2019 Fall Western Trip: Cape Hatteras, then home

Tuesday 10/29:  239 miles, parked at Cape Hatteras KOA, Rodanthe, NC

Site 801

Nearly empty Cape Hatteras KOA

We arrived at the nearly empty Cape Hatteras KOA about 1:30.  The only busy part of the drive was around Raleigh.  We took Rt. 64 all the way to Hatteras and then Rt. 12 south to the KOA in Rodanthe.  On Rt. 12 you could see the effects of recent Hurricane Dorian.  The road crews were still busy cleaning up sand off the roads.

After setting up, and sitting outside to relax for a bit, we drove further south about 15 miles to meet up with fellow Gouverneur friends, including Judy's sister Sue.  Sue and Al, along with good friends Chuck and Anne rent a condo on the Outer Banks every year in late October.  Our trip timing this year was such the we could connect for a few days.

We had cocktails on the deck overlooking the ocean and got caught up with all the news.

We called it a day and were back to the camper by 6:30 for dinner and some reading and TV watching, especially our favorite show, NCIS.

Wednesday10/30:  Outer Banks, North Carolina

Judy and I are really enjoying the warmer mid 70's weather today.   We know it will end soon.  The beach at the campground is gorgeous.  The nice thing about the beaches at the Outer Banks is that so much of it protected by the National Park System.  There is something about the ocean that draws you to it.  Maybe it's because 75% of the earth is covered by it.

We went to the condo to meet the gang about noon.  The girls went shopping around 2:00, while the guys had a slow and relaxing day of reading.  Al and Chuck grilled shrimp and scallops for dinner.

It was a very foggy drive back to the camper, where we ended the night with some reading and TV watching.

Thursday 10/31:  Outer Banks, North Carolina

We had light showers on and off all day.  After dog walking on the campground beach, we stopped over to condo about 3:00.  It was very warm, with temps in the high 70's.  Judy cooked her Instant Pot rib recipe at the condo, and it was a huge hit.

Friday 11/1:  Outer Banks, North Carolina

It was terribly windy during Thursday night and this morning, to the point that the camper was rocking on the jacks.  The dogs were petrified!!  However, I slept through most of it.  :-)  Judy, however, didn't get a good nights sleep.  By morning the weather front had passed, and the winds had died down.  We took the dogs to the beach for a beautiful morning walk.  While this KOA is one of the most expensive campgrounds we have stayed at, the beach is worth it.

After lunch, Judy and I went to see the Cape Hatteras lighthouse.  I couldn't climb the stairs because it was off season, and it was closed.  Beautiful structure.  It actually has been move about over half a mile inland back in 1999 because of beach erosion at its original location.  Here is a really interesting article from the National Park Service.

Here you can still see the path that was created to move the structure.

That evening, we met up with the gang for dinner at the Ketch 55 in Avon.

So, here is a Cape Hatteras KOA summary.  We really enjoyed the stay here.  The beach was awesome!!  The campground was nearly empty when we were there.  Interesting note.  As of November 1st, the off season rates go into effect.  So our last night only cost $70, instead of the $100 per night for the first 3 nights.  I image it is crowded here during the summer season.

Tomorrow, we move on toward home.

Saturday 11/2:  306 miles, Waynesboro North 340 RV Park, Waynesboro, VA

Site 17

After an early morning walk on the beach at Hatteras, we were on the road for the final leg home.

It was a decent drive, although busy through the Virginia Beach area.  We arrived at Waynesboro to a much cooler day in the mid 50's.  So much for the warm Outer Banks weather.

Waynesboro 340 North is a very wooded campground, and we had a pull thru, site 17.   It was perfect for a overnight stop.  It appears that about 75% of the campers here are long tern residents, who had back ins.  It looks like the the pull thru sites are saved for travelers passing through, like us.  It was a quiet and pleasant campground.  We would stay here again.

Sunday 11/3:  306 miles and camped at Jonestown KOA, Jonestown, PA

Site 5: long pull thru with patio.

We've stayed here many times.  It is very convenient to I-81, and is open year round.  The weather was pleasant, but cooler. We arrived about 2:30 and chose a long pull thru site, #5 with a patio to celebrate our last night on the road.  However, it was too cold and windy to use patio.  :-((  We cooked up some homemade soup for dinner in the camper.

Monday 11/4:  332 miles, and HOME!!  8,548 miles for the entire trip.

We had a pleasant drive on I-81, and arrived home about 3:30.  It was in the mid 40's, and very chilly.  We aren't used to this.  The dogs went crazy with the smells and sights of home.     We unpacked enough to get through the night in house and will finish the rest over few couple days.  As always, it's fun to travel, but "there's no place like home."

Stay tuned for our next adventure.