DER ADLER
by Don JanesDay 1 - 98/01/16 - Elizabeth City North Carolina - Mileage 223
It is great to be back on the road again after staying home for two weeks. The weather is lousy as it drizzled a bit from the time we left home until we reach Newport News Virginia and then it started raining seriously with a little thunder and lightning to be seen and heard. Even with the windshield wipers turned up all the way visibility was severely restricted and of course this is at dusk and then darkness. It was the middle of rush hour and everyone was in a hurry to either get home or go to the corner bar and it was hectic. However we made it to the south side of Norfolk and off the Interstate without mishap. We left home at 1500 and arrived here four hours later so we made fairly good time despite the weather. It isn't fast by European standards but considering Tiny's size and the heavy traffic we did well.
Last weekend we went to my father's house to see what he had done to his e-mail. I am so delighted that at his age he is still capable of using the darn fool computer that I do not object too awful much except for show. I cannot allow myself to seem to willing as he might find more for me to do.
My own problems with senility seemed to have been sleeping this afternoon and I brought the digital camera charger with me this time. With my luck the weather will not be conducive for picture taking. Hopefully this will allow me to take more pictures as we tour down the Outer Banks. This is a first for me as I have never driven down the coast here. I have taken a boat down but many miles offshore as the current is treacherous and the area is hazardous for shipping. There are many shipwrecks to be seen so I am told.
I hope the weather clears tomorrow but at least there isn't any snow or ice. The northeastern United States has been deluged with snow and ice and we had a weather alert in the D.C. area but nothing really happened other than sleet for a while one morning. While I do not find ice that difficult I fear the other driver who still drives at ninety miles an hour without his brain fully engaged. We have a very ambitious schedule for the weekend that we will probably not complete and will require another trip back to North Carolina to do all the volksmarches. What a punishment!
Day 2 - 98/01/17 - Morehead City North Carolina - Mileage 157 - Cumulative 370
No much distance today by road, add a bit for ferry rides but still not much overall. However, we had great walks and fantastic scenery the entire trip. The weather was light overcast all day but at least it was not raining. Right now we are parked directly on the sound less than fifty feet from the water and can hear the water lapping against the wall. It is quiet to the point where Mimi says that it is spooky.
Our first walk was in Elizabeth City. We had no problem in finding the start point and there was adequate parking for "Tiny." To my great delight the start point was a delightful café and the proprietress is a bubbly warm and friendly person who just makes the day brighter with her presence. I wish there were more people like her or am I just too cynical in that I have worked at the Pentagon for too long. She makes great coffee as well and I do forgive her for offering flavored creamers.
Most of the outbound trail was along the Pasquotank River which is lined with boats. Elizabeth City is where the first Moth class sailboat was designed and there are several to be seen. It is a figure eight trail with the check point at the Café. The second part was all within the town and that is not half as pleasurable as the waterfront. I was watching one fisherman under the Route 158 bridge and he seemed to be catching a fish every time he cast his lure into the water. I don't know what kind of fish they were but from the distance I was they seemed to be over a foot long.
From there it was out to the Outer Banks and North to Corolla at the upper end of the banks. The only method of going further north is via four wheel drive vehicles which Tiny is definitely not. I wanted to take a picture of the Currituck Lighthouse but it was too dark and the flash of course is not adequate for something like that. The road was covered with water several places as the rain from the deluge last night but it didn't bother us at all.
The hike at Corolla I am sure will be one of the best hikes of the weekend. The start point is a realtor's office but there is public parking adequate for "Tiny" close by. Most of the trail is natural and has views of both the ocean and the sound. On the ocean side there is a sign stating that whales are frequently seen as are dolphins. We watched for a while but didn't notice any. We were disappointed but we can't have everything our way. On the sound side of the island is the lighthouse that can be visited. We didn't take the opportunity as we were anxious to get on with the walk and get closer to the birds that could be seen at the end of a boardwalk jutting out to the water. Had the weather been better, it would have been virtually a perfect walk. I am sure it is a hike that we will repeat every time we have the opportunity.
