1984 East Coast: Philadelphia (2/24/1984)

Friday, February 24, 1984

Left at 8:00 and found our way back to I-95. Kathy drove us north into Delaware, where we bypassed Wilmington on I-495. Once in Pennsylvania, we exited onto PA SR 291 taking us into Philadelphia. It was a nice sunny day. We drove up Broad Street with double parkers, cars parked in the middle, and potholes to dodge. Saw a corner newsstand with a sign “Honk for Service.” Turned down Pine Street to pass Antique Row, which turned out to be an area of small antique dealers. We ended up in the nicely maintained Society Hill neighborhood.

Society Hill

We headed towards the historic area to find a parking garage. We had to park on the roof, giving the car a view of the river and a blue suspension bridge. We walked down to 2nd Street where there was a square laid out with a marble block etched with a map of the Philadelphia downtown. We turned up Walnut Street past the historic mall and the historic buildings. We had both been here before and weren’t into History today. We turned right at the end of the mall, then left near Independence Hall on Chestnut Street to find the Benjamin Franklin Hotel, where Kathy had started her stint in the Peace Corps. The street was lined with modern shops and traffic was limited to buses on what was known as the Transitway. We found the hotel, but it was boarded up. Reminded me of Buffalo’s Statler Hilton Hotel. We had breakfast at the McDonald’s where she had the last supper of her Peace Crops crew before being shipped out. We continued down Chestnut Street. Kathy was in the mood for chocolate chip cookies, and behold, there was an Original Cookie Factory! We bought a half pound of mixed cookies, which turned out to be regular chocolate chip, chocolate chip with pecans, and mint chocolate chip cookies. Next we turned on 12th Street to Pine Street to check out the antique dealers. One pace had lovely quilts. As we continued down the street, we noticed the cars had yellow tags under the windshield wipers. They were warnings that they were illegally parked and ticketing would begin on 2/27. Some cars had 4-5 tags! We went over to Spruce Street and headed toward the river, looking for the “A Man Full of Trouble Tavern” (1759). We found it, but not where it was indicated on the map (it’s at 127 Spruce Street). It too was boarded up. We headed south, passing new condominiums. A peek inside showed 2-story ceilings and life-size trees in a couple of them. We worked our way over to the New Market. The Old (?) Market was an empty open arcade. But on either side were new trendy restaurants. To the left, behind the older buildings was a glass and chrome modern complex of shops – The New Market. We went to a few of the shops. Kathy bought a toy for her parents. It had a bear at a piano with hinged arms attached to strings on which hung a ball. Holding a handle, you swing the ball around to activate the arms to “play” the piano. We went into a total soap shop, and a shop of “Fun Things” (hey, hey, hey!). Then Kathy got a sports shop clerk to give her a long spiel on tents, before she took pamphlets and left.

We left and headed up 2nd Street, passing a square of unusual sculptures (man-legged owl, underendowed man, etc.).We saw a “Grand Opening” sign and went to see what it was about. A supermarket. We returned to the car and paid $3.25 for parking. Kathy drove as I navigated us along Market Street. We were in bumper to bumper traffic the whole way. Saw pin-striped businessmen, an old man with funky sunglasses, and a red-headed guy who was making better progress as a pedestrian. We crossed a bridge into a residential area, and were in four lanes of one way traffic. The lady to our left started coming into our lane, and Kathy had to speed up to get out of her way. I was very glad not to be driving. Finally we joined US 1 and drove west to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. There were a lot of cars there, but the huge parking lot was only a fraction full

We entered a low long modern building that somehow also looked European, and paid $4 each for admission.

Longwood Gardens ticket

We went through the gift shop to see they were also selling orchids! We walked out the back to enter the neatly manicured but barren garden grounds. It was winter, after all! We walked past sculpted hedges to the Conservatory. The entrance lobby was full of orchids. What an aroma! I already had to change my mind about not liking orchids! What a variety! We entered a main area laid out with acacia (yellow mimosa) trees, cyclamens, and I already forget what else!

