We spent an additional 2 weeks at Flanners Beach Campground near New Bern, NC, getting really good at using water conservatively. We had electric but no water/sewer at the site.  It is really a beautiful spot and we enjoyed it a lot.  The only part I didn’t like was the sound of our water pump when using water.  The water spigot and dump station were very nearby, so not a lot of inconvenience, but the sound that pump makes drives me crazy.  My cousin asked me about the “military style” showers we take when we aren’t hooked up to water, getting in and getting wet, then shutting the water off to shampoo up, then back on for rinsing.  One more shut off for conditioner then a quick rinse.  Isn’t that a nuisance?  I guess it is a little bit, but really – it is not too bad b/c I just want the noise to go away.  Bill says I am exaggerating, but I don’t think so. We used paper plates, cups, bowls more than usual so we didn’t  have to wash all the that, which helps the water/gray tanks hold out longer.

There was a bit of excitement at the campground while we were there.  There was a young couple in their late 20’s camping in a tent about 2 sites down from us.  They had an inflatable rowboat type boat and went out on the Nuese River to check on crab pots they had set at an earlier time.  Evidently they had been drinking.  We aren’t sure of the whole story, but the bottom line is they both ended up in the river and the young man drown.  The search/rescue people were at the campground the next 6 days until they found him.  It is so sad.  He has a 3 year old from a previous relationship and the lady he was with was his fiance.  I didn’t take any pics, but they had helicopters and boats and divers and dogs out looking for him.  Brought back sad memories for me of my brother-in-law Joel.  He drown off Indian River Inlet in DE 5 years ago this month.  At least they found this man.

This campground is set right on the bank of the Neuse River, and we could see the water from right in front of our site.  One day we went down near the water to our own private beach.

We did some visiting around the area.  Jo had found a New Bern Historical Society House Tour, so she and I did that one day.  It was a very nice day, walking around seeing all the very old homes in New Bern, and taking tours of some of them.  We enjoyed a box lunch on the veranda of one of them.

The four of us also went to check out an aquarium one day.  It was similar to the one Bill and I went to, but also different.  We stopped for lunch beforehand and it was nice enough to sit outside!

Another day, we took our bikes and rode around New Bern, enjoying the waterfront area and showing the guys some of the houses we saw.  We went to the “Birthplace of Pepsi” and also found a really cool ice cream place.

We decided to do something really special on one of our last evenings in New Bern.  I forgot to mention earlier, but I had decided to find a place to do Zumba, which I miss going to regularly.  Bill took me over to Fairfield Harbor Recreation Center and while he was waiting for me, he walked around down on their marina docks.  He came across a brochure for sailboat cruises and scheduled a sunset sail for us.  It was great weather for a sail, even though the sunset was mostly blocked by clouds we had a great time.  Bill got to drive the boat for a while, which always makes him happy.  It was a really nice way to end our time in the New Bern area.

getting ready to get underway!

This last one of our stay in New Bern is so cute I couldn’t not put it here

We were up early on our day of departure.  We had made the decision and reserved our spot on the Cedar Island Ferry over to Ocracoke Island, which is a 2 1/2 hour ride. For our truck, rig and car it was $60, not too bad considering the miles and hours of driving it saved us.  It was a nice ride, I had taken some meclizine in advance, just in case, and I was fine.  I sometimes get a bit sea-sick, so I didn’t want to take a chance on a 2/12 hour ride.

We parked our rigs and took my car over to this little place in the town of Ocracoke called Zillies, which Bill and I originally went to back in the fall.  He wanted to show Craig all the craft beers they have on tap, and it is a cool place to sit outside (especially since they have this really cool propane fire things to keep you warm)  I had a glass of wine and some cheese and crackers.  Very nice and relaxing.  I guess Jo was the only one who got a pic – sorry!

We arrived at the terminal in plenty of time to catch the 3:30pm ferry to Hatteras. This ferry leaves from the north side of the island, a short 13 mile drive.  This ferry (from Ocracoke to Hatteras) is FREE!  Downside is, you cannot reserve a spot, not even with our big rigs, it is first come/first on the boat.  There are exceptions, what they call “priority vehicles” which are commercial vehicles, like school buses, tour buses, FedEx, garbage trucks,etc.  Even though we got there at 3:10pm, we had to wait for the next ferry b/c there were a bunch of the “priority vehicles” I told you about.  That is when we found out they were only running every hour on the half hour, so we sat and waited.  It really wasn’t a big deal and we got on the 4:30pm ferry with no problem.  Well, it turned out ok, but it was very tight for Jo getting on and parked.

So, we are now at Ocean Waves Campground in Waves, NC.  Tracy & Lee drove in from Raleigh area and arrived much earlier in the day. Cori & Greg arrived yesterday, this being their first stop – their launch! Others will be joining us later.  We are right across the dunes from the ocean and I’ve been falling asleep to that sound I love!  We are so excited to be here with our friends!  Here is a teaser pic! I’ll catch you up again soon!