Leaving Nag’s Head Before Being Eaten by Crabs

Leaving Nag’s Head Before Being Eaten by Crabs –July 1st
After a great week with family, we sit around on our last night together eating fresh steamed crab and shrimp, a quiet fell on the table as men, women and children cracked, dug, pulled out every piece of juicy sweet crabmeat,
it was a marvelous time had by all, except poor George, who is allergic to shellfish, we also made burgers. Food all week was wonderful, from Craig & Lisa’s breakfast of Chopped Venison over Toast (SOS) along with Potato, Egg, and Sausage scramble, Nicole & Tom making Pancakes and Tacos, not at the same meal, George & Pamela with Chicken Kabobs, Jill with Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Mac &Cheese, Pat& Val, my sister, holding down the fort and directing traffic, Craig was responsible for a bushel of fresh steamed crabs, and me steamed shrimp. The crabs pick on us, we pick on them.
Friday night , after the crab feast, some on the crew departed, then the rest have left before I get up, my first day in a bed all week, I sleep in, they were all gone at 8am, strange feeling, a big empty house, most of the rentals change hands on Saturday, folks saying good-bye, hugs, it was a much needed family experience for me, not a bad thing at all, family.

Off to see the big sailing ships in Beaufort, NC, down Hwy. 12 south, along the narrow islands of Cape Hatteras, pass many beautiful lighthouses, summer houses, and people having fun. Though Pea Island, in Buxton, then on to the free ferry at Hatteras, you need to call for reservations for the Ocracoke Ferry, a 3 hour ride to Cedar Island, they leave at Noon, 3pm, and 6pm, I call they are full till 6pm, so after a pleasant ½ hour ferry ride, it’s 11:35am, Skate flies down the road, it’s a 45 minute drive to Ocracoke, we only pass one car, driving a little over the limit, if you have more time, looks like a great town, lots to do here, yet no time for me here, pass Howard’s Pub, that's where I am going if I can’t get off the island, it’s 5 till noon, I pull up, say hello,there's one spot left, lucky for me, behind me are some Outward Bound kids after a 2 week kayak trip around the islands, I don’t know, who’s happier. Time on the ferry to write about family, thoughts of them fresh. All good people, we lost my sister Donna last year, she as a trooper, in life and with family and friends, she would want us to continue doing life’s chores and enjoying it’s small treasures, she was the one that stayed in the East, raised three smart and beautiful girls and son and continued to build bonds with the community she loved, for my reasons I choose to life out West, at times its too far away. Donna had a sweet sense of humor even when suffering, her willingness to live, and do things she was told not to, and still laugh and smile, and be a brat to the end of her life, and we miss you and love you. I appreciate your love to me, and your gentle understanding of me, your older brother that moved away 30 years ago to Oregon, I will take your strength and love. I will be there for our family when needed. Bless you, Sweet Donna.
Off the ferry at Cedar Island, not really an island, across the marsh land south, pass Stacy on to Beaufort, the ship the Meka II is a 54 foot half scale replica of a 17th century two-masted pirate brigantine. In 2002, Captian Sinbad and crew guided the Meka II to victory in the Americas’ Sail Class B race in Montego Bay, Jamaica, which earned Sinbad the right to host the 2006 event in his homeport of Beaufort.
There is the Cisne Branco, 249 feet from Brazil, the Virginia from Norfolk, Virginia, one of the coolest is the Ada Mae, a skipjack, used for dredging oysters, it is one of only 20 remaining and believed to be the last of its kind built in North Carolina, it’s 62 feet in length, with a mast of more than 53 feet and 1200 square feet of sail. There was music, food and lots of Pirates about. Beaufort is pronounced BOW-fort here, in South Carolina its phew-fort, in the south its fun to think you talk like the locals, but like any relgion, good luck!
This was once a fishing village here, settled by the French Huguenots and English sailors more than 275 years ago. Fishing was active hare during three wars, the Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Civil War, lots of great older buildings, a 1709 cemetery called the Old Burying Ground and pirates, did I say Pirates, this was a hang out for Blackbeard and his pirates in the 1600’s, his treasure is buried here, somewhere buried in a long forgotten place.
Before I leave, I take a harbor tour of the tall ships, on the Water Bug, a dinky little oval shaped boat, very enjoyable, the captain told us all boats have their music, so while going by a tall ship, he plays ”Blow the Man Down”, we turned heads, get laughs, we sing and we yelled like pirates, we were scary, I am sure, well maybe. Lots of sailing vessels from all over the world take part. A Fun time.
It’s time to get back on the road, south along the Crystal Coast, pass Fort Mason, down to Cape Carteret, then while on the inland take Rt. 58 N inland, going though Pollockville, black folks are out on this Sunday Eve, eatin’ and talkin’ and being together, time for relaxing. Farm lands, tobacco sheds, smell of manure is in the air, rolling hills, a nice drive with a beautiful orange sunset, I cross Snow Hill for the second time, stop at Bojangles for Fried Chicken and Biscuits, not bad for a small chain, good sweet tea. Then on to Durham, I am pushing hard, to hard this night, I get assistance from Renee in Odessa, Texas, following my commitment to take mostly all small roads, tired and worn this takes me on Rt. 222 to Rt. 39 north to then Rt. 98 W,I am trying to get as close to Chapel Hill as possible for breakfast with friends, Brandon and Holly, folks I meet in Utah. It’s late, it’s dark, tell me to stop, nerves a bit on edge.
I pull into North Durham, a Budget Motel, to late to look any longer.
More on the Budget (crack) Motel later.
62.0mpg/328 miles traveled