I had a couple hours to spare on my way to Virginia so I detoured to Occaneechee State Park. Situated on the northeast bank of Buggs Island Lake (formed by the John H. Kerr Dam in 1952), the park preserves over 400 years of human history.

At the time of first contact with Europeans in 1650, the Occoneechi* tribe had a thriving village on the bank of the Roanoke River. Sadly, as happened with many of the native populations, it did not end well for them.

Fast forward to 1839 when William Townes established his 3,100-acre Occoneechee Plantation. The acreage was dispersed between his relatives and some of his slaves after his death in 1876. In 1968, the state leased 2,690 acres from the Army Corps of Engineers to form the park.

Other than a few trucks and trailers down at the boat ramp, I didn’t see any people while I explored. But I wasn’t alone, I met a few interesting residents, the most colorful by far was the American Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus). Appropriately enough, juveniles are often referred to as Blue-tailed Skinks.

It was a relaxing place to stretch my legs, speaking of legs…

*There were various spellings of the tribe’s name historically.