When I turn left onto the road that leads out of the old downtown and start winding past the country club, I know I’m close. When the houses become sparse and cornfields give way to trees, the entrance is not far off. I’m relieved to see the sign that tells me the plot of land hasn’t gone anywhere. The only thing that really ever changes is maybe fresh coat of paint on the words that mark the entrance: Quail Hollow State Park. And I take solace in that. The entrance road winds its way away from civilization, and I am soon surrounded completely by trees of all varieties. Maples, Oaks and Pines. They join together to blanket the land in all directions surrounding the small parking lot adjacent to the clearing and the small pond.
I park and begin jogging past the pond to a small trailhead that branches in enough directions to give Robert Frost fits. Each trail reveals a bit of its personality in the first few yards. Some are tree lined, with dirt packed hard and smooth, littered with pine needles, dead and brown. Others are grassy and bordered by tall yellow stalks. Some are hilly and worn from horse travel, marked with hoof prints.
The park is not huge, but it has a rugged beauty, and holds no secrets to the current season as the landscape changes gracefully. I have run more miles here than anyone. Now, I only get to see the park in the heat of summer when my car is lost among countless others in the lot and birds are chirping, and in winter, when my car is the only one in the lot, and its red paint stands out against the white, and the park sits still and quiet.
When I read your post I could picture all of this. I could picture you running the trails and watching all the scenery around you. You apparently know this place well since you've ran the most miles there. I also really liked the Robert Frost reference!
ReplyDeleteI could picture this park well and thought the descriptions and detail really showed you know the park. While emotional connections were not very explicitly made, I could feel the way it makes you feel in the attention you pay to it, and the words you choose to describe it.
ReplyDeleteI liked the very begining where you described the drive to this place, I felt like it gave a sort of anticipation
ReplyDeleteWow! Sounds wonderful. I like that nothing really changes except for the paint. I have a red car too, they are hot! Haha. Jogging? Man I give you a lot of credit--however, if I was in a place as beautiful as you described I would jog too! :)
ReplyDeleteVery nice! I could see myself jogging in a place as peaceful as there. I like the opening and how it grabbed my attention to continue reading.
ReplyDeleteNice writing,almost as if you were channeling Frost.
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