Spring Break Trip - Day 3

When we got up this morning in Kill Devil Hills (0700), it was raining - it looked even worse to the south. We decided we didn't want to stay inside, though, because we wanted to see some more of Coastal North Carolina! We ate breakfast at the hotel and treated Mollie's cold a bit more (she was slowly getting better). After packing up the car, we drove west on US-64 until we were able to go south and make our way to MCAS Cherry Point. We went on base and got gas (1100) and then some lunch (McDonalds). By then, the sun had come out and the day had become quite pleasant! We continued on back roads (using Mollie’s iPhone and Google Maps connected to the car’s computer system) towards the southeastern corner of the Outer Banks. Visiting this area was a for both of us and we were very much looking forward to having a chance to take the ferry from Harkers Island over to a pretty lighthouse (and maybe see some wild ponies). It took hours to get to this remote location and the excitement built all the way. Unfortunately, we arrived (1030) on a day when there was a small craft (heavy seas) advisory and the passenger boats weren't running out to the islands. Oh no! The volunteers at the site tried so hard to help us find a way out there (on auto ferries at other landings) but our car was not a 4x4 and it would have taken hours to walk anywhere. The only thing we were able to do at the site was walk on the shoreline and watch the funny ibis birds that were walking and soaring everywhere. The Ranger eventually recommended that we drive over to Beaufort to visit the Rachel Carson Reserve, a location that was not remote as Shackleford Banks. The barrier island directly across a narrow channel from town has ponies that sometimes appear on the waterfront. All we needed was a canoe or kayak and we could have been there in 10 minutes - but we had to settle for a walk along the "boardwalk". The fancy neighborhood nearby actually had a "Kayak Barn" - it, along with the other buildings nearby, was impressive. We didn't have any luck seeing ponies from this area (the Rangers said we had missed them by a few hours) but Mollie told me she was alright with that ("we didn't even know there were horses before this morning"). It was almost 1400 by then and Mollie wanted to get another NPS Passport stamp so we headed west through Morehead City and Jacksonville until we were out of range of the mobile towers north of Wilmington. The weather was so gorgeous and the sea breeze all day made it one of the nicest days we've seen all Spring. Using the GPS, we reached the little town of Currie by 1510 and I stopped at the Post Office so I could mail Easter Cards to the Twins. We then drove a short distance to the Moores Creek National Battlefield, stopping at the Visitor Center at around 1600. The site commemorated a battle in 1776 where the Patriot/Whig militia decisively defeated a larger Loyalist/Tory party (led by Highlanders in kilts). Following the battle, the Colonial state government sent their representatives back to Philadelphia with instructions to vote for Independence. This was another "first park visit" for us and we got really lucky on the stamp - the park was closed on Mondays but they left the stamp just outside the doorway (Mollie was relieved). We walked the grounds and Mollie spotted a water snake near the boardwalk (she liked this). We also marveled at the evidence of a recent controlled burn. Mollie’s cold was exacerbated by allergies and she asked if she could go sit in the car. Meanwhile, I walked around a little bit before the gates to the park were locked by some local volunteers (1700). After that, we followed the whiz-bang GPS system in our rental car through the pine forests and horse ranches until we reached US-74/US-76 (a pretty nice four lane highway). We ate dinner (Arby’s) in Whiteville, NC (1745) and then continued to I-95, which we intercepted just north of the “South of the Border” site (on the NC-SC border). Continued driving for another hour and I tried to make hotel reservations. After some difficulty with the internet and some savvy phone negotiations, we able to check into the Days Inn in Turbeville (1930). Mollie rested up with her medicine while I did some walking in the area. She started texting me about wanting some ear drops but there weren’t any at any of the stores nearby (I checked). I told her we’d get some in the morning and she eventually managed to fall asleep (2200).