April 3 - “Oconaluftee”

We made a Vaughan road trip kind of decision. After going to Cowpens yesterday and getting a stamp/sticker for Chris’ book, we just couldn’t pass up the chance to complete this region. We got a hotel (Holiday Inn Express this time. Great price and probably the best hotel this whole trip), and made a bit of a backtrack. We returned to King’s Mountain so we could get the stamp and check out the visitor center. 

The rangers were very nice and helpful. We strolled through the museum, and that answered a lot of our confusion about whigs and tories and exactly which battle happened when and why. They even verified that the trees blooming a beautiful white flower everywhere around here were dogwoods. Combined with the pink sugar maples and red redbuds and purple wisterias that are also popping out, this place has been quite the early Spring destination.

Full-on headed back west now, we set the GPS to find some place called Oconaluftee visitor center of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Say that five times really fast. It appeared to be right on the way to Chattanooga. It was … sort of. OK. Not really. There may or may not have been the “opportunity” to climb way up into the Great Smoky Mountains. 

On the way there we hit a patch of really dense fog. More like low-hanging rain clouds, actually. Eerie. Oh, and it was cold again. Low 50’s with the wind chill in the 40’s. And me in shorts and a t-shirt. Brr. 

I gotta say, the drive up to the mountains was chock-full of downright weird and touristy stuff. But the drive down followed a beautiful river with rapids. The only tourist incursions were the river rafting companies. Highly enjoyable. 

Up at the Oconaluftee (love saying that), we got the stamp first, then took a walk. Certainly not a hike by the standards of the last two days, but at least we strolled around and stretched our legs. They had a mountain farm set up, and the buildings were actually built many years ago. They were moved to the site to show the struggle it was living in the mountains. 

Once out of the mountains, we made our way to Chattanooga. Not to experience anything. We have already spent time there. This time it just happened to be in the appropriate place to grab a hotel room. But once again, God provided quite the show for us. Mountain vistas. Another beautiful river. And we even got to follow the world’s next Dollar General - at about 25 mph. 

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ says, Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.

Father, thank you for the overload of natural beauty we experienced yesterday. You done good. You done real good. Amen. 

April 2 - “Entrapment, annihilation, and an American victory”

Our exciting stumble of the day? We drove through Marshville, North Carolina. And why was that such an accidental marvel? Why, because Marshville has a distinctive claim to fame. It’s the birthplace of none other than Randy Travis. No big attempt to draw in tourists, though. Just a big mural of his face on the  side of a building. 

Around lunchtime we finally reached the first of our two goal sites of the day, King’s Mountain National Battlefield. It was a key victory for the Patriots in the Revolutionary War. Sadly, the visitors center was closed, so no stamp for the book. Chris said she could just make one of her own. The highlighted hike was listed as just a mile and a half, so we decided to tackle it before getting some lunch. 

Perhaps that wasn’t our finest decision of the trip. Oh, the trail was well-marked and even was covered in that rubbery substance.  But we failed to take into account that this was, after all, King’s MOUNTAIN. That trail was the toughest one all journey. A few almost vertical climbs (at least they seemed so to us). And the return down the mountain had some pretty severe slopes. You know, the kind where your toes get all scrunched up against the front of your shoe. Ouch. There were a few stops for Chris to “take pictures.”  (Code for catch your breath and let your heart rate calm down). But we made it the whole way. Yay us!

Next on the list was the Cowpens Battlefield National Monument. The visitors center was closed at this one, too, but we went in to check out the hikes anyway. And to our surprise, they had set out a bunch of stickers with three stamps on them, all for the taking. Check. 

This place was another Revolutionary War battle site. We did the hike there. My favorite comment from the many noted on signs along the trail: 

“The stage was set for entrapment, annihilation, and an American victory.”

Go, Patriots! Go, ‘Murica!

Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭2‬ says, My soul, praise the Lord, and do not forget   all His benefits.

Father, thank you for our really full day yesterday. Those walks were tough but fun. Amen. 

April 1 - “Pepsi!”

Chris was convinced for the better  part of the day that the date was April first. Not sure what jogged her memory, but when she commented, “Wait. Today is March 31st, not April 1st,” I may or may not have uttered those fateful words… April Fools. Not that I intentionally set her up. It just seemed so … appropriate. 

We made a fascinating discovery upon awakening and settling in for breakfast. There on the wall was a photo commemorating this random little town where we happened to stop for the night. Come to find out, we were in the actual birthplace of - drumroll here - Pepsi! So of course we had to at least do a drive-by. 

Sure enough, the corner drugstore where it all began was now a commemorative museum. Sadly, it didn’t open for another hour. And we wanted to be on our way to our next destination. So we took a few pictures and hit the road. 

Cape Lookout National Seashore 

Harkers Island was next. I know. That’s a mouthful. The plan was originally to take a ferry ride from the visitor center out to Cape Lookout Lighthouse. However, we chose not to ride the ferry out to the lighthouse. It was cold and damp and the ferry was an open pontoon boat. And we found out that you can’t go inside the lighthouse anyway. So we opted to use the good ol’ zoom lens and take some long-distance shots. 

