Merchants Millpond State Park - North Carolina
Another location that was selected using the tried and tested pin in the map approach, used to break up our journey from Greensboro to Elizabeth City via Roanoke Rapids. We didn't really know what to expect as we entered the park but the large visitor centre was all we needed, toilet blocks a small museum and gift shop as well as drinks and snacks are all available.
Merchants Millpond is about 30 miles north-west of Elizabeth City and easy to find. It is well worth finding too, with a spectacular lake and swamp area with canoe rentals available. There's a small boat dock too that Sarah and I sat on in the sunshine and soaked it up like a couple of lizards.....it had been a long winter in Calgary and the hot sun really did feel great.
There is an abundance of wildlife including hundreds of turtles but the alligators that previously resided in the swamp have disappeared since a hurricane in 2006
We walked around a couple of short trails and sat on stumps in the swamp waiting for the turtles we had scared away to return, we almost had the entire place to ourselves too which was an added bonus.
These are the parts of the park that Sarah insists are 'spooky', personally I think they are beautiful, it's difficult to imagine a more enjoyable day in a canoe that paddling around here through the trees with spanish moss draped from their branches. The whole palce reminds me very much of Brazos Bend in Texas but without those huge Texan alligators.
but the real beauty of today was looking over this incredible lake from our sun spot on the boat dock talking to Sarah about our plans for the week ahead on the coast of North Carolina.