We passed Rockingham Dragway, NC and stopped to check it out. They were having an event and unfortunately it cost $25/person to get in. Too expensive for a quick stop in but it would have been cool to see a race or two.

https://www.rockinghamdragway.com/

Lunch from the salad bar at Harris Teeter, Aberdeen, NC. It was so fresh, lots of good options, definitely a good choice.

Southern Pines, NC has a lot of big horse farms so we took a short detour to drive by some of them. This looks like such a great place to live if you ride horses.

Raven Rock Loop, Raven Rock State Park, Lillington, NC, (2.6 miles, 272’ elevation). This trail with mountain laurels and trees and it smelled like flowers and new leaves. It lead to a set of stairs down to the river and along some pretty impressive cliffs. We then took Fish Trap Trail (1.8 mile total out and back, 216’ elevation). It was supposed to take us down to rapids and the ruins of an old lock and dam but the water was 8’ higher than usual, and moving pretty quickly, and the rapids and ruins were covered up completely. We sat on a rock at the end of the trail and a Zebra butterfly flew over and sat on Chris’s leg. It must have spent at least 10 minutes landing on his leg or shoe, flying around us and landing on him again. It even started following him back along the trail for a while. Earlier in the parking lot a bumblebee peed on Chis so we had 2 pretty unique experiences with insects today.

https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/raven-rock-state-park

7

difficulty: 4

After a great time in the woods we checked into Microtel Inn & Suites, Lillington, NC.

Price: $115/night