Rowland Creek Falls

Saturday morning, we woke up and drove to Marion for breakfast then drove to the lower trailhead for Rowlands Creek Trail (#164).  The trail entered Seng Mountain National Scenic Area and in a quarter mile, we had to ford Rowland Creek.  It was tricky with high water but we managed to stay dry and the trail followed the creek on river right.

There were a lot of wildflowers blooming along the creek.

And we found our first trillium of the year.

There were also some beautiful wild bleeding-hearts.

The trail made a really great hike, staying close to the creek for most of the ways.

There were some really nice cascades long the creek as well.

After about a mile, we came to the second crossing and again managed to stay dry.

The trail then climbed up to a ridge above the creek and soon we came to Rowland Creek Falls.  A very steep path led down to the base.

With high water, I had to wade to get a good view of the waterfall.  But its a nice one and worth the cold feet.

After some pictures, we climbed back up and continued on the trail a short ways further to the next creek crossing.  There was a nice clearing and we sat here and had a snack before making our way back.

From here, we headed back to Marion and had lunch at Wooden Pickle.  Then we went over to 36-Fifty brewery to have a drink, since it's dog friendly.  Then we headed back to Hungry Mother State Park and parked near the lake.

The Lake Trail Loop led past the swim beach and park office, following the lakeshore closely.

Some rue anemone were flowering.

The trail on the west side of the lake stayed very close to the lake with many scenic views.

At the end, we crossed over the spillway to the other side of the lake.

This side was more wooded and not as close to the shore.

There was some star chickweed and phlox flowering on the forest floor.

I heard a rustle in the leaves along side the trail and saw a deer looking down at me.

She stayed still long enough for a picture.

Then we finished up the loop back at the north end of the lake and headed back to camp.

It was a chilly evening, but dry at least and we made a big campfire to stay warm.  The couple in the yurt next to us came by to meet Alex.  After dark, we went to sleep.

Virginia Creeper Trail in the Rain

Friday, we took Alex to Virginia for camping over the long weekend.

We headed into Mount Rogers National Recreation Area on US-58 and made our first stop at Straight Branch Falls.

We walked behind the guardrail and scrambled down to get a nice view of the waterfall.

It was pretty nice for a roadside waterfall.  Then we headed up the road and parked at Straight Branch Trailhead for Virginia Creeper Trail.  It hadn't started raining yet as we set off on the trail towards Damascus.

In about 10 minutes, the rain started.  In about a mile, we crossed a trestle bridge over Whitetop Laurel Falls.

It's a small water, but on a big creek and I liked how the flow split around a big rock in the middle.

But it was raining pretty good at this point, so we got a few pictures and continued on.  We made it as far as Damascus with no break in the rain, so Sandy and Alex waited under a bridge while I ran back to get the car and pick them up.

We then headed to Wicked Chicken in Damascus for lunch.  They had great wings and the rain had stopped while we were inside.  So after lunch, we went to the caboose along the trail in downtown Damascus.

Of course the rain started back up, so we took off and headed to Hungry Mother State Park, our home for the weekend.  After checking in, we set up camp at Royal Oak Campground.  The tent pads were elevated wooden platforms.

The rain never really stopped, except for when we were eating lunch, so we didn't make a fire.

Spring Tulips at Duke Gardens

Sunday morning, we took Alex to see the blooms at Duke Gardens as dogs are allowed before 10.

We walked down the main pathway to the rose garden.  It was still too early for rose blooms but the fountain was nice.

We then walked over towards the Azalea Court.

A lot of beautiful azaleas were in bloom here.

The various species and cultivars had beautiful pink and white flowers.

Then we continued around the south lawn to the Terrace Gardens.

Here, row upon row of beautiful tulips were flowering.

After enjoying the tulips, we continued on to the Asiatic Arboretum and the red arched Meyer Bridge.

The iconic bridge was visible throughout the gardens.

Although a little chilly, it was a beautiful day to walk through the gardens.

We finished back up just before 10 and time for Alex to depart.

Spring Hike at Raven Rock

Saturday, we took Alex for a spring hike at Raven Rock State Park.  We were hoping to see some wildflowers but it was a little too early.  Parking at the visitor center, we started off on Campbell Creek Loop Trail and went right at the split.  The creek and river were up with the recent rains.

The trail follows the creek down to where it emptied into Cape Fear River.

Looping around, we spotted a snail on the trail.

A little further, we took the split and went down to Lanier Falls.  The water was way up and it was difficult to get out on the wet works, so I didn't go all the way down to the creek.

As the trail looped back around, it passes an unmarked tributary with a small cascade over a rocky ledge.  Normally, there's not much water, but it was looking nice today.

The loop finished up at the bridge and we followed the trail back to the parking area.  Next, we got on Raven Rock Loop Trail.  About a mile in, we stopped at the overlook.

Then we continued to the park's namesake and took the steps down to the base.

It was very scenic down here and we stopped for a snack.

Then we had to climb the stairs back up and finish the loop.

After finishing our hike, we went to Aviator in Fuquay-Varina and had lunch outside with Alex.

Hanging Rock Hike

Saturday, we took Alex for a day hike to Hanging Rock State Park.  Arriving before 8, we beat most of the crowds and hiked up Hanging Rock Trail.  There were only a couple other people here when we arrived and we could enjoy the views.

We had a light snack and enjoyed the views as more and more people showed up.

So we started making our way back down and turned on Wolf Rock Trail.  It was about another mile to the overlook.

There weren't many people here at all and I scrambled around on the rocks.

We finished up Wolf Rock Trail and took Lake Trail back to the Visitor Center.

We then picked up Indian Creek Trail to head down to the waterfalls.  We first came to Hidden Falls, but the lighting was poor.  

We waited for a cloud that never came and then headed to Window Falls.  The lighting was just as bad here.

Since the rocks were dry, I climbed up to see the upper section.

It is basically behind the window in the rock.

Then we headed back to the visitor center and hiked out to Upper Cascade Falls.

Despite the poor lighting, I also climbed down to Tise Falls.

After that we hiked back to the car.

On the way home, we stopped for a late lunch at Oden Brewery in Greensboro.  Alex made friends with a few dogs he met there.