Sunday, November 6, 2022
Our destination today was Goose Creek State Park, a park that we have enjoyed visiting before and is only a 2.5-hour drive east of home. Because today is the national day to set clocks back from daylight saving to standard time, we earned an extra hour to prepare for departure. Check-in wasn’t until 4 pm, so we departed a little after 1 pm. Zorro, our black cat, is joining us on this trip and Jane successfully coaxed him out from under the bed with treats so we could put him in his carrier, circumventing the usual ordeal. The drive went smoothly without a peep from Zorro who quietly rode in his carrier on the floor of the RV between our seats. Upon arrival we did not need to check in but drove directly to site 10. After disconnecting the toad, setup went quickly as the site was large and relatively flat (we slightly ramped one tire to level) so that hook-up went quickly.
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| All Set for a Three-Night Stay
After settling in, we secured a table cloth (actually a disposable operating room sheet from our supplier) over our site’s picnic table and played games while quaffing a beer. Dusk began setting in startlingly fast. We drove about 20 minutes from the campground to downtown Washington and it was almost dark at 5:20 pm as we parked at Parley’s Sip & Steam. For some reason, I was not very hungry or even in the mood for a beer. Jane sampled and ordered a pint of an IPA but the restaurant staff did not know its name or source. For an appetizer, I had gouda pimento cheese crab dip with pita points followed by an entree of seared scallops. Jane ordered a seafood platter with a large crab cake and steamed shrimp that she raved about. After dinner, we drove back to the motorhome and turned in early according to the new time.
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| We enjoyed a Great Seafood Dinner Here |
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| Jane enjoyed her Unknown IPA |
Monday, November 7, 2022
The RV section of Goose Creek State Park was fairly recently established in a cutover loblolly pine stand. The sites are large so that neighboring campers are separated by a comfortable distance. Between the sites, ecological succession has ensued with broom sedge and young pine seedlings invading. As the pines grow, the site privacy should further increase. This morning, I hiked the Long Leaf Trail which is a 1.8 mile loop around the outside of the campground that passes by the Visitors Center. Most of the trail was actually through a natural loblolly pine stand but it did indeed pass along the edge of a small longleaf pine plantation.
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| Along the Long Leaf Trail: Longleaf Pine (L) and Loblolly Pine (R) |
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| Goose Creek State Park Visitor Center |
After breakfast, we drove a little over an hour east to Mattamuskeet Wildlife Refuge. Lake Mattamuskeet is the largest natural lake in North Carolina. It covers 40,000 acres and is 14 miles long, 5 miles wide, and averages only 1.5 feet in depth. It is dotted with bald cypress trees and has dense beds of submerged aquatic vegetation desired by swans, ducks, and other waterfowl. Because of this and its position along the Atlantic Flyway, Lake Mattamuskeet is a prime location for wintering waterfowl. Every year, over 100,000 tundra swan, Canada geese, snow geese, and 18 species of ducks overwinter on the refugee. Unfortunately, we were several weeks too early to witness this cacophonous convocation of our migratory feathered friends.
We started at the Visitor Center where we learned about the history and wildlife of the refuge via a short film and displays. The center was hosted by a friendly RVing couple from Michigan who travel and work at various parks around the country. They had only been at this wildlife refuge for a few days but we enjoyed discussing their life style and favorite RV destinations.
After departing the Visitor Center, we crossed a nearby pedestrian bridge and hiked the 0.3 mile New Holland Trail. Most of the trail was a raised boardwalk through a stand of bald cypress and open marsh. Bald cypress is one of a few conifer species that is deciduous and they were in the process of shedding their branchlets with brown needles. We observed lots of cypress knees of various sizes and shapes as well as a bald eagle soaring above us. We did not linger on the trail as the mosquitos would feast on us if we stopped or slowed down.
After our trail hike, we walked to the New Holland Pumphouse / Mattamuskeet Lodge. Around 1914, a developer had built the world’s largest pump station (at the time) to drain the lake for use as farmland and a planned community, New Holland. While the lake was actually drained for periods of time, the project was eventually abandoned as impractical and too expensive. Later, the CCC converted the pump house into a hunting lodge that closed in 1974. Unfortunately, this historic building is now fenced off, looks to be in disrepair, and is closed to the public.
