A Trip Downeast

Beaufort  

Today was a nice change of pace as we took the morning slow before heading out to explore some new areas. Barry mounted the navigation lights to the freshly varnished name boards while I completed my stretching routine. There was way too much sitting the past few days and we welcomed the opportunity to get outside and stretch our legs. We headed north to another landmark from the Roadside America Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions. The statue of Blackbeard the pirate is located on the grounds of Downeast Marine. A drive-by photo proved to be inadequate as it did not convey the true size of this creation. I barely came up to his knees. Blackbeard must have been just as cold as me for we both stood in the same manner with our arms bundled together. A short time later we turned onto the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway and headed through the coastal plain of Downeast North Carolina. This is not a city, but a region formed by a group of 15 communities east of Beaufort in Carteret County (the state's third-largest county, stretching nearly 100 miles). Our destination was the building at the end of the road sharing the Harkers Island Visitor Center and the National Parks Service Cape Lookout National Seashore. There were a few other adventurous souls also visiting and we all watched a short film entitled Ribbon of Sand, which presented an overview of the most dynamic geology on earth. This area of North Carolina has the highest wave energy of all the east coast. Another interesting fact was that all of the existing barrier islands were submerged sandbars when Columbus discovered America in 1492. Although we left our Park Service Passports at home, we collected our stamps. We had visited Cape Lookout Lighthouse several years ago so this was as close as we'd get today.

Our next stop was next door at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center. A very nice sign led us back to a beautiful facility, concealed from the road by many windswept trees. The ground floor houses the region's largest collection of decoys. All species and sizes are represented with the two life-size carvings flanking the fireplace being the most impressive.

We gave nontraditional decoy posing extra credit for originality. The museum also featured a wing dedicated to hurricanes that ravaged the area. The second floor gave each of the Downeast communities space to share items of historical significance. Items ranged from kitchen items, to displays of notable residents, to shipbuilding and other trades. Many of these tools were recognized as ones similar to those of my dad.  

Several handmade quilts were on display. The traveling exhibit Hundred County Quilt was the largest and most intricate. We searched out Forsyth County's square and was not surprised to find a representation of the Moravian Star. One more flight of stairs led to the observation tower with a nice view of Willow Pond. As much as we wanted to walk, the cold and strong wind kept us from doing so. Not much else was open on the remote island with a population of 1,800. The one restaurant we had eyed for lunch was closed for staff training. We headed back to Beaufort on the same singular road, over the new high rise bridge that just opened to traffic in December 2023 (replacing the original swing bridge). We stopped by Crossroads long enough for me to watch UVA hold on for a win at Clemson. A late afternoon trip into Morehead City kept us out past sunset. All that remained when we returned to Town Creek Marina was a pale pastel sky. The reflection of the pedestal lights in the still water of a vacant slip provided the best image to close the day.