The first weekend I was here I decided I could not sit around the cabin, I had to go exploring. But where I was not sure, since the cabin does not have internet (I never realized my addiction to the convenience of a few clicks here and there to make life easier) I had to scam some internet time in the lab to be able to come up with a plan.
I decided that I would go explore some rock climbing, packing my gear just in case others might be willing to let me join them on the rock. Saturday morning I set out for Roxboro, NC which is about one hour away from Durham. The directions online said you came to a long gravel drive that leads into a farm. They requested that you kindly park on the road and walk in. When I arrived there were no other cars but I figured I would go stare longingly at the sun drenched stone in hopes that others may come later.
On the trail to the bouldering area I discovered some ephemeral pools with hundreds of tadpoles, I had trouble taking pictures of them because of the reflection of the sun but here are a few.
It was nearing high 70's when I made it through my tour of the climbing areas and I took a few pictures in the sunshine that I could send to friends from the north (to brag about the prime climbing weather).
On the trail to the bouldering area I discovered some ephemeral pools with hundreds of tadpoles, I had trouble taking pictures of them because of the reflection of the sun but here are a few.
It was nearing high 70's when I made it through my tour of the climbing areas and I took a few pictures in the sunshine that I could send to friends from the north (to brag about the prime climbing weather).
Just when I figured I would head back to the car, I heard something rustle in the leaves. I know what squirrels sound like when they bound through the woods and that was not a squirrel. I waited quietly and scanned the leaves looking for another movement, hoping it was not some sort of poisonous snake or dinosaur (yes, the idea of those little terrorizing ones about the size of a bird from Jurassic park crossed my mind).
It indeed ended up to be a lizard (I'm pretty sure he is a lizard, from looking at his scales, but let me know if anyone knows better). I spent over an hour taking one slow step at a time to get closer and closer to the magnificent looking creature, he would glance periodically at me, probably annoyed I was disrupting his sunning.
After an eternity I was right in front of the rock he was on, I knelt down, put one hand on the rock he was on, and leaned in almost touching my camera lens to his nose, and 'click'. I took one of the best pictures of my life! Afterwards I sat next to him until he decided to leave and then I slipped quietly satisfied out of the woods and walked smiling to my car.
No comments:
Post a Comment