Dix Park Sunflowers 2024

Saturday, we took Harper to the sunflowers at Dorothea Dix Park for her first time.  It's been so hot this summer, we got there right around sunrise to beat the heat and crowds.

And it was still pretty warm and muggy at 6 in the morning, but the sunflowers were beautiful in the early morning light.

The sunflowers seemed shorter this year than when visiting the past, maybe because of the very dry June we had.

We weren't the only ones enjoying the sunflowers first thing in the morning.  Bees, butterflies and other pollinators were busy at work in the field.

We got some pictures of Harper with the flowers and made a loop around the field, but it was warming up quickly.

Sandy and Harper took off and I continued hiking for a while on the Capital Area Greenway.  I took Rocky Branch Trail to Walnut Creek Trail and made a partial loop with Centennial Campus Connector.  By 10, it was really hot and I was glad to get back to air conditioning.

Dorothea Dix Sunflowers 2019

Sunday, Sandy and I took Alex for a hike to the see the sunflower field at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh.  We parked by the Farmers Market and hiked Centennial Bikeway Connector, part of the Capital Area Greenway.  We took Blair Drive into the park and walked around the sunflower field.  They definitely weren't blooming as much as last year - probably the hot and dry weather we've had lately.

But there were still plenty of sunflowers blooming.  Alex begrudgingly let us get a photo of him in the sunflowers.

And there were lots of bees gathering nectar.

By 830 in the morning, it was already hot so we didn't stay too long.  Alex and Sandy and headed back, while I continued hiking on the greenway.  I went as far as the Wetland Overlook near Rock Quarry Road and then turned back.

It was quite hot by this time and very humid.  The tunnels provided some relief from the sun.

I made it back to the car just before noon and stayed in air conditioning for the rest of the day.

Sunflowers at Dorothea Dix

Sunday, I went for a hike to see the City of Raleigh's sunflower fields.

Parking at the State Farmers' Market, I hiked up Centennial Bikeway Connector, part of the Capital Area Greenway, to Blair Drive and followed that to Dorothea Dix Park.  Last year, I had hiked the Neuse River Greenway to see the sunflowers near the wastewater treatment plant.  Since so many people were jumping the fence to take pictures, this year they planted them in a park and even made paths through the fields to see the sunflowers up close.  Much less photogenic soybeans are now planted at the treatment plant.  I got to the park around 10 and it was already crowded as the sunflowers in Raleigh have become a real hit.

I walked up and down the paths to get pictures of the sunflowers.

People weren't the only ones enjoying the flowers - a lot of bees were busy collecting nectar.

I think the sunflowers were just a little past peak and storms the night before had knocked down a lot plants.  After some pictures, I continued on, making a big loop out of Centennial Bikeway Connector, Rocky Branch Trail (which would have been the easiest way to access the park), and Walnut Creek Trail.  There's a nice view of Raleigh's skyline from the trail near Wilmington Street.

As I was finishing up the hike, I saw some hibiscus blooming along the trail back by the farmers' market.

It was getting hot and would take some getting used to North Carolina's heat and humidity again after a week of relief in the Rocky Mountains.

Milburnie Dam Removal

The City of Raleigh is removing the old Milburnie Dam on Neuse River, so I figured I'd head over and get a couple pictures before it's gone.  I headed to Buffaloe Road Athletic Park to pick up the Neuse River Trail, part of the Capital Area Greenway.  Although November is more than half over, there is still a lot fall color along the trail.

It was about 3 miles or so to where a footbridge leads over the river just past the dam.  Although it's Saturday, there were doing construction work to remove the dam today.

I crossed the river and went down to the sandy beach in front of the dam for some pictures.

The original dam had been built of wood in the mid 1800s.  Around the turn of the century, the dam was rebuilt with rock and masonry.  It operated as a paper mill, a grist mill, and to generate hydroelectric power, operating until the 1980s.  Upsteam of the dam is an area of wetlands that had been formed by the dam.  With its removal, I could see the water draining from these wetlands.  I suppose this will revert back to floodplain forest.

Since the fall color was still nice, I stopped at North Wake Landfill District Park on the way home.  Climbing to the Top of the Hill, the leaves were really pretty around the Falls River subdivision.

Looking south, I could see the Raleigh skyline, but it was too sunny for a picture.

Sunflowers on the Neuse

Saturday, it was really hot in Raleigh, so I tried to get an early start for a hike on the Capital Area Greenway to see the sunflowers.  I drove to the Auburn-Knightdale Road parking for Neuse River Trail and headed eastbound.  Neuse River Trail starts right along the river but then heads away.  The trail came to Brown Field Road and I went right and followed to the intersection with Old Baucom Road and went left.  The trail followed this road for over half a mile to the sunflowers, which were in peak bloom.

This area is the site of Raleigh's Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant.  To dispose of biosolids, the solid waste residual from wastewater treatment, the city applies them to the land.  As they are rich in nitrogen, the sunflowers are planted to prevent run-off into nearby streams and creeks.  The sunflowers are certainly beautiful to look at, but they serve another purpose - the seeds will be harvested to produce biofuels.

I got a few pictures here and then continued on the trail.  It headed back into the woods, which was a relief as it was getting really hot.  The trail crossed Mial Plantation Road, where the parking lot was already full.  I went about a half-mile into Johnston County and then turned back.  It was really packed by the sunflowers on the return hike - I guess everybody knows about this now.

Waterfall in Raleigh!

With the significant rain we've had over the past couple days, creeks are swollen and many roads are closed due to flooding.  Another consequence of all this rain is waterfalls that normally don't exist are raging.  Before work this morning, Amanda and I went to find one along Raleigh's Capital Area Greenway.  We parked at the NC Museum of Art and followed Reedy Creek Trail towards downtown.  It was really raining when we started but we were prepared with waterproof clothing.  Across the pedestrian bridge over I-440, we turned left on House Creek Greenway and went about a mile to near Lake Boone Trail.  A small, unmarked tributary flows into House Creek here.

Normally, there's nothing to see here, but today, there was a roaring waterfall.  After a few pictures, we headed back as the rain died down.  The waterfall will probably be gone by tomorrow, but exciting to find one so close to home.