On the advice of a visitor center professional (or more likely, volunteer), we did check out the next door Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. That museum was a great diamond in the rough. Our favorite part was the entire floor where local communities and families donated old stuff that was important to them. The exhibits were a fascinating glimpse of local Americana and rich history. More places should learn from that. Listening, Rosenberg Library?

A volunteer at the museum gave us a recommendation for a place locals eat, so we headed there. On the way we passed the local fire station. All the bays were open and all the trucks were there. They also had a sign indicating they had fire department t-shirts for sale. Overwhelming combination. We pulled in. They had an amazing array of equipment. Most of it looked brand new. However, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Well, except for the guy preparing a roofing bid. Guess they saw my chaplain’s hat and locked the door. Oh well. 

 

We did find someone at home at that lunch spot. It was called, of all things, the Seaside Galley. Chris had mediocre clam chowder. I had a basket of fried shrimp and some key lime pie. Mine was great.

We made it to our next stop by around 3:00. It was a Revolutionary War site called Moore’s Creek. We did the little history hike to find out what happened. Seems the Patriots set an inescapable trap for the advancing Loyalist troops. Bogged them down in a swamp to wear them out. Then the Loyalists, led by kilt-wearing Scotsmen brandishing broadswords, attacked. They were summarily defeated by the Patriot gunfire and cannons. You don’t bring a sword to a gunfight. In fact, that was the last time broadswords were used in battle. 

From there we continued our now-westward trek. Hotel along the way last night and on to two Civil War sites in South Carolina today. 

Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬ ‭says, For it is God who is working in you, enabling in you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.

Father, be with those youngsters we saw at the battlefield. Help them grow in knowledge, but also in closer proximity to you. Amen. 

March 31 - “Big Kill Devil Hill”

What a start to the day! We woke up in time to watch the Sunday Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean from our little room balcony. Seagulls and pelicans and the occasional beachcomber added to the scene. Beautiful. 

From there we drove a few miles down the beach and went to the Wright Brothers memorial. There were some highlights there. 

We saw the Site of the Flight. 59 seconds that changed travel forever (after 3 other attempts that lasted for just a few seconds each). Well, it changed for everyone except road trippers and cruisers. 

There was also a pretty hefty hike involved. Not just the flight path, which was almost 900 feet. We went up Big Kill Devil Hill. That’s really its name. Emphasis on thee we “Big.”  It was a doozy. But we made it they also had the most amazing playground.  A replica of the plane is there, along with statues of the people who watched the flight. And kids were climbing on the plane. Looked like a lot of fun. 

Next we went a little farther down the road. There we found the Outer Banks visitor center.  Actually, I just wanted to say I’d been to the town of Kitty Hawk. Its grounds was a massive memorial to all the years of flight from the Wright. Brother’s to the International Space Station. 

Next stop was back down southward on the Outer Banks. Had to find none other than … another one of those darlings if Chris’ delight. This time it was the Bodie lighthouse. Couldn’t climb this one, because they had a fire at the visitor center not long ago.

Finally we got to the most famous lighthouse of the bunch - Cape Hatteras lighthouse. Sadly, however, it was in the process of being completely repaired and restored. It was completely surrounded by scaffolding from top to bottom, so you couldn’t go inside to climb it. And layers and layers of paint had been removed to reveal the original brick for the first time since it was built in the 1800’s. 

We asked the worker in the site store for recommendations for lunch. We were both pretty hungry. She recommended a lunch spot that had “the best sandwiches, hot or cold - on the whole island.” Really. They had a vote. We gave it a try. Wow! That was a great sandwich. We could only eat half of them, though. More for lunch … or dinner … today. 

Then it was on to the grand backtrack. Because we couldn’t work out the details to the ferry system, we had to backtrack the same way we came in the day before. Always tough to see the same scenery twice, but we soldiered through to our next hotel in New Bern. 

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭says, “He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Father, thanks for being with “our churches” in Galveston and Waco yesterday. Amen. 

March 30 - “Eastward Ho”

Chris was on a mission when we left the hotel yesterday. We were within a few miles of a place called Replacements, LTD. I was kind of wary of this one. I had no idea how much a replacement of me would cost. And even then … did she WANT a replacement me?

Come to find out, it was a warehouse chock full of china and glasses and old jewelry. She had a list of all the pieces we have and what we still need in each of the three or four sets of china we now have accumulated. Fortunately, she only bought one water goblet. I think I dodged a bullet there. 

From there it was eastward ho. Just a long haul across the expanse of the state (chuckle chuckle. About 275 miles. That’s about Galveston to not quite Dallas). Some of it was interstate, but the most interesting, of course, was the part that was US Highways. We saw barn quilts and screened-in porches and rag-tag barns. Surprisingly, though, not a lot of critters. Not even the roadkill variety. 

When we finally reached the barrier islands that comprise the outer banks of North Carolina, we discovered that a massive amount of land has been designated Red wolf sanctuary land. Hey, guys. You have some long lost cousins in Galveston. 

