Archipelago 4-7 Carolinas

     Autistic  Archipelago   

an  island?

Posting from Albuquerque (backtracking)

Mar 21 - 24   CAROLINAs (NC, SC)

Thursday,  Mar 21 -

The Morning of Thursday, Mar 21 (day 4) found me crossing  over the 18 mile bridge over Chesapeake bay and continuing on from Virginia to North Carolina. 

I pulled up to the Toll booth on Virginia side not realizing how long it is, while low on gas; I thought to fill up getting out of the park where I spent the night, but there were no stations on a way. I paid at the toll by EZ Pass, but then asked the woman in the booth how long the bridge was.  
Are you low on gas, she asked - I guess she saw it in my face, or was it experience? Yeah, I said. There is a station 3 miles back there she said, I'll let you turn around and will cancel your fare. OK, I said and went. I've passed this gas station last night on a way to the park but saw that it was more expensive than others, and didn't fill out there thinking I'll find a better one later; now I had to pay for that. That what happens to me when I try to safe money; always does. No matter...

Anyway I filled up, drove back to the toll and across the bridge - the bay is something else with the wind and foam flying, and the white crests of the waves all over on both sides...  And then after the bridge, kept driving, hugging a refuge (but didn't stay there; I wanted to and stopped there, but the road through was unpaved, and mostly just sharp rocks, so I decided to skip) and continued driving towards Kitty Hawk in Carolina by way of R-17, and 158 via Point Harbor.

Kitty Hawk, I think got messed up by Sandy as well, quite a lot of houses facing the shore are abandoned.. It's a ghost town on the northern side facing the beach, but not so bad further south. The Ocean Blvd (R-12) is not yet fully cleared of sand there; I shot video out of the fish eye camera and a few  pix later on - here are couple:

... and then I drove inland via Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (stopped there on the side off the road and ate lunch while listening to birds, but decided not to venture in and got my bearings to continue to Washington, NC (population 6000+) and go to the library there. 

LIBRARY in Washington, NC -  First island here - AUTISTIC PERSON - at the library met autistic person... a young woman; they also have an autistic person working at the library, but he wasn't there at a time - decided to donate the book... (see pix). 

this is at the Brown Library, it's a public library in Washington, NC.  Terry Rollins, sorry for taking a bad picture.

Running out of time with this loading; it's already 3PM - I need to go soon and get on a road. Nice library but Internet there is slow as molasses. Observation: I'm doing really poorly with more than one task; can't concentrate on writing or anything at all while it's loading! Why?  I've got some ideas (this is for another post later hopefully) ...

It's getting late, decided to check out - decided to stay at a small campsite nearby (Tranter's Creek Resort & Campground)  $21 - a tiny place but i got a nice spot by the water   - 7.5 mph rule strictly enforced by residents. Tiny cabins packed .... Mostly old people, stationary, it's a kind of a senior community place - it's an experience...     Here are a few shots of the place: 


<-This is my spot and my car by the water with the campers in the background; at the sunset just before I set my tent. 

And the other one is a tree by the creek, at the sunset.



(note: the time on the pics is wrongly set on my camera)


My car alarm went off at night for some reason, and by the time I've managed to find the key and stop it, I think the whole campsite was woken up. 

That was my NIGHT 4

Morning was nice, I got up just before dawn  - it was Friday, Mar 22, and I got to the showers early before it got crowded.

When I got out of there it was pretty late, about 2 pm. What was I doing there? Time just went.

Here below is a shot I made in the morning from the spot I was at. I like the lighting there on the trees.

Drove out to Carolina Beach State Park,  going by way of Wilmington. Called from the road to check the campground; they had discount for seniors.   Got there after 8pm, parked on the side of the road because gate was locked. There were already a few cars parked there by the gate in a dark. It was a good spot, and if I wanted I could take my bag and walk over and sleep there in the woods. 

But later on a  woman ranger showed up, letting some people in, and she let me in but wrote me up. Told me to go to marina (they had Marina there) first thing in the morning and pay my fee. It was $15. I drove in - found a spot in a dark away from the other campers, the sites there are sizable and separated from each other by trees and brush; it's pretty decent place.

That was my NIGHT 5

Saturday, Mar 23 started to rain in the morning, right after I made breakfast. Yeap, I made fire and cooked serial.

Then I went to Marina, did my laundry, paid my fee, while it continually drizzled

and decided to go. It was late again when I drove out.



Decided to go inland again; drove to Santee State Park just off I-95 on lake Marion. I think it's already in SC. By the time I got there it was already twilight, but not raining any more, I drove around the campground and found a beautiful spot next to the water somewhat removed from other people. Made fire. Set up tent, that was a mistake, had a smoke, went to sleep, I couldn't see much of the place since it was already dark when I got in, but the feel I got in the twilight was that it's a really nice place - an off beat place, quiet and relaxed.  Unfortunately the weather was not cooperating with me. There was a torrential storm that night and my tent didn't hold water...   

(Observation: it was in a way good that I used the tent, because now I know it's not really good and I need to seal it along all the seams; I'd have to buy that stuff somewhere and do ti. Meanwhile I have taken with me a second even smaller tent just in case, so until this sealing is done, I'd need to use that one.)

I have made no pix at Santee, but I have experimented with my camera recording a video of the fire in the dark, as it burned out to coals; it's quite interesting to watch but it needs editing, so this would have to wait.

That was NIGHT 6

Sunday March 24 -  IT CONTINUED TO POUR in the early morning; Got up at about 7 am knowing rain won't end any time soon; I didn't want to wait just sitting in a wet tent and ending up paying for my short stay, not for that wet experience. Had to get out in the rain and bundle the tent - it was pretty wet inside, my sleeping bags and pads were also semi-wet...Drove out about 7:30 am in a heavy out-pour planning to drive as far as I can South, maybe stopping somewhere at a library.

Ended up driving through rain, leapfrogging SC all the way to Jekyll island, Georgia