Grafted tree

Azalea House Conservatory

Azaleas were just beginning to bloom. Next to this area was a ballroom, full of chairs as if set up for a conference. The next room really looked like a ballroom with a recessed floor, potted palms, and a surrounding balcony with chairs and lilies. The orchestra stand had snow cloud crabapple trees in full blossom. Another main room had bulb plants; narcissus and tulips, more azaleas, forget-me-nots, and some exotic plants, plus loads of cyclamen.

Cyclamens

These indoor gardens were absolutely beautiful. We started in the greenhouses. There was a room full of orchids; so many varieties from the beautiful to the ugly. Rooms of medicinal plants, fruit plants, and a tropical palm room. There was a topiary hallway, and an area of pottings. Another room of cacti, tropical plants, and roses.

Nepenthes sp/Pitcher Plant

Topiaries of Ficus pumila/Creeping Fig

Finally back to the main room where the dominant fragrance was freesia. We lingered a while, but then had to leave. It was about 16:00 when I drove us out of the parking lot. We took a winding road, SR 52, through beautiful back woods countryside, but the road was narrow! Red barns, ponds, woods, horse farms, stone buildings, etc. We finally reached US 202, which I recognized since we had taken it on our way down. Kathy then recognized it when she saw the helicopter with blades. We eventually got on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Northeast Extension. Kathy tried to get truck drivers to sound their horns.

It was dark when we joined I-81 in Scranton, PA. Just before leaving PA, we stopped for gas and dinner at McDonald’s. We arrived at Kathy’s apartment in Liverpool by 21:30. We had time to sort through our beachcombing finds, learn to quilt, try out a lip moisturizer, learn to mat photos, and check out woven baskets before falling into bed.

1984 East Coast: Savannah (2/23/1984)

Thursday, February 23, 1984

Lots of traffic noise woke us up early. The hotel offered a free breakfast of coffee and donuts, but we declined. We put on our winter jacket to explore Savannah. We set off down Bay Street, passing office warehouses reached by wrought-iron bridges, and passed the Hyatt Regency Hotel to arrive at City Hall. Near it was a plaque commemorating the arrival of James Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia. We turned down Bull Street, passing neat clean downtown and coming to one square after another, while the buildings became older. One square had the grave of the Indian Tomochichi, co-founder of Georgia. We stopped in a bank where Kathy cashed $40 in traveler’s cheques ($50 limit!) and needed to show her ID and get bank manager approval.

We passed Juliette Gordon Low’s (founder of the Girl Scouts of America) birthplace, and a church where Woodrow Wilson was married (in the manse).

Peek into garden of Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace

Chippewa Square with statue of James Oglethorpe

The next square had some neat houses around it, and the next had a beautiful manse next to a church. General Sheridan’s headquarters were located in that manse.

General Sherman's headquarters

Bike route sign

We passed Jones Street, noted for its historic houses, all brick with steps leading up to the second floor front door. We found a couple antique shops to peek in the windows, then went down Gordon Street past a synagogue in a Gothic building. Saw lots of wrought-iron balcony railings. Turned up Abercorn Street and noted that blue sky was trying to peek through the clouds. Fire engines sped by on a parallel street with no squares to negotiate around. On Harris Street we found the supposed best bookstore in all of Savannah, which had a small selection of titles. The squares had trees in bloom including magnolia and an unidentified one. Headed up Drayton St where TV crews were following up on the saloon fire that was now out. It smelled like a cedar fire. We wandered up to Bay Street and to Factor’s Walk down on the waterfront.

Factor's Walk

The Chart House

An old Norwegian whaling ship was docked there; private and still sailable.

Norwegian whaler's mast

We went to a crafts shop, then around the block past an electric generating plant to the hotel. I was reading a guy’s front license plate saying “Georgia Champs #1” and he raised a forefinger in greeting. Saw a train coming and heard loud jazz music; same source? An old black man was collecting beer cans.

We retrieved the car, and Kathy drove us out on SR 21 for our long drive north. It was 11:45 when we got on I-95. Passed through marshy countryside with loblolly pines, vultures, and an occasional hawk. We made a pit stop for us and the car. Behind the door of the restroom were racks of religious pamphlets. We saw blue jays and cardinals, not to mention hundreds of robins. Fireworks were advertised on billboards. Saw a sign for a La Creuset outlet. We arrived at South of the Border, a whole commercial area on the border between North and South Carolina. We had to get off to drive around! They had a motel, gas stations, restaurants, El Drugstore, ice cream shop, toy store, adult store, T-shirt shop, supermarket, etc. Anything you could possibly want! For miles before were billboards advertising South of the Border, with corny puns.

