If the doctor ever told me I should
slow down... and he recommended a long sea voyage... I'd go to Ocracoke
and back for a trial of the idea. This is a rare afternoon edition of
"SilveCliche' on the Road" and for now I'm renaming the blog
"SilverCliche' at Sea". As I write this, Mrs. C', the two dogs, the
truck and trailer and I are on the North Carolina Ferry Systems RORO
(roll on/roll off) vessel "Silver Lake" crossing the Pamlico Sound. We
are headed to Swansboro, NC for the night and will be camping in the
Croatan National Forest. No... this isn't the "lions and tigers and
bears" kind of forest. This is an urban forest. Seriously. Here's how
this works... at some point in the past, the government of the United
States "acquired" some land. Don't worry about how they acquired it...
that's not important. OK... it might be important. Maybe they took it
from some Indians. Maybe they bought it from someone for a price that
they (the government) thought was fair. It's doubtful that they saw a
"for sale" sign on the land and called the realtor to see how much it
would be. That would be very un-government of them. Let's just say this
land fell of a truck and they were in the right place at the right time
to pick it up. Anyway, when they "acquired" the land it probably was
full of lions and tigers and bears. Over time, the privately held lands
around the government forest became developed. As best I can tell, the
land around the Coratan National Forest is very well developed including
some nearby luxury-type communities. So, the government (this being a
democracy, "the government" means "us" as in "you and me") has turned a
portion of its national forest into a campground where folks like Mrs.
C' and me can stay for a few bucks a night (it's half price for us
seasoned-citizens) and let our dogs relieve themselves on the National
Trees. If you are reading this and you have not gotten in on this racket
you are missing out. The government has the best land in the neatest
places and lets old people stay there for cheap and use their water and
electricity. All you need is a tent... or better yet a deeee-luxe RV and
a truck to pull it... and you are in! Check out our spot for tonight on
Google maps (remember to turn on satellite view to actually see details
of the areas and not just the roads): http://goo.gl/maps/fGN0i
So,
we have been at sea (or "at sound") now for an hour with another 1 1/2
to go then an hour or so by car and we will be one with the trees. So
far, I can report that ocean voyages are boring. Maybe that's why
doctors recommend them (or used to before Valium was invented).
Unfortunately, it's raining here so there are not even any deckhands
applying paint to the ship anywhere to give us something that we can
watch drying. Fortunately, the Silver Cliche' home on wheels is under an
awning formed by an upper deck where passengers are enjoying burned
coffee and over-priced stale snacks from the vending machine. The four
of us are in the truck listening to the drone of the diesel engines, the
swoosh of the waves on the hill and the caws of the seagulls a which
are following us. Oh, and we have been listening to two guys talking for
45 minutes about motorcycles. Actually, it was one guy talking and the
other guy standing there thinking about everywhere he'd rather be than
here listening to a stranger drone on about motorcycles. Poor fellow. At
least if they were in front of a Home Depot ashore he would have been
able to say after 10 minutes "Oh, geez, look at the time, I've got a
doctor's appointment and need to get to" or "I sure could talk about
motorcycles all day long but I have to pick up my kid at karate
lessons". I was watching his face. I could almost see him start to say
something then stop. I have a hunch those were moments where he realized
that the escape plan he was about to execute was going to be foiled by
the fact that it was based on an excuse that would be torpedoed by our
presence on a ferry. I'm thinking if he had some Syrup of Ipecac or a
Luger he would have used it to escape the droning of the motorcycle man.
Mercifully the attack ceased for all of us after about 75 minutes.
Back
to the subject of Ocracoke. Mrs. C' and I were talking about it just
now. We both concluded that we didn't connect with the place. Maybe it
was the weather (yesterday's rain subsided but was followed by steady
wind with gusts up to 30 mph all night and all morning), maybe it was
the chance encounter we had with some waitresses who missed their
calling in a line of work where silently mocking people around you pays
off... something like street mime, maybe it was the layout of the town
or the types of shops and restaurants which made it difficult to park
and wander. Clearly, Ocracoke has lots to offer. Especially the well
preserved landmarks like the lighthouse and the beaches, beaches,
beaches which must be a surf fisherman's paradise. The sheer remoteness
of the place creates an atmosphere where one can decompress. For us, it
didn't click and when the ferry showed up at 12:45 to unload the next
batch of victims and load us for our 1:00 departure and we gladly drove
onto the ramp and followed the deck hand's instructions.
Tonight
we will still be in North Carolina but tomorrow it's on to South
Carolina with only Georgia between us and Florida. Sometimes at this
point of a trip I start to feel the pull of home. That has not hit quite
yet. Maybe getting back to the mainland will plant that seed.
Later!
SC'
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