Mikaela Martinez Dettinger - The Noland Trail as a Mixer

 After reading chapter 20 in Eisenberg, I have begun to look for dividers and mixers everywhere. Looking to see where maybe Mountain and Tower, nature and civilization, meet in my daily life. The best example I have found is the Noland Trail. As a nature preserve and park, the Noland offers a variety of wildlife to view and interact with. Any day walking on the Noland one can see deer, herons, osprey, turtles, fish, and many kinds of birds. It is clear when walking on the Noland that one is in nature. At the same time, however, the Noland also holds within it signs of the Tower. The flattened pathways paved with sand, the bridges and overlooks, and even Warwick Boulevard, visible from one of the bridges, are all reminders that this place has been changed by civilization. The mixing here of Mountain and Tower offers me an almost Arcadia-like experience. On the Noland, there are no responsibilities but to just be in nature (unless you count remembering to stay on the right and dodging excited toddlers responsibility). Though it allows me to experience nature in this way, it is also like Arcadia in that it is balanced with my own comfort. I seldom have to worry about coming across dangerous wildlife or loosing my way thanks to the paths created for me. 

The Noland is a mixer in another way too. Because it is one of the handful fo natural areas in Newport News, it is often teeming with people from all over the area. This is not necessarily a mixing of mountain and tower in itself, but the people who flock to the nature preserve are an aspect of the tower that can be found within the mountain of the Noland. It is also a mixing in its own way. People who would not normally encounter each other can all be found together enjoying what the nature of the Noland has to offer. In this sense, the Noland is always a new experience. The nature is always changing and the people are always new. The Noland Trail is a mixer in more ways than one, and it should be valued more because of it. 

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