We headed over to Wilmington, N.C. where we stayed at an Elks Club in their RV parking area. This would give us time to relax over the Memorial weekend and would probably be our last days around the beach areas of the East. The Kobers had found out that there was going to be a special Memorial Day Observance aboard the USS North Carolina Battleship on Memorial Day, so we decided that we'd all go and share in the remembrance of all those brave men and women who provided us with the wonderful life and country that we enjoy today. The USS North Carolina battleship is dedicated to the 10,000 North Carolinians of all U.S. military services who died during World War II. It was a very moving ceremony and we were especially proud when George Kober stood to represent the U.S. Coast Guard during the memorial. A wreath of flowers were thrown over the side of the ship. More about the ship later when George and I took a self-guided tour and ended up spending 4 hours there.
We enjoyed the Elks Lodge while we were there and were glad that they provided all the amenities for us for a nominal fee, compared to the rates of the campgrounds. The two Georges did end up having to rewire one of the electrical posts, after it melted the Kober's electrical plug, but other than that, we had time to visit the seashore and just spend some time sitting around and playing games.
Our friends Cal and Nancy had told us to be sure to take a tour of the USS North Carolina and to visit the Wrightsville Beach while we were in Wilmington. After the electrical incident, we were a little hesitant to leave the trailer with McKenzie inside, just in case we had any other problems. Since George K. had been in the Coast Guard and actually served on a ship, they decided they'd stay at the campsite and let us go down to the battleship. They were nice enough to keep a watch on McKenzie and take her for a few walks, while we toured. The tour, as I mentioned before was self-guided but very nicely laid out so that you got to see almost all the ship. In addition to having information about each area, they also had comments from some of the shipmates which were very interesting and gave you an idea of what is was really like to be aboard the ship during war times. It was the most decorated US battleship of World War II and one of the fastest. The ship was 728 feet long and was like a floating city with a post office, barber shop, laundry, church, theatre, soda fountain, etc. as well as the usual sick bay, kitchen, engine room, etc. The ship was armed with nine 16 inch/45 caliber guns in three turrets, twnety 5 inch/35 caliber guns in twin mounts, sixty 4 mm/56 caliber guns and forty eight 20 mm/70 caliber guns. She carried out nine shore bombardments, sank an empty troopship, destroyed at least 24 enemy aircraft and assisted in shooting down many more. She steamed over 300,000 miles during the war. A Japanese torpedo slammed into the hull on September 15, 1942 but a quick response from the crew allowed the mighty ship to keep up with the fleet. By the end of the war, the ship has lost 10 men out of its 2300 and had 67 wounded.
We wanted to spend at least one more day at the seashore before George and I leave the Carolina coastline. Since we were still unsure of the electricity, we took McKenzie with us and all of us drove over to Wrightsville Beach. Unfortunately, they would not allow dogs on the beach so we drove a little farther down to Top Sail and were able to spend several hours on the beach, watching the waves and choosing just the right shells as a memento of our visit.
We headed inland a bit to Kinston, North Carolina on Thursday. George and I were going to take a different route, so we got up early and left the Elks to drive the 108 miles to Kinston. George and Shirley would leave a bit later and meet us at a Nature Center which has about 14 campsites in Kinston. We headed out with the best of intentions to just mosey along down the highway and stop and see anything that happened to catch our eye. We found a lot!! First of all we noticed the beautiful white, pink and purple flowers growing along the highways, just as our bluebonnets do in Texas. They were stalks like a lupine, but had a different flower, so we decided to stop and take a picture. While we were stopped, a young lady stopped to see if we wanted a picture together. Her name was Andrea Lang and she lived in Atkinson, N.C. Andrea told us about some spots that we should definitely stop at and gave us a North Carolina map to guide us to the places she had circled - all incidentally were on our way to Kinston.
The first stop was Moores Creek National Battlefield. This 87 acre park preserves the site of the Revolutionary War battle of Moores Creek Bridge, fought February 27, 1776 between loyalists supporting the British Crown and patriots of North Carolina. There was a brief, violent clash at daybreak which saw patriots defeat a larger force of loyalists marching toward a rendezvous with a British naval squadron. Though it was brief, it was very important because it effectively ended royal authority in the colony of North Carolina and helped forestall a full-scale British invasion of the South. After walking around the battlefield for a while, we decided to have a picnic and spread out a blanket. We were just about the only people there and it was nice to just sit back and revel in the history that took place on this spot.
