We Train Our Deer And Fish Right In Knightdale

Wildlife encounters are part of the routine when you ride on greenway trails. You’ll see deer, turtles, ducks, geese, the occasional crane, assorted birds, squirrels and, as I posted recently after waiting almost two months for a picture, snakes. I recently had encounters with deer and fish that reminded me – in a roundabout way – that there’s no place like home. Stick with me on this one, because the logic is a bit convoluted. But that’s okay, because this post is more “tongue in cheek” than other lessons from the trail.

I started out recently on the Mingo Creek trail for a longer ride. As I was rolling along the boardwalk, I spotted a boy and his grandfather up ahead, and it looked like they were taking a fish off a hook. I knew they weren’t, because the swampy area there is a glorified mudhole. And the boy was using a red plastic fishing rod. Never saw one of those on Southern Sportsman. But sure enough, as I went by, the grandfather grinned at me and pointed to a decent sized bass. Talk about your double takes. This I had to see more closely, so I stopped my bike and walked back. The boy had taken the hook out and was holding the fish like an experienced angler. “That boy just loves to fish,” said Grandpa, proudly. We talked for a few minutes, and they allowed me to take his picture. That was a definite first for riding on the greenways.

Seeing Luke pull a bass out of the swampy area of Mingo Creek
is definitely a first for riding the greenway trails.

After watching the boy (his name was Luke) fish for a few more minutes, I left them and pedaled to the Neuse trail and turned north. The humidity was low for August, so I rode all the way to Falls Lake. I stopped for a break right by the damn, where several guys were fishing. I asked one of them if they were catching anything. He gave me a look, and said no. The others overheard and chimed in their agreement. I wanted to tell them about Luke, but their expressions and grunts changed my mind.

The far northern section of the Neuse trail runs by a number of subdivisions. There are access paths from those neighborhoods to the trail. A couple I know lives in one of the subdivisions. They told me that someone in their neighborhood has been leaving food out for deer. Those deer have gotten used to people and will clop right up to them looking for handouts. They also enjoy munching on flowers in yards (one of the curses of suburban living) and will ignore anyone who comes out to try to run them off. I was rolling past those neighborhoods on the way home and saw one of those deer standing by the trail. I smacked my hand on my handlebars and yelled, “hey.” That usually works to make a deer turn and run. But she just stood there, looking at me expectantly. Fortunately for me she didn’t step out on the trail as I went past.

Our deer around Knightdale are much better trained
than their counterparts from North Raleigh.

That encounter contrasted with what happened when I came out of the woods near the turn off the Neuse trail to the bridge to the Mingo Creek trail. There were two deer standing by the trail looking in the other direction. Just like before I slapped my handlebars and yelled, “hey!”  This time the deer turned and obligingly trotted away as I swept by and turned up onto the bridge. As I rode home at the end of a great 50-mile ride, I couldn’t help thinking that we train our deer and fish right in Knightdale. There’s a lot to like about Knightdale, but I challenge you to find well-trained deer and fish on the town website.

Sights & Sounds: Mingo Creek

Editor’s Note: this is the first of a series of “guided tours” of the greenway trails around Raleigh, focusing on some of the interesting sights, sounds and even the occasional smells.

The Mingo Creek greenway trail is relatively new, having opened in the fall of 2014. It runs through Knightdale and crosses just south of my neighborhood.  There are two access points from our subdivision, one off the main road and one from a sidestreet that's harder to find I you don't know its there. The Mingo Creek trail is approximately 3.5 miles long, which makes it an excellent warmup if you’re going to ride the longer trails. Not everyone uses it that way, though.

The Mingo Creek trail is relatively new and runs through Knightdale.

I started a recent ride by going to the entrance off Lynnwood Road. You cross a long bridge over a swampy area, which makes an interesting contrast to the elevated I-540 bridge running parallel to it. You don’t see the 540 bridge as much as you hear the rumble of traffic. The greenway bridge runs right up to the trail, where I turned left, or east.



This bridge crosses Mingo Creek.

The trail follows Mingo Creek as it meanders through the woods. You can see the backs of houses from my subdivision off to one side and houses from another subdivision across the railroad tracks on the other side. You come to a long wooden bridge shortly after turning out onto the trail. It takes you over the creek and by a large drainage pipe that pops out under the railroad tracks. My tires make a very different sound when I hit the wooden bridge, a kind of rumble. That alerted two families who were walking across that I was coming up behind them. Regardless of that I announced myself as I went past and they waved. I passed two joggers over the next half a mile or so and passed another entrance to the greenway, this one from another neighborhood.

