Best Laid Plans

Day 9

• Make a plan , adjust the plan, adjust the plan again... welcome to the world of travel I guess! Lol

The "plan" was to be on the road at sunrise. I was up and ready, but there was no sunrise. As the sky lightened at dawn there was nothing to see but fog. I could have taken a picture for you, but really you could just put on a gray mitten, hold it in front of your face, and you would have same thing! Welcome to the Smokey Mountains. They didn't get that name for nothing!
So...plan B, wait it out. What else can you do?
FINALLY, it is 9:20 and I can see my car in the parking lot at least. So I am making a run for it! As I am having breakfast I was launching Google Maps for my drive and get the message "can't find a way there".
Ummm...
..lol...well, you'd better! Good thing I have that good old fashioned paper map thing in my car!
Speaking of cars, a small car commercial here...I bought my Nissan Altima gently used four years ago now, but this is the first real road trip it has been on.  Except for a quick turn around to Colorado right after I bought it and several Sioux Falls trips, it hasn't been tested out in this way. It is AWESOME! Smooth comfortable ride, these mountains barely slow it down, and 40 miles to the gallon with the air on, with it only dropping to 37 or 38 miles per gallon here in the mountains and still with the air on! In short, if you need a car, get an Altima. I didn't know how I would feel about a bigger car, and I really drug my feet buying this because to me an Altima is big. However, I have not regretted this purchase at all, especially after this trip!
One more random thought, I wish crepe myrtles could thrive in Nebraska. They are such a beautiful tree!

Well, hoping this is the last of the problematic adventures for the day. As Tigger would say...ta ta for now!
Update: well, it wasn't. A grueling day of traffic delays and storms stretched that 14 hour trip into an 18 one. But, after 3200 miles I am home!!!
Thank you all for traveling with me. I can't wait to hear about your adventures.

Day 8 Lightning and thunder and rain, oh my!

Yesterday's travel ended safely at my dear college friend's house, only to be spoiled rotten, yet again, by them even though it was a quick turnaround. I am so blessed with wonderful friends from every stage of my life journey. What a gift! More delicious peach cobbler last night, eggs and bacon this morning, and lemon blueberry bread for the road, oh my! So much love. The laughter and hugs made the side trip well worth it, but oh, what an adventure it became-in the not good way-when the severe weather predicted for the area moved in hours ahead of schedule.
Let me just say, I was white knuckling it the last two and half hours as I kept hitting pockets where the rain came down in sheets and debris starting blowing. The early evening sky looked like night and my pace was slowed down by an hour. The navigation system that  I was relying on to find their new home was affected by the weather, my car one-which is always a little sketch-couldn't find my current location anymore making it useless. Then my backup, Google Maps had a hiccup just when I needed it most and at first listed what would have been the correct left turn I learned later, and changed  to tell me to take a right a 1/4 mile farther. Which turned out to be a two block stretch of gravel lane ending at at abandoned looking house and a big ditch of flooding water so I couldn't even turn around. And it was still telling me to continue! I thought it had clearly gone cray cray and backed back out while the storm raged around, went to a gas station and called my friends to double check directions. I was done trusting technology in a storm! Lol I don't rattle too easily, but I was more than ready to be off the road and was glad to get to their home, only about three miles away IN THE OPPOSITE direction as what Google was trying to drag me! Just be aware solo travelers, trust your instincts and not necessarily your technology! I would have been stuck in a rain filled ditch if I hadn't!
 I saw tree limbs down and enough clutter scattered in areas as I traveled out this morning to verify it was a heck of a little storm!

So, needless to say, I am dragging today and I don't think I am going to cover nearly as much ground as I had hoped, but that is okay. Better to go safely than in a tired haze.
Take aways for me:
 *Truckers have a heck of a job, because they do have a tight schedule to keep and can't stop even whenthey often should if they are going to keep it.
*I am into the mountains of North Carolina now near Asheville at a, you guessed it,Cracker Barrel...lol...and this state is so gorgeous, and so different, from end to end. It really is amazing how 8 hours can take you to two seemingly different worlds!
 *These are the times when you really wish you could just do that little nose wriggle deal like in Bewitched and blink yourself home! 

Day 7 It Ain't Over Till It's Over

Day 7 It ain't over till it's over, and the fat lady hasn't sung yet!
Now, a good writer probably would have stopped with yesterday which seemed to have a natural end of posting feel to it. But, come on now!  You people can't rid of me that easily! I still have 3 days of travel time left in which to share all the random thoughts that bounce through my head. Lol. I promised to keep it lighter today and I stand by that.

