American Caribbean - Day 1 - Transfer Day

“The American Caribbean”

3/31/17, “Transfer Day”

John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York (JFK)

100 years ago today, the Virgin Islands were transferred from Danish control to American control.  It is celebrated in the United States Virgin Islands as their national holiday, and this hundredth anniversary will be of special significance there.  When I learned about this holiday a few years ago, I designed my trip to the American Caribbean, as I call it, around being there for the hundredth anniversary of Transfer Day.  When I learned that it would be an all-weekend-long celebration, which each of the three islands celebrating on a different night this weekend, I planned my trip around overnighting on each island for the corresponding nights.  It is a trip that will bring me to every National Park Site and National Historic Landmark in the USVI, before connecting in Puerto Rico on the way home to revisit the World Heritage Site there.  At four days with two days off from work, it clocks in as a longer trip for me, but the mission will be well worth the time spent on it.

Okay, so, since I am flying out in the morning and will do activities this afternoon, it is now Day 1, but I might as well recall Night 0 to round out this entry.  After a long day at the office, I went to my Thursday movie, eating way too much at the theatre.  I saw “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” which failed to me in its inauthenticity and its inability to properly carry the seriousness of the subject matter.  I then went home and packed.

I slept poorly throughout the night, only get two full REM cycles, interrupted by a GI issue that woke me up and prevented me from getting back to sleep for well over an hour.  My car was waiting downstairs for me, and I changed into my suit and got ready.  I had budgeted an hour and a half with traffic, counting on that time to get another REM cycle, but it was actually only half an hour.  It worked out for the best, though, as everything at the airport was slow.  I think it took me longer to go through security than the drive to the airport from my apartment.

I had forgotten two things.  I had neglected to bring my chopsticks for my first Official meal in the USVI, and I had almost no cash on me.  The overpriced ATM in the airport solved the second problem, but I couldn’t imagine where I’d find chopsticks in the USVI.  I then went to get breakfast, which was a sandwich place that had a long line that moved slowly.  I got a pressed bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a sesame bagel, which was delicious.  I sat down to eat it next to an Asian family, who were eating their meal with, you guessed it, chopsticks.  There was a Hong Kong place in the food court, where I procured a pair of chopsticks.

It was now 7:30 AM, and boarding was at 7:55 AM, so I didn’t think I would have enough time to write my entry.  To make matters worse, I had to take a shuttle to the C Gates.  I got to my gate at about 7:45 AM, where I sat down and proceeded to write this entry, quickly, which I will now close, as we boarding is starting.

Charlotte Amelie, Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands

As the sun sets over the Virgin Islands, I am left to recount a very familiar tale, a tale I have recounted numerous times with datelines such as St. George’s, Grenada and Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis.  In fact, the tale is so familiar, that, more than once today, I checked my pocket for my passport, only to remember why it wasn’t there.  While the experience of spending an afternoon walking around a Caribbean capital alone is familiar, doing so in one that is a US Territory is not.  No Cubans would be found on this island, legally at least, but I would not have to pass through border control, either.  It is no different than going to Boston or Miami.

As the establishing shot shows, the Danish red remains in the architecture of this island, even 100 years later.  That was brought me here today.  These celebrations were, in a word, epic.  It was the most fascinating experience of the year, second only Inauguration, if I discount New Year’s Eve in Sydney.  They did it up right.  The celebration was one for the ages, and it’s not even dinner time yet.  I was thrilled to be here for the celebrations, and I have the utmost confidence that this trip will rank high on the lists when I do the final reckoning.

After I closed this morning, we soon boarded, and I fell asleep even before we took off, sleeping through the whole flight.  I was treated to the familiar site of landing at a Caribbean airport.  Leaving the airport without going through border control was unfamiliar.  I took a taxi to the hotel, which to me nuisance, was a shared taxi, but we were at my hotel soon enough.  I realized that data would be an issue, but I had the trip well-planned, so I wasn’t concerned.  I could use Wi-Fi for my posts.  My room wasn’t quite ready, but it would be ready by the time I finished lunch, and the restaurant on-site was one of the best places on the island for local cuisine.  In fact, I think I will be having dinner there, too.  They offered me a room to change out of my suit, so I changed into some casual clothes.

