New Bern & Back to Minneapolis
Monday, April 21, 2014
We had considered motoring on today, but THE RAIN HAS STOPPED & THE SUN IS OUT so we decided to take another day to explore Beaufort and New Bern, NC. We left Dream Chaser tied to the dock at the Sanitary Seafood Restaurant, but she wasn't alone. This little guy was awful curious and hung out close by to keep Dream Chaser company.
With coffee in hand, we walkedthe boardwalk and main streets
of historic Beaufort.
Wanting to know more about
this intriguing town, we hopped
on an English double-decker bus
for a tour of the historic section.
Our fabulous tour guide (who’s a local and
his family roots go way back) pointed out the
various types of architecture, historic homes, historic public buildings, and sea captain’s
homes. He told of preservation efforts,
stories of the Burying Grounds, effects of
the hurricanes, that it was common to pick
up and move huge houses from place to
place, and how the area has changed since the 1800‘s. We also had LOTS of questions.
Super tour!
A “must see” is the Old Burying Grounds on Ann St. next to St. John’s Parish. On this gloomy day, there was an erie silence as we passed by old gnarled trees and jagged weathered gravestones. Dating from 1731, it is believed many unmarked graves contain victims of the Indian wars. With brochure in hand, we wandered amongst the headstones locating several marked graves containing people of interest. The stories give an insight as to what colonial life was like. For example: In the 1700’s, a English family with an infant daughter came to Beaufort. When the girl was older she begged to see England and her father promised his wife that he would bring her back safely. The girl took the journey to England, but died on the voyage home. Instead of being buried at sea (which was the norm), the father placed her body in a keg of rum and returned her to her mother and Beaufort for burial. There are British soldiers buried standing up in a permanent salute to their king, and there are several Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers. Numerous headstones indicated very short lives-many of which were due to the yellow fever epidemics. Azalea bushes bloomed profusely all around us and a solemn stillness surrounded us.
Next to the information center is the Beaufort Historic Site with ten buildings on two acres of land. Three of the buildings are restored having been built between 1778 and 1825- the Apothecary Shop, Doctors Office, and Jail. Often there are living history demonstrations and special events, but because it was during the week and rainy, we had to create our own demonstration.
Beaufort, SC and Beaufort NC are spelled the same and were pronounced the same for a long time which caused many problems with sea captains and destinations. So, to solve the problem, they changed the pronunciation to (Bu-fort), SC and (Bo-fort), NC.
Captain Burnside, a well-known sea captain, had a home in Beaufort, NC and had long hair down the sides of his face. So....that's where the word “sideburns” came from!
Our tour guide was a wealth of information and, oh, the stories!
Our next destination- a return trip to New Bern to experience the area on a sunny day!
First stop in New Bern was Bradham’s Pharmacy, the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola. We had stopped by on Sunday, but they weren’t open, but today they are!
Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist, invented this popular drink and the rest is history. We enjoyed a cold Pepsi and fresh popped popcorn while we watched a terrific video on the history of this popular drink. Yum! As luck would have it, Hiram Minges, the great grandson of one of the first bottlers of Pepsi products was in Bradham’s, and he was happy to answer any of our questions regarding the history and his family. Steve was thrilled. Wow!
Our second stop was at Mitchell’s Hardware, on Craven St., which is like stepping into the past. Since 1898, Mitchell’s has been providing hardware products and more to the New Bern area. The 1912 building, with its pressed tin ceilings and leaded glass front, is an experience! Talk about inventory...If they don’t have it-you don’t need it. A great place for guys and gals to spend a lot of time.
We walked the tree-lined streets of New Bern enjoying the gorgeous sun and admiring the historic buildings, the flowering azaleas, and the churches with their steeples reaching towards the heavens. A person could be happy making this town their home. We also kept a lookout for celebrities, such as Nicholas Sparks, but we only ran into this fellow "strutting his stuff"!
Christ Episcopal Church featuring
Gothic Revival details was built
between 1871 and 1885. In 1875,
King George II of England gave
the church a silver communion
service, a prayer book, and a
Bible now on display in the church.
