seniors walking across america: POST 494 - DAY 288 / 31: CEDAR ISLAND

Please say HELLO to Dan.

It was to Dan that we went to find our parking place for last night at Chip Stevens BLACKBEARD'S LODGE.

This morning, Dan and a couple of his friends spent some time searching books in Chip's library and searched the internet to find details about the death of BLACKBEARD and his Executioner, Lt. Robert Maynard.

I will give those details at another time...except to say that Lt. Maynard and his partner each commanded small H.M.S. Sloops, both unarmed, while attacking BLACKBEARD'S armed Sloop.
Lt. Maynard was successful in boarding BLACKBEARD's ship and in hand to hand combat, slew him, decapitated (cut off his head), put it on the bowsprit (the long pole sticking out the front of most sailing ships), and delivered it to the Governor of the Carolinas.

Dan is so handsome, just had to post another pic.

The "greeter" in the foyer of Chip's BLACKBEARD'S LODGE, OCRACOKE, NORTH CAROLINA.

Contact Chip at: www.blackbeardslodge.com.

Dozens of vehicles on OCRACOKE ISLAND (and HATTERAS ISLAND, also), have these front-bumper carriers. They are manufactured on the Outer Banks Islands.

In the next few days, I plan to visit the factory and try to beg, borrow, or steal one for SPIA.

Tommy's local Grocery Store in OCRACOKE. I "window licked" a number of times while checking ATM for $$ being added to my Debit Card (no luck so far). Reluctantly, I only licked...had no $$ to purchase anything...sure could use a loaf of bread.

In the early morning, left SPIA at BLACKBEARD'S LODGE and walked North / East on SR 12 toward the ferry boat terminal to HATTERAS ISLAND, 12 miles away. Walked out 7 miles and returned to SPIA.

We then drove to the ferry terminal...waited in line for two ferries due to traffic -large 18-wheelers took up most of the first ferry.

Here, we are about to board the ferry boat.

A Deck Hand directing SPIA into her parking spot on the deck of the ferry boat.

A Seagull supervised the entire loading operation from his piling perch.

PAMLICO SOUND is the shallow bay protected by the OUTER BANKS (Islands). Cutting through the islands are a number of "inlets". the OCRACOTE ISLAND - HATTERAS ISLAND ferry boat crosses one of those inlets...this one 27 miles wide, filled with shifting sand banks.

The distant white water is actually a BEACH, with dozens of people walking out into the Atlantic Ocean Surf...needless to say, not a place for any boat.

The ferry boat follows a series of Red Buoys (to be kept on the "Starboard" side of the boat...and Green Buoys (to be kept on the "Port" side of the boat when returning from the open Ocean. The channel is extremely narrow and twists and turns in time with the shifting sands.

STARBOARD and PORT (Right-hand and Left-hand side of a boat): One explanation of where the terms came from:

200 years ago, sailing ships sailed from Europe to America and back to Europe traveling "clockwise"; i.e., leaving LONDON, ENGLAND, our boat sailed South towards the Equator off Africa, where the Ocean Currents turn West across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Americas, where they turn North along North America...then turn East back to Europe.

Following this current, sailing ships found that "land" (or Ports) were always on the "Left" side of the ship.

Whereas, on the "Right" side of the ship could be found "Polaris" (the North Star).

Therefore, the Left side of the ship became the "Port" side (or Port).

The Right side of the ship became the "Star" side (or starboard).

Our ferry boat passed close by the exposed land mass at the South end of HATTERAS ISLAND.

Entering the harbor from the open sea, all ships in US waters must keep the "Green" buoys on the LEFT side of the ship (the Port Side).

Conversely, the "Red" buoys must always be on the RIGHT side of the ship (Starboard).

The navigable channel will always be found between the Green and Red Buoys. Stray even a few yards on the wrong side of a buoy will most likely result in our ferry boat hitting a pile or rocks or more likely, find itself stuck in the sand of a shallow sea bottom.

Our twin...the ferry boat named OCRACOKE.

HATTERAS ISLAND shore.

A RED Buoy on our ferry boat's RIGHT side as we enter HATTERAS Harbor.

HATTERAS village skyline.

SPIA found her way to the village of RODANTHE, NORTH CAROLINA..the summer home of Karen Estes.

Karen and hubby have kindly offered SPIA a safe parking spot for the next few days.

As we drove North on SR 12 from the village of HATTERAS, we drove by utter devastation caused by Hurricane IRENE two months ago. Many homes were kindling wood. Dozens of RVs and House Trailers lined the highway twisted and crushed from the force of the waves washing completely across the narrow HATTERAS ISLAND. Huge piles of ruined carpets and furniture also line the highway...this, two months after IRENE. Karen's home still has no water or electricity. While we visit, I will make myself useful by cleaning up that which I can.

Talking to a neighbor of Karen's, I was told water STOOD up to five (5) feet deep after the passing of IRENE...no mention of how high the water surge might have been.

The landscape of every home in Karen's neighborhood is a mess...many items lying about that were brought in with the flood...not belonging to the property owners.

We plan to stay at Karen's for the next week or so. We will walk the entire length of the OUTER BANKS, taking photographs and finding folks who lived through Hurricane IRENE.

We arrived at Karen's home just before Sunset.

I walked the few steps to the shore of PEMLICO SOUND just in time to catch the Sun slide beneath the waters in the West...