Cherry Point, N.C.
4/6/17-4/15/17
(Havelock, Hiking in
the Neuse Forest, the town of Oriental , Outer banks and Kill Devil Hills!
Cherry Point,
N.C. was one of our longer stays at a
Marine Corps Air Station. For this length of time I somehow thought we might
run out of things to do. I was wrong! This base had all the conveniences of home,
gas stations, commissary, restaurants and no loud early morning wake up
calls! The next day took us to the Neuse
forest (not far from the base) along the Neuse river where we could let the
dogs run freely and Perry and I could get in a good hike.
The next day we
explored the nearby town of Havelock and Morehead City. Morehead city is a fishing community and it
was here, Perry decided to later go on a full day fishing trip later during our
stay. We took a short ferry ride to the
cute town of Oriental with homes along the water, where the pace of life is slow and the
residents like it that way. Perfectly spaced pine trees surrounded typical
southern homes (some run down, some charming and beautiful). The azaleas were
just beginning to bloom making the contrast of bright pink against the green
trees and blue skies. The small struggling community grows during the summer
months but has many abandoned buildings and homes.
The main destination
of our stay here was to go to the Outer banks in Hatteras, a long strip of
islands. Hatteras is known for four
different lighthouses and beautiful beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. We wanted to explore the Outer banks in two
days and found a hotel in Kill Devil Hills that takes dogs. Of course,
it WOULD be a town called "Kill Devil Hills"….just hope it's a
decent place! The lighthouses were so
different from one another and the houses were all large and up on stilts due
to rising waters during a hurricane. The
beaches are beautiful and the
hotel (although not my standard) was clean.
The next morning, we came across a Starbucks's and I was a happy camper
since I haven't had a Starbuck's since starting this trip! We drove to the historic town of Corrolla,
the furthest point of the Outer banks with its' many large, vacation homes and
wild horses on the beach. Concluding our
short trip here, we stopped at the Wright Brothers National Memorial once again
on Kill Devil Hills (we seem to not be able to leave this place!) . We stood on top of the hill that the Wright
Brothers actually took their first flight, the first powered airplane in 1903
and only a few miles from Kitty Hawk (also well known for the Wright Brothers
flights).
The Fishing Trip and Lost Keys
Perry was excited to
be going out on an all day fishing trip and I was excited to stay back and go
for a walk, clean, read and listen to music!
He left early in the morning and I slept in! It was a beautiful day and the dogs and I
went for a two mile walk . This was a
first for me, putting my keys and glasses in a unused "poop" bag and
near the end of the walk, I noticed the bag seemed lighter. Yes……somewhere along the trail with dead
leaves, I lost the keys to the fifth wheel and
my glasses. Perry wouldn't be back for
several more hours and the fifth-wheel was locked! I leashed up the dogs to the picnic table and
started to retrace my steps. I walked
the beginning of the trail and tried to remember the exact path as Daisy howled
in the distance. The dogs walked back
and forth from one trail to another, so all I could do is pray and hope for the
best in retracing my steps. Boy, did I
get my exercise walking another two miles and as I headed back into the RV
park, I noticed my keys and glasses on the grass. What a relief!! Hours later, Perry got back
with an ice chest of filleted black-tailed tuna.
A happy ending for us both!
The next day we went
to the restaurant on the golf course on base. We were the only ones in the
restaurant and afterwards walked the inside building admiring the plaques,
awards and pictures of the history of the Marine Base. This included a tribute to decades of men and
women who served. Outside was the most
beautiful site only to find out the history behind it. Called Burnside's Landing, it was a battle in
1862 between the Union and Confederate Army.
Eleven-thousand men fought the battle right on the ground where we
stood.
Another great week....ofF to Piskah National Forest, N.C. and Stoney Fork!
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