From Corolla we backtracked to where is crossed over to the Outer Banks and then down the chain of islands. We stopped at Kitty Hawk to see the Wright's boys place; it is amazing the progress that has been made since Orville and Wilbur first scooted down that hill. Nowadays the wing span on certain airplanes is almost as long as the distance of the first flight. There is a long list of famous names along that trail; Nag's Head, Kill Devil and Pea Island being just a few. Pea Island is a National Seashore with little or no development for many miles. Most of the Outer Banks are no more than a thousand yards wide and much narrower in some places. Much time and money have been spent to assure that the dunes are not disturbed and the wildlife chased away. In those areas where development has been allowed it is covered with rental property which all looks like it was thrown together from drift wood along with the leftovers from other construction sites and the architect was attempting to design a Nantucket house while under the influence of a significant quantity of alcohol.
We stopped at one vantage point to walk out to the surf and see the remains of the Laura Barnes, a sailing ship that washed up in the early 20th Century. The ocean was at high tide and the surf relatively high so we had to be carefully or get wet shoes. There are miles and miles of the beach open to four wheel drive vehicles but I suspect this is not the season for it. We stopped in Buxton for the third and last hike of the day which is located in and around the Cape Hatteras area.
The Cape Hatteras Walk is great! Most of it was a nature trail and a good portion on or close to the ocean. There are abundant deer in the area and look to be white tails and fairly small. There is a small cemetery aptly called the British Cemetery that has its own interesting story I suspect. I wasn't paying attention to the map and walked by the visitors' center at the light house. Naturally this was a check point. It isn't the first time and probably will not be the last check point that I miss. After completing the hike it was off for lunch just south as we headed for the ferry to Ocracoke on the south end of Hatteras Island.
We waited only thirty minutes for the ferry and took a smooth cruise for forty minutes to Ocracoke where my father has gone camping every summer for years. As far as the crow flies it is a short trip but the channel winds around almost in circles so it takes much longer. We did see dolphins playing near the ferry and that made the trip worthwhile by itself. We also saw pelicans winging by in their unique effortless style of flying. While many birds fly in formations, most use a wing or echelon formation while pelicans delight in playing "follow the leader." One can almost hear them saying "Simon says." Except for the very southern tip there is not development at all and the entire island is well maintained by the Park Service.
We had to hustle to catch the ferry to Cedar Island to the south or stay on the island overnight. We were the last vehicle to get on board and I think they waited for us while we purchased our ticket. The ferry took two and half hours but it is in mostly protected water so it was very smooth. Mimi was somewhat concerned about what would happen if it was rough but she was concerned for nothing. Mimi cooked dinner while we were under way and the seagulls were right by the windows looking in. Gosh they are noisy.
After disembarking from the ferry it was only thirty minutes to Morehead City and rest. Out on the islands we paid $1.30 a gallon for gasoline. Back on the mainland it was $.98 a gallon which is a big difference. It is the first time I have seen gasoline that inexpensive in a long time. We are stopped in the Visitor's Center parking lot that seems to be the tryst spot for many people.
Day 3 - 98/01/18 - Fayetteville North Carolina - Mileage - 417 - Cumulative - 787
Another great day. The sky was deep blue all day, the temperature was more than 70 and all was right with the world. One could not ask for better hiking conditions. We woke early and watched the fishermen got out to sea in sailing ships and cockle shells. I saw some weirdly shaped boats go out and I guess they are all seaworthy even if they looked strange. There was a barge tow that went by with a motley collection of things being dragged behind it including a dredge pipe that must have been half a mile long. It was fascinating just to see what has been going on. Of course it helped to be in the warm Rv sipping well-laced coffee to see but such is the life of the jaded Washington bureaucrat.
The hike in Morehead City was much to our liking, plenty of water to look at. It took much longer than I would expect only because we stopped so often to watch the events as they unfolded. I could do without the city streets of course but we loved the wharf area and even purchased fish for the day's meal. We enjoy seafood and did wind up with American style sushi for lunch afterwards. I think we could have spent most of the day in that area had we not somewhat of a goal to achieve. We did collect housing information as final retirement is coming.
It was only a short drive to New Bern and the hike there. The highway is there are familiar names like Cherry Point along the way. We stopped to get propane for Tiny who has a voracious appetite when it is cold and of course which just flows through. It helped that we paid less than a dollar a gallon this time.
Downtown New Bern was dead, virtually no traffic at all other than police cars. We must have seven a dozen in just the short distance from the highway to the center of town. We managed to get mildly confused with the directions but still found the visitor center. During the week the parking could have been a problem.