The courts are usually in use in the afternoons.

I pedaled to the end of the trail at Mingo Creek park, which has two basketball courts. Usually those courts are full of young guys playing a rough and tumble version of 5 on 5 where the no-blood, no-foul rule seems to be in effect. More guys watch, waiting to take on the winners. But this was the middle of a hot day, and those guys were probably somewhere air conditioned. It was very quiet. I rode up to the little parking lot and turned around. Just past the courts is a small but steep hill that’s difficult on your way up. I was on my way down and used the hill to pick up speed.

There are ducks and other animals in the swampy area of the tail.

 

I followed the trail to one of the nicer features: a long boardwalk that takes you over the swampy wetlands area just south of my neighborhood. The amount of water varies based on recent rainfall, but there’s always some there. There are cranes, ducks, geese and lots and lots of turtles. There are also beaver damns and you can see beaver every now and again. Deer like the cover offered by the tall grasses that surround the water; usually if you see one you’ll see more. After you pass the wetlands you’re back on paved trail that takes you to Hodge Road. This is a busy two-lane road and you need to look carefully for oncoming cars as you approach. Be prepared to stop because your line of sight is limited because of trees.

Be prepared to stop at the Hodge Road crossing.

 

I crossed the road turned right, then left into the Princeton Manor neighborhood and followed the sidewalk until the trail goes off to the left. The next landmark is a fairly good-sized hill. You can take it if you get a good running start and downshift. There’s a screwdiver sunk down into the concrete that you’ll see as you get to the top of the hill. It’s a signal that you’re getting started on your way out. It’s a nice signal that you’re almost finished when you’re coming back.

You take the sharp right turn at the top of the hill and that takes you out to the bridge over the Neuse and the entrance to the Neuse River trail. On the day of my ride there were some folks floating by under the bridge in inner tubes. You see them fairly often on sunny weekends.

The trail ends with the bridge over the Neuse.

The Mingo Creek trail is used mostly by walkers and joggers from the neighborhoods in Knightdale bordering the trail access points. The trail is perfect for walks and jogs and folks often stop on the boardwalks to look at the animals.  That means if you’re on a bike you need to let them know when you’re approaching. People do a great job sharing the trail as long as they know you’re coming. If you’re just starting out on a bike, going back and forth on the trail is a good first ride. Don’t be shy about having to walk up the big hill, just in case. 

 

 

The New Steed

Well, my first “real” bike lasted three years. It was efficient and reliable, and together we went from one end of the Neuse greenway trail to the other a number of times. But as I related recently, it developed some wear and tear that couldn’t be repaired without investing half the cost of a new bike. So I went to Dick’s Sporting Goods in Knightdale and worked with Mike to get a new one. It’s the same model but red and black instead of grey and black; I wanted something about it to be different. I had an interesting experience on the night I went to buy the new one, and I wrote a blog post about it that has gotten some nice reactions.

My second Diamondback wildwood bike. The only difference: it's red.

Anyway, I was able to break in the new bike this weekend with two rides. By an odd coincidence, they were almost identical in time and distance even though I rode different routes. On Saturday afternoon I rode south on the Neuse trail past the water treatment plant to the point where you turn downhill to get back to the river. On Sunday morning I rode out to the Walnut Creek trail and followed it past the softball complex and up the street to the point where it starts getting much curvier. I turned around there and rode out to the suspension bridge at Hedingham before heading home. Saturday’s ride was 30.98 miles and Sunday’s was 30.99 miles. The times were 2:00:14 and 201:19, with average speeds of 15.3 and 15.5. It’s not that significant, just interesting.

What’s even more interesting were the things I saw on the ride Saturday. I started out, as usual, on the Mingo Creek trail. I only pedaled a few hundred yards on the trail when I came face to face with a Knightdale police vehicle with two officers inside. It was slowly following a group of walkers. I waved as I went by and they waved back. There hasn’t been any sort of trouble on that trail that I’ve heard about, but I’m glad to see them out there. If nothing else, their presence will encourage more folks to get out and use the trails. The second unusual sighting was a wedding at the scenic overlook at Anderson Point Park. I rode past quietly as the wedding party was making their way down the aisle. The bride looked pretty in her dress.

