Once we were back on the east coast we had a long winding road ahead with many stops all the way up to Laura’s sister’s house outside of Boston. Although we had had an amazing road trip already we both considered this the “meat and potatoes” of the trip. A great amble up the eastern seaboard, camping, visiting friends, seeing family and stopping in on some awesome cities. It was all of those things, and in addition, Mother Nature definitely threw us a real curveball making portions of the trip rather difficult. I guess the old adage is good to remember on the road – “How do you make God laugh? Make plans.”*
We started with a visit to Charleston South Carolina where we stayed with Laura’s aunt and uncle. Part of this trip was definitely a thank you tour to all the awesome people that had joined us a year ago in Mexico and we were stoked not only on their hospitality, but the chance to visit them on their own turf. We had a nice couple days in Charleston and our first camping stop after that was at Huntington Beach State Park.
The campsite itself was right next to the beach and was full of awesome neighbors. We had a great setup and had some nice beach weather one of the days. The cold snap was moving in towards the end but we still had a good time enjoying the site.
We also got some education on the Gullah/Geechee Nation, which is a community of descendants of former slaves turned sea islanders stretching from Jacksonville, NC to Jacksonville, FL. Brookgreen Gardens, which happened to be situated right across the street from our campsite, is a unique sculpture garden and wildlife preserve that also educates the public on various issues. We were thrilled that by happenstance when we visited they were holding a lecture on Gullah/Geechee traditions and culture, given by a member of the Nation. One of our goals of travel life is to always be seeking knowledge and education so this worked out great and we learned so much.
Next up was an awesome week in Wilmington, NC. This is Laura’s old stomping grounds where she went to college. Visiting friends and old favorite places was the focus of this trip and it was an absolute delight. Eating at the amazing Thai restaurant Indochine and watching movies at home with our fam during a snowstorm (never happens in Wilmington!!) were highlights.
After camping at nearby Carolina Beach for a couple of days in freezing 19 degree weather (Laura’s mom actually had to overnight us our winter sleeping bags, thanks Mom), we moved on the Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks. Now for this one we knew it wouldn’t be great weather but MAN was it miserable. The most insane freezing winds ever and pouring rain every day, but despite it all Javi still went surfing and loved every minute. We were staying at the local KOA, which was a total blessing. Hot tub sessions and free wifi in the cafe on the property proved necessary to survive the cold. The Outer Banks is beautiful and we were happy to be there even if we had to bundle up a little more than expected.
After the Outer Banks was Richmond, VA, where we have good friends and just simply had an awesome time checking out the city and partying with our people. Richmond is pretty with a river running right through the center, and our friends there are an incredibly fun group.
Then there was D.C., where Javi used to live. We had a rare nice weather day so we biked all along the National Mall and visited as many museums as we could, taking in as much as we could along the way. After D.C., we traveled to Assateague Island National Seashore. This was such a special treat. It is a protected island between Maryland and Virginia that is home to actual wild horses! There is a really interesting history to the island, which includes some crazy plans for enormous developments all along the island until storms blew everything on the island away.
