We were treated to another beautiful morning on the Crystal Coast. A quick walk around town loosened up our legs and gave us a glimpse of Beaufort's history. The town is the third-oldest in North Carolina, having been founded in 1709. The new courthouse seemed like a good place to start. A monument to lost Confederate soldiers stands on the grounds. We would later learn that Beaufort was actually a strong-hold for Union sympathizers. Beautiful live oaks ringed the courthouse grounds with their arms reaching low across square. Turns out these trees were where all the hangings took place through the early 1900s. There are always two sides to everything. Many historical markers line the streets to note the Whale Fishery, Salt Works, and Spanish Attack.
With just a taste of history, we were eager to learn more and waited for the 11:00 tour bus. It is an authentic 1960s-era London double-decker, complete with right hand drive. Our tour guide gave a great hour-long narration of Beaufort's history as we were taken up and down the town streets. She noted such things as the distinctively Beaufort style of fence pickets.
There are over 100 historically designated homes and many more that are just interesting. Some have Victorian-era embellishments. Another has a one and one-half story footprint (taxes once levied based on number of stories and from the front this house appears to be a single). The final house in the historic district to be restored has now cleared a 15-year probate fight and is under reconstruction. A large two-story house on the waterfront is a Sears Roebuck kit home.
Much attention was given to the Old Burying Ground. Churches sit on each of the four corners of a large city block. This town-owned cemetery lies in the middle and dates back over 300 years. The cemetery suffered major damage from last year's Hurricane Florence and was closed for continued clean-up. As expected, there are several odd and interesting stories associated with its residents. Plein air artists dotted our route, capturing the unique charm of Beaufort. After lunch we changed into our water shoes and dinghied over to the Rachel Carson Reserve. We chose the Water Loop/Outside trail, hoping it would give us a better opportunity to see some of the resident wild horses.
The hard-packed sand was dotted with sea grass. Thousands of fiddler crabs scampered out of our way. The males have on oversized claw which does little to camouflage their movement. We timed our arrival to coincide with low tide. At this time of day, Bird Shoal was easily accessible. We continued around the salt marsh and cut back across the island.
Mainly, however we walked through good ol' Carolina mudflats. After only a few hundred yards into our trek, we were both covered in thick black mud. Although we saw plenty of evidence of the wild horses' existence, we saw no horses today. As always, it is good to see the mothership still anchored where we left her.
Late afternoon showers were required to clean up. Several instances of bad news from home kept me on the phone, both talking and texting. Tomorrow we'll move out into the ICW and head a few more hours north. Thoughts will definitely be elsewhere.
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