We entered North Carolina that has ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control?) Package Stores. We started seeing a lot of New York license plates. In the dark, a raccoon ran across the highway. We listened to a radio station with nice music, albeit religious. We stopped for gas and had dinner at Arby’s that had those genius games with pegs. When we left we jumped over the “crick,” which is how a father described a puddle to two tiny girls.

Back on I-95, we zipped through Virginia, bypassed DC, and entered Maryland. Went through a tunnel in Baltimore and ended up at Aberdeen that was supposed to have the cheapest hotels. We took a back road to find the AAA motel, but no vacancy! The next one down the road did have a vacancy, so we checked into the Tuckaway Motel that cost $28. The proprietress was German with a huge growling white dog. Our room had a living room with a refrigerator, a bathroom with shelf hooks, but no shelves, and a bedroom with a crooked ceiling tile that popped in when I opened the bathroom door. There was a missing drawer in the bureau, lopsided curtains, and a double and a single bed.

1984 East Coast: Charleston (2/22/1984)

Wednesday, February 22, 1984

We just had snacks for breakfast, since the pizza had become rancid. I drove us back into Charleston, passing a Piggly Wiggly supermarket we had seen all over the South. We crossed the Ashley River and headed down Lockwood Drive, passing deep sea fishing boats. It turned into Broad Street, a narrow street through the old town. Turned down King Street, but no parking. Followed a garbage truck east on Tradd Street. Finally on Bay Street we saw a ‘P’ sign and followed an alley to a parking lot. Saw purple crocuses. We walked over to Meeting Street on Queen Street. Queen Street was cobblestoned with gas street lamps, and neat old houses.

Queen Street

From Meeting Street, we went into a cemetery, St Michael’s Churchyard, to see really old tombstones, and a really beautiful engraved slate one.

Slate tombstone

We also found the tombstone of Charles Pinckney, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
We saw buildings with wrought-iron balconies.

Dock Street Theater

Rainbow Row

There were black women on corners weaving baskets from sweetgrass and selling flowers. Down a side street we passed colonial brick homes. There was a large black dog pacing outside an iron fence, and inside the fence was a blonde dog. A Kathy petted the blonde dog, the black dog came up to lick her. “Oh!” Kathy said, “True love!” But she didn’t see what the male black dog was doing! Once she did, she was glad that no one overheard her remark!

We turned up King Street and stopped in several antique stores. One shop had a cute little old lady proprietress. There was a photo of her with a gun across her lap, labeled as “Salesperson of the Month.” We walked up to Market Street and over through the Market that had boutiques and a bakery where we had breakfast. I had a cream puff and coughed when I breathed in all the confectioner’s sugar. We continued to the open stands area of the market, with lots more of the basket weaving items. A horse-drawn carriage full of tourists went by. One area of the market was for fresh produce. We went to an antiques barn, passing a Belgian chocolate shop and Haagen Dazs ice cream shop. Later we went to a group of eateries in a plaza of sorts for subs. As we waited, we saw a lot of sailors in the place. There is a naval base nearby. A fish store proclaimed their fish spent last night in the sea! We walked down State Street, passing a bus “trolley” full of tourists. Down a side street we saw a lone horse tied up by a mini-mart store. He was relieving himself next to the ventilator.

We returned to the car and drove off after paying $1.40. We headed down US 17 again. Saw a lot of vultures flying above. It was easier to find good music on the radio compared to our West Coast trip. There were signs warning of “Smoke Ahead.” We could still spot underbrush fires here and there.

