10 Unexpectedly Cool Places I Remember Well

1. Sam Ash Music Center in Manhattan NYC

If you love playing music as much as me, or just love music history memorabilia, this is it.

2. Parasailing off the shore of Virginia Beach, Virginia

If you live here, you should do it at least once.  If you’re visiting, do it anyway.

3. The Smithsonian Institute Museum of ____ (just pick one)

Need I really say more?

4. Monk’s Cafe in Philadelphia

One of the best dining and beer experiences I’ve ever enjoyed.

5. Maymont Park in Richmond, Virginia

A fantastic park in the heart of Richmond near the James River.

6. Fall River Pass, Colorado

Thin air, clear view, excellent drive.

7. Saugatuck Dune Ride, near Saugatuck, Michigan

The dunes are amazing.  The dune buggy ride will blow your mind.  Saugatuck is like a mix of a college town, an entrepreneur haven and a relaxed summer home town all wrapped in one.

8. Prospect Hill Bed & Breakfast, near Charlottesville, Virginia

My wife and honeymooned there in 1988.  The place is amazing.  Worth every penny.

9. MacKay Island NWR, North Carolina

40 minutes drive from my house and I can’t get there enough.  Peace and quiet.  Nature left alone.  Fishing, flat-land hiking, kayaking or just bird watching.

10. The top floor of ____

The World Trade Center towers in NYC (RIP)

The Empire State Building, NYC

The Chrysler Building, NYC

The (former) Sears Tower, Chicago

The Statue of Liberty, NYC

The Washington Monument, DC

Follow-Up Comments on our MacKay Island Trip

I forgot to mention a few things about our trip last Saturday:

• The water levels were the highest I've ever seen them.  That was both inside and outside the lock system.  Even in the interior flood plane was filled in.  The canal along the main entrance road was up to the edge of the gravel roadway also.
• The large open field to the North of Knapp's old house location, which was the site of his 9-hole golf course, was recently mowed to a 6-inch height.  I have never seen that section of the island mowed before.  Not sure why that is.
• The main trail from the parking area near the fishing area, back to the split at the mid-point trail has been built up with multiple layers of dirt and gravel.  It is now about 3 or 4 feet higher than it was.  At the mid-point trail it drops back to the level it was, which is only a foot above the mean water level in the surrounding creeks.
• There are cylindrical crab cages in the creeks all around the island's outer waterways.  One of them had an animal trapped inside and was moving quite a bit, but we couldn't see the animal itself.  No idea why they have those positioned everywhere.  I would estimate somewhere between eight and ten overall.

Return to MacKay Island N.W.R.

It's been two years since the last time I hiked the entire perimeter of MacKay Island N.W.R. So today I drove down with my two oldest daughters, Rachel and Sarah, to hike it again. Rachel had never been there. Sarah was with me the last time I went, so both were eager to get out and see the land and the inhabitants.

To view more photos: Click Here

Information about MacKay Island NWR: Click Here

Status of Living Things: Vegetation near the main entrance is still waiting to spring back to life, however, from the first stop-gate on the vegetation is bright green and teeming with life. Turtles were in high abundance along the main driving trail. Mostly adults or half-grown. No babies. We counted at least thirty along a 100 yard distance, sitting on branches or logs in the water. The only insects we saw today were butterflies, a few "ground bugs", and a slight population of gnats and mosquitoes. The dear fly abundance was pretty low. Almost absent. Birds we saw were Bald Eagles (we counted six), a few Egrets, a bunch of white Cranes, two Grey Heron, plenty of red-wing blackbirds, and one very angry Osprey guarding her nest (which we accidentally turned a corner and happened upon). She screeched and swooped a few times but we moved on quickly. Unlike warmer months, there were absolutely NO snakes, spiders, lizards or centipedes.

For the first time ever, we saw a full-grown deer, eating out in the wet marsh. This was along the North trail, just East of the mid-point trail, off to the North. It was maybe 300 yards out but clearly visible. No way we could approach it, or it us. Too much water in between

The Eagles were full-grown and all were in flight. None were perched or near their nests. They were all in a general area swarming in circles near the forest, which covers the middle section of the Reserve.

MacKay Island is part of Knott's Island, which is just at the edge of the North Carolina border with Virginia to the East.  From my house in Virginia Beach, it's about a 40 minute drive.  We hiked the outer of both the "MacKay Island Trail" and the "Live Oak Point Trail", which we call the "outer loop trail" which is roughly nine (9) miles in all, sort of.  We meander off the trail while at the point where Knapp's house was, so we add some distance to the trip.

The girls and I made the full perimeter in good time. Only stopping to take pictures in a few spots, and moving on. Thankfully I packed enough crap in my backpack to cover us the whole time and in the 90 degree heat. There was a good breeze around the North trail and the tip of the island (where Joseph Knapp's house once stood). The trip back along the South trail was a dead heat with no breeze and where we encountered the most gnats. All told, we had a great time and my girls thanked me for making the trip.