Battered, Bruised and Beached

Made it past Knoxville and stopped at a KOA, Thursday night. Got the creeps and couldn't do it. Drove on and stopped at Big Creek in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Only has twelve sites and we got the next to last. Beautiful area with wide, rocky, loud creek right next to the campground. We went to sleep to the sound of water.

Friday, got up and decided to go on a hike before driving across North Carolina. A trailhead to a spur off the Appalachian Trail was near our camp site. Two miles to the Trail. Turned out it was straight up a mountain. We couldn't believe two miles could be that far. Beautiful trail but exhausting and seemingly never ending, but, we made it!

Ten minutes later, on the way down, I had a.... hiking accident. The trail was rough, with lots of roots and big rocks. I fell and, since it was such a steep grade, flew straight down onto my nose, then shoulder, then hands. We've spent the last couple days trying to document my black and blue nose (and the two potential black eyes) with the camera. Eyes are OK. Nose still black and blue. We're still not sure it's not broken.

Katie was a champ and got us all the way across the state to Rocky Mount where we ate a full meal and had a shower and bed. Saturday we drove to Hatteras. I hate bridges but crossed three or four of them without a mental breakdown. Perfect timing to Hatteras. The ferry actually got us going early. We were the last car on.

Got to Ocracoke and into our condo. That's not what it is really like. It is right on the marina of Silver Lake (the harbor that Ocracoke village is on). We have two floors over a store. It is palatial on the inside. Screened porch, on the top floor, where we can eat, play cards, drink beer and watch the boats come and go and the people on the street. Endlessly entertaining.

Into the sand and surf, this morning. Very windy and rough water, but still great to be on the beach. Took a bike ride around the village this afternoon and discovered some really old cemetary's. Also discovered Zilley's and sampled several from their amazingly large beer selection. Not a bad way to spend Sunday afternoon.