When I was done changing, they let me put my luggage in my room, but it wasn’t fully cleaned yet, so I went to get lunch.  It was the perfect place for a familiar meal.  The cuisine was not much different from the rest of the English-speaking West Indies.  I got stewed chicken with rice and plantains, along with seltzer and local rum, eaten, of course, with chopsticks.  The meal was good, and I was able to go into my room afterwards.  I resituated myself, and I was ready for my afternoon.  On the docket was the three National Historic Landmarks on the island, the legislative assembly building, and the centennial celebrations.

I headed out and lit up a Partagas, my first cigar in the USVI.  My first stop was Blackbeard’s Castle (yes, that Blackbeard), which was a bit of a trek.  Not far, but it was up a steep hill.  When I got there, I discovered to my dismay, that it was closed today and tomorrow.  I circled around back and found a good spot for a photo.  I headed back down the hill, and I could hear the celebrations had already started.  As I was walking, I saw a procession of Official vehicles and armored guards.  Surely this was for the centennial, for some dignitary.

I walked next to the St. Thomas Synagogue, which is the oldest congregation in the United States, the second oldest in the Americas, after one in Curacao.  On the way, a shopkeeper asked me to look at their humidor after I finished my cigar, I and promised that I would.  Soon enough, I was at the synagogue.  I saw the Plaque, and I was thrilled.  I took my ceremonial pictures, and then I learned I could actually go inside.  I went inside and took some pictures.  I was shocked that the floor was covered in sand, by design.  A guide gave me a brief history of the synagogue and sold me a keepah, which I bought more to give the donation than because I actually wanted it.  She invited me for services, and I am on the fence about going.  It might be too late by the time I’m ready, though.

From there, it was down to the waterfront, where Fort Christian and the legislature were across the street from another.  That’s when I saw it.  The parade.  It was in full swing.  I was thrilled.  This was what I came for.  Literally.  I took some pictures and said to myself, “I love it when a plan comes together.”

I continued to Fort Christian, where I found the Plaque and took my ceremonial picture.  That was it.  That was all three of them.  The souvenir stands were right there, too.  Only one thing remained.

I ditched my cigar and headed back to the legislature to take my ceremonial picture.  “Saint Thomas Complete.”  I sat a bit and watched the celebrations and speeches, including one by, I think, the Governor.

The crowd soon dissipated, and I then got my souvenirs, including the one I wanted most, a flag pin.  It seemed to be the only flag pin for sale on the whole island.  She was the only one who had it, and it was her last one.

I walked back to my hotel, stopping at the cigar place along the way.  She offered me a beer as an apology for not letting me in earlier, and I gladly accepted.  The humidor had a sparse selection and no grand bargains, but I picked out two at a reasonable price to round out the assortment I had brought with me.  From there, it was back to my hotel, and I almost immediately took a nap.

I woke up after an hour, lit up an Aroma de Cuba, and headed back down to the legislature, where more dignitarties were speaking, including, what I found the most exciting moment, the Danish Prime Minister.  I wondered if I had ever before been that close to a sitting Head of Government.  Trump or Obama driving past me in a motorcade don’t count.  The Congressional Delegate from USVI talked about colonialism, and the Danish Prime Minister apologized for the slavery that occurred during Danish rule.

Whether or not to give the Virgin Islands (and the other territories) Congressional Representation beyond their non-voting delegate is an interesting question.  The Republican in me does not want to see a guaranteed additional 2 Democratic Senators and 3 Democratic Electoral Votes.  However, the libertarian in me does not believe it just to deny the citizens of these islands their right to representation in our federal government.  Perhaps a solution could entail splitting Texas into five states, as is discussed from time to time.  On the other hand, it seems the majority of the population seems to favor the status quo, perhaps due to some financial benefit.  After the speeches, I walked back to the hotel and went outside, where I sat down, lit up my trusty Ardor, and proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close, as it is time for dinner, and watched as twilight gave way to night.

