... You Never Know What You're Gonna Get

Beaufort   

The crazy weather surprised us in a good way this morning. The water of Town Creek was flat, there was no wind, and feather light clouds streaked across the bluebird sky. The early light of the rising sun painted the high rise bridge with a golden glow. Barry packed his bags for the train trip back to Richmond. We picked up the marina's courtesy car at 8:30 and traveled a short distance across that bridge to Morehead City's historic Train Depot. Barry was to catch the 9:30 bus to take him to the nearest Amtrak station in Wilson.  

He carried his bags into the building only to discover that the building is no longer affiliated with Amtrak. It is now home to the Downtown Morehead City (DMC) organization as is used as both office and event space. Although we were in the wrong place, we were warmly greeted by Kathryn, DMC's executive director. She shared some local history and knowledge and suggested places to visit during the next few weeks. I left with a handful of literature to help me put together our new short-term travel itinerary. She pointed out the bus stop on the other side of the building. The train that rolled down the tracks was a Norfolk Southern locomotive pulling a single car. The railroad heritage is fully on display even though there is no current Amtrak rail service. Colorful artwork on the utility boxes was a nice surprise. The town clock was in great shape and was keeping perfect time. I left Barry at the bus stop as he offered his best Forrest Gump imitation. All he needed was a box of chocolates.

At 1:30 his bus arrived at the Amtrak station in Wilson. The afternoon here was unseasonably warm -- my kind of weather. 

In only a light jacket, my mood was inflated. So, too, were the tubes on our dinghy. The cold weather earlier on this trip had them deflated and looking pitiful. I went for a walk around the marina as cormorants went for a swim alongside the floating dock. Heavy cloud cover was moving in and obscuring the warm sunshine. From my angle it looked as if the bridge was holding up the cloud bank. The wind was picking up, but not yet so strong that I couldn't stop and smell the roses. Back at Crossroads, I inspected the remains of our solar panel assembly to make sure everything was strapped down in preparation for tonight's blow. 

Barry arrived at our house around 5:00 and all appeared to be fine. As I awaited the sunset in the pilothouse, a shell eased through the water with its oars in unison. That was not something I expected to see. I read a few more pages in my new book and spent too much time with a game on my phone. The wind picked up to the mid 20s as predicted (tonight's gusts will be up to 50 mph). The heavy clouds rendered tonight's parting colors flat and muted, but the clouds were definitely interesting. Once again, you never know what you're gonna get.

A special thanks goes out to all who have called, emailed, or texted us over the past few days. We certainly do appreciate all the kind words and destination suggestions. We look forward to sharing our travels through eastern North Carolina in the upcoming weeks.