The Historic Occoneechee-Orange Speedway

On our visit to Hillsborough, NC, we were eager to

walk this unique trail for the first time.  The Occoneechee

Speedway was one of the original dirt tracks of NASCAR,

scene of racing action from 1948 to 1968.  At the end of

this post, enjoy a few vintage photos from those early days.

Some visionaries made sure this historic site was preserved
for the enjoyment of future generations.

A timeline of the track's history and a record of  winners over the years.

Many familiar names from my own childhood.

One of the straightaways on the one-mile oval track.

The rusty metal fence which kept non-paying folks from
sneaking a peek.

Signs mark the various sites to give you some historical perspective.

A vintage Dodge Polara.

A forest of trees have long since taken over the infield.

An original "outhouse".

The "fancy" stand for dignitaries, press, and announcers.

The cement bleachers.

Another old out-building.

Beyond the race track, part of a trail follows a portion
of the Eno River.

Big Bend was the final turn before the last straightaway.

Before we say goodbye to the old track, here are

some vintage photos I gathered from the internet.

As a Ford guy, Freddie Lorenzen was my pick.

Daddy had a '48 Ford, and there were no doubt some
of them in that inaugural racing season.

Compare this to the earlier photo of a forested infield we saw.

Things have changed, but at least enough is preserved
for visitors to imagine those glorious times.

Whether you're a racing fan or not, the trails

at the historic Occoneechee Speedway are

well worth spending some time on.  These

trails will eventually connect up to an

impressive network of other nearby trails.

Highlights of Hillsborough: The Inn at Teardrops

This is the first of four posts about our recent whirl

through lovely, historic Hilllsborough.  We've spent

some time in and around the town before, but this

was our first overnight stay and we chose The Inn

at Teardrops.

This is the street view from King's Street.

From the back yard view you can see the solarium and the
ample, inviting porch.

Cool weather and lack of time prevented us from utilizing the
porch, but what a nice amenity it would be.

I'm not sure if the resident gargoyle was protecting us or
threatening us.  He proved harmless.

The spacious grounds also contained two separate cottages.

Our room, the Person Room, was named for General Thomas Person,
who served in the Revolutionary War and owned the house for a time.

From the website: "The Person Room  features a four poster canopy
 bed, two 18th century chests, an early Chinese altar table,
 original art and a mid 19th century armoire.
 There is a private bathroom with shower. 

The four guest rooms are all on the second floor.  With my new
improved knees that was not a problem.

The house was full of fine art and objets d'art.

The dining room was enormous.

Typical of many 18th century homes, the central hallway ran
from front porch to back porch.  Our House in the Horseshoe
was similarly designed.

There was a well-stocked library for our pleasure, but we barely
had time to read what we brought with us.

Jorge, our chef, delighted us with this palm tree display
of fresh fruit.

Because we were in a bed & breakfast, we had only

two additional meals while in town. The first was at

Vinny's Italian Grill, a local family-owned spot.

The service was excellent and the portions were

daunting!  I had the meatlover's calzone and I had

to leave a third of it untouched.  It was delicious, but

with our other meal plans, I couldn't take any with me.

Maybe I could have finished the calzone if I hadn't

simply HAD to order the homemade onion rings.

They were SO worth the sacrifice!

Judy got a half portion of lasagna plus a salad.

She helped me with the onion rings, and likewise,

couldn't finish her entree.

Due to our heavy lunch, we ate (relatively) light

at the hot bar/salad bar of Weaver Street Grocery

on Churton Street, Hillsborough.  Between the two 

of us, I believe we tried eight different items.

The Inn at Teardrops was a comfortable, quiet base

for our brief stay.  Our main agenda was to do some

hiking and a little thrift shopping.  Three additional

posts will tell you more about that.

Two Responses

Last Sunday, my pastor pointed out that being confronted with the gospel of Jesus Christ can lead to either the softening OR the hardening of men’s hearts.  In my reading in the book of Matthew today, I saw this portrayed in stunning fashion.

In Matthew 8, Jesus and His disciples arrived in the region of the Gadarenes, where Jesus drove out demons from two demon-possessed men.  The demons begged Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs, which then rushed down a steep bank into a lake and were drowned.  The sheep tenders reported this in the nearby town.  “Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus  And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.”  That’s the response of the hardened heart.

In Matthew 14, the very day after Jesus had miraculously fed a crowd of at least 5,000, He and His disciples came to Gennesaret. Verses 35 and 36 tell us: “And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged to him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.” What a contrast to the response of the Gadarenes!

I believe an encounter with Jesus always demands a response.  Some may say, “I don’t believe in miracles, or demons, or faith healing.” But at some point in our lives, the question is not so much what we DON’T believe, it’s what we DO believe in.  Joshua put it so well: “Choose you this day whom you will serve. . . .  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”