November 7, 2020

Brunswick

Blythe Island Regional Park Brunswick, Georgia Day 2

Thee was intermittent rain during the night and more rain this morning. We decided to spend another night here. The rain stopped for a short time and I tried to get in my morning walk.

About halfway around the loop, it began to rain again…hard! Thank goodness for my bike umbrella (thanks Vicki!)

The skies began to brighten and we packed the cooler and headed to Brunswick island with the Jeep and our bikes. We rode by the marina.

Through town.

Old City Hall.

New City Hall.

Through Queen’s Square.

Through Hanover Square.

We circled back to the marina on a bike path along the causeway. There was a Farmers Market in the park and we got fresh corn and zucchini and squash and tomatoes and Georgia pecans!

This evening we took a walk. I had noticed 2 rabbits in the campground yesterday…today we saw lots…big, well-fed, soft, fluffy, colorful bunnies that seem to call this park home! A little research revealed that families who no longer want to keep their pet rabbits bring them here. They and their babies are allowed to roam freely. There is a non-profit group, Blythe Island Bunnies, that tries to find homes for some of the bunnies.

Beautiful this evening at the dock.

This evening, we decided to add another day to our stay here. There is this Tropical Storm/Hurricane, Eta, headed for south Florida. We have reservations there beginning on the 14th of November. We had thought we would be be in Florida by now…but we need to wait and see what the weather does and what path the storm takes. So we are going to stall here for a couple of days to let the rain and winds pass.

November 6, 2020

Blythe Island

Blythe Island Regional Park Brunswick, Georgia

The campground had a nature trail perfect for my morning walk.

We drove 242 miles south mostly on 95. Just 20 miles short of our destination we hit heavy traffic for an accident ahead. We sat there a long time…but I kept thinking of the people in the accident and it was no problem to wait for our turn to pass. It was after 3 before we arrived at Blythe Regional Park. This little park turned out to be a wonderful surprise.

Just as we were backing in, rain began. It was the perfect excuse for an afternoon quiet hour. At 4 the skies were blue and clear and we took our bikes on the trail in the park. It was a sandy path studded with pinecones and live oak tree roots…but the scenery was worth it! Lots of huge old trees dripping with Spanish moss, palmettos, and water all around.

Just as we got back to the RV, the rain began again. We pulled the grill beneath the awning and I grilled onions and mushrooms for chicken marsala. I got a little damp…but we have lots of dry clothes!

November 5, 2020

Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant/Charleston KOA

My morning walk was unlovely…through the Walmart, Lowes, Staples, MattressFirm, Best Buy, and Hobby Lobby parking lots. I knew that we had a lot of driving to do today so I wanted to get my two miles in before we left.

Our ride initially took us through more low country.

Later, we rode mostly on Carolina highways flanked by tall pines in sandy soil.

We went about 250 miles and stayed at the Mount Pleasant/Charleston KOA. We wanted a full service campground so that we could get laundry done. I took a walk after throwing the clothes in the dryer. It is really pretty here!

We enjoyed some North Carolina shrimp scampi for our dinner.

I love the town of Charleston but we are really trying to stay away from cities…so tomorrow we will move further south.

November 4, 2020

Morehead City

Walmart Supercenter

It was a great morning for a walk. The weather was perfect and the breeze was warm.

Our goal today was to take the Cedar Island Ferry to the mainland. Fortunately the seas are calm today! We got to the terminal very early and so I passed the time taking care of paperwork and Tim puttered around on his bike.

We boarded and the boat pulled away from the harbor.

It was a lovely day for a ferry ride. We enjoyed being out on the deck and taking pictures. These cormorants were sharing this sandbar with pelicans and gulls.

In the middle of the ride, we were surrounded by shrimp trawlers.

We landed at Cedar Island after 3:30. We traveled for about an hour through low country…marshy and pretty.

It was after 4:30 by the time we arrived in Morehead City. There wasn’t much daylight left. We parked in the Walmart parking lot for the night. I went in to get supplies. Tim found a Greek restaurant, The Pita Plate, within walking distance. We called in our order and went to pick it up. Tim enjoyed a chicken gyro and I had excellent falafel with hummus. We did not move very far today, but what we did exhausted us!

November 3, 2020

Beautiful Beach Day

Ocracoke Campground Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina

Today is Election Day and while we are very aware…it is nice to be away from the news and the ads and the frenzy of this particular election. We are in our happy place and there is something to be said for that!

Our campsite backs up to the dunes and I began my morning with a walk over the dunes and down to the beach. I circled back around at the access road and walked through the campground. It was a little chilly but the sky was blue and the wind and the waves were calm.

We took the Jeep and drove the entire length of the island on the beach as much as possible, using the access ramps. It was such a perfect autumn beach day…a little crisp with clear skies…great for walking.

We took our bikes and rode the 3 1/2 miles into the town of Ocracoke, through the side streets, and down to the dock.

We were looking forward to lunch at Eduardo’s food truck…great shrimp burritos for our meal. We were able to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air and fresh seafood.

We spent the afternoon doing a few chores after out rest time. We packed the cooler and headed to the beach to watch the sunset and have dinner.

