We needed to wash clothes. We planned to use the laundry at the campground but the washers were out of order. We used the RV washer and schlepped wet clothes to the campground dryers…a minor inconvenience.
Once everything was washed and put away, we drove out to the beach with our lunch. It was cloudy and breezy and perfectly pleasant for wave watching.
This evening, we went to Hatteras Sol for a delicious meal. Tim had barbecued salmon and I had shrimp and grits…outstanding dinner! Afterward, we drove to the beach and though it was cloudy and rainy, we sat in the Jeep and watched the birds diving into the surf.
We left Cape Charles and drove though the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. I think that this is one of the more intense drives that we take. Tim had both hands on the wheel as he drove surely and carefully through the tunnel portions. Tractor trailers were coming from the opposite direction and everyone needed to be on their best behavior.
We stopped at Morris Farms for some produce and a pumpkin for the RV.
We stopped for fuel and we were excited to see that fuel prices were a little less in North Carolina…only $6.29 a gallon for diesel…woohoo!
We made one last stop for groceries and supplies before entering the Outer Banks.
We had to wait several minutes for the one-way traffic to pass on the now repaired one lane road at the Pea Island Visitor Center. It is amazing that this small section of highway caused such disruptions to residents and visitors. Only days ago, the barrier islands were in a state of emergency requiring the usage of an emergency ferry to get people off the Outer Banks. It is also amazing that the NCDOT team was able to do the work to re-open the road in such a short period of time.
We arrived at Hatteras Sands Campground at 3:30. By 4:30, we had packed a cooler and we were taking the air out of the Jeep tires. We took the access road and drove out onto the beach. Food always tastes better when we enjoy it outside…but eating dinner on the beach takes that experience to the next level!
We finished our meal and then drove to the end of the island. We got out and walked the beach as the sun went down.
1340 September 28 – October 1, 2026 Back To Cape Charles
We left early in the morning. We had said our goodbyes the night before. Even though I really want to be traveling, seeing new places and meeting new people; it was extraordinarily hard to leave.
We traveled across the Bay Bridge and toward the Eastern Shore. A nor’easter had been playing havoc with the coast, but there was no sign of the turmoil that it caused as we moved south and east. We did know that a section of Route 12 in North Carolina on the Outer Banks had been decimated. We decided to extend our stay in Cape Charles as we awaited news about what the road closure would mean for the reservations we had made in OBX.
We had four really blissful days, with perfect weather, beautiful sunsets and lots of time for walking and biking.
As our time neared to an end, we got news that the road had been repaired and that NC Route 12 would be open for southbound traffic including visitors on Thursday October 1. Yay for us!!!
We went to Atlanta and spent a couple of weeks with David and his family. We spent a lot of time watching the boys practice baseball and we learned some new video games as well. The boys went back to school early in August and we were there to see them off. Austin is beginning 3rd grade and Oliver is starting 5th grade. We celebrated Oliver’s 10th birthday. I am not sure how the years have slipped by so quickly but being a grandmother for these 10 years has been one of the biggest blessings of my life.
We traveled back to Reisterstown and I had a slew of appointments…all good news. Now on to survivorship and living life with hope and joy.
We stayed with Kyle and Allison and Wade. Watching Wade grow and change has been a delight. It has been an honor to bear witness to his mastery of language and tasks. His triumphant declarations of “I did it!”
Although we took no pictures, we were able to celebrate my Mom’s 84th birthday!
Finally, it is time to go and travel. We are so very thankful for the love and support of family and friends over the past many months.