A first: seeing soldiers doing a road march on the trail, complete with rucksacks. Hooah!

The third thing was a group of National Guard soldiers who were doing a road march on the trail. They were coming back from the direction of New Bern Avenue when I went by, and a Humvee was in the Anderson Point parking lot waiting for them. They were wearing rucksacks. As a former “weekend warrior,” (Army Reserve for 10 years) I was impressed by the creativity in using a resource like the greenway trail for a training exercise.

The new bike performed well. The pedals and brakes both feel great, especially compared to my old one with its wear and tear. I need to tighten the seat and make a few other minor adjustments. There’s one wire that sticks out near the pedals and scratches my leg. Gotta do something about that. Overall I’m very pleased. I look forward to using the new bike to record many more miles out on the trails.   

A Funny Thing Happened...

The pedals on my bike were loose and had been making an ominous clacking sound for some weeks. I finally took it in for service at the Dick’s in Knightdale and got the bad news from Mike the mechanic: it’s finished. The bearings have broken off in the pedals (or something like that…hey, I’m no mechanic) and it’s going to cost more than half the original price of the bike to fix. So, time for a new bike.

Dick's offers good bikes at good prices, and their maintenance plan is a winner.

I went to Dick’s on a night when I knew Mike was working. He was busy when I arrived. Two women and a husband and wife were each buying new bikes.  Mike was telling the two ladies about the features of their new bike and filling out paperwork for their purchase, while the wife was collecting a light blue helmet and a blue water bottle to match her new iridescent (her word) blue bike. She explained the importance of the matching ensemble to her husband, who listened patiently. I was distracted when Mike pointed to me and told the two women that I ride out on the greenway. We talked about places to start, some of the sights to see and how far to go on their first rides. The couple joined the conversation since they were going to ride on the greenways, too. Turned out the husband had just lost his job, so things were a little tight for them. I think they were planning to ride together (he already had a bike). Presently the women took their bike and headed to the front of the store to check out. They said their goodbyes to me, the couple and Mike. It was all very cordial and it was obvious that they had talked a lot with the couple before I arrived.

Mike asked me if I wanted a different kind of bike and I said no. I was going to stick with what worked. “Let me finish up with them, and I’ll be right with you.” “No problem,” I replied. He adjusted the seat and the handlebars, explained more of the bike’s features and completed the paperwork, all while the woman kept up a steady stream of questions. She was visibly excited about the purchase and looking forward to riding out on the trails. I was speaking with her husband about the greenways when we both noticed she had gone quiet. We turned and saw her staring at what looked like a gift card in her hand. She turned slowly to us and said, “Look at this. She left it for me.” It was a gift card, for $100. Her voice quavered and her eyes glistened as she read the message on the card. “God will provide.” I think the women left it in her purse but I’m not sure and it didn’t matter. She talked about how much the card would help, amazed at the women’s generosity. She kept rubbing her eyes, leaving tear streaks on her face. But she was absolutely glowing in the wonder of the moment. I’ve known Mike through Dick's for a couple of years and he seems pretty even-keeled. But even he could not stop smiling. We chatted for a few more minutes and the couple finally took their bike (and matching accessories) to check out. Mike and I completed our transaction (I chose another Diamondback Wildwood, a comfort bike…more on that in a later post). They’re going to take the water bottle holder and kick stand off my old bike and put it on the new one, which means I’ll come back and get it in a couple of days.  I drew quizzical looks from several other shoppers as I was leaving the store. I couldn’t figure out why until I realized I too was grinning from ear to ear.

Epilogue: I had one other stop to make that night after Dick's. We needed cereal and coffee, so I stopped at Target. The first person I noticed as I walked through the store was one of the women who had left the gift card at Dick's. We passed each other – she didn’t notice me because she was talking on her cell phone – and ended up checking out next to each other. I said hi and she smiled as she recognized me.

“They found what you left for them,” I said, that grin spreading back across my face. “That was very generous and thoughtful.” She thanked me, but I got the impression that she didn’t think it was as big a deal as I did. Come to think of it, that speaks well of her, too.

Epilogue part II: One other thing about the whole situation didn’t occur to me until I was in the car heading home. The man and the woman were white. The two women were black. I only mention that because this kind of thing doesn’t get mentioned often. It probably should, don’t you think?