Washington, North Carolina

While staying across the river in Chocowinity, North Carolina, we visited the larger city of Washington a couple of times. According to that Wikipedia article, it is commonly known as “Original Washington”; it was established in 1776, and is the first city named after President George Washington. (Washington, DC was founded in 1791.)

An interactive map:

View from bridge:

View from bridge

“Washington Square Mall” — a small strip mall here, not at all like the big Washington Square Mall in Portland, Oregon:

Washington Square Mall

We had dinner at Boss Hog’s Chicken & BBQ:

Boss Hog's Chicken & BBQ

Boss Hog's Chicken & BBQ

Boss Hog's Chicken & BBQ

Boss Hog's Chicken & BBQ

Waterfront:

Waterfront

Main Street:

Main Street

Main Street

Main Street

Crab sculptures:

Crab sculpture

Crab sculptures

Main Street

Main Street

Main Street

Main Street

Main Street

We went to the Blu Farm to Table restaurant for my birthday, dining on their rooftop patio:

Blu restaurant

Blu restaurant

 

Blu restaurant

Blu restaurant

Blu restaurant

Blu restaurant

Blu restaurant

Blu restaurant

Blu restaurant

Unfortunately, we didn’t particularly enjoy the food. Oh well.

Waterfront:

Waterfront

Waterfront

Waterfront

Waterfront

Waterfront

Waterfront

Waterfront

Waterfront

Waterfront

Waterfront

Waterfront

Waterfront

Waterfront

Artwork

Main Street

A fairly cute little town.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

We took a long drive out to and along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina.

The NPS map; click or tap to interact on their site:

Cape hatteras map

An interactive map of our route to visit Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (post coming tomorrow), Wright Brothers National Memorial, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and Sugar Creek Seafood Restaurant for dinner on the way home:

A replica of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse at a gas station on the way:

Replica of Cape Hatteras lighthouse

Alligator River:

Alligator River

Cape Hatteras National Seashore sign:

Cape Hatteras National Seashore sign

Whalebone Junction Info Center:

Whalebone Junction Info Center

Whalebone Junction Info Center

Bodie Island Light Station:

Bodie Island Light Station

Bodie Island Light Station

Bodie Island Light Station

Bodie Island Light Station

Bodie Island Light Station

Bodie Island Light Station

Bodie Island Light Station

Bodie Island Light Station

Bodie Island Light Station

Bodie Island Light Station

Bodie Island Light Station

Bridge:

Bridge

Ocean view:

Ocean view

Sand blowing over the road:

Sand blowing over the road

Cape Hatteras Light Station. It is currently undergoing repairs and restoration; they had just finished adding the scaffolding when we visited:

Cape Hatteras Light Station

Park Store:

Park Store

Park Store

Museum:

Museum

Museum

Museum

Museum

Museum

Museum

The lighthouse was moved half a mile inland from the coast:

Museum

Saving the Light Station:

Saving the Light Station

Cape Hatteras Light Station:

Cape Hatteras Light Station

Cape Hatteras Light Station

Cape Hatteras Light Station

Cape Hatteras Light Station

A long Sunday drive, but we enjoyed it.

Wright Brothers National Memorial

We visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first successful powered airplane flights.

Here’s the NPS map; click or tap to interact:

Wright Brothers map

An interactive map:

Entrance:

Entrance

Visitor Center:

Visitor Center

Relief map:

Relief map

Exhibits:

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

A full-sized reproduction of the first plane:

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Plaque

Home away from home:

Home away from home

Home away from home

Home away from home

Home away from home

First flights:

First flights

First flights launch marker:

First flights launch marker

Looking along flight path:

Looking along flight path

First flight marker; 12 seconds, 120 feet, December 17, 1903:

First flight marker

Second flight marker:

Second flight marker

Third flight marker:

Third flight marker

Fourth flight marker:

Fourth flight marker

First flight markers, and info sign about the launch rail:

First flight markers

Monument:

Monument

Monument

Plane sculpture:

Plane sculpture

Impressive how we’ve come so far since then.

Twin Lakes RV & Camping Resort

We stayed at Twin Lakes RV & Camping Resort in Chocowinity, North Carolina. (Campground Reviews listing.)

