Hiking Amidst Gunfire

Today was super exciting, no snowmen sightings but I did se my first cottonfield! I almost got out of the car to pick some, they were already picked over with little left, but I was on a very fast highway and felt it wasn't safe. Once I got to the state nature preserve Weymouth Woods I went out for a hike. I was out for a couple hours, really early so there was no one around and the birds were everywhere...very cool. When I first started on the trail I heard this loud, "rat tat tat tat rattattattattattat......GAAAAAAAAABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM GABOOOOM GABOOM G'BOOM GAAAAAAAABOOOOOOOOOOOM....SHREEEEEEEEEEIK!"

As some of you remember I'm in Fayetteville, which is host to one of the largest active installments of the army in the US. Well, on the other side of this base is Weymouth Woods and apparently the army only aims their artillary towards them and not Fayetteville. So as I hiked through this truly serine place, large amounts of artillary, semi-automatic weapons and jet fighters "training" nearby. It was such a crazy mix. I've been at parks where the highways have too close and you can easily hear the traffic, but military amunition was simply nuts. The woman at the front desk said you get used to it and that once someone complained and some of the local residents said that, "...it was the sound of freedom and we should stop complaining."

To make a long day short, I then went on a scavenger hunt of city, county and state parks trying to find some work, volunteer spots and to make some contacts. It was very successful. I was offered a seasonal down here starting in June and made some great contacts. Tomorrow I am heading to the transportation museum that is not yet opened and will be helping them. Saturday we are going to another state park about two hours away and on Monday I'll be heading to the Botanical Gardens to do some more of what took place today.

More and more I feel that this is turning into a chat room between Luke and I. I wonder if Tim and Jenn ever read this anymore.