An affordable escape With a sympathetic shrug, he answered
my question. “I don’t know either. I’m new here. Counting this one, there are
eleven different entrances.” With that, the young man in the booth handed me a
packet of information about the amenities at Lake Jordan.
To get there, I’d driven toward Raleigh on I-40 East. At
exit 274, I turned right and followed signs for ten miles.
“Those people just came back,” the young man told me. “That
must be a good sign.”
I agreed, so I handed him six dollars.
“Only four since you’re a senior,” he told me. “And you can
use your receipt at the other ten entrances.”
“Thanks,” I said, and meant it. Two minutes later, I hiked
from the parking lot about one hundred feet to the manmade beach. Slipping off
my shirt and sandals, I waded into the trout colored lake and its perfect
temperature. Aside from the missing salt in the water, it felt just like
Israel’s Mediterranean Sea.
For twenty minutes, I had the swimming area all to myself.
Far from me were powerboats so distant that their wake came to me as gentle
waves.
There were no lifeguards.
Alcoholic beverages were not allowed.
The area was clean. Changing rooms were near. Shade trees
were plentiful. There was no loud music. Picnic tables looked out on the shore.
I felt at peace. Had I been lucky? Had I happened on the
best entrance?
Finding out was a necessity. Less than a few miles later, I
was at the second entrance. All sorts of people were there; many spoke Spanish.
They seemed happy as I was to be there.
It was the same with the third entrance. That’s when I
stopped exploring. Knowing I would return, I rode to historical Pittsboro on my
way home. While there, I found a gift store on the old Main Street that was
open.
“Do you need a bag for that?” the clerk asked as I paid for
a copy of 1,000 Places To See Before You Die.
“No thanks,” I answered, wondering whether I’d find Jordan
Lake in my 1,000 Places book. If so, it would probably be under the section,
“Good places to find peace and quiet.”
Only 999 to go!
B. Koplen
7/29/12
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