“I took a plane from Harlan TX to Lubbock
because my manager doesn’t own a globe.”
Ron White
When we planned our trip to visit Randie’s future college home, I thought, “while we’re in the neighborhood, why not do a quick pop over to the Outer Banks?”
Although a lifelong resident of North Carolina, I’m never been to the Outer Banks and neither had my wife Andrea nor our daughter. It’s a three hour drive to Randie’s new school. Why turn around and drive that3 hour trek right back when we had a chance to see a part of the state we had never been to. So it seemed like a good idea that while we’re in the neighborhood, let’s go visit the Outer Banks.
I got a hotel reservation in Nags Head which is on the Outer Banks. Then it occurred to me. Actually how close is Randie’s school to Nags Head. It shouldn’t be far. On the map, it looks to be in the neighborhood.
A quick query of Google Maps told me that the distance from the school to Nags Head was a 2.5 hour trip.
So much for “in the neighborhood”. This was not going to be a quick pop over to the Outer Banks.
So after a 3 hour drive from the Fortress of Ineptitude to Randie’s school and after a 2 hour walking tour of the school, it was time to pile back in the car for an additional 2.5 hours of driving to get to Nags Head.
We were committed to this journey because I can’t read a map.
We hooked up with US Highway 64 heading east. There’s not a lot to see on this leg of the trip. Lots and lots of trees and marshland. And apparently a lot of bugs. The windshield of our car was a kaleidoscope of splattered bug guts that our windshield wipers could not clear off.
Then came the bridges. I fear bridges. My anxiety stirs up thoughts like “What if my car stalls on this bridge?” “What if I have a seizure on this bridge?” “How low was the lowest bid to build this bridge?”
On this journey to the Outer Banks, I had three long bridges to tease and torment all my anxieties regarding bridges.
The first was across the Alligator River.
A few things about that. This stretch of US 64 is two lanes as is the bridge that crosses this river. This very narrow, low to the water bridge crossing a river that is more like an ocean.
I found the experience nerve racking. I’m gripping both hands on the wheel, staring straight ahead at the long narrow ribbon of bridge that stretched interminably into the distance as the Alligator Ocean…I mean, the Alligator River splashed mere feet below us as I mumbled to myself over and over and over, “Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!”
My passengers said unhelpful things like, “I think I saw an alligator!”
Seconds passed into minutes passed into days as eventually we reached the other side of the Alligator River bridge.
Then US 64 became a 4 lane highway as we approached the 2nd bridge. I didn’t have the anxiety induced by an extremely narrow bridge but this one was longer and it curved. In the middle of the water, the bridge goes in a different direction. And then it climbs into sky.
“Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!”
Then we approached the Roanoke Sound, the body of water separating mainland North Carolina from the off shore strip of land known as the Outer Banks.
Another really long bridge, curving through the water, cresting high into the sky.
By this point, my anxiety over bridges had taken quite a beating. Gripping both hands on the wheel, staring straight ahead, I said, “Bring it on.”
And thus we navigated another perilously long bridge that deposited us in Nags Head, NC.
Tomorrow’s post. Some stuff that happened to us on the island.
Meanwhile, yes, Avengers: Endgame is coming. We have our tickets for Saturday afternoon and I plan to have a post about that on Sunday.
Ron White
When we planned our trip to visit Randie’s future college home, I thought, “while we’re in the neighborhood, why not do a quick pop over to the Outer Banks?”
Although a lifelong resident of North Carolina, I’m never been to the Outer Banks and neither had my wife Andrea nor our daughter. It’s a three hour drive to Randie’s new school. Why turn around and drive that3 hour trek right back when we had a chance to see a part of the state we had never been to. So it seemed like a good idea that while we’re in the neighborhood, let’s go visit the Outer Banks.
I got a hotel reservation in Nags Head which is on the Outer Banks. Then it occurred to me. Actually how close is Randie’s school to Nags Head. It shouldn’t be far. On the map, it looks to be in the neighborhood.
A quick query of Google Maps told me that the distance from the school to Nags Head was a 2.5 hour trip.
So much for “in the neighborhood”. This was not going to be a quick pop over to the Outer Banks.
So after a 3 hour drive from the Fortress of Ineptitude to Randie’s school and after a 2 hour walking tour of the school, it was time to pile back in the car for an additional 2.5 hours of driving to get to Nags Head.
We were committed to this journey because I can’t read a map.
We hooked up with US Highway 64 heading east. There’s not a lot to see on this leg of the trip. Lots and lots of trees and marshland. And apparently a lot of bugs. The windshield of our car was a kaleidoscope of splattered bug guts that our windshield wipers could not clear off.
Then came the bridges. I fear bridges. My anxiety stirs up thoughts like “What if my car stalls on this bridge?” “What if I have a seizure on this bridge?” “How low was the lowest bid to build this bridge?”
On this journey to the Outer Banks, I had three long bridges to tease and torment all my anxieties regarding bridges.
The first was across the Alligator River.
 |
| Close up photo of the choppy waters of the Alligator River |
 |
| Google Earth image of Hwy 64 crossing the Alligator River |
A few things about that. This stretch of US 64 is two lanes as is the bridge that crosses this river. This very narrow, low to the water bridge crossing a river that is more like an ocean.
I found the experience nerve racking. I’m gripping both hands on the wheel, staring straight ahead at the long narrow ribbon of bridge that stretched interminably into the distance as the Alligator Ocean…I mean, the Alligator River splashed mere feet below us as I mumbled to myself over and over and over, “Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!”
My passengers said unhelpful things like, “I think I saw an alligator!”
Seconds passed into minutes passed into days as eventually we reached the other side of the Alligator River bridge.
Then US 64 became a 4 lane highway as we approached the 2nd bridge. I didn’t have the anxiety induced by an extremely narrow bridge but this one was longer and it curved. In the middle of the water, the bridge goes in a different direction. And then it climbs into sky.
“Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!”
 |
| Crossing the Croatan Sound |
Then we approached the Roanoke Sound, the body of water separating mainland North Carolina from the off shore strip of land known as the Outer Banks.
Another really long bridge, curving through the water, cresting high into the sky.
 |
| I can't believe I had to drive across this thing! |
By this point, my anxiety over bridges had taken quite a beating. Gripping both hands on the wheel, staring straight ahead, I said, “Bring it on.”
And thus we navigated another perilously long bridge that deposited us in Nags Head, NC.
Tomorrow’s post. Some stuff that happened to us on the island.
Meanwhile, yes, Avengers: Endgame is coming. We have our tickets for Saturday afternoon and I plan to have a post about that on Sunday.
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