I actually meant to publish this before dinner, but I forgot.  Since it’s still open, I will take this opportunity to recount the dinner experience before I publish.  My problem with visiting the Caribbean, by which I mean the English-speaking Antilles, is that I never want to go home.  No other place in the world, with the exception of The North, makes me feel that way.  It is not because I have any great love of the beach.  It because of what Jamaica Kincaid says that we Westerners love about these islands, that they’re “quaint.”  That was what I felt the first time I visited the English-speaking Antilles in Dominica, the same that I felt when I visited Antigua myself.  It is what I feel every time I visit the Caribbean, and it is what I am feeling right now.  I love the quaintness of these capital cities, and I have spent the night in more than I care to count.

In fact, I think it is safe to say that I have spent the night in more Caribbean capitals than 99.999% of the American population.  Yes, I am standing by that math.  I do not believe that there more than 3000 Americans who have overnighted in as many Caribbean capitals as I have.  Visited on cruises, sure, but flew into and spent the night, no.

I love it here.  I love the atmosphere.  I love the pretty architecture.  I love the feel of the island.  I love walking around seeing the sites.  I love eating the local cuisine, drinking the local beer, and smoking my cigars and pipes from my hotel balcony.  I love the mountainous views or else the sea views.  It is always one or the other depending on the room, sometimes both.  Whether it is Basseterre or Bridgetown, the feel is always the same, but different.

This trip will represent the last nights I spend in the Antilles for the foreseeable future.  In September, I will visit the Pacific Islands, but I do not know if it will be more the same or more different.  Either way, I am looking forward to it.

Okay, dinner.  After I closed earlier, I walked over to dinner.  Other than abysmally slow service, the meal was great.  I had a splitting headache, not having had any caffeine since that cup of coffee with breakfast.  I got a Turkish coffee to start, but it somehow took over fifteen minutes to come.  For dinner, I ordered tamarind shrimp as my appetizer and the local specialty kingfish with fungee for my main course, both of which were excellent, along with a local beer.

I then got rum cake with ice cream, along with the same rum from earlier, as dessert.  I brought the rum back to my room and lit up a Nat Sherman, figuring this was how Nat himself would have enjoyed the Caribbean.  I then sat down outside, where I proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close so that I can publish.

North Carolina - Day 3 - The Return Journey

3/27/17, “The Return Journey”

Raleigh-Durham International Airport, North Carolina (RDU)

As I mentioned the other night, these weekend trips have become a linchpin of my domestic travels.  It baffles my mind to think of our Interstate system and that, excepting a few islands, the entirety of the lower 48 states is connected by roads and tunnels and bridges, that almost every NPS unit in the lower 48 could be visited over the course of a few months or so in a well-planned road trip.  That is what makes these trips both extreme and remarkable.

It is extreme, since, due to what I have just mentioned, there is a near constant string of NPS units to visit during any trip to any spot in the country, and the number of sites I can visit in a trip depends only on the length of the trip.  If this trip was 3 days, there would have been another day of NPS units to visit, and so on until I have visited every unit in the lower 48.  It is extreme because these collections of weekend trips could be combined into fewer, longer trips, with a lot less air miles logged, but vacation time doesn’t allow it.  It is remarkable because I have never run out of destinations, because, every time I get away for a weekend, I become immersed in a different region of the country, because the planning and execution of these trips demand perfection, and I always rise to the challenge.

These trips are mostly designed around checking another item off my list towards accomplishing my 30 Goals, but that only provides the destination.  Once there, it is pointless to spend a whole weekend just to visit one site, so the trips become designed to see what else I can pack in to those weekends, to combine Cape Hatteras with the Wright Brothers National Memorial, to combine Point Reyes with Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial.

These trips usually have an elegant design, and I will accept nothing but the utmost in elegance in planning my trips.  These trips have rounded out light months or even months where I’ve had nothing else planned, such as March 2016 when I went to South Carolina.  As I said earlier, they have helped me run up my NPS unit count, now at 271, and they will continue until I have been able to say, “NPS Compete.”  Okay, this will be a short entry, since I have nothing much to report.

