Day #295 - Belhaven, NC
May 22nd, 2009We left Oriental this morning at 7:00. Today we cruised up the Neuse River, Goose Creek, Pamlico River and Pungo River to Dowry Creek.
The waters have finally calmed down and it was a great crossing. It is sunny and 80 degrees and crab pots are everywhere. There was very little boat traffic today and it all made for a pleasant five hour cruise.
The ICW is very narrow in spots
and wide in others.
and again in places the trees come right down to the water’s edge.
Shrimp and crab boats are still busy in this area.
Headquarters is in front of us as we travel today, but they are headed for a different marina. They are celebrating today as day #365 onboard since they left Holland, Michigan. Salvage Crew is behind us, but back with us for today’s crossing. We will be at Dowry Creek Marina in Belhaven tonight.
After docking we arranged for the courtesy car and drove into town. The marina is quite remote so car is the only way to get anywhere. We went to the historical museum.
What makes Belhaven Museum remarkable is that it holds the collections of Mrs. Eva Blount Way, a seriously eccentric woman who simply couldn’t throw anything away. She began her collection with four buttons that her mother-in-law gave her as a wedding gift in the 1877.
Some of the odd exhibits included:
- Prenatal babies in jars (given to Mrs. Way by the town doctor)
- Large, pickled tumors retrieved from the local hospital
- A one-eyed fetal pig, a two-headed kitten, a harelipped dog, and mummified squirrels
- Several snakes killed by Mrs. Way; one stuffed, swallowing a wooden egg, another made into a necktie
- 30,000 buttons (collected by Mrs. Way)
- Flea dressed as a bride and a groom (may be viewed with a magnifying glass)
The cell reception is really poor in this remote town so Patti’s tried to make a call.
There was also a map made entirely of her buttons.
We even ran into Deb in town while Bob was having his captain’s siesta.
The marina is owned and operated by a woman from Ann Arbor who came here 10 years ago. It is a nice, clean, if remote, marina. They have a pool, club house and a bottle tree.
I must say that is the first I have ever seen of those. It even has lights at night. You gotta love small town America.
