Discovering the Eno River

There is so much discover in North Carolina, it doesn't take me long to realize that I've barely scratched the surface even after living here for the past decade.

This past holiday weekend, my son Teddy and I joined his Cub Scout pack for an overnight camping trip on the Eno River in Durham.

That picture is him on a footbridge we had to walk over to get to the group campsite.  There is a sign on the far side of the bridge that states "The water rose to the level of this sign during Hurricane Fran in 1996".  (Wow.)

The group camping site we selected was terrific - secluded from other campites with wonderful privacy and designated areas that made tent set-up a piece of cake.  There was great fishing in the river - many a Scout caught their first fish - and hiking trails abound.  Of course there was hot dog and s'more cooking on the campfire and ghost stories and flashlight tag before bed.

Great memories will remain a lifetime and I encourage you to check out the Eno River for your next camping excursion!

Foster
Radio 96.1

Star Trek Into Darkness Review

The first thing that came to mind at the conclusion of the Radio 96.1 premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness Wednesday night was: the new Star Wars movies are going to be epic.

Director JJ Abrams, thanks to his brilliant work on TV shows like Alias, Lost, and Fringe and the inspired reboot of the Star Trek franchise, has been handed the keys to the next wave of Star Wars films - the first of which is scheduled for release in 2015.  The mastery of Abrams as it relates to Star Trek is how he has been able to bring a franchise specifically geared towards sci-fi fanatics to the masses.  That's what you heard about 2009's Star Trek - that even non-Trekkies loved it (myself included).

As the title suggests, this is a darker trip into Starfleet, as the crew of the Enterprise is asked to respond to a vicious act of terror by going after the villian.  Along the way, and what makes the new Star Trek movies so accessible, is how deeply the script dives into the characters.  Who is this villian, really? (Hold on to your seat at the 75 minute mark).

What's in those torpedoes and why are there 72 of them?

We once again are introduced to intimate details of Captain Kirk's struggle with overconfidence and the inability to follow rules and watch as he is forced to find a balance of both.  The budding love story between Spock and Uhura is a delightful minor storyline, as human Uhura gets frustrated with Vulcan Spock's inability to show emotion.

The action never lets up - whether it's Uhura's tense scene trying to avert a war with the Klingons, Kirk attempting to save Spock from a volcano, or the many battle sequences in space.

But the story that drives the engine of Star Trek Into Darkness is the relationship between Kirk and Spock, played to perfection by Christopher Pine and Zachary Quinto.  Bonds that will never be broken are formed in this film and there are countless twists along the way that lead to that pinnacle.  Karl Urban's "Bones" and Simon Pegg's "Scotty" are particularly great supporting roles.

Star Trek Into Darkness is blockbuster movie making at it's best - a superb effort in every way.

Foster
Radio 96.1

Three Bears Acres Park Review

When you have small kids (mine are 9 and 7), any opportunity to keep them entertained and worn out for a few hours is a good opportunity.  On Mothers Day, my family visited Three Bears Acres in Creedmoor for the first time.

I spend most of my time south of I-540, but I love when you drive just a  few minutes north of it you are in full on country mode.  Nestled in the woods next to a lake on a 50 acre farm is a fairly new park called Three Bears Acres.

When you first arrive, your kids will bolt for the jumping pillow, a giant inflatable on which you can bounce very, very high (parents should do it too!).  Next to that is a painting wall and a mud kitchen.  A short walk brings you to a sling shot area where kids load tennis balls into sling shots and fire them at ACC team flags. (Parents - you'll want to play too.  State fan?  Load your tennis ball and sling at Carolina!) Next to the sling shot are three archery targets.

When you walk to the side of the park closest to the lake, first stop is the 300-foot toboggan run (made to look like snow and a non-working chair lift hanging from a tree serves as a bench but is perfect for effect.

The sleds don't go terribly fast, but no worries.  My kids still wanted to ride over and over.

The treehouse is very big and there is a swing underneath that everyone will want to take a turn on.

Behind the treehouse are paddleboats and a walk over a bridge and across the lake will take you to the fire pit, where you can roast marshmallows and make s'mores! $3 buys you enough chocolate, crackers, and marshmallows for three s'mores.

We spent nearly 4 hours at Three Bears Acres and it went very quickly.  The kids already want to go back, which has me thinking about a season pass.  

Three Bears Acres is a great idea on an amusement park twist.

Foster

Radio 96.1

Rush Concert Review

At this point in their careers, Rush can do pretty much whatever they want....and they do.

They've done the greatest hits tour.  They played "Moving Pictures" in its entirety on the tour that stopped in Greensboro a couple years ago.  So on the "Clockwork Angels Tour" stop that visited PNC Arena Friday night, the band had no problem playing a slew of songs from the terrific new album and saving the hits for the end.  But it was a risky play.

There was much to love about the show.  The massive video screen was so high def and impressive, you couldn't help but stare up at it despite the face that the band (the real thing!) was there on the stage to watch.  There was a string section in the second set that played with terrific precision and energy and worked well with the new material and naturally you had the obligatory mind numbing drum solos from Neil Peart.

That being said, the band lost the crowd for some time.  When they finally tore into "YYZ" nearly three - yes, three - hours into the show, it was like the audience had woken from a deep slumber and was once again ready to party.  Firing right from that into "Spirit of Radio" created bedlam.

Upon the show's conclusion with "Tom Sawyer" and the entire "2112" Overture, it was easy to look back on the show with both awesomeness and confusion.  Awesomeness because this band that has been at it for over 40 years sounds better than ever.  Confusion because, while the new material really did sound terrific, there needs to be a balance struck between trying out new things you're excited about and giving people that paid top dollar to see you what they came for.  The new tracks should have been interspersed with a hit every now and then to keep the crowd's energy up.

When it was all said and done, it was crazy to think  - after a 3 1/2 hour show - about the songs not played, including "Limelight", "Fly By Night", "Freewill", "Closer To The Heart", "New World Man", "Red Barchetta"....

Aside from an uneven setlist, Rush did score on the most important thing - a great performance.

Foster
Radio 96.1

*Alex Lifeson Photo courtesy of the News and Observer