After I closed last night, I drove back to the hotel, parked my car, and went to my room.  I packed and set my alarm so that I could get exactly 3 hours of sleep, and, next thing I knew, it was time to wake up.  I got dressed, and went to the car.  It was a short and entirely unadventurous drive to the airport.  I returned my car, and the shuttle to the terminal was right there.  That was also unadventurous.  I got my boarding pass and breezed through security thanks to my TSA PreCheck.  I then went to my gate and sat down, where I proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close, as it is almost time to board, along with closing out this trip.  Next stop: the American Caribbean (US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico).

North Carolina - Day 2 - The Smokies Again

3/26/17, “The Smokies Again”

Raleigh, North Carolina

August 2003, I went to the Great Smoky Mountains for the first time.  I forgot my World Heritage Site folder at home.  September 2012, I went to the Smokies for the second time.  I remembered my folder this time, but I forgot to stamp one of my brochures.  March 2017, I have gone to the Smokies again, and this time I remembered the folder and finally got that elusive brochure stamped.

It may seem odd that what is, by far, my most valuable possession is a blue Five Star Mead folder filled with nothing but printed paper.  It far surpasses in value even such possessions as my “only one known to exist” signed Natalie Portman Star Wars image or, for that matter, anything in my autograph collection.  In terms of material goods, nothing in my wardrobe, nor any of my electronics come close in value.  Why is this folder so valuable?  Why is it so important?  Why would I drive so far just for a stamp that I should have gotten 14 years ago?

Reader, that folder is the masterpiece of my domestic travels.  It is a one-of-a-kind possession, and it pays testament to the effort I have exerted in some of my most ambitious domestic trips.  It contains all of my stamped WHS brochures, my National Park passport with stamps from almost every US WHS that I have visited, some print-outs that date back to the Clinton Administration, again, stamped at 19 of the 21 US WHS that I have visited, and the centerpiece of it all, the NPS-generated US World Heritage Site Brochure with a listing of all WHS that had been inscribed when it was printed (three have been added since).  Before today, that brochure was missing a stamp from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, due to my own neglect.  That has now been rectified.  That was the main activity of today, and it was no easy task to get it.  I am now back in front of the state capitol, and it is 15 hours since I left there this morning, the vast majority of that time spent behind the wheel of a car.

After I closed last night, I walked over to the cigar shop, though it was really just a glorified vape shop.  It was slim pickings, and most of the cigars they had were kept in poor condition and/or were brands I disliked.  I selected a cigar for the evening and just enough for the car today.  It was about 9:30 PM, so I lit up the Padron Aniversario and waited for the shop to close at 10 PM.  By 10:30 PM, he still hadn’t kicked me out, but my cigar was almost done, so I said goodbye and walked back to the car.  I drove back to the hotel and soon went to sleep, not setting an alarm.

I woke up around 7:30 AM, which meant I was an hour behind schedule, but I didn’t think I would need the full two hours I had budgeted myself at the Smokies.  I was really just going for a stamp, after all, and I doubted I would want to walk around for longer than a cigar.  I got ready and went down for breakfast, which was much the same as yesterday.  It was 8 AM at this point, and I realized that I might as well go back to the state capitol to take a better lit picture, so I did that.

I then noticed that the church across the street had a NHL Plaque, so I took a ceremonial picture with the church.  From there, it was a straight shot to my first site, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, so I lit up a Caoba and got on the road.  On the way, I saw a sign for JR Cigars, “The World’s Largest Cigar Store.”  I do not need to tell my readers how badly I wanted to stop.  Unfortunately, it was not yet open, and it would be closed by the time I got back.

I continued to the NPS, and, with some difficulty, found the VC.  I did my business at the VC, lit up a Perdomo, and went to the Nathaniel Greene Monument to take my ceremonial picture.  It was a Pyrrhic victory for the British, which actually had a net positive effect for the Patriots, turning the tide in the Southern Campaign.

