June 14, 2004 - Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Oregon Inlet, North Carolina

Finally it's stopped looking like New England. First thing we spot over the boarder is Powell’s Roadside Market. We pull in and start taking pictures of the pork products in the displays. (What northerners.) (See Schookie’s story about the owner.)

STOP CALLING ME SCHNOOKIE! [NOTE: my dad was from North Carolina and I spent some of the best summers of my life there. I love the place and the people are great, so keep that in mind when you read what I'm about to say and any other NC-related comments!]

As I was paying for the ham & grits, I said to the old guy (who had been in conversation with the woman before ambling over to the cash register), "It's been a long time since I've had this stuff." His reply: "It's no wonder them funeral parlors are doin' lots of business." (He proceeds to ring up the items.)

Me: (Bewildered pause) "My father's from North Carolina and it's been a long time since I've been here."

Old Geezer: "Them funeral parlor directors practically invented them cell phones. No wonder they have so much business."

Me: "Uhhh...thank you. You have a nice day."

Him: "Something....something...young lady...something something."

Back at the truck, I told Eric about the odd conversation. He replied, "He was probably finishing up his previous conversation! If you run back in there now, you'll probably hear your reply!" I could just picture the guy who was in line behind me saying (for example), "Can you tell me where the closest Krispy Kreme is?" and the old guy saying something like, "Yes mam, they don't make no better country ham than this here."

Tomorrow we're going to Cape Hatteras itself--after we visit Wright Brothers National Monument. Then, I believe, we're taking the Ocracoke-Cedar Island ferry to the mainland. We may stay another night on the National Seashore. I wouldn't mind going to Roanoke Island. Anyway, once we leave here, we'll probably go about halfway down the N.C. coast, spend another night, then head for Myrtle Beach, S.C. There we plan on staying at an RV park that has Linkspot wireless Internet access. (We've got to get our travel website up!)

We pull into our first state park campsite. Now we were going to rough it. No water or electric hookups. Right next to the ocean. Only twenty bucks for the night. THIS is why we got a truck camper. We don't bother with the generator. We throw open all the windows and let the sea breeze blow through the camper.

I sat there in my foldable port-o chair and watched the sun set behind some water pipes.

10:30 pm: I speak to the older (presumably) gay couple in the truck camper next to ours for a little while and hit the sack fairly early. Aaaaaah, this is living. Just a couple of empty tent sites next to ours.

11:00 pm: The boys’ club "little delinquents" nature program arrive back at their campsite. Yup, when you’re fifteen, being supervised by a twenty year old, CAMPING WITH YOUR BUDDIES SURE IS A RIP-ROARING FUN TIME!

11:15 pm: The sea breeze stops.

11:25 pm: Blood pressure goes up to 190 over 100

We're "roughing it" on the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina. No hookups. We got water at the marina across the road and the light I'm writing by is running off the camper battery. Just before sunset we walked across the dunes and down the beach...beautiful. And I found all kinds of treasures: oyster shells worn thin and shiny like abalone, orange scallop shells, a horseshoe crab carapace, skate egg cases and the sun-bleached vertebrae of some animal.

It's windy--thankfully. The wind off the ocean is blowing through the camper, keeping us cool. I've got a bout of canker sores AND those tiny painful red bumps that appear on my fingers from time to time.

Mei-Li is growling at the campers near us. Eric is sitting on the "sofa" in the dark, "listening to the crickets." I'm up on the bed writing this.

We finally came across cicadas today--at a state park near Virginia Beach! There were also tons of beautiful dragonflies. I tried to take some pictures, but only got one blurry one. I'm hoping my camera battery holds out till we get to a camera or electronics store--I forgot to bring my battery charger. (Stupid!)

It's pretty noisy here, considering we're at a National Park campsite. Or, maybe that's not surprising and it's only my expectations speaking. . .Presumably it will quiet down soon.

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