Monkey Album (Year of the Code Monkey)

Stone Mountain State Park

Jonah — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:56:38 -0700

Stone Mountain state park, located near Traphill, North Carolina, is among the most scenic parks in the state. The summit of the mountain offers fantastic views of the surrounding countryside, and makes for a great day trip.

Jones Lake State Park

Jonah — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:13:48 -0800

Jones Lake state park, located near Elizabethtown, provides visitors with a fine example of a Carolina Bay, a natural feature that has mysterious origins. The park has terrific hiking opportunities, including a 4-mile trail around the lake.

Singletary Lake State Park

Jonah — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:28:25 -0800

Singletary Lake, located just outside of Elizabethtown, is a unique park in the North Carolina state park system. The park is only open to groups for group camping purposes, and is therefore not typically open to the public.

Morrow Mountain State Park

Jonah — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 08:37:59 -0800

Morrow Mountain state park is located near Albemarle, North Carolina, just across the Yadkin and Pee-Dee rivers from Uwharrie National Forest. This park offers scenic vistas of the surrounding landscape, and some great hiking and paddling opportunities.

NC Zoo in 50mm

Jonah — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 06:21:02 -0700

For my birthday this year, my family, girlfriend, and I went to the North Carolina zoo. I took along a new 50mm prime lens that I got for my birthday, and this short photo series is the result. I still have a lot to learn about this lens!

Fort Macon State Park

Jonah — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:56:13 -0700

At the end of September, my girlfriend and I visited Fort Macon state park. Located on the coast of North Carolina, Fort Macon is one of North Carolina's most visited parks. The fort served during a number of wars, and is most famous for the action it saw during the American Civil War.

Gardens of Greensboro

Jonah — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 17:43:11 -0700

Back in May, my parents and I visited a couple of the public gardens in the Greensboro area. We started out at the Greensboro Arboretum, then visited the Bog Garden at Benjamin Park (which was a very unique attraction). I recommend visiting both if you're in the area. The arboretum is a particularly nice place to walk, though be warned that parking there is tough.

Dismal Swamp State Park

Jonah — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:31:50 -0700

Located on the Virginia-North Carolina border, Dismal Swamp State Park is one of the more unique parks in the North Carolina state park system. Though the park encompasses a swampy area, the majority of the trails are sandy roads, offering excellent hiking and biking opportunities. I rented a bike from the park office, and recommend this as a way to see the whole park (the trails are too long to simply hike).

Chinqua Penn Plantation

Jonah — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:20:39 -0700

Back in August of 2011, my family and I visited Chinqua Penn plantation. Unfortunately, the site is now closed to visitors. Between April 25 and April 26, 2012, the entire contents of the house were auctioned in a bankruptcy estate sale. The owner had amassed a great deal of debt, and has been charged with misappropriation of nearly $8 million in funds from the cigarette company he owns. He also faces charges for unlawful trafficking of cigarettes, and may face jail time (see this story for more).

Falls Lake State Recreation Area

Jonah — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:22:36 -0700

Photos from a short visit to Falls Lake. Living only a half-hour or so from this park, it's sad that I hadn't been here before.