As we entered the “Low Country,” it started to rain, but we took the scenic route, turning south on US 21 and then SC SR 170 along the coast. Ended up back on US 17 and headed into the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. We stopped at a turn-off and walked out on a dike into the swampy area. We spooked ourselves by imagining alligators crawling up behind us. But unfortunately we didn’t even see a log that resembled an alligator! We saw plenty of coots and a few ducks, and barn swallows swooped everywhere. It was the same across the road, but in the distance you could see large black birds sitting on birdhouses on poles in the marsh. We couldn’t see them well enough to identify (cormorants?). They flew like Canada geese. We drove farther to find an entrance to a drive through the refuge. In the rain we saw a huddled American egret and a Great Blue heron. Then a kingfisher on a post. In a single tree in the middle of the wet marsh was a raccoon, positively identified through binoculars by his tail! We drove through a couple braces of trees. It almost felt like a jungle cruise amusement park ride, because the car sidled through and gently rocked in the ruts of the road. The trees were overhung with moss, the underbrush was thick, and a cacophony of bird sounds added to the impression. Caught glimpse of a lot of birds. We found we were following another car that made as many stops as we did. We saw an American egret standing at attention, then catch a fish.

Ardea alba/American Egret

There was a great blue heron in plain sight, good enough for a photo.

Ardea herodius/Great Blue Heron

It was getting dark as we left, although only 16:00. We left on US 17, but a detour put us on SR 21, as we drove into Georgia, my third new state on this trip. Savannah stunk mightily of paper mills. We ended up on US 80 to Tybee Island, passing the entrance to Fort Pulaski. Tybee Island turned out to be a beach resort town and we decided against staying at a motel there. Back in Savannah we checked into the Quality Inn Heart of Savannah for $36. Despite pouring rain, we walked to find a place to eat. It was funny that the farthest south we went, was where we experienced the coolest weather! We took the steps of the sidewalk of road that dropped steeply towards the river, and walked along River road past trendy restaurants (i.e., expensive), boutiques, and saloons. We climbed back up to Bay Street, and found ourselves at Broad Street. So we headed to the Pirates' House, a conglomeration of dining rooms.

Pirates' House brochure 1

Pirates' House brochure 2

We entered looking like drowned rats, checked the menu, and decided to go for it. We were seated near the kitchen I the Buccaneers' Room, with a fine view out the window of a well and a waterfall (rain leaking from a gutter, we assume). Our waiter was Alvin who brought us garlic toast and butter, and kept our water glasses filled with the help of hair-netted Victor who was in training as his name badge proclaimed. Our dinners came with salads, and we chose tossed with the house dressing. It had lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot slices, and bean sprouts, with garlic croutons. The dressing was an herbal creamy white French dressing. As Alvin brought our dinner, Kathy asked what his other name tag meant, with the initials of SRFOOOLHD. That meant: Save Room For One Of Our Luscious House Desserts! I had Jambalaya with Southern Red Rice that had a barbecued breast of chicken on top of a rice dish with shrimp, scallops, oysters, and sausage. As I ate one oyster, I crunched. A pearl! (Of sorts!)

Kathy had the Shrimp and Crab Au Gratin. Alvin served her stringy cheese concoction along with her baked potato. We both had stir fried vegetables with zucchini, squash and carrots. We were also given a tiny loaf of freshly baked bread. Yum! We stuffed ourselves, but were convinced that we did SRFOOOLHD. We had a slice of Toll House cookie pie to share. It was still warm in a chocolate crumb crust, smothered in whipped cream and topped with a maraschino cherry and a little flag!

Pirates' House dessert flag

Our bill came to a whopping (for us) $31.72. Savannah was to be our splurge town. We checked out the gift shop, then waddled back to the hotel, where we wrote postcards. Kathy had water in a plastic drinking glass, and found it was leaking. The other cup was also cracked! The blankets on the bed were like thin sheets of foam rubber.

1984 East Coast: NC-SC Coast (2/21/1984)

Tuesday, February 21, 1984

We left at 8:00 and Kathy was feeling much better and she drove. After breakfast at McDonald’s, we got back on US 70, then NC SR 24 to continue along the Croatan National Forest. Much of what we saw was residential, mostly trailer homes. We did see a bear (actually a big black dog!), a black swan (actually a silhouette against the sun in an inlet), and flamingos of all sizes (lawn decorations!). A lot of the homes had porch swings! We noted the bunches of tall grass with pale seed heads, like they have in Switzerland, too (Pampas grass). We saw a St Mildred Catholic Church. Who knew there was a St Mildred!

