6/16- Left home first thing in the morning. It was a smooth ride through Atlanta on I-20 and 85 and my first stop was the South Carolina Welcome Center, where I got a shot of Lake Hartwell on the Georgia border. Lunch was BBQ chicken in Greenville on Main Street near Reedy Falls. Unfortunately, I hit bad traffic and stormy weather just before Charlotte and did not arrive until 4 PM. That meant no time for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Not a big deal. I'm not a real big fan, but I thought it might be interesting. I settled in and took a walking tour of Tryon and MLK drive to the baseball stadium, where I saw a AAA game. The rain stopped just in time for the game and I saw an epic sunset along with some great skyline views.
6/17- I-85 up through Durham into Virginia then US-58 to VA Beach. Arrived just after noon, got some lunch then it was a pretty decent surf session in the afternoon. Last time I was here was the summer of 1987. I was a month or two shy of my 7th birthday and it was the first family vacation that I remember clearly. I was afraid of the ocean waves but my grandfather kept saying up and over. Jump before it breaks and the buoyancy will pull you up. Good advice. VA Beach does have a boardwalk but it's mostly just hotels with a few restaurants connected. The shops are all on the road just a block from the boardwalk. You can still see the ocean but it's not quite the same. However, if you prefer a more peaceful and quiet boardwalk, you'll prefer VA Beach to Ocean City, MD or Wildwood, NJ. I've heard that they do require winter protection but yes, you'll see plenty of palm trees here so there is at least a sub-tropical vibe. The sand has a brownish tint but I find it very pretty.
6/18- Got up just in time to catch the sunrise. I chose to spend a night in VA Beach instead of the Outer Banks because I could find and afford a motel on the beach. Air temp was 78 with full sunshine and a water temp of 74 and good waves. I found it to be nice. A little chilly at first but only at first. My only gripe was that it was quite crowded and I had to be careful not to hit kids with my board. By late afternoon, I left VA Beach and headed toward the Outer Banks with a stop in Elizabeth City, NC for the night.
6/19- Arrived in Kill Devil Hills and saw the Wright Brothers monument. North Carolina's Outer Banks has a totally different vibe than VA Beach. No boardwalk here and the shops are spread out. You'll see more restaurants and shops in the southern part of Nags Head but it's much more rustic further north in Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills. The advantage is that the surf is usually better. Unfortunately, it was actually too strong even for me. Waves came one after another and it was too deep to catch the big ones. Further down the coast after lunch, there was a steep drop off. Of course, I still had fun. All things considered however, I vote for VA Beach. Stopped in Fayetteville, NC for the night after a brief tour of the capitol grounds in Raleigh.
6/20- I toyed with the idea of squeezing in another surf session in either Wilmington, NC or North Myrtle across the border in South Carolina but decided against it because I wanted to get home at a decent hour. Probably a good call. I was tired by the afternoon and was happy to be home around 5. I did do a small tour of Columbia, SC and the capitol grounds and came away with a favorable impression. My lunch stop was in Augusta. I had to stop at a rest area before Atlanta but outside of that, the drive was not bad.
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