Our next stop was Fort Raleigh. It was the site of the first English settlement in the Americas. Now … for those of you Jamestown aficionados, let me add one minor disclaimer here. Fort Roanoke was the first one … to fail. And now it has its own national park to celebrate that failure. Not sure what to do with that. One of the paths did lead up to a body of water, though. Roanoke Sound. As was my custom, I touched the water. 

Since we were finally on the coast again - the Atlantic Coast, that is - we got into a hotel that happened to be right on the beach. I mean it had its own beach access path and everything. We went for a walk so I could touch some good cold Atlantic Ocean water. Even collected some shells. Felt almost like home. Only cold. 

Oh! And the name of this city is - ready for this one? - Kill Devil Hills. It was named when a shipment of rum washed ashore after a shipwreck. It was apparently so strong that the people said “It’s strong enough to kill the devil.”  That’s some serious rum. 

Today we are exploring more of these North Carolina border islands. Lighthouses, Kitty Hawk, ferry rides. Can’t wait. Like I said … almost like home. 

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ says, Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.

Father, thank you for the water. I know it’s not the Gulf, but when you are nostalgic … it counts, right? Amen. 

March 29 - “Through the smoke”

Onward and upward. Into the … well, technically I suppose we were heading right into the mouth of the beast. Or at least clipping one of his incisors. The Carl Sandburg National park was right on the outskirts of a massive wildfire racing through North and South Carolina. But we decided to give it a shot. I mean … what’s the worst that could happen?

Well, we made our way through some smoke and haze without too much difficulty. We had to park at a trailhead and hike to the actual site, because the roads had been damaged by the freak Hurricane Helene. We could definitely feel the smoke in the air. At the house itself (anticlimactic, for sure. Couldn’t even go inside), we spent a long time chatting with two of the park rangers. Well, the one with the thick North Carolina accent did most of the talking. They were very interested in what fishing was like on the Gulf Coast in Texas. I got a t-shirt at the gift shop. Do clothes count as souvenirs? It has a Carl Sandburg quote on the front. “I’m an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.”  Kinda sums up our approach to road trips. 

Next we went to Asheville to get a Blue Ridge Parkway stamp for “The Book.”  We’ve been on the Parkway before … before we were doing the book. Just got the stamp to validate that experience. No return trip, though. Much of the road was actually closed because of a combination of factors related to the hurricane and the fires. Not to mention we got passed on our way up by a plethora of fire vehicles with lights and sirens blaring. So we jumped back down to the nearest freeway and headed east - away from the fires. 

After another two or three hour drive, our next stop was the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. No smoky air around here. It was the site of a key battle in the Revolutionary War. Because of the victory there, the revolutionaries were able to be victorious at Yorktown. At least that’s what one of the signs said. There were lots of random statues honoring those in the battle. One in particular was a massive guy on an even massiver (not a word, is it?) horse. The most impressive thing about this one? The entire community uses the extensive system of walking trails, well, extensively. 

After a meal at Cracker Barrel and a quick Walmart run to replenish supplies (read here “road snacks”), we settled in at the hotel to wash some clothes and prepare for the next phase of the journey - Kitty Hawk. 

Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭7‬ says, The man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.

Father, thank you for the good news regarding Jay’s surgery. Now help him through the recovery process. Amen. 

March 28 - “Reconnecting”

We eased out of Santee pretty early in the morning. Early enough that we were some of the first ones at Congaree National Park. We checked in at the visitor center first, as is our custom. Chris got her book stamped and I roamed around a bit. 

And what to my wandering eyes should appear, but an array of the most unusual critters, all of whom stared sadly at me. And what was so unusual? Well, aside from the fact that, according to the park ranger, they had been completely unsuccessful in convincing anyone to adopt, I think the overriding issue could possibly have been … the critters in question were giant mosquitoes. Yep. We adopted one on the spot. Mable. Mable Mosquito. And she has become great friends with the rest of our travel companions. 

With Mable safely ensconced in the travel buddies seat, we headed on to our next park. This one was especially unusual. Its name? 96. No, that’s right. Just Ninety Six. No one knows for sure where the name came from - maybe the estimated distance from the area (which was an old Indian trading post) to the coast. Not sure how that works out in real time. So we 96’d our way through our second hike of the day that took us through the site of the first Southern battle of the Revolutionary War. Pretty interesting. Pretty tough hike, too. This place has hills. 

From there we headed toward Carl Sandburg’s house. Yep, it’s a national park now. We couldn’t make it in time to go yesterday, though, so we got a hotel in Greenville, just south of our goal. We are also keeping our eyes on the wildfires not far from Greenville. 

And speaking of Greenville, we had a great visit last night with some old friends. We knew Andy and Jennie from his time as worship pastor at Seaside many years ago. They now live in the area, and he teaches at North Greenville University. Thanks for making the drive down to catch up, you two. 

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭says, Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Father, thanks for the chance to visit with old friends. Bless Andy and Jennie and their family. Amen.