hiking.  National Parks are closed due to the lunacy of our government representatives but State Parks are still open!  

The mountain itself was known by the Native Americans as Jomeokee or "the great guide" and is visible from the Blue Ridge Mountains where it rises alone from the seemingly flat earth. The view from Winston-Salem gives the appearance of a halfway mark between the city and the Blue Ridge.  The park itself covers over 3,703 acres that include hiking trails, horseback riding trails and campsites.  Click on this link for a Park Map.

Civil War era photo

Forsyth County Public Library Collection

Wednesday afternoon we finally decided to go.  The park is about 25 miles north of Winston-Salem... a nice short drive and is even more beautiful when the leaves begin to change. We got there and it was about 63 degrees, breezy and sunny. There were several other people there and many were from out of state.  If you'll notice the above photo, there are two summits, the smaller one to the left and the large on on the right.   There is an overlook built at the end of the parking lot with this view:

You can take a short hike to the small summit on the left and get the following view:

We then followed the Jomeokee Trail that leads to the large summit.  The hiking trails are rated easy, moderate and strenuous.  Don't overestimate your abilities.  You are on a mountain and you will be hiking up and down hills.  If the trail is only 1.5 miles and is strenuous, remember that you have to get there and back (3 miles total).  The Jomeokee, rated moderate, is a loop that encircles the "knob" or main summit of the mountain.  It is simply beautiful!  There are large stones, cave-like overhangs, wild flowers and beautiful vistas for viewing the surrounding countryside.  I couldn't help wondering what it would be like to take shelter under one of the outcroppings during a rain storm. Just last fall there was a controlled burn at the mountain that got out of control. Much of the mountain burned but there were only traces of fire damage.  It was as if the ash from the fire provided needed nutrients for the plants to come back to life (as a horticulturist I know that this is indeed true).

We decided to try one more hike before calling it a day.  We checked out the trail map and decided on the Sassafras Trail, a short little .5 mile moderate trail.  It was a quarter mile downhill then a quarter mile uphill trail.  Honey, my knees were whining and my lungs were collapsing by the time we got back up to the summit.  This old girl is out of shape but I felt rejuvenated, like my brain was getting some REAL oxygen!

My knees felt so wobbly that I didn't know for certain that I could work the brake on the car when we started down the mountain but I put the car in a lower gear and things worked fine until the car ahead came to a dead stop.  There on the side of the road was this pretty girl....

You could tell by her calmness that she was untroubled by the traffic on the mountain road.  She seemed almost as curious about us as we were about her.  It was as if she had come out on purpose for a scheduled photo op.

We had such a wonderful day out in the fresh air enjoying the outdoors.  I know that as the winter approaches and colder weather keeps us indoors, we will remember the autumn and all the time we were able to spend enjoying nature.

October 2013 - part 3 The Fair!

The Dixie Classic Fair is in town! According to their website, "Celebrating its 131st year in 2013, the Dixie Classic Fair is the second largest agricultural Fair in North Carolina.  It is attended by and average of 325,000 visitors each year. "  

As a child I loved going to the fair!  I loved the noises - the squeals of joy, fear, and laughter of the people, the music from the various rides, the "barkers" touting their sideshows, the wheels clacking against the tracks, the "SSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"  sound of air brakes when some of the rides came to a stop!  I loved the smells of the sawdust, the rain, the cotton candy, the candy apples, the ripening fruit, the barnyard smells (well, maybe love is the wrong word for some of the smells).  I loved the garish colors, stuffed animals, balloon games, ring toss games.  The carnies seemed intriguing, exotic and frightening to me at the same time.  I couldn't imagine living on the road like they did.  The rides were thrilling and there wasn't a one of them that was too scary or rough to keep me from getting on it. The final thing was the fireworks at the end of the night.  When I was really small, this wasn't my favorite part and mama or daddy would hold me close against them and I would try to put my hands over my ears to keep the noise away.  If I looked it seemed as if the world was blowing up and that was really scary.  The percussion of the explosion made my core shake... I just couldn't take it. But aside from that,  I loved every magical thing about the fair.

Since we moved back to Winston-Salem and the fair is advertised everywhere you look, we decided to go.  We got there just after it opened the first day.  As an adult, my favorite thing besides the food would have to be the animals. We decided to eat first and then see the animals.  We strolled around the main food areas and decided on the Moravian Church's booth.  They were offering chicken pan pie, pinto beans, slaw and roll or cornbread.  It was hard to choose between their booth and the group offering the collard green sandwich.

We went on to the exhibition hall and looked at all of the art, photography, food, quilting, sewing, collectibles and hand carved items.  It is amazing the amount of talent that exists in this world. 

By now we were ready for some dessert and after walking around the midway once, we settled on hand dipped ice cream.  We found a bench outside the poultry house and listened to the farmers talk and visit with one another while we ate our ice cream.  I love to listen to them and I chuckle to myself when I hear some of their unique expressions.  

Finally we went into the poultry house and the roosters were taking their turns welcoming the day (even though it was now well past 1:00 pm).  I loved the selection of birds and was just disappointed that I couldn't take pictures of all of the various head adornments, but here are a few...

After leaving the poultry we went in search of the livestock but there was none to be found.  Apparently the livestock comes the next week.  There was, however, a petting zoo and there were plenty of little goats trying to get fed there.  

There were 2 young camels and 2 young calves there as well but all of the animals were behind a fence so you couldn't really pet them at all.  I guess the past years with people becoming sick at the fair has caused the zoo owners to be extra cautions.  You simply can't rely on people to wash up at the sink station when they're through handling the animals.  

We walked through Yesterday Village and watched a couple of men "handing" and "tying" tobacco on a stick.  Hubby and I both worked in tobacco when we were growing up so it brought back memories for both of us.  I still think I could tie tobacco.  Some things just become so ingrained in you that you could simply do them without thinking about what you're doing.  

We walked back past the livestock area and they still hadn't arrived so we decided to come back again the next week.  We went back today and THE COWS WERE THERE!!!

We went through the agricultural exhibit hall and found that the theme for this year was about the sea. Children used apples, potatoes, and pumpkins decorated according to this theme.  What fun it was to see them!:

We had a seat and people watched while we ate our cinnamon Elephant Ear and marveled at all of the people there.  It was Senior Citizen Day and many were wrapped in blankets and being pushed along in their wheelchairs.  Others where going along slowly with their walker or their cane.  Children were being pulled or pushed in wagons or strollers but no matter what their means of travel, their faces were happy because it seems that everyone loves the Fair.

I have to admit that the fair wasn't quite the way I remembered it from my childhood.  The rides didn't seem to go quite as fast, they weren't quite as big and scary as I remember them being, and I know that the big humpy slide was much, much taller when I was a child and climbed to the top with my burlap sack.  But it was still fun and I can't wait to go back!