Traveling south

It is still summer here and the weather has been really hot and humid. The remnants of hurricane Isaac linger as a series of storms, a couple of which we have had to drive through but really they have not caused us much worry other than that. I hope we can continue to avoid some of the bad weather that is typical for some of these parts.

The highlights of the trip for me so far have been our wander around Williamsburg yesterday and our travels along the Outer Banks of North Carolina today. Walking on the site where Wilbur and Orville Wright made their first powered flight in 1903 was also quite amazing. A monument was erected nearby in 2003 to mark the centenary of flight and the names of significant aviators and astronauts are inscribed on large columns giving a potted history of the amazing progress made over the past century.

Virginia was a really pretty place and I loved its characteristic architecture of two story houses with columns and shutters. They have a delightful elegance and grandeur about them. North Carolina is also very interesting, but our stopover town last night, Elizabeth City, was really quite unattractive. It seemed very run down and there were lots of decrepit looking trailer parks and other poor quality houses. The Outer Banks, where Kitty Hawk is located, is a thin finger of sandy land along the North Carolina coastline. It was much more attractive, and the beach side resorts were buzzing as people made the most of the last long weekend in summer. Today was the Labour Day holiday.

Tonight is being spent in Wilmington, NC. It is a complete contrast to last night’s venue. This is a charming city with lots of beautiful homes and tree-lined streets. We enjoyed a delicious dinner, local seafood for me, in a pub in the historic downtown area.