We turned south on SR 172 to visit the Marines (ha!) at Camp Lejeune Marine Base. A sign at the gate said we could only enter with permission. The guard let us in easily enough (we just needed his permission?!), but gave us a huge piece of paper, a one-hour pass, to drive on SR 172 through camp. We were sent off with just a warning to watch for tank crossings! We drove through forests past signs like “field firing” and “impact area.” We noticed birdhouses in the trees at regular intervals along the road. Suddenly we saw a hawk swoop down and grab something out of a ditch! A little later we saw a tank sitting at the side of the road. When we left the camp, we had to give up the pass. We crossed a bridge over an inlet and saw several pelicans perched on pilings. We hopped out to take pictures on this lovely sunny day!

Pelecanus occidentalis/Brown Pelican

Brown Pelicans on a pier

We got back on US 17 South, called the Ocean Highway, although there was no sign of the ocean anywhere! Here the road kill was always possum. We passed through Wilmington, getting a glimpse of the USS North Carolina. There was an old man chewing tobacco driving his pickup truck next to us. We stopped for gas and let the attendant put in a quart of oil. He noted the low coolant level and did not accept it as this car’s normal. He had been in this business for thirty years, and if he was wrong… Poor man!

We entered South Carolina and arrived in Myrtle Beach. Another Sunset Strip with motels and eateries, with an occasional golf course country club, and lots of mini-golf courses, many with jungle themes. One golf course has a gondola cable car to it over a waterway! We passed through the city and went to Myrtle Beach State Park, driving through the woods until we reached the dunes. We walked a bit on the beach, but it was barren and the tide was too high for beachcombing. We snuck up on a woodpecker and tried to peek in at two birds in the bush! There were neat umbrella like evergreens over the picnic tables, probably stunted by the ocean winds.

Stunted Quercus virginiana/Live oak trees

I started driving as we drove past the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base where we saw two jets zooming around. After lunch at Wendy’s, we continued south on US 17. Suddenly Kathy yelled stop, and I did my best. Had to back up to where Kathy saw an opportunity to collect giant pine cones of the Loblolly pine.

Pinus taeda/Loblolly Pines

More than a handful pine cone

We entered the Francis Marion National Forest, which also seemed commercialized. At McClellanville, we turned down a road towards the ocean to Romain National Wildlife Refuge. We stopped at a Ranger’s Station for information. A man was busy in the back, so we just looked at a map. There were no roads into the refuge and no way to walk to Cape Romain. We drove back into McClellanville with a street lined with trees full of Spanish moss, and old houses that could pass for haunted mansions!

Live oaks with Spanish moss line the street

Spooky United Methodist Church

At the water’s edge was a pier with barnacles and shells on the pilings, and a pelican floated by.

We continued down US 17 and saw another sign pointing to Cape Romain, so we turned in. Woods and homes. We saw a hawk, and then identified some towhee birds, by their song (“Would you like, tea?”)! We were noticing billowing clouds of smoke throughout the south, plus all those forest fire lookout towers. Here we saw small fires and bits of flame flickering in the underbrush. The road took us around in a circle back to US 17. We continued to Mt Pleasant. Then turned again towards the ocean to go to Sullivan’s Island. We took SR 517 to the Isle f Palms and looked for a parking spot. We walked over to a nice wide beach and the tide was low! Good timing! We walked toward the pier. We saw pieces of sand dollars and hoped to find whole ones. There were lots of other kinds of shells, and many air holes. Near one the sand seemed to be in the process of being displaced, so I dug in with my toe and was startled to come up against something hard that looked like a neck. It turned out to be a conch shell with the animal still inside.

Kathy with the conch shell

It was a beautiful shell and after only a little discussion, we decided to throw him back in the sea.
The pilings of the pier were covered with shells.

Pier pilings

Sudsy surf

A lady came along and offered us a sand dollar she had found. Wow! Kathy soon found another. We combed the beach further, walking quite a ways. We saw a couple sandpipers. We turned around and saw a lovely sunset behind the pier.

Sunset

Then I found a whole sand dollar! It was dark by the time we got back to the car.