It was three hours from there to the next site, Carl Sandburg Home NHS, so I stopped for lunch after my Perdomo.  I opted for Bojangles, which is to North Carolina what KFC is to Kentucky and Popeyes is to Louisiana.  I got my usual, the chicken strips with fries and a biscuit, along with coffee.  After my meal, I lit up a Fuente and was back on the road.

I arrived at the NPS with just enough cigar left to walk up the hill to the home and take a ceremonial picture.  The VC was inside the home itself, so I did my business there and walked back down the hill to the car.  At this point, I wondered if my ceremonial picture counted, since the brochure was not stamped when I took the picture.  I lit up a La Gloria Cubana and took another picture for good measure.

All that remained after that was to go to the Smokies to get my stamp at Oconaluftee VC.  As I was driving, I blew past my turn in an area with no signal.  I knew how to correct my mistake, but the navigation on my phone could not readjust itself without a signal.  Fuck.  I was taking the Blue Ridge Parkway, so I figured there would be signs for the VC after the Parkway ended.  I was right.

It was a beautiful and scenic drive, and, soon enough, at the VC.  With great care, I took out my folder and found the unstamped WHS brochure.  I carefully added the stamp.  I then took out my Great Smoky Mountains NP brochure (the original from 2003) to see if I had a stamp from this VC.  I did.  However, I learned that there was another stamp in Bryson City, but it closed at 5 PM and it was 35 minutes away.  It was 4:12 PM at that point.  I got some souvenirs, went out back to light up a Montecristo and take a ceremonial picture, and then raced to Bryson City.  When I got there, I realized I had no idea where the stamp was.

At 4:53 PM, I pulled into the Chamber of Commerce, as that looked promising, but that was closed on weekends, so that couldn’t be it.  I looked it up online, and it said it was at the campground.  I raced to the campground, getting there at 4:59 PM, only to see a sign that it was closed for the season, so that couldn’t be right either.  What was I missing?  Defeated, I headed back, and, then I saw it.  Across the street from the Chamber of Commerce was a museum with the famed arrowhead logo of the National Park Service.  It was 5:18 PM.  I parked and tried my luck.  It was closed.  Reader, recall that I was across the street from the museum at 4:53 PM.

Dejected, I punched the stone column as hard as I could and walked back to my car.  

I then saw someone getting into his pickup.  He had a lot of badges on his jacket, the kind of badges a worker at a museum would wear.  I rushed up to him and asked if he worked at the museum.  He said he did.  I asked if he could let me back in to stamp my brochure.  When he slumped his shoulders and reminded me that they closed at 5 PM, I knew that the simple truth would avail.  “I came all the way from New York for this.”  He let me in.  Victoriously, in the end, I added another stamp to my 2003 brochure and thanked him profusely.

All that was left was to retrace my path all the way back to Raleigh.  On the way, as I drove back through the Blue Ridge Parkway with a freshly stamped brochure for that NPS unit, which I knew I had previously visited, I lit up a Rocky Patel and took a ceremonial picture.

When I got to Asheville, I stopped at a Dairy Queen for dinner, getting a burger and fries, along with a Blizzard and pretzel sticks.  It was exactly what I needed.  My navigation showed an 11:15 PM arrival at the state capitol, which would be 11:30 PM with a stop for gas.  That was perfect timing to get exactly 3 hours of sleep.

I got on the road and lit up an Ashton.  As I was driving, I pulled behind a pickup truck with four kids sitting in the back.  That was a sight to behold.  I then saw a sign for the Biltmore Estate.  Why did that sound familiar?  I then realized it was one of the most iconic buildings in the country and possibly the top non-NPS, non-WHS that I wanted to visit in the country.  It was still light out, and I figured that I could take my ceremonial picture at a cost of no more than 15 minutes, but I didn’t have 15 minutes to spare.  Getting 2 hours and 45 minutes of sleep is a lot worse than getting a full 3 hours.  I also didn’t know how far off the highway it was.  If it was 10 miles, than it would be 30 minutes, not 15 minutes.  With regret, I drove past the exit.  It was about 200 miles on I-40 E, and I had cruise control at exactly 9 MPH above the speed limit.  It would be an easy drive.