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| The Refugee Welcome Sign |
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| New Holland Trail covered with fallen Bald Cypress Branchlets |
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| The Historic New Holland Pumphouse / Mattamuskeet Lodge |
Next, we explored various areas around the southern part of the lake then took the bridge (hwy 94) north across the lake and stopped at the observation point to get a beautiful perspective of the vastness of this huge expanse of water. When we reached the town of Fairfield on the northern side of the lake, we were getting desperate to refuel. There was only one option, the Fairfield Gas Bar, where we gratefully paid a high price to fill the tank.
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| 40,000 acres of Water averaging 1.5 feet Deep |
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| Water, Water, Everywhere |
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| A Lonely Bald Cypress Dome |
We then drove around the western side of the lake to the main highway (264), and returned to the Goose Creek State Park campground. Cotton harvest was underway and we passed many fields, some harvested with round pink and yellow bales lying around, and some ready for harvest. Segments of the roadside were littered with cotton balls that had blown off of delivery trucks. We stopped and I collected some cotton litter for Jane to remove the seeds from and grow her own cotton plants next year.
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| A Cotton Field ready for Harvest beneath Cottony Clouds |
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| Cotton Bales ready for the Gin |
Again, we drove from the campground into Washington for dinner, this time to The Mulberry House. We sat on an outdoor deck with a view of the waterfront in the distance. We had beer, a tuna tartare appetizer followed by seafood gumbo (John) and blackened flounder on quinoa (Jane) entrees. We followed that with dessert, cheesecake for Jane and creme brulee for John. We returned to the motorhome satiated and with leftover gumbo for the refrigerator.
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| Dinner at the Mulberry House |
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
This morning my phone alarm woke us up at 5 am sharp in order to check out the total lunar eclipse. After struggling to get up, I stuck my head out of the window to make sure clouds wouldn’t be an issue. Directly ahead I saw that what had been a full moon when we went to bed was now only a crescent about one third of its former size. We dressed warmly and headed outside to observe. Jane set up her lounge chair and covered herself with a blanket. I made coffee for us. As we watched the earth’s shadow completely cover it, the moon darkened to a dim glow with a reddish tint. While watching the eclipse, Jane saw 3 meteorites and I saw a different one. We later learned that the Northern Taurids were peaking and the Taurus constellation was hanging above the moon during the eclipse. Eventually, the rising sun brightened the sky and we could no longer see the moon which set before emerging from the eclipse.
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Reddish Lunar Eclipse with
Taurus (upper L) and Pleiades (upper R) |
After breakfast, we set off for a hike. We ended up walking over six miles on sections of six trails: Long Leaf, Palmetto Boardwalk, Tar Kiln, Mallard Creek Loop, Live Oak, and Goose Creek. We walked through a pine forest, freshwater marsh, a coastal pine & hardwood forest, and along sandy riverside beaches. We spotted another bald eagle overhead and observed lots of turtles in the canal alongside the main road on our return leg.
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| Freshwater Swamp along the Palmetto Boardwalk Trail |
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| Starting Another Trail |
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| Mallard Creek |
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| Push Harder! |
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| Sun-basking Turtles |
After hiking, we had lunch (leftover gumbo) in the RV and played a few games then went on a short (4 mile) bike ride. We pedaled through the primitive camping area of the park where many sites are near the Pamlico River. We pedaled on a trail down to the river and enjoyed the expansive view from a private bench before returning to the motorhome.
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| Jane maneuvers a Tricky Section of the Trail |
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| Zorro tolerating RV Living |
Once again, we headed into Washington for dinner. This time, we opted for The Hackney, a restaurant that serves locally sourced coastal cuisine in a beautifully restored former bank building with its own distillery next door. We had a delicious appetizer of baked oysters. Jane had beer and a wonderful apple salad for her entree while I enjoyed a nice French sauvignon blanc and grilled swordfish (with bay scallops). For dessert we both had The Hackney Original Sticky Toffee Pudding. Whew! What a great meal! On departure, we purchased a bottle of 1000 Piers Coastal Carolina Gin for imbibing back home.
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| Let the Feast Begin! |
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London Dry Gin with Juniper
and 21 other Botanicals |
On the way back to the campground, Jane drove us by our previous home in Washington Park. Because it was dark, we couldn’t see much but we knew that the current owners had made significant improvements. In the RV we got very good broadcast television reception so, we tuned in to learn the latest election results before heading to bed.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
After packing up, disconnecting the RV, and hitching the car, we departed shortly after 11 am. The return trip went smoothly and we were back unloading the RV by 1:30 pm. During our absence, lots of leaves had fallen so tomorrow I’ll be blowing leaves off the driveway and front yard. Zorro was eager to wander around outside after being cooped up in the RV for 3.5 days. Home, sweet, home!