We drove on US 17 through Charleston and looked for a hotel on the other side of the city. We stopped at the Lord Ashley Motel and asked to see a room. When we left to check the room, the clerk asked us to wipe our feet, since we had tracked sand into the office. Sorry! We decided to take Room #67 and paid the $33 plus tax. We went to Pizza Hut for dinner, and brought leftovers back to the motel.

Pizza Hut receipt

1984 East Coast: Chincoteague and Outer Banks (2/19-20/1984)

Sunday, February 19, 1984

I was first in the bathroom to find the toilet wouldn’t flush and that only a little water came out of the tub faucet, and nothing from the showerhead. So I took a squat shower like in India. No luck for Kathy, who washed up in the ink. We turned in our key and I told the girl at the desk there was no water pressure. She knew, and said it was back now, did we want to go back to the room to take showers? Nah. We left at 8:00 and I drove this time, heading down US 13. We entered Virginia, and before we knew it we were turned onto Virginia State Route 175 to Chincoteague Island. We passed a NASA area and its closed Visitor Center, then crossed a causeway to enter the resort town of Chincoteague. We passed through town with its crushed seashell parking lots, and started across a bridge to Assateague Island. Off in the distance we saw a great blue heron walking in shallow water and shaggy horses. We drove around the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Around a curve we saw a herd of deer.

Cervus nippon/Sika Deer

Cervus nippon/Sika Deer

Cervus nippon/Sika Deer

We stopped along with many others to photograph them, and gave them the last of our crackers. There was water all around, so plenty of water fowl, with Canada geese, Mallard ducks, and grackles. We identified Whistler swans. We reached the sand dunes and parked to walk over to the beach to see the surf rolling in.

Assateague Island beach

Assateague Island sand dunes

Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge

We returned to the car and drove out to the mainland. There were joggers in the refuge. Out near the NASA center, we saw a possible Peregrine falcon on a fence post. We got gas on US 13 and headed south again.

We found a Burger King at 10:30 to be just in time for breakfast. We continued onward, paying a $9 toll to go across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It turned out to be a nice sunny day. There was a long lines of seagulls flying alongside the bridge, the appropriate side to go north as if flying along with the traffic.

We drove on to Norfolk, using I-64 to bypass the city. Then headed south on US 17. This went through the Dismal Swamp, and once we entered North Carolina, we traveled along the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp National Park. It was indeed swampy in some places that we could see, although mostly it was undergrowth. There was a canal to our right and some areas that were cleared out. We knew we were in the South when we saw the signs for pecans.

In Elizabeth City, we headed east on US 158, passing shacks and stands offering ham. Once we reached the ocean, we headed south. The road took us over to the outer banks, first reaching Kitty Hawk. There were a lot of new beach houses being built. We saw a Brew-Thru, a drive through beverage store. We drove through ourselves and the walls were lined with beverages. A girl came out to give us our two Dr. Peppers. Only 50 cents each! We drove on the Big Kill Devil Hill, a 90’ hill in the middle of flat land where the Wright brothers did their flying experiments and had their first successful flight. On top of the hill was a large memorial.

Big Kill Devil Hill and Wright Brothers Memorial

We drove down along the dunes of the Outer Banks, passing through Nags Head with two gigantic sand dunes, and then on a bridge over Oregon Inlet. We were now on VA SR 12. Some of the sand dunes had long grasses growing on them, and looked like furry camels humps. There were also old abandoned telephone poles leaning haphazardly in every direction in a crooked line. There were stunted palms and century-plant type plants. In one large field of geese, half were recognizable as Canada geese and the rest were dull white (Snow geese?).

We stopped at a parking area and walked over the sand dune to the beach.

Kathy goes beachcombing at the Outer Banks

Outer Banks sand dune

Big breakers were rolling in.

Breakers rolling in

Human footprint

Surf backwash channel

Gull prints

Crab claw

Broken asphalt

More gull prints

Sea oats

We went beachcombing for a long way, and were done about 17:00. We continued along the Outer Banks until the sun set. We came to the black and white barber pole striped lighthouse of Cape Hatteras, the tallest in the US, and decided to find a hotel there in Buxton.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

We checked into the Cape Pines Motel, for $30 and no key deposit!

