Day 30--The Al Buehler Trail

The Al Buehler Cross Country Trail is a gravel running and walking course located around the perimeter of the Washington Duke Golf Course. Although not technically part of the Duke Forest, the trail is maintained by the Office of the Duke Forest as a service to the University and the Durham community.

The trail has a main loop that is 2.91 miles long, an exercise loop of .58 miles long and a connector of .11 miles thus making the trail a total of 3.6 miles long. A nice trail for a jog I'd say!

The trail is hilly and takes you over many streams and ponds by wooden bridges.

Day 29--Jimmy John's

Oh yes, this has become another favorite of mine. I have especially grown attached to the Pei Pei, which is made with real applewood smoked ham, provolone cheese and garnished with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. The Vito, made with genoa salami, provolone, capicola, onion, lettuce, tomato & a real tasty Italian vinaigrette, comes in a close second for me though.

Day 28--Trader Joe's

Another great grocery store our area has to offer is...


At Trader Joe's their shelves are stocked full of delicious foods and beverages from the basics like milk, bread and butter to more exotic fare like imported cheeses, organic produce and hand-tossed pizza from Italy. We especially like their pizza dough, Chicken Fried Rice, Mandarin Orange Chicken, edamames, and the fresh flowers.

Trader Joe’s is as much about value as they are about great food. In other words, they keep their costs low, cut out the middleman whenever possible and pass their savings on to the consumer in the form of terrific everyday prices. With that said it is fun to be adventurous without breaking the bank.

Day 27--Brixx

One of our favorite places to go and eat pizza is at Brixx in Meadowmont because the pizzas are wood fired and they offer outdoor seating. My favorite pizza use to be the greek pizza which had feta cheese, kalamata olives, and basil. Oh how i loved that pie, but for some reason they no longer have it on their menu so this last time I tried the artichoke pizza. It had basil pesto as the base and then was topped with roasted red peppers, artichokes and sun dried tomatoes.


It was good but I still like the greek pizza better. Another favorite has been the bbq chicken pizza which as you can see uses bbq sauce for it's base and then is topped with grilled chicken, red onion, and parmesan cheese.

Day 26--Maggiano's

Have I ever told you that I Love.Love.Love. Maggiano's? I am in love with their lobster ravioli and order it every time we go there. To me, it is a little piece of heaven, so rich, so creamy, and filled with large chunks of real lobster...Yum! Dan is obsessed with their baked ziti and always orders the full order to make sure he has some left over for lunch the next day. The wait is usually long on Friday and Saturday nights, usually 2 hours or more, so call ahead if you wanna be served before 9 p.m.

Day 25--Ted's

I am not a fan of meat oaf but when it comes to the meat loaf at Ted's Montana Grill I can honestly say that I like it. They make it with 100% bison meat and it is served along with garlic mashed potatoes and "Aunt Fannies" squash casserole. They also serve some of the best pickles while you wait for your meal.

If ya'll come on down, we'll take you to Ted's for the best darn bison meatloaf you ever did have!

Day 24--Rainbow

One thing that I have noticed about the weather down here is when it rains, it pours! And when it rains, the sun is usually still shining and we are left to marvel in the beauty of God's creation, a massive rainbow!! This rainbow was so bright and so expansive and it was even a double rainbow for some time.