An Encore park, mostly full of full-timers and seasonal sites, but with a section for transients.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-05-12
  • Check out: 2024-05-24
  • 12 nights

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy, some rain
  • High temps 73-81°F, lows 52-65°F
  • Little wind, gusts to 28 MPH

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • Distant train horn noise
  • Some neighbor noise

Site:

  • #D13, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
  • Level site; used hydraulic leveling
  • Gravel driveway about 75 feet long by 10 feet wide
  • About 20 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table
  • No fire pit
  • Some tall trees, but not providing any privacy
  • A lot of trash around the site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, inconveniently located
  • 40 PSI water, inconveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, inconveniently located (3 10-foot pipes needed)
  • We did park more forward than most people, though; utilities were at the rear of the site, so we could have been closer
  • Water was shut off for a couple of hours during our stay due to a broken pipe elsewhere in the campground (not a big deal, since we have our own water tank)
  • Interestingly, the sewer is actually an underground holding tank, that is pumped out periodically

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 14-17 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 65 ms ping
  • Verizon: 20 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 56 ms ping
  • AT&T: 10 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 51 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • Pools
  • Package delivery to office

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Water, water everywhere, but not a beach in sight

If you’re looking for a place to stay so you can visit the Outer Banks, keep looking. If you’re looking for a place to stay with nice waterways and fishing but not an actual beach, this place is good for that. It’s a nice campground with water all around and lots of seasonal/annual residents. There’s one main area where they place the “transients,” and it’s okay. Our site was not huge, but it was large enough for our 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle, with room for our table and chairs on the side. We camped at Twin Lakes RV & Camping Resort in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

The utilities were at the back of the site, and we parked at the front, so I used two 25 foot water hoses and three 10 foot sewer hoses (it’s good to have extras):

Utilities

Utilities

The sewer was actually a holding tank, periodically pumped out:

Pump trailer

Trash collected from around the site; worse than typical:

Trash

A bunch of aerial photos of the campground and environs, via my drone:

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Aerial

Entrance:

Entrance

The gate requires a magnetic card for access (which is more convenient than a code, as most places do):

Entrance

Dumpsters near the entrance:

Dumpsters near the entrance

Office:

Office

They had some flooding a while back, so were stil working on restocking the store:

Restocking the store

Swimming pool:

Swimming pool

Playground:

Playground

Bathrooms:

Bathrooms

Dog park:

Dog park

Clubhouse:

Rec center

Clubhouse

Ice and water machine:

Ice and water machine

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Ducks

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Duck

Ducks

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Another playground:

Another playground

Boat storage:

Boat storage

Boat storage

Canal

Another pool:

Another pool

Geese:

Geese

Geese

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

There were lots of squirrels roaming around:

Squirrel

Squirrel

We’d be happy to stay here again.

Travel from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Chocowinity, North Carolina

We drove our coach 201 miles, about four hours of driving, from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Chocowinity, North Carolina. Another new state.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading north:

Route map

An interactive map:

Leaving the campsite:

Our coach

A little narrow:

Our coach

A tight turn:

Our coach

Toading up:

Toading up

Goodbye beach:

Goodbye beach

Exiting the state park:

Exiting the state park

Myrtle Beach Welcomes You:

Myrtle Beach Welcomes You

A plane flying low over the highway; the airport is right next to it:

Plane flying low over highway

Plane landing at airport

Blue water at mini golf:

Blue water at mini golf

Wax museum:

Wax museum

Another mini golf:

Another mini golf

Yet another mini golf:

Another mini golf

Crossing the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW):

Intracoastal Waterway (ICW)

Welcome to North Carolina:

Welcome to North Carolina

We stopped at a Hardee’s for lunch, as they had RV-sized parking spaces:

Hardee's

Hardee's

Hardee's

Hardee's

Hardee's

Hardee's

Back at our coach, Paladin in his nest:

Paladin

Exit:

Exit

Hey, there’s Jenn’s brother, Leland:

Leland

Northeast Cape Fear River:

Northeast Cape Fear River

Fun with zoom:

Fun with zoom

New River:

New River

We stopped at a defunct car dealer parking lot; very few stopping opportunities (“stopportunties”) on this route:

Parking lot

Parking lot

Paladin took my seat when I used the bathroom:

Paladin

An abandoned house:

Abandoned house

Neuse River:

Neuse River

Neuse River

A fire lookout watchtower:

Watchtower

Arriving at our destination for a couple of weeks:

Our destination

Our destination

Our destination

Our destination

Our destination

Roofline seal repair

We had some flaking paint and sealant along the roofline of our coach, which could potentially leak in time. We’ve been meaning to get it fixed for a while, and had an opportunity in Red Bay.

I don’t have any great “before” pictures, but you can see some flaking in this picture, just above the gutter that goes all the way across:

Roofline

We took our coach to Pro Finishes in Belmont:

Pro Finishes

Pro Finishes

We waited in their customer lounge while they worked on it:

Waiting room

Waiting room

They had Girl Scout cookies for sale, so we bought some:

Girl Scout cookies

Our coach in their shop:

Our coach

Our coach

Another coach, wrapped in plastic for painting:

Another coach

Back at our site, closeups of the repairs:

Repaired

Repaired

Much better.