I made up a lot of time on the road, and I started to wonder if I made the wrong decision about Biltmore, the regret further compounded when I learned it was right off the highway.  I lit up an Avo, my traditional cigar to end the trip, and there was nothing to be done.  Eventually, I stopped for gas and cleaned out the car.  That was right before the exit for Raleigh from I-40.  Before long, I was in front of the state capitol, and I went to my usual spot, where I proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close so that I can publish and, hopefully, get my 3 hours of sleep.

North Carolina - Day 1 - "First in Flight"

3/25/17, “First in Flight”

Raleigh, North Carolina

This is all very familiar.  I could take the entry I wrote 52 weeks ago today and substitute “Raleigh, North Carolina” for “Columbia, South Carolina” (not Charleston as mistakenly wrote last night), and I would have an entry that is almost exactly the same as the one I am about to write.  An assortment of National Park Sites, BBQ at the state’s “most iconic restaurant,” an entry written at the state capitol, and a trip to the local cigar shop.  That is what I did in South Carolina 52 weeks ago today, and that is what I did in North Carolina today.

These weekend domestic trips have been a lynchpin of my travels over the past four years.  They are how I have managed to check off the bulk of the sites necessary to complete my travel goals domestically, all while boosting my NPS unit count up to 268 (270 by the end of the trip).  I am almost 2/3 of the way to having visited each and every NPS unit.  There are slightly more than 400 of them.  This trip was designed around a National Memorial, which on its own is sufficient to justify a trip, but I will be picking up 4 additional units this trip.  That’s a very good weekend for me: a new state capitol and 5 new NPS units, including a National Memorial.

I will not be able to say, “North Carolina Complete,” but I will come close.  A year ago, I was able to say, “South Carolina Complete,” but I had had a head start, having previously visited Fort Sumter and one other unit in the state, whose name escapes me.  This trip was long in the making, and Day 1 was intense but successful.

After I closed last night, I published and walked back to the hotel.  I went to sleep almost as soon as I got to my room, waking up a little after 6 AM.  I changed and went down for breakfast, which consisted of half a waffle, sausage, potatoes, along with a too-small cup of coffee.  That would be a serious problem later.  I found my car and prepared to get on the road.  That’s when I realized I had forgotten my phone charger.  The phone would not last the day, especially if I planned to use it for GPS.  I parked the car outside the hotel and retrieved my charger.  By this point, it was after 7 AM, and I was behind schedule.  An audible was available to me, and I could have went to the state capitol now that the sun had risen, rather than having to worry about getting back here before dark.  In hindsight, I should have done that, but I had posted a picture at the state capitol after midnight last night, and I deemed it too early to post my ceremonial picture there this morning.

Instead, I made straight for Cape Hatteras NS, which would be the main activity for the day.  The plan was to go to Cape Hatteras NS, then Wright Brothers NMem, then Fort Raleigh NHS, then dinner at Skylight Inn BBQ, then back to the state capitol before dark.  I thought sunset was 7:45 PM, which meant I would have until 8:15 PM, at which point civil twilight would end, and it would be too late to take a ceremonial picture.  Reader, I told you it would be a long day.  I lit up my traditional Davidoff Yamasa Toro to start off the trip (though I will be going back to an Escurio Toro for the next few trips) and put on “Red” when I got on the highway.

That was followed by the soundtrack from the new “Beauty and the Beast” and a Cuban Stock, which brought me to the entrance to Cape Hatteras NS.  I entered the NPS around 10:30 AM.  It was another hour from there to the lighthouse, and including other than the stamp at the entrance and Cape Hatteras lighthouse, there was one more stamp.  I wanted all three.

Bodie Island Lighthouse was the second stamp, and it was actually the lighthouse on the brochure, even though it was the less famous one.  I got a keychain, but not a replica at the VC, since the only replicas they had were rather large.  I lit up an Aurora, and that brought me to Cape Hatteras.  Along the way, I drove through Rodanthe, which made me want to rewatch “Nights in Rodanthe,” a movie I have always enjoyed.

