Ocracoke / Homeward Bound
8 October 2023
50 miles
We were up and on our way this morning, leaving the hotel before 9:00, and hoping to make the 10:00 ferry to Ocracoke. We had plenty of time and were about the eighth car in line to board. The 70-minute crossing was uneventful – actually a bit boring as the ferry just made a big arc between Hatteras and the terminal at Ocracoke. Once off the boat, we drove into town and went in search of the ferry for tomorrow’s crossing to Cedar Island. The island is pretty easy to navigate since the main road through town is North Carolina Route 12.
After getting our bearings (and stopping to see the horses), we visited the Ocracoke Lighthouse and then the British Cemetery. Following these brief sojourns we parked near the ferry terminal and walked up to have lunch at SmacNally’s. Well, we had another think coming, since the wait was one hour and 15 minutes – at 1:15 in the afternoon! We walked up the road a bit and had lunch at Dajio – fish tacos for Markus and a seared tuna wrap for me. The portions were huge, so I ended up taking half of mine with me.
On the way to the campsite, we stopped by the variety store (there is only one on Ocracoke!) for a can of soup and a bundle of firewood. But when we got to the campground, no campfires were allowed! We settled in and made some coffee – we were both dragging. Even with the coffee, I ended up napping in the truck for about a half hour. We got the tent set up and then had dinner of leftovers (tuna wrap and shrimp and rice). Once the sun was starting to set, the stars were coming out, and even though the skies were not overly dark, the Milky Way was already visible.
The sky viewing was so awesome– it made up for all the shortcomings of the site (lack of privacy, first and foremost). We gazed at the stars until almost 10:00 then called it a night. Since we have an early morning tomorrow, we put all our gear away this evening.
Footnote: There is a “meadow“ right behind our campsite; we took our chairs out there after dinner. Not sure we have ever seen the Milky Way so clearly. The campground is underwhelming, but the skies are worth it all!!
9 October 2023
218 miles
We were awake before our 6:00 alarm this morning and had the tent down within 20 minutes. We pulled out around 6:40 – 10 minutes early. There was absolutely no coffee to be had at that hour, but I was able to buy a Keurig cup from the vending machine at the ferry terminal for $1.50. It dispensed just like a candy bar! Then, of course, there were no cups at the Keurig machine. Fortunately, we had our trusted coffee mug in the truck, so I ran to get it. I was worried that the machine would run out of water – we weren’t exactly batting 1000 at this point. Fingers crossed, I pushed the button and was rewarded with 6 ounces of coffee!
We got on the ferry without further ado. The crossing to Cedar Island is 2 ¼ hours, so after a quick bathroom break, we settled in. I managed to sleep a little, but I don’t think Markus did. We arrived without further incident and drove through the Cedar Island Wildlife Refuge. There wasn’t really anything exciting to see.
We drove right through Atlantic, where we were planning to scope out the ferry to the North Core Banks. We did find the ferry (to Cape Lookout) in Davis though, so we stopped to check it out. I am so glad we did, because in talking with the clerk, she told us that there was a fishing tournament coming up this weekend, so the ferry is nearly fully booked, with only one space available on the 11th. After giving it more thought, Markus and I decided not to cross this week, but instead to return later this year or next year. After all, the point is to get away from people, and it sounds like the islands will be overrun with fishermen and women.
From Davis, we drove onto Beaufort, where we stopped for brunch – a shared breakfast wrap and coffee. It was really good. We left Beaufort and drove south on U.S. Route 17 until Myrtle Beach, stopping to briefly tour Fort Macon on the way. We are staying at the Hilton Grand Vacation, and we have a gorgeous oceanfront, one-bedroom apartment with laundry! I really rock when it comes to booking accommodations!
10 October 2023
462 miles
We checked out of the hotel at 10:00 and stopped at Chick-fil-A for breakfast, then headed on down the road on U.S. 17 South. We stopped at a rest area in Georgia about 30 miles from the Florida border. Our original plan was to head out to Jekyll Island/Saint Simon Island, but Markus preferred to head home. We got to Harbour Village around 7:45 PM, after a brief stop at Jerry’s to pick up a pizza. We unloaded the entire back of the truck – suitcases, cooler and a ton of other miscellaneous stuff. Got to bed around midnight after 6,180 miles door-to-door.
And another adventure concludes!
THE END