Cape Pines Motel receipt

The girl in the motel recommended the Buxton Drive-In for dinner. We ordered subs, but they only had one sub roll left. Kathy changed her order to a roast beef sandwich. We played the video game Norbert as we waited. We returned to the hotel and went across the street to buy a newspaper. But they only had last Thursday’s edition. Back in the room we watched “International Velvet” and “Sophie’s Choice.” A massage for Kathy’s back.

Monday, February 20, 1984

Happy Washington’s Birthday!

We went over to the grocery store for a newspaper to learn the tide times. There are two high tides and two low tides, all at odd times. We returned to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse and parked to walk on the beach.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

It was near high tide, so the beachcombing pickings were not very good. We brought along plastic bags to collect our findings that included a thing that looked like a series of connected coins (conch snail egg sacs). As we walked back studying footprints of man, beast and bird, we found a broken whisky bottle that we picked up to throw away. A pelican flew by. We then continued to the town of Hatteras to check out the ferry schedule. The Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry left every hour on the hour and it was 9:45. However, the connecting ferry from Ocracoke to Cedar Point would not leave until 16:00, and it takes two hours. There was another ferry at 12:30, but it would take us too far out of our way. So we decided to drive back up the Outer Banks (it is like a dead end street!). We got the cassette player out of the trunk to keep us company. We then decided to do one more beachcombing trek. We found a five-foot fish carcass with an odd head: a hammerhead shark!

Hammerhead shark remains

What a find, even if it was half-rotted! We saw many crab bodies (missing their legs) and these strange blue bubbles, which were hard to pop, but did go “pop!”

Crab

Man o' War Jelly (blueish)

Driftwood

We saw what seemed to be a hundred plovers picking in the surf, and running along with blurred legs to avoid the surf.

On our drive back up the Outer Banks, we saw thing we missed on the drive down, like burned brush and the Salvo site of the Mirlo ship rescue where a German sub downed a British tanker. Before Nag’s Head we turned onto US 264 to cross to the mainland and head south along the main coast. We seemed to be following a canal along the road filled with perfectly calm water that reflected the pine trees and brush.

Canal reflection

Canal reflection

Kathy spotted a row of turtles on a log. By the time we turned around for a closer look, they had splashed into the water. We ended up seeing lots and lots of turtles, but they did not stay put for a photo. Whenever we stopped for turtles, we heard strange noises in the woods; rubbing, clucking, and whooping noises. Some sort of huge bird? A mating alligator? Bigfoot? This part of North Carolina reminded me somehow of the tea plantations, with the low shrubbery and occasional tall pines.

We passed more cleared out marshes, shack farms, and saw several black farmers. They had yellow jonquils blooming. We passed several forest fire lookout towers, and passed a shop selling plaster lawn decorative statues. We wondered how such a business manages, then noticed that 9 out of 10 homes in the area had such decorations! We saw a field of pigs, and backyards full of what looked like lobster traps (crab traps). We saw robins and began seeing Spanish moss in the trees.

We turned down US 17 and ended up in New Bern, NC for a meal at McDonald’s. Kathy spotted the McDonald’s from afar as we were looking for US 70. The town was full of historical markers. We headed down US 70 along the edge of the Croatan National Forest, which seemed to be built up with trailer homes, clubs (such as for men only, a self-kicking club, etc.). We also noticed most of the guys had half bald Marine haircuts, as there was a base nearby. It seemed as if everyone had a least one pickup truck; they were everywhere! We continued along the Sunset Strip to Morehead City, then out onto the island with Atlantic Beach. We drove the whole length of the island, only to find it totally built up with homes, condominiums, etc. We did find a beach access road and walked along a barren beach. There was mist rising and a cloud-covered sunset. We drove back to Morehead City and checked into the Buccaneer Motor Lodge, where the room was only $25 plus tax.

Buccaneer Motor Lodge receipt

We went to a shopping plaza to look for lip balm and shampoo, and found a place to wash the car. A quarter to vacuum out the car, and two sets of 50 cents to operate the hose for wash and rinse. Very powerful!

Back to the hotel where Kathy stretched out her back. We bought a National Enquirer to laugh at and a Cosmopolitan that had a listing of the richest bachelors to whom you could write. Not so hot, or else their qualifications could not be met!