Blowing Off States, and Visa Versa

North Carolina Welcome Center

No LL


It seems like every time we visit North Carolina that we spend at least part of the time hiding from gales and storms. That's what we're doing today, and probably tomorrow and Thursday too. Not far from us, at the edge of the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras, the winds are blowing 50 knots (26 meters/second) and seas are 24 feet (8 meters). Here in the Great Dismal Swamp Canal we hardly feel a puff of air. The canal's surface has no ripples. That makes it a fine place to stay.


Here at the NC welcome center we not only have a secure dock, we have bathrooms, and water, and a computer with Internet to use, and very fine NC ladies in the welcome center to talk to. I've said it often before, but it bears repeating, North Carolina hospitality can't be beat.


Today, Libby and I borrowed bicycles from the welcome center and took an excursion down the canal bike path to South Mills. We had lunch there in a delightful, yet disgracefully low brow, lunch counter inside a Citgo gas station. The other patrons were all working men. Libby got a BLT and I ordered the chicken parm sandwitch. They gave me two slabs of chicken on that sandwich that must have weighed close to a pound. I had to take half home in a doggy bag.


Speaking of states, we've been going through them rapidly in recent days. After leaving Maine, we spent one night in New Hapshire at Isles of Shoals, then about 1 week in Massachusetts, then one night in Rhode Island at Block Island. We had a nice view of Montauk Point NY as we sailed past. We saw nothing of New Jersey, Deleware or Maryland. We spent one night in Virginia, and now we're in North Carolina again. Going further south toward Florida it is always our preference to skip South Carolina and Georgia to the extent possible.


p.s. I bought a new radar reflector on Ebay yesterday for $15. I had it shipped to General Delivery, Oriental, NC. Have you ever used General Delivery before? It's a bit fun. Many people suspect that you are some kind of criminal if you use a GD address.


p.p.s. Check out the picture below of the sailboats in Kemah Texas near Galveston. It is a good reminder of why our insurance company wants us to stay away from the hurricane zone. We would be devastated if Tarwathie was one of those boats. Fortunately, none of the boats pictures belong to anyone we know.