Driving North

By Michael

The second half of our trip was different from the first in two notable ways. For one, much of the drive was right along the coast. We didn't drive at all on I-95, which takes an inland route through the Carolinas and Virginia. Instead, we drove along barrier beaches right next to sand dunes, we crossed dozens of bridges, we took two ferries, and we tunnelled under the James River and under Chesapeake Bay (twice). We passed through a National Seashore, a National Forest, and several National Wildlife Refuges. We also passed through several beach resort towns, filled with the usual mix of t-shirt shops, ice cream parlors, and elaborate mini-golf courses. We also drove around a huge Marine Corps base in North Carolina (Camp Lejune) and past a huge Naval Base in Virgina (Norfolk). We left the coast only at the end of the trip, to take Conor to his pole vaulting camp. That drive took us through the entire length of Delaware (who knew you could spend two hours driving in Delaware?), through the outer 'burbs of Philly, around Reading (nothing to write home about), and into Kutztown -- a surprisingly quaint old town nestled in Pennsylvania dutch country.

One of the things I did to pass the time while driving was to compuse haikus (an amusement inspired by one of Fr. Ralph's travelogues). Here's one that pretty much sums up RV life during the second half of our trip:

Barrier beaches

Tracked inside by fourteen feet

Sand grains in my bed

Not that I'm complaining about living on the beach. We camped at five different beaches, all with different characters, different waves, different tides, different wildlife. One of the highlights of the trip for me was our beach fire cookout on Sullivans Island with the Stones. We roasted hot dogs over the open fire (using the Stones' fencing swords), drank some ridiculously expensive wine that had been given to me as a gift, and listened to Howard and Eve recite poetry as the darkness decended.

The other way in which the second half of the trip differed from the first is in the history we encountered. In South Carolina, much of the history involved naval warfare. We were treated to some fascinating history lessons from our personal tour guide, Howard Stone, who took us through Fort Moultrie on Sullivans Island (in the shadow of Fort Sumpter) and then gave us a fascinating tour of the H.L. Hunley, a recently recovered Confederate submarine. In North Carolina and Virgina, we traveled the path from the earliest English settlements to eventual independence from England. We started at Roanoke Island, the site of the "Lost Colony" in 1587. Then we visited Jamestown, the site of the first permanent settlement in 1607. And finally, Williamsburg, the capital city of the Virginia colony from the late 1600s to until "independence" was declared in 1776. All very interesting.
But in the end, the best part of the trip was just being together -- sitting around the campfire, eating dinner at the campground picnic table, driving and sleeping and living in our 10' x 30' home.
It is, of course, good to be home. But it was also very good to be away.