When we went out on our walk this morning, we were surprised to find the boat launch area overflowing with trucks with empty boat trailers. We found out later that there was a big bass tournament, and the anglers had set out on the lake at daybreak to try their luck. We weren’t around when they came back for the weigh-in, which must have been quite an event.
We walked to an area called the Trotter Bluff Small Wild Area, near the campground. We didn’t know much about it, but the website indicated hiking and bird watching opportunities. We found a signboard which mentioned three trails in the area, but gave no map.
We set out to explore, trusting our GPS to keep us from getting lost. We found trails marked with blue, white, and red blazes, so we figure we walked on all three of the trails, but we must not have found the whole trail system. We found vistas of the dam and the French Broad River, but not the promised fishing access.
It was a beautiful day and a nice walk through the woods. We heard a couple of woodpeckers and saw a robin. Lots of other birds were calling, but we didn’t spot any. We did enjoy the wildflowers.
After the hike we went to check out two nearby campgrounds. The first we went to was the other Corps of Engineers campground on Douglas Lake. We’re camped in the Headwater Campground, and we went to look at the Tailwater Campground, which is located below the dam on the French Broad River. Many of the spaces there are on the river, but they are all close together.
Overall we were not favorably impressed. Besides, large signs warn of the danger of sudden rising waters. There is a warning siren and light system, but inexplicably, only the lights operate at night. I guess if you’re sleeping and don’t see the warning lights come on, you’re out of luck!
Next we went to a private campground located on a bluff above the lake. The location is good, but the sites were small and crowded together. We thought that many if not most of the rigs looked like they were there long term, perhaps being used as summer getaways. All in all, we’re very glad we’re staying at the Headwater Campground, which is by far the loveliest and most spacious.
After lunch we went back to the Tanger Outlets, mainly because we still wanted to go to the Skechers store to look for more Shape-Ups. We found out that approximately one zillion other people were at the outlets, most of them driving around looking for parking places. We joined the crowd and eventually found a spot. It was right next to a Hummer, and it took at least 20 minutes of maneuvering to get into the space. The folks whose vehicle was parked on the other side had come back to their car to leave some packages. They watched the proceedings with some concern. Finally they offered to back their car out so that we could get in. We made it! We were completely in our space. Then we took photos of the Hummer and its license plates, just in case.
We ended up buying a couple of pairs of Skechers, neither one Shape-Ups. I got a pair of white and silver Tone-Ups. They seem to have good cushioning, and I’m hoping they’ll work okay for me. Ken got a pair of black Skechers Sports. Besides getting the shoes at outlet prices, we also got half off on the second pair.
Tomorrow morning we’ll be moving again. We walked around the campground and took some final photos.
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