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Bethlehem, New Hampshire, United States
E-mail contact: randonneur8@yahoo.com | Facebook: facebook.com/1HappyHikerNH

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26 April 2011

Traveling Way South of New Hampshire

Last week (18-25 April, 2011) my wife and I traveled way south of New Hampshire to visit family located in the States of Delaware and North Carolina. In neither location did I have the opportunity to do much in the way of hiking. However, it was a really nice visit. And, at both locations, the Spring Season has definitely "sprung"! Plants are in full bloom, the grass is green, and most folks have already mowed their lawns multiple times.

The Wilmington, DE location that we visited is part of the megalopolis of Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ. In such a populous area, there are very few hiking venues that are densely forested. However, I managed to work in a short stroll in a park-like setting in the suburbs of Wilmington, and here I was able to capture the image of a rainbow while looking across a grassy field.

Our visit to North Carolina is in the three-city area known as the Piedmont Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point). This is also quite a populous area. However, not far from the Triad area, just off the 4-lane highways, there is Hanging Rock State Park. This location has over 18 miles of wooded passageways that lead you to picturesque cascades and waterfalls and rocky ledges.

Since the family members consisted of folks of varying ages and ability, our hike at Hanging Rock State Park was limited to mild-mannered treks to waterfalls and cascades. Shown in the snapshots below are two of the spots we visited.
Hiking to the above destinations was quite pleasant. Along the way, the woods were full of flowering plants such as shown in the photo-collage below.
The woods themselves were a lovely shade of Spring-green, and also had a few flowering trees thrown in here and there. Shown in the first of the two photos below, is a typical woods scene. The second photo also includes a portion of the Spring-green forest, plus an attractive wooden fence that we encountered along one of the trails.
In close proximity to each of the waterfall locations, there was a sign such as shown in the photo below. The "hazards" at these spots are far less than those encountered at waterfall locations in the Whites. My assumption is that there is some sort of liability issue which requires the State of NC to erect these signs.
So, as said earlier, we had an enjoyable visit. Also, it was fun and interesting to travel to NC and DE by car. We could see the Spring Season gradually progress as we drove southward through various States along the way. It was equally fun and interesting to watch the Spring Season progress backwards as we drove northward on our return trip back to New Hampshire. And quite honestly, I was thrilled to see that there were still remnants of snow on north-facing slopes and on the mountaintops. I'm a huge fan of the brief Spring/Summer seasons that we experience in northern New Hampshire! There is no place like home, and the White Mountains of NH are truly one heck of a nice "home"!
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Leaving a comment via this Blog is always appreciated. However, if you prefer to ask a question or make a comment via a personal E-mail, then you may contact me at: randonneur8 at yahoo dot com.

6 comments:

Grant said...

I have always wondered what Delaware might be like since I have never stopped there. Your North Carolina pics look cool. I wonder if that fence is somehow Civil War related.

1HappyHiker said...

Thanks for posting your comment, Grant.

Stack-rail fencing such as shown in my photo was certainly something that was used a lot during the timeframe of the American Civil War. It's fun to speculate about the possibility that the fence we came across was there at the time of that war. However, most likely it wasn't. As I understand it, most of the fences that were in existence at the time of that war were used by both the North and the South as firewood!

John

Summerset said...

Beautiful - there is spring somewhere! The double rainbow picture is great - lucky you to have captured the image.

1HappyHiker said...

Hi Summerset! I’m happy that you were able to determine that the rainbow in the photo was actually a double-rainbow, especially since one of the two rainbows is much fainter than the other. I was uncertain if having seen it in person was influencing my ability to see BOTH rainbows in the photo that I posted. I knew it was a “double”, but was unsure if others could detect this!

Thanks for taking a moment to post a comment . . . very much appreciated!

John

Unknown said...

Beautiful area, nice photos! Spring is already far advanced, nice to see so much blossoming flowers =)

1HappyHiker said...

Thank you Hendrik for your nice comments! Much appreciated!