We’ve received reports of late that the American Tobacco Trail from Massey Chapel Road in Durham south to New Hill was passable. Not “open,” mind you, but “passable.” Based on a scouting trip this morning, it’s true — if you can bunnyhop moving bulldozers.

Congrats to Camille Warren for correctly guessing that last week’s Where in the Triangle? photo (right) was taken at the boat launch at the Beaverdam section of Falls Lake. And yes, for the record, Camille was playing with a stacked deck as president of the Carolina Kayak Club; to the folks who make things happen for the rest of us go the spoils (in this case, a prize pack from Great Outdoor Provision Co. and TIONC). On to this week’s photo ...

It’s the last weekend before school starts for lots of kids in the region, best make the most of it. In fact, why wait until Saturday? Why not start Friday night?

Friday night

Crowder at Night
Night hike
Crowder District Park, Apex
8-9:30 p.m.
Ever wonder who’s behind all those weird noises you hear on a summer eve? Tag along with a naturalist at Crowder District Park and find what the nocturnal side of the natural world is up do. $5 per family, $3 individuals. Meet at the park’s Heron Shelter. 662-2850 for more.

Saturday

The first little voice I heard when I saw the big orange sign was that of Joe Godfrey. “The whole trail is still closed for construction,” I could here him say like it was yesterday. In fact, it had only been about an hour earlier.

Joe is a parks planner with the Town of Cary, and he’s overseeing construction of the 4.67-mile Chatham County section of the American Tobacco Trail. (Long and uninteresting story about why Cary, a town in Wake County, is overseeing construction of a project in neighboring Chatham County. It’s a bureaucratic thing.) Over the past couple weeks I’d been hearing reports that this key stretch of the trail was done, or at least was darn close. I’m not one to wait around for grand openings, so I called Joe for the straight dope.

Wondering whether you should sacrifice some time in the woods this tax-free weekend for some time in the mall?

Yes, once again it’s the that bewitching time in North Carolina between 12:01 a.m. on the first Friday in August (today) and 11:59 p.m. the ensuing Sunday when certain items deemed essential for school are exempt from the state sales tax (which, with combined with the local tax is 6.75 percent hereabouts). We won’t go through the entire list of eligible items here (you can see it here); That would only raise questions such as, “Why do ‘wedding apparel’ and ‘formal wear’ qualify, and what do they have to do with school, especially in 2009 when ‘formal wear’ to some young men constitutes a belt on their pants hanging mid-moon?” Sometimes, though, you discover a possibly legitimate reason behind the inclusion of a seemingly envelope-pushing item.