Kip's Travels: Spring Breakin' in Cape Fear

As much as I promised myself I was going to get sooo much work done over spring break… I didn’t.

However, I did manage to get the place almost completely set up at last. No more boxes on the floor, pictures hung, stuff put away. Papers sorted through, which took about a day and a half. I don’t know about you guys, but paper is my main housecleaning nemesis. I can’t be in a place more than a couple weeks before sheets of paper start eyeing each other lustily and breeding entire reams which scatter all over the place.

To my shame I hadn’t even set up my alter, which I finally did just in time for Vernal Equinox.

Then I spent a couple days down in Cape Fear. My NC History report is on the blockade of Wilmington. I though it appropriate to go down and get the lay of the land so to speak. I wish I could have found a boat tour that covered at least one of the routes into the river, but I was unsuccessful. I did however, run down to take a look at Fort Fisher (great website BTW). The only thing left standing (with one gun placement restored with a Columbiad gun) of the fort is Shepard’s Battery, but the little museum they had attached to the site was very well done and I spent some time chatting with the resident Historian there who was not simply a font of information, but very pleasant and eager to share about the site and the people who made it famous. I actually got to go back into their library and see some of the original records they have.

View from the western most gun of Shepard's Battery.

This was a trend I noticed on my trip: North Carolina has mostly a lot of small museums, but they are really well done. Coming from a township in Maine where the local history museum was a collection jumbled together in the old Fire Barn garage, the Cape Fear Musuem is staggering. They are quite serious about tourism here. I was driving home and passed through what amounted to pretty much a collection of trailers surrounded by a scattering of farm houses, but on every electrical pole and light post there was a “Welcome to Pink Hill!” banner. Very feisty little Chamber of Commerce.

I’m also getting a real sense of the cultural difference between Eastern and Western North Carolina as well as the rivalry between North Carolina and Virginia. I haven’t been able to ascertain the stereotypes of either side of the border beyond “Idiot”, but I am looking forward to hearing some more of the jokes.

While we were down there, I also toured their local aquarium, which is apparently part of a system of state run aquariums. While small, the set up was quie impressive beginning large atrium housing tanks of local water life (including one of local snake species with the copperhead on one side of the little pond and aaaall the other snakes on the other) among a lovely garden before you enter the main aquarium itself with all the requisite tanks: multi story local, carol reef, sea horse (proof of God's sense of whimsy), jelly fish, lion fish, etc., as well as some interesting displays of cutle fish, a gregarious octopus (Which I would have taken a picture of, but they are so normally shy I didn't want to freak him out) and a baby sea turtle that was passing the time bullying rays.

Kip: Budding nature photographer.











Of course, I also stopped, walked along the beach and reacquainted myself with the Atlantic again.
Lord and Lady why did I ever leave?




Rutger and I got to check out historic Wilmington with it’s collection of nice shops (including a great tattoo/piercing studio) and excellent restaurants along the river walk. Sunset over the river from one of these patios is spectacular. We even stumbled across the start of their local “Ghost Walk” which is a great way to see some of the more out of the way places and learn their local lore. We went to the Hospital and St. James Church and the house that is on the Old Gallows Hill. I also wanted to go on the Haunted Pub Crawl, but I didn’t make it back from the Cape in time. As well, another trip.

Rutger on the River Walk (Lord knows the best use of the most decorated battleship of WWII is as a background for a picture of your pet.) ;)

I also took the chance to see the USS North Carolina. You read about them, you see pictures of them, but you have no idea how absolutely bristling with guns a battleship is until you actually drive up on one. They actually allow folks into the 16” gun turrets, which are a *lot* more cramped than one would expect. I can’t imagine the horrendous noise of fighting one. I would be surprised if any of those men walked away with any hearing at all. Dad (a “brown shoe” ie. Navy Pilot, Sailors/Ship Personnel were/wore “black shoes”) requested pictures of the kingfisher, the rescue planes launched from catapults in the fantail (why is it called a fantail and not a stern, by the way?), which will be popped into the mail tomorrow.



I did go out for St. Patricks Day and was reminded why I normally don’t go out of St. Patrick’s Day. Or as one of the Local termed it: “Amateur Night”. 5$ cover for a crappy singer with a guitar and a horde of college kids using an excuse to blind drunk. Wow. That’s entertaining. I found one of the quieter spots frequented by the locals instead.

I will say this though: I sat in both a restaurant and a bar surrounded by smokers and did not ask anyone for a cigarette.

Show me some love people. :D

It’s been almost three months. I find it a heck of a lot easier if I simply don’t think about it.

But that was my first exploratory trip of NC which definately makes me look forward to more.

Will write news commentary later. You didn't think you would get away that clean did you? Don't worry overmuch, it's been a slow week.

P.S.

Heard about the racing being postponed in Atlanta. Know is sucks everyone not to go home, but have a nice night and good luck tomorrow if I don't get back online before then.