One last beautiful sunrise from the balcony of my AirBnb hosts home, and then I must go. I had never used AirBnb or stayed in a bed and breakfast type of place, but if this was anything to go by I have no complaints!  Danny and Kerry at "It's About Time" on Hatteras Island could not have been more gracious or friendly. They have a beautiful, but even better,  casualy comfortable feeling home. It is located right on the Pamlico Sound with that amazing view as your alarm. They just reached out and made me part of their family while I was visiting. They do a wonderful job of making you feel included, yet providing you privacy. I was nervous going into this type of lodging for the first time, but I truly enjoyed meeting them. And their three young grand kiddos, all 8 and under, who were visiting  "Mawmaw and Poppop". They did not fail to provide a daily dose of entertainment. Especially since I wasn't in charge of them! I just got to enjoy their antics, and then say, "See ya, heading to the beach!". Lol Truly though, they were great kids and the second grader became my nearly constant sidekick when she found out I was a teacher. Cutie.
As a solo traveler, there was a comfort in not coming back to an empty hotel room at the end of the day. I was able to completely let my caution guard down and just enjoy being part of their island life. They are both New Jersey natives. They grew up 20 minutes from where my sister currently lives, small world, and met when they were juniors in high school-that is a success story in itself! After raising four kids in the Virginia area they retired to their dream home on the Pamlico Sound. He even offered to let me go deep sea fishing yesterday, but it was my last day to be at the beach and I just couldn't give that up. I had a moment of disappointment over that decison when they got back and had seen a twelve foot hammerhead shark!! I would have LOVED to have seen that, not while I am in the water for sure, but from the boat, YA!!
In any case, I still benefited from he and his friend's day of fishing with an invite to their family dinner of fresh caught black fin tuna and Mahi. Lightly seared and dipped in a homemade wasabi sauce, it was delicious! My husband wouldn't have believed his eyes to see me eating either of those things, especially wasabi! But, oh*my*goodness! And I thought I wasn't a fish person, but that fresh caught deal is a whole different story.
But, this morning is was back to the road, with an early ferry to Okacroke.

Another benefit of solo travel-I don't have to schedule with anyone else. Not going to lie, there are times when that is nice. I got up earlier than I needed so I could spend a couple of hours  in Okacroke. And, on a whim even rented a bike and spent an hour of that spinning around the island seeing what I could see. Although, about 150 other people rented bikes too, another 200 rented golf carts, and the last 120 are walking. All of us navigating on a really busy little two lane road here in the town...you get the picture. Not the most relaxing situation, a bit too touristy for me...says the tourist herself. Lol With more time all of that could be avoided with a ride out along the Hatteras National Seashore scenic drive bike path, which looks amazing. You have 14 miles of open space to traverse, but I wasn't quite that free on time or desire. My last glimpse of the a Hatteras Island seashore. :(

Two places in town I tried out, and highly reccomend if you come here...and you should...

It isn't a donut, but it is the cutest little candy store, and YUM! I did rigorous taste testing to be sure I offered you the  best advice, you are welcome! ;) My favorite, though it would take much more sampling to be sure, I believe was the dark chocolate peppermint candy. Followed closely by the chocolate peanut butter seashell. Because of course I'm at the ocean so how can you not eat a seashell? I could take pictures of the candy, but that would require an X-ray. Sorry, not sorry. ;)

The other place had a super friendly staff, great James Taylor tunes playing, and a delish BLT egg sandwich! Two thumbs up! My waitress was a little college bound girl that was as cute as button and has never met a stranger in her life I'm guessing, lol. Another lady working there, equally willing to chat with very little encouragement, was a 42 year veteran teacher on the mainland, who is getting ready to start her last year before she and her husband retire to their island house permanently.  Another side benefit to solo travel is that you meet more people. Not that I don't talk to people anywhere, but you get approached for conversation more when you are alone. And that is cool. Tuesday at the Pea Island Art Gallery the lady who runs it and I were the only two, so we had a great time gabbing for almost an hour! She is from Pennsylvania, and the artist whose magnet I purchased was from Nebraska! Small world.  I enjoy talking ...as I am sure you are now aware. As Anne of Green Gables would say, "I know I chatter on far too much... but if you only knew how many things I want to say and don't. You would give me SOME credit." I feel ya Anne! Lol

One last ferry ride and I am on my way to my friend's house in Florence, SC. for the night. Hanging up the writing for the day,  hours yet of driving "adventures" await!