High Point Troll

On Friday, we drove to High Point to track down our final troll in North Carolina. The troll, affectionately named Little Sally, stood in the somewhat worn downtown area. We easily found public parking, and a short walk brought us right to her for a few quick photos.

From there, it was just a short drive to the Piedmont Environmental Center. We settled Harper into her stroller and set off along the Bicentennial Greenway, a pleasant paved trail.

The only challenge was a set of stairs along the way, which required some careful maneuvering with the stroller. Beyond that, the path opened up to lovely views of Koonce City Lake, where a group of double-crested cormorants perched dramatically on a branch jutting out of the water.

The greenway continued seamlessly into Gibson Park.

Shortly, a boardwalk with led to an overlook of the wetlands at the head of the lake.

A bit farther on, we paused to admire the historic Deep River Cabin and its nearby old well.

Heading north, the trail ducked under US-70 and followed the winding East Fork Deep River.

We found a peaceful spot along the riverbank for a rest, our turnaround point.

On the return, we detoured onto the Long Rifle Trail, which wound past a pair of scenic twin ponds.

The trail led through the woods before connecting to the greenway.

Back in the Piedmont Environmental Center, we took another short side trip along the Deep River Trail before rejoining the greenway a final time.

Climbing the stairs with the stroller was trickier on the way up, but the built-in bike groove made it manageable. From there, it was an easy stroll of less than a mile back to the car.

To cap off the day, we stopped at Boulder's Bar just up the road for a relaxed early dinner.