I was quite impressed with the lighthouse once I reached it, and I loaded up on souvenirs at the VC, including two replicas, which were the same size as the Bodie Island Lighthouse replica that I had chosen not to purchase.  I lit up a Partagas and took my ceremonial picture at the lighthouse, which was also a National Historic Landmark.

From there, I headed to the beach, since this was, after all, inscribed as a National Seashore.  I was starving at this point, but I was tight on time.  Very tight.  The unit had taken far more time to visit than I anticipated.  There was a place with pizza and subs.  I wanted a sub, but that would take, inexplicably, ten minutes.  The pizza would take a minute.

I got the pizza and chips, scarfed it down, lit up a Graycliff, and headed back towards the mainland.  I was regretting not buying the Bodie Island Lighthouse replica, so I considered stopping there on the way back, even though I was tight on time.  As I was driving, two things happened that made driving almost impossible.  First, I got an allergy attack from the pollen.  Second, I started falling asleep at the wheel.  This was around 1 PM.  I could not figure out why, but twice I almost veered off the road.  (I would later realize it was because of the meager amount of coffee I ahd this morning.)  I knew that I would need to stop at the Bodie Island VC for a short nap and to wash the pollen out of my eyes.  That would eat up half an hour, but I had no choice.  Falling asleep at the wheel and getting into an accident would take up a lot more than half an hour.  I took a brief nap, and I woke up fully refreshed.  I cleaned out my eyes and bought my replica before getting back on the road, lighting up an LFD.

The next stop was Wright Brothers NMem, the main purpose of this trip.  It was just some monuments to mark the spot where they succeeded in their first flight in 1903.  We’ve come a long way since then.  There was nothing to do there other than take ceremonial pictures, which I did, but it somehow took longer than I expected.  It would be very tight to get to the state capitol even by 8:15 PM at this point.  As I was recalculating my times, I checked sunset.  That’s when I learned that sunset was actually at 7:30 PM, not 7:45 PM.  Fuck.  I figured that there was no way I could get to the state capitol before it got dark at 8 PM.

After taking a moment to appreciate the significance of the site, I continued to Fort Raleigh NHS, which had some remains of the first British colony in America from 1585.  That was cool.  Okay, from there it was a straight shot to Skylight Inn BBQ, the “most iconic restaurant” in North Carolina.  I figured it would be like the Salt Lick in Texas, so I would need 30-45 minutes.  I lit up a Camacho, which lasted the whole drive, and I was soon there.

I had been listening to country music all afternoon, and they were playing the same music in the restaurant.  It was much more like Scott’s in South Carolina than the Salt Lick.  I could be in and out in 15 minutes.  They gave me a dish of BBQ pork, a dish of Cole slaw, and a big piece of corn bread.  It was delicious, and I ate it with chopsticks, as is my tradition.  It was very similar to Scott’s but I liked this better.  At this point, the unthinkable happened.  My Navigation said I would be at the state capitol at 8 PM.  With luck, I would get my ceremonial picture before dark.

The Navigation took me through some back roads, but the timing was looking good.  I lit up a Fuente was on my way.  I double checked when civil twilight ended, and it said 7:56 PM.  Reader, guess what time it was when I pulled up to the state capitol, after more than 12 hours on the road today?  7:57 PM.  I had missed it by a minute.  My mind played every minute of wasted time from the day.  I could have made it if I was more aggressive, and I had no one but myself to blame.  It took me another five minutes to park, and I first had to take my cigar photo with the NHL plaque and a NHL picture with the cigar, before the sans cigar picture to treat it as a state capitol.

It was now about 8:05 PM, but I deemed it was still light enough out to take a ceremonial picture.  Reader, by the time I posted the photo to social media, it was already too dark.  I made it in slimmest of margins, elegant in the extreme.  I then sat down in my spot from last night, where I lit up my trusty Ardor and proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close and publish so that I can get my cigars and take it easy for the rest of the night.  Tomorrow will be another long day.