November 2, 2020

Ocracoke…Finally!

Ocracoke Campground Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina

Good morning!

It felt like winter when we got up this morning. It was 45 degrees and blustery. I decided to forego my morning walk…I did not want to be cold! We packed up and headed for the Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry Terminal. We had to drive through six inches of water standing on the road. The wind was blowing water from the sound up into all the small channels. Yards were swamped and so was Route 12.

Today was long…longer than we expected by a bunch…sometimes it happens that way! We got to the terminal at 9:15 and the attendant told us that they had shut down service because of high winds and waves…we were welcome to wait…Good thing we have no schedule and no reservations. Good thing we had our own bathroom and snacks and books and stuff to do!

We got a little excited at noon. They were going to load priority vehicles and if there was room for us, we would also be able to cross. We could see as they loaded the huge dumpster truck with his trailer that we were not going to make it…maybe at 2 though! We were happy then to get on the ferry!

I had expected that the ride would be rather rough…but it wasn’t bad at all…at first…then the boat was a rockin’ as the ferry pitched to the left and right. I am certainly glad that we didn’t travel across when it was rough! The ocean water was splashing onto the front deck.

It was 3:30 before we got to our campground and got checked in. Tim decided we should take the Jeep into town and find some carryout for dinner. We found the Ocracoke Oyster Company and ordered.

Tim had fish tacos and I had a fried oyster salad and we took our meal to the beach to watched the sunset. It was a nice way to end the day!

November 1, 2020

The Best Part of the Day

Cape Point Campground Hatteras National Seashore NC Day 2

My morning walking companions.

Marsh Pinks.

Lovely scenery.

After breakfast, we took a long bike ride through the park.

We packed a picnic lunch with smoked whitefish and fresh vegetables and apples and headed to the beach.

We were not back at the RV very long when the sky began to fill with clouds.  By 3:00 it was raining.  We were grateful that we got to enjoy the best part of the day!

By 5:30 it was dark.  We went for a beach ride but it was so cloudy and black that we didn’t stay out very long.  There were still lots of fishermen out there though.

October 31, 2020

Cape Point Campground Hatteras National Seashore NC

Happy Halloween!

I began my day with a walk over the dunes and down to the beach.

We packed up the RV and headed south on Route 12 to Cape Point Campground.  While the Oregon Inlet Campground was almost full last night, this place is fairly deserted.  There are a few Canadian geese and a couple of deer and a couple of other campers but it is very quiet here.   There is a beach access ramp directly off the camping loop.  We took the Jeep for a ride this afternoon. 

When we drove to the actual point, the waves were tumultuous, crashing and splashing as high as 20 feet.  There were lots of fisherman here…not sure if they were catching anything.

We drove around the bend where the wind and water were much calmer.  The sunshine felt wonderful.

This evening, during the golden hour, deer were feeding on grass at sites across the way. 

The sky was lovely at sunset.

Later, we took another ride out to the beach to see the Blue Moon.  I wish I knew how to adjust my camera to get better moon pictures!

October 30, 2020

Oregon Inlet

Oregon Inlet Campground Hatteras National Seashore NC

The weather we were supposed to get during the night, terrific “red” thunderstorms and wicked wind, thankfully, never materialized.  We woke up to calmer breezes and mist.  A call to the bridge information hotline told us that there were o wind restrictions today.  We got busy and packed up and left before anything could change!  By 10:00 we were at Morris Farms where we got some preserves and produce.  By 11:30 we were camped at Oregon Inlet.  We aired down the tires after grabbing a quick lunch and headed for the beach.  The sky was beginning to clear and though it was windy, it was warm.  We enjoyed at walk at the inlet and then a second walk at Pea Island Wildlife Refuge.  We drove down to Rodanthe and stopped in the market there for a couple of groceries. 

We had delicious Maryland crab cakes from Santoni’s for our dinner as we watched the sunset over the sound.

After dark, we took the Jeep for a drive along the beach. It was still very windy. The fast moving clouds and the almost full moon made for stunning pictures.

October 29, 2020

Wind Restrictions

Kiptopeke State Park Cape Charles, Virginia

When we left Reisterstown, it was raining.  It was not a very nice driving day, but it wouldn’t have been a nice day for much else either.  We had the intention of staying at Cherrystone, one of our very favorite campgrounds but it was raining and unpleasant and we decided that instead we would just keep moving.  We did stop in the town of Cape Charles just for a quick lunch break and walk on the pier.

We had made arrangements to stay at a Harvest Host Campground.  Harvest Host is new to us.  For a yearly fee, members are allowed to camp in over 1,100 locations.  These sites are farms, orchards, breweries, wineries, museums, and other similar attractions.  Our first time was in Virginia at a brewery and we really enjoyed having this different kind of experience.  Today, we had hoped to make it to Morris Farms in NC but that didn’t work out!  We got to the toll booth at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and we were directed to turn around.  There were wind restrictions due to 47 mph wind gusts and so we were not able to cross. 

We went back a couple of miles to Kiptopeke State Park and set up camp.  I had forgotten how lovely it was.  We went for a nice hike from the campground to the beach and then through the woods.