Once we left there, we headed to Rose Hill, N.C. to Duplin Winery where we were pleasantly surprised. The winery was started over three decades ago by the Fussell family who wanted to use the native Muscadine grapes to create a wine North Carolina could call its own. They had a large gift shop and wine tasting. You could taste all the wines they offer, which is about 15-16 or choose those you are interested in, all free of charge. George and I ended up tasting thirteen of their wines and bought three bottles. They also gave a plant tour and since McKenzie couldn't go on that due to Federal regulations, she stayed in her crate behind the counter at the winery. It was very interesting to see how the grapes arrived, were crushed, peels and seeds removed, juice transferred to cooling vats and eventually bottled, labeled and packed for shipping. We also learned that Muscadine grapes provide the best source of antioxidants due to the fact that the grapes grow and thrive in the hot, humid and disease-prone climate of the Southeastern United States. Like our immune system, which produces more antibodies when under attack, Muscadines produce more antioxidants when under stress from fungal disease. The highest levels of the antioxidants are in the grape's seeds. As a result of this research, the winery has partnered with another company to provide the Muscadine seeds so they can be processed using freezedrying to preserve the natural antioxidants. These seeds are sold in a daily supplement.
A short drive into Rose Hill, revealed the World's Largest Frying Pan, designed and built in 1963. It was used to cook poultry several times a year for city events. It used 200 gallons of cooking oil, weighs two tons, is 15 feet in diameter, and can cook as many as 365 chickens at one time. Glad we didn't miss that one!!
About 4:15, we received a call from Shirley and George who were worried about us. After all, we had left at 8:30 a.m. to drive 108 miles. Eight hours later, we were still 40 miles away! We assured them we'd be there in a short time and that we were okay, with no problems or breakdowns. Arriving at the Nature Center, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we had a large spot with 50 amp electricity, water and sewer for $10.00 a day. George Kober really did a fantastic job of finding this spot! We'll stay here til Thursday, and then start making our way further inland toward High Point, N.C. George wants to visit some of the NASCAR racing garages and we are ultimately headed to Rock Baths, Virgina to visit with a friend. George and Shirley will probably stay here for another week and visit a little more of the coastline places.
That's about all we've done lately. Hope you enjoyed roaming around with us. We sure miss all of you. Until the next update, take care and remember, "Life is Good"!
We enjoyed the Elks Lodge while we were there and were glad that they provided all the amenities for us for a nominal fee, compared to the rates of the campgrounds. The two Georges did end up having to rewire one of the electrical posts, after it melted the Kober's electrical plug, but other than that, we had time to visit the seashore and just spend some time sitting around and playing games.
Our friends Cal and Nancy had told us to be sure to take a tour of the USS North Carolina and to visit the Wrightsville Beach while we were in Wilmington. After the electrical incident, we were a little hesitant to leave the trailer with McKenzie inside, just in case we had any other problems. Since George K. had been in the Coast Guard and actually served on a ship, they decided they'd stay at the campsite and let us go down to the battleship. They were nice enough to keep a watch on McKenzie and take her for a few walks, while we toured. The tour, as I mentioned before was self-guided but very nicely laid out so that you got to see almost all the ship. In addition to having information about each area, they also had comments from some of the shipmates which were very interesting and gave you an idea of what is was really like to be aboard the ship during war times. It was the most decorated US battleship of World War II and one of the fastest. The ship was 728 feet long and was like a floating city with a post office, barber shop, laundry, church, theatre, soda fountain, etc. as well as the usual sick bay, kitchen, engine room, etc. The ship was armed with nine 16 inch/45 caliber guns in three turrets, twnety 5 inch/35 caliber guns in twin mounts, sixty 4 mm/56 caliber guns and forty eight 20 mm/70 caliber guns. She carried out nine shore bombardments, sank an empty troopship, destroyed at least 24 enemy aircraft and assisted in shooting down many more. She steamed over 300,000 miles during the war. A Japanese torpedo slammed into the hull on September 15, 1942 but a quick response from the crew allowed the mighty ship to keep up with the fleet. By the end of the war, the ship has lost 10 men out of its 2300 and had 67 wounded.