The hike was another great one with plenty of waterfront to wander around and dream about owning one of the yachts to be seen. The city is very old and the renovations are very good. The Tyron Palace, the former governor's mansion has been restored and looks very much like many manor houses in Europe. While this isn't the best time of year for sightseeing the views, I found here good. New Bern is located at the junction of the Trent and Neuse River and I suspect at one time sailing ships had access to the sea from there. To be seen in the area are expansive cotton fields and the pine forests must have supplied much of the requirements of the early English naval ships and certainly during the Civil War. Looking at some of the historical markers, it appears that some action took place during the Revolutionary War as well. The only negatives I have of New Bern are their traffic lights. They have the worst synchronization I have experienced in a long time. I think I missed only one light in twenty miles or so it seemed.
The drive to Wilmington was interested in that I think it reflected that area on North Carolina and just how undeveloped it is. I would think the per capita income is low compared to other areas we have visited. Other than the small area close to Camp Lejuene the highway is two lane and not the greatest for driving. The directions to the start point get confusing as the map refers to "Business" and the street signs are marked "Bypass." Only after we were in the wrong lane did, I spot "Business" and fortunately not many people will argue with a RV when it wants to make a course modification from the wrong lane.
The hike is long on city streets, short on scenery but still attractive. The downtown area abounds in good restaurants and in the one we stopped at I expected Scarlet(1) to jump out of the woodwork at anytime. I am no substitute for Rhett(2) but I noticed that we were getting admired by others. It must have been my vibrant personality dominating the atmosphere or it could be that we were both dressed for hiking rather than riding habit. White gloves and hats are all the rage here and I would suspect the Jones's to keep up with are all located in Charleston(3) south of there. The town reeks of old money. The weather was pleasant and the temperature mild so it was a great walk even if most was asphalt.
We headed north to Clinton North Carolina to leave a computer for a long time friend of mine and then on to Fayetteville to spend the night with friends. On the route up we were stopped as some movie was shooting on the highway and had traffic blocked. This took about an hour before we were allowed to proceed via one way traffic. We could see the shooting site but had no idea what it was about. The region is all flat land and scrub pine and is all privately owned. There are few signs of human habitation other than occasional trailer homes or very old small wood houses all looking as if they would fall apart at any time.
Fayetteville is a town that grew only because of presence of Fort Bragg(4) and Pope Air Force Base. There is no logic to the way it is laid out and is very confusing to find where you are going. I haven't been to the downtown area but every major road is lined with strip malls from one end to another. All geared to separate the military from their money. As usual we managed to become confused and made some interesting detours before we finally found our friend's home. This is the first time we drove into the town during daylight hours and I suspect we will have less trouble the next time.
Sunday night we had a great Korean dinner, our friend is a fantastic cook and I reflected this the next morning. As usual I ate too much and the kimchi was probably detectable twenty meters away. The heater on the RV decided to act up again but fortunately it wasn't that cold and we slept comfortably. We should have brought our electric heater with us but I had forgotten - I paid for it.
Day 4 - 98/01/19 - Home - Mileage - 297 - Cumulative - 1080
It started raining in the middle of the night and since I had parked the RV under the eaves of the house the rain sounded as if I had parked under Niagra Falls. It was noisy if nothing else. Without any heat it was chilly so it was a fast dash to the house for warmth and morning coffee. We left on schedule at 0900 and directly into a snow storm. While it was very wet snow and was not a major threat it did stick to the windshield wipers and had to be melted off. As to be expected there were a few drivers who hadn't believed Mother Nature was attempting to tell them something and they would up in the ditches along the Interstate. The snow stopped once we crossed into Virginia and didn't see any more the remainder of the trip. I did take a practice nap for about an hour but we were still home before it was dark so we were able to put things away and prepare ourselves for the week.
It was a great trip, the first time we had been on the Outer Banks and I know we will return. It so is different than the lifestyle here in the D. C. area.
We hope all is right with you and yours and that we hear from you all shortly.
1. Scarlet was a character in "Gone with the Wind", a Civil War epic
2. Rhett Butler - same as above
3. The seat of Southern aristocracy according to them - a relic of pre Civil War mentality. There are 3 cities that compete, Wilmington, Charleston and Savannah
4. Home of the 82nd Airborne Division and the Special Warfare Center - Special Forces
Virginia Tidewater
Manassas and Gettysburg
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