After a great time in New Bern, it was hard to leave, but the rental car return time was fast approaching. So, after dropping off the rental car, we returned to Dream Chaser and prepped for an early morning departure. Hard to think of flying north when it’s sunny and in the 80’s!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
It’s a perfect day; a beautiful morning, bright sun, and temps in the 50’s warming to 80 by this afternoon. By 6:30 am, Dream Chaser’s engines were warm and the dock lines untied. Departing from the dock in front of the Sanitary Seafood Restaurant, this morning, was “a piece of cake” compared to our stormy arrival three days before!
After departing the Beaufort area, we followed rivers, crossed sounds and canals, and took a path away from the ocean. Dream Chaser left the ICW and followed the Neuse River upstream 24 miles, so the tides are minimal. We are returning to New Bern for the third time, but, today, we are motoring six hours by boat. Dream Chaser will be docked at Bridgeport Marina for two weeks during our return home to Minnesota. We are looking forward to gatherings planned with family and friends. With Dream Chaser secure and registration completed, we caught a ride to the regional airport and flew home via Atlanta.
Yes, the snow is finally gone in Minnesota, but we were greeted with rain and cold. During our two weeks at home, we even had a few days with snowflakes in the air. It has been a brutal winter and very late Spring!
Our days at home passed quickly, filled with appointments and fun times with family and friends. We couldn’t miss the two baby showers for our daughter-in-law, Sydney, followed by a 50th wedding anniversary, and our son, Ryan’s birthday dinner. Steve planned to journey to the cabin in Canada, but the ice wasn’t out, and Mary didn’t want him jumping open water on his snowmobile to get across the lake. Instead of heading north, Steve, Ryan, and a couple friends participated in the Lake Minnetonka Crappie Fishing Contest.
We enjoyed meals with many friends and even an overnight at the Prairie Wind Bed and Breakfast near Winnebago run by our friends, the Krauses. It's a great place to stay!
The baby showers were great fun, and we are looking forward to the arrival of Baby Chase.
Mary and Ari, our daughter, visited
"Art in Bloom" at the Minneapolis
Institute of Art May 3rd. It was
amazing to see the over 150 floral
arrangements designed to interpret
pieces of art from the MIA's
permanent collection.
Our friends ask us, “Do you still like living and traveling on the boat?”
Yes, we both love the adventure and experiences that we are having while on this journey. We are meeting such interesting people, visiting so many historic areas, discovering new things every day, and then there's the gorgeous weather where it sees like perpetual summer! Our female friends seem to have the most doubts about living long term on a boat, away from home, and family. It is nice that we have the opportunity to come home and see friends and family, periodically.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
It was an early morning with our flight departing at 6:30 am to Atlanta and then on to New Bern, NC. What a gorgeous afternoon when we arrived! The New Bern Airport is so welcoming with it's painted bears and white rocking chairs in the terminal. Temps were in the mid 80‘s, and the azaleas were in full bloom as we exited the terminal.
We spent the next two hours cleaning the “stinky mess” and bringing the boat batteries to a charge.
With the smell in the boat nearly normal, we called it a night and were rocked to sleep by the waves.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
This morning, we contemplated several options for the day's schedule: drive to Raleigh and visit the history museum, motor up to Oriental, NC, or stay one more night. We stopped by the visitor's center in New Bern and picked up some brochures. However, the best information we received was from a couple who were traveling on their boat, Miles Away. They filled us in on several places to visit on the Atlantic ICW as we make our way north. We made our decision; we're staying at the marina one more night and running errands. With our freezer and refrigerator empty, we definitely had to get provisions. It has been a good day to do laundry, boat projects, install the new USA flag on the stern, and get our "water legs" back.
We have motored nearly 5, 500 miles with Dream Chaser, so far, on our journey! She has been the perfect boat performing beautifully in every situation we have faced. Oh, the memories we have made thus far with more to come.
We return to the boat with this bit of advice for sailing and life:
Be shore of yourself
Come out of your shell
Take time to coast
Avoid pier pressure
Sea life’s beauty
Don’t get tide down
Make waves
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