Blogs from North Carolina, United States, North America - page 103

If you have ever played with tonka trucks as a kid, well that is what it is like, one big tonka truck and you get to live inside it, with all of the gadgets and appliances, etc. You soon get use to running water, heat, and TV when you just plug in. Primitive camping is much different, in that you have to measure what you are doing, how much water you are using or wasting. Anyway, it gets you into a different mindset, or as we say, “we are just plain out of our mind for doing this!”. It is better than simply waiting to die. I like living out of my mind but in my body. Any thing else would be sure death!. ... read more

So I finally took Wayne up on his invitation to join him for a week of windsurfing at Cape Hatteras. I flew in to Hamilton from Calgary and nine of us made the 15 hour road trip to Cape Hatteras. The Outer Banks is an interesting place, basically a string of islands separating Pomlico Sound from the Atlantic Ocean. We stayed in a lovely "sound-side" house in Buxton on Hatteras Island. Most of our time was spent windsurfing, although you might not get that impression from the pictures. So it was basically me and eight guys who know how to windsurf, namely the Deweerds, Tom and Rich Van Eerden, Rich Fennema, Dave Dejonge, and Dave Fennema. The winds were pretty calm for the first few days until after Wayne left (sorry about your luck Wayne), and ... read more

We zijn geland en zijn onderweg. We hebben nu alweer de 2 volle dagen van onderweg. We hebben het prima naar onze zin en zijn nog niet helemaal aan het tijd verschil gewend, maar dat gaat beslist lukken. Weer is gewoon weg geweldig. Aan de kust hier was het gewoon geweldig. Veel wind maar ook veel zon. We hebben de winterjassen verweg gestopt... Verder zijn we een schandaal op het spoor. Men gebruikt hier aan de kust een geweldige manier om hun prijzen te bepalen voor een overnachting. Ze nemen de temperatuur (in F) maal 1,5 en dat is de dag prijs... Well all friends out there. We finally have made it here and are on te road for 2 days now. Everything is just going fine. The time difference makes it not easy at times, ... read more

Wow, one month until Australia! I'm excited and a bit nervous. I won't be able to stop in Tahiti and found out Mission Beach was heavily damaged by the storm. I'm planning to fly to Cairns after the conference and am still deciding on a hotel. Maybe a trip to Cape Trib and Crocodylus (?). HB... read more

I'll start with my latest trip. When I think of North Carolina I think of history. And yesterday's trip goes all the way back to February 27, 1776. Here militias of British Loyalists made up of mostly Scottish Highlanders confronted American Patriots. Well prepared with cannons and earthworks the Patriots easily won victory in the battle and a moral victory of a smaller force beating back a larger British force. Today the park is mostly a pathway that weaves its way back and forth across Moores Creek with interpretive signs of the battle. The path is about a mile long. There's also a small trail that explains the making of turpentine, pitch, and tar for navy use. Away from the interpretive area is a large sheltered picnic area. This park is run by the National Parks ... read more