A wonderful restored forest area (through natural succession), it was worn-out cotton and corn fields back in the 1930's, when the federal government (in the US) provided buyouts to farmers. The lake was used for bombing practice during World War II, but is peaceful today.
The upper loop seems like you're in the mountains -- there's mountain laurel, rhododendron, beech, and a diversity of hardwoods.
I spent the afternoon digging in my (satellite) vegetable garden, adding composted manure, compost, etc. and then went to a sustainability forum on campus. How encouraging and what a nice way to spend a day.
I was on one of my 5 furlough days for this spring (my employer HAS to balance the budget), but this was a delight. I hope the rest of my 'off' days are so productive!
