My Fingers Crossed

Last weekend we drove 30 mile west to Cedarock Park near the revolutionary battlegrounds of Alamance County. The park sits atop a fielded ridge, then slopes down and around through a mixed hardwood and piney bottomland. Small streams, creeks, and rivers descend and mix here in a watershed headed to the distant Cape Fear River. On this day and in this season, the land was dry. The creekbeds lay stony. The bigger streams did not stream, but sat mucky and dank. Raccoon tracks circled the edges where the dark water pooled into mosquito havens.

Cedarock Park has a surprising array of recreational offerings including disc golf, bridle trails, picnic space, canoeing (given adequate water levels), jungle-gyms for the kids, and a historic farmstead complete with goats, sheep, cows, and a mule.
Sometimes parks with such a variety of attractions tend to get overused, with roughly worn trails, and littered landscapes. But the park looked good during our visit.

We focused on the hiking trails and managed to not get too lost despite the relatively poorly marked routes and lacking a map (yep, we deserved it). A muggy, but shady, hour amongst the trees led us through several woodland habitats over moderately changing elevation. From the photos, you'll see a few sites of note. Some impressive boulders dot the trails and hillsides. If you like Bald Cypress(I forgot to photo), there are several healthy specimens standing watch over Rock Creek, apparently planted early last century. A monster American Beech, with exposed root mass, graces the side of an old, hidden footpath near the Old Mill Dam (most people probably miss it...not the Dam).

***Warning: The following contains nerdy (but earnest) tree observations***

A sight that disturbed me initially was the white fungus I saw on the small branches of a few young Beech trees. On the ground below these trees was a gray moldy residue that looked like death. I've seen the blights that have destroyed many of the northern Beeches, and I was suddenly aware they might be moving south. Ugh.
However, I've since done a little research with encouraging results. What I saw was likely the Beech Blight Aphid which apparently does only minor damage to small limbs.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

We had a warm, good time in Alamance. We bought a bottled Nehi Peach at the nearby gas station. Next time we'll visit during one of the Farmstead Exhibitions...maybe feed the goats and bray at the mule.