Vacation off to a bumpy start heading to OBX

[woodsprite]

Got off later than expected today. I’m a bit worried because I cut my foot - minor, but I’m diabetic, so have to keep an eye on it. Washed it off with saline solution, dried it well, and put neosporin and a bandaid on it. I have a current tetanus shot so that’s good.

To top it off, we pulled into camp tonight and OMG!!!! we are surrounded by campers flying Trump 2020 flags. It’s like we’re in the middle of a freakin convention.

We’re here a week and this campground is packed to the gills. Hoping some leave on Sunday. We’re in the minority wearing masks.

Wish us luck!

[soothsayer]

1. Good luck!

[Skittles]

2. may I ask

what is the appeal of being somewhere that is "packed to the gills"

I'm sure you know to change that bandaid daily

[2naSalit]

3. Where is OBX?

[denbot]

4. Outter Banks, N.C.?

I’ve surfed “Surf City, NC” almost ten years ago. It seemed to be a pretty cool little town.

[2naSalit]

14. Thanks.

Not all that familiar with that area, never heard that reference.

[unc70]

15. Surf City is a NC town on Topsail Island

It is on the south coast of NC a bit north of Wilmington.

[2naSalit]

17. Thanks!

I'm kind of a geography nerd and map enthusiast so I like to know where places are, this description makes that much easier to imagine before I break out a map.

[Fla Dem]

5. Had to google OBX. Outer Banks NC.

Guess I’m not surprised you’re surrounded by Trumpinistas. But a little surprised the campground allows political paraphernalia to be displayed.

[fleur-de-lisa]

6. I'm jealous.

I used to go to Ocracoke quite often when I lived in Virginia. I miss it.

[PJMcK]

10. My wife is a huge fan of Ocracoke

She built a 2-bedroom beach box there and we've visited many times. The rest of the time, she rents it to visitors. Amazingly, she has bookings every week from now through September! In spite of the virus and provided they don't get hit with another hurricane, it'll be her best business season ever.

The island has great people and lots of space for privacy and solitude. Great seafood, obviously. It has a fantastic history and was the secret base for Blackbeard the pirate.

[fleur-de-lisa]

11. Her little house sounds lovely.

[badhair77]

7. Our neighbor usually camps with her brother at Raystown Lake, PA.

Not this year. He’s a trumper and they cannot find common ground. Another sister visited him there and reported his neighboring camp sites were filled with trumpers, signs, flags. I’m curious if other campgrounds are being taken over.

Good luck, woodsprite. Hope you can find some peace and joy in your vacation.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. My grandmother retired to Black Mountain, NC and her friends who I met were progressives

Many were transplants, like her, but not all - and it was a lovely town with a lot of artists and musicians. Of course, it's also at the completely other side of the state. Stay safe and remember to breathe!

[mnhtnbb]

13. Black Mountain is only 15 miles from Asheville

which is one of the most progressive areas of NC.

The beaches do tend to have year round residents on the red side. And, of course, many of those beach houses are empty from October to May and it takes a bit of $$ to be able to hold an empty property for that many months of the year.

[Rhiannon12866]

16. I've been to Asheville just a few times and that was my impression

We had lunch at a great vegetarian restaurant there and visited the venerable Grove Park Inn when a friend of my grandmother's was staying there. Someone here told me that this is a conservative area, but I never got that impression, despite the location near to to Montreat which my grandmother said had belonged to Billy Graham's family. It's a beautiful area with lots to do, we loved visiting the nearby Folk Arts Center and the Western North Carolina Nature Center.

[unc70]

9. Curious what the car tags reveal

I suspect most of your fellow campers are from north of NC. While those of us in the state occasionally go to the northern banks, we mostly go to the south coast.

Be interesting what state vehicle tags you see.

[Delarage]

12. I stick to our Delaware beaches

But on my drive down, I am confronted with several large "Trump/Pence 2020" signs painted on barns. Those folks are rare, but loud