June 1 -6, 2017 Thursday–Tuesday
Thursday, June 1: Today we visited Oriental, the Sailing Capital of North Carolina. Oriental was named after the Civil War Sailing Steamer Oriental and it is said that the number of boats in Oriental outnumber the number of residents by a ratio of 3 to 1. The heyday for Oriental was in the early 1900’s before the lumber industry went bust. Today’s population is less than a thousand, but in 1917 it was such a bustling town that it had the first motorized school bus service in North Carolina.
Leaving Oriental, we headed to Minnesott Beach, following Minnesott Beach Road, we expected a nice beach to walk on, what we received was a sign that said there was no beach access, with no access to the beach we returned to New Bern to watch the Golden State Warriors trounce the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 1 of the NBA playoffs; Warriors 113, Cavaliers 91.
Friday, June 2: This morning Rick replaced the impeller and I did laundry. In the afternoon, we went to Beaufort, NC (BOW-furd), not to be confused with Beaufort, SC (BEW-furd), the locals are very sensitive about the pronunciation. Beaufort, the third oldest city in North Carolina, was established in 1709. Approximately 150 of the restored historic homes bear plaques noting names of the town’s earliest known owners and dates of original construction.
In 1718, at the Beaufort Inlet, the pirate Blackbeard ran his flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge aground. The ship eventually sank to the bottom of the sea and was rediscovered in 1995. At the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, you can view artifacts from the ship.
In the afternoon we connected with Nell Wallenberg, a former colleague of Rick’s from the DoDEA Virtual School, who is now teaching in Moorhead City. We enjoyed dinner at The Ruddy Duck Tavern in Moorhead City and had a delightful time catching up and sharing new adventures.
Saturday, June 3: Our destination for today was Washington, NC, the first city named in honor of General George Washington, and commonly known as The Original Washington, or Little Washington. In March 1862 the civil war came to Washington and you can still see Picket, a Union ship jutting from the Tar River where it blew up on September 6, 1862.
For lunch, we went to a local restaurant were the special of the day was an “OTW Burger with a one of a kind blend of Certified Angus ground chuck, sirloin, and bacon” for $11.95. When Rick inquired about what else was on the OTW the waitress replied “nothing, it is just a burger and a bun.” Rick, “can you add cheese and dill pickles?” The waitress, “no we only have fried pickles.” This is not Burger King and you cannot have it your way. We left…
Sunday, June 4: We were all set to hike the Croatan National Forest, 160,000 acres on North Carolina’s coast when I read a review that said the forest was having an infestation of ticks. In Missouri, while searching for wildflowers with my niece Samantha, I discovered several of those creatures on my body, yuck! While hiking at Silver Glen Springs I also managed to let a few ride back to the boat on me, I’m so over hiking if I have to encounter one more tick. So, instead of hiking we decided just to drive through and check out the lakes. The dirt roads made going slow and just before we got to the lakes the road became impassable, very sad. Even though none of our original plans worked out it was a fun day and the forest was beautiful.
Monday, June 5: Today we enjoyed North Carolina’s Outer Banks, from Kitty Hawk to Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. It was the wind, sand, and lack of obstructions that brought the Wright brothers to Kitty Hawk to pursue their dream of flight. After four years of experimentation, December 17, 1903, the first flight took place at Kill Devil Hills just four miles south of Kitty Hawk. The museum was closed for renovation but walking to the top of the Wright Brother’s Memorial was well worth the trip. From Kill Devil Hills we continued south to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Bodie Island, and Pea Island Refuge Center.
On the mainland, we explored the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge hoping to spot one the famous North Carolina black bears, but no luck. We know they are there because they left lots evidence along the road, but the best we could do was a couple of bog turtles. When it is not tick season, I will be more willing to go hiking, then maybe I can spot a bear.
Pea Island Refuge Center and Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge are two of the twelve refuges on the Charles Kuralt Trail. We would love to come back some fall or spring and spend quality time exploring the entire trail. The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is also part of the trail and we had planned to take that route on the ICW, unfortunately, it is closed for the summer and we will have to take the North Carolina Cut route.
Tues, June 6: Finally, our engine parts arrived and Rick was able to continue servicing the engine. I spent the day working as the mechanic’s assistant, cook, housekeeper, and blogger.
