Roanoke Rapids
Cold and breezy ... could it really be Groundhog Day, again? Barry and I had to stay close to Crossroads in anticipation of our canvas contractor coming to make measurements for our new bimini top. Tired of busy work, I did some reading and attempted to transport myself somewhere warm. The fact that i had the downstairs heat turned up to 78 degrees sure helped. Lunch came and went. I decided to start streaming Blue Bloods from Season 1, Episode 1. With 275 episodes over 13 seasons, that should keep me busy for a few days. As the time passed, so did our hope of seeing the canvas guy. We were not really surprised, however, due to the strong winds. At 1:40, I received a text that changed everything. Our longtime and dear friends Chris and Gina were on Interstate 95 heading south from New Jersey. We quickly did the time and distance calculations and realized we could all meet up at their planned stop in Roanoke Rapids for dinner. Better yet, we could stay at the hotel ourselves and visit with them tomorrow morning as well. Within 30 minutes, we had packed an overnight bag and hit the road.
We took the familiar route to New Bern then hopped over to the backroads toward our destination. We definitely saw some new and different areas of North Carolina, starting with the "other" (nonwaterfront) side of New Bern and it's large roadside city crest. Along with the familiar Dollar Generals, Piggly Wigglys, and Bojangles were paper mills, stock yards, hay trucks, and miles of cotton fields. The long shadow of our Escape moved across the flat fields covered in fluffy cotton remnants. One place of note was Halifax, site of the Halifax Resolves which on April 12, 1776 ordered North Carolina's delegation to the second Continental Congress in Philadelphia not only to form foreign alliances, but also to seek and vote for independence from Great Britain. This action made North Carolina the "First In Freedom" (a motto displayed on the state's license plates to this day).
We arrived on schedule and met Chris and Gina in the hotel lobby before heading out to dinner together. Barry and Chris attended Penn State together several years ago, and it is great how they always pick right back up like no time has passed. It was a wonderful evening and an unexpected treat. We visited in the lobby for a while before calling it a night, but not before setting a time to meet again for breakfast in the morning before we all hit the road once again.
No comments:
Post a Comment