We wanted to spend at least one more day at the seashore before George and I leave the Carolina coastline. Since we were still unsure of the electricity, we took McKenzie with us and all of us drove over to Wrightsville Beach. Unfortunately, they would not allow dogs on the beach so we drove a little farther down to Top Sail and were able to spend several hours on the beach, watching the waves and choosing just the right shells as a memento of our visit.
We headed inland a bit to Kinston, North Carolina on Thursday. George and I were going to take a different route, so we got up early and left the Elks to drive the 108 miles to Kinston. George and Shirley would leave a bit later and meet us at a Nature Center which has about 14 campsites in Kinston. We headed out with the best of intentions to just mosey along down the highway and stop and see anything that happened to catch our eye. We found a lot!! First of all we noticed the beautiful white, pink and purple flowers growing along the highways, just as our bluebonnets do in Texas. They were stalks like a lupine, but had a different flower, so we decided to stop and take a picture. While we were stopped, a young lady stopped to see if we wanted a picture together. Her name was Andrea Lang and she lived in Atkinson, N.C. Andrea told us about some spots that we should definitely stop at and gave us a North Carolina map to guide us to the places she had circled - all incidentally were on our way to Kinston.
The first stop was Moores Creek National Battlefield. This 87 acre park preserves the site of the Revolutionary War battle of Moores Creek Bridge, fought February 27, 1776 between loyalists supporting the British Crown and patriots of North Carolina. There was a brief, violent clash at daybreak which saw patriots defeat a larger force of loyalists marching toward a rendezvous with a British naval squadron. Though it was brief, it was very important because it effectively ended royal authority in the colony of North Carolina and helped forestall a full-scale British invasion of the South. After walking around the battlefield for a while, we decided to have a picnic and spread out a blanket. We were just about the only people there and it was nice to just sit back and revel in the history that took place on this spot.
Once we left there, we headed to Rose Hill, N.C. to Duplin Winery where we were pleasantly surprised. The winery was started over three decades ago by the Fussell family who wanted to use the native Muscadine grapes to create a wine North Carolina could call its own. They had a large gift shop and wine tasting. You could taste all the wines they offer, which is about 15-16 or choose those you are interested in, all free of charge. George and I ended up tasting thirteen of their wines and bought three bottles. They also gave a plant tour and since McKenzie couldn't go on that due to Federal regulations, she stayed in her crate behind the counter at the winery. It was very interesting to see how the grapes arrived, were crushed, peels and seeds removed, juice transferred to cooling vats and eventually bottled, labeled and packed for shipping. We also learned that Muscadine grapes provide the best source of antioxidants due to the fact that the grapes grow and thrive in the hot, humid and disease-prone climate of the Southeastern United States. Like our immune system, which produces more antibodies when under attack, Muscadines produce more antioxidants when under stress from fungal disease. The highest levels of the antioxidants are in the grape's seeds. As a result of this research, the winery has partnered with another company to provide the Muscadine seeds so they can be processed using freezedrying to preserve the natural antioxidants. These seeds are sold in a daily supplement.
A short drive into Rose Hill, revealed the World's Largest Frying Pan, designed and built in 1963. It was used to cook poultry several times a year for city events. It used 200 gallons of cooking oil, weighs two tons, is 15 feet in diameter, and can cook as many as 365 chickens at one time. Glad we didn't miss that one!!
About 4:15, we received a call from Shirley and George who were worried about us. After all, we had left at 8:30 a.m. to drive 108 miles. Eight hours later, we were still 40 miles away! We assured them we'd be there in a short time and that we were okay, with no problems or breakdowns. Arriving at the Nature Center, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we had a large spot with 50 amp electricity, water and sewer for $10.00 a day. George Kober really did a fantastic job of finding this spot! We'll stay here til Thursday, and then start making our way further inland toward High Point, N.C. George wants to visit some of the NASCAR racing garages and we are ultimately headed to Rock Baths, Virgina to visit with a friend. George and Shirley will probably stay here for another week and visit a little more of the coastline places.
That's about all we've done lately. Hope you enjoyed roaming around with us. We sure miss all of you. Until the next update, take care and remember, "Life is Good"!
1 comment:
It's just amazing all the things you've seen. The ship brought back many memories of Dependent's Day cruises when my dad was on active duty, and we'd visit the ship. You three are just having the time of your lives, and I'm amazed at how many places will let McKenzie join you. There is so much history and so many interesting sites to visit, that I'm sitting right next to you in my mind. And people wonder why RV'ers have so much fun??? Duh!!
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