Kim and I arrived in Wanchese, NC on September 19 and took the next couple of days preparing the boat and outfitting it with supplies and equipment. The boat was in the working boat slip in Wanchese. We would go into the town of Manteo, which is the historic end of the island, and Nags Head to eat and see the sites.
Our maiden
voyage was a trip to Manteo Waterfront Marina, left of the gazebo according to the dock master, which was
to pump out our sewage! Everything came out just fine. It was a 1 hour round
trip adventure past some beautiful homes and condos.
First Test
Run:
Left
Wanchese, NC on the 22nd heading to Washington, NC for a weekend stay to see our
good friends, John and Cheri Vaughn. John is a retired North Carolina State
Bureau of Investigation agent that I met in 1994. About 3 hours into the 6.5 hour
trip, the generator stopped running and left me with no AC. Kim kept cool on
the fly bridge. A small adjustment to the generator that evening and it was
back in order.
Coming into
the city of Washington by way of the Pamlico River is just beautiful. The
quaint city sits right on the river with many restaurants and shops that
stretches down the river for about a half of a mile. John and the dock master
met us and assisted is in tying down to the dock. In the picture below, John is on the right.
In the slip
next to us, a man introduced himself as Johnny, the inventor of “Johnny Grip”.
He developed a mopping, cleaning solution for restaurant floors to make them a
non-slip surface. He has since turned the business over to his brother-in-law.
He was in a hurry and said he could not talk long because he was on his way to
church. He was dressed very nice and wished us a good day. About 15 minutes he
returned and admitted that he just remembered it was Saturday and not Sunday.
Johnny said that since he is retired, every day is a weekend and he can’t keep
up with the days. He was so nice that only after knowing him for 30 minutes, he
offered his car for us to use anytime we needed it.
During
dinner at the Bank Bistro, we decided to leave Ring of Fire in Washington due
to the upcoming hurricane Maria. This turned out to be a good decision since they
were evacuating some of the outer banks.
We plan to
get Ring of Fire back to Wanchese in a couple of weeks which will probably be
the first part of October.
Will
continue the adventure then.
EATERY REVIEWS:
Nags Head,
North Carolina:
Blue Moon
Beach Grill
We drove by the first night and I said, “NO”.
It was in a strip mall off of the main highway. Kim said it’s rated online as a
4.5. The next night we came back. On a Wednesday night it was about a 30 minute
wait. There was a couple playing a guitar and singing outside while we waited.
Once inside, I had the filet that came with mashed potatoes and fresh grilled
vegetables. Everything was fresh and delicious. The filet came with a brown
sauce that complimented the meat. While the steak was not as tender as some
filets' I have had, the taste was fantastic. Kim had the sauteed scallops and
sea weed salad. No grit whatsoever and very good. Wait staff excellent and the
owner, who is from Aiken, SC, came by and sincerely wanted to know if
everything was good.
Miller’s
Waterfront Restaurant
On the marsh
with a great sunset. Appetizer of crab dip with three cheeses and real, fresh
crab. Fried shrimp- excellent, beaded lightly with red mashed potatoes. The
mashed potatoes were some of the best I had, but I guess Castor Oil would taste
good with enough butter. Our waitress got a huge tip because of two of my
requirements: when I first order unsweetened tea with lemon and need another refill, she
brought it without asking and brought the tea with a lemon.
Nags Head
Pizza Company:
Don’t bother
going there if you were raised in the country. Too fancy of a pizza for me with
all kinds of oils and cheeses I don’t eat or have never heard of. You have to
order at the bar, go sit down and some unobscured waiter brings it to you and
you have to fend for yourself with refills and napkins. Great location though,
on the water.
Manteo, NC:
Lost Colony
Brewery and Café
I ordered
the “Dreaded, Shredded Something Similar to a Chicken Sandwich”. The topping of
cheese and bacon looked like the fake throw-up my friend in high school had.
Just keep walking by, don’t pay attention to the cute outdoor seating.
Washington,
NC:
The Bank
Bistro
Prime Rib
Night- Excellent! Very good crème Brule for desert. As we were about to leave,
the restaurant began playing a Johnny Cash song and I asked if they could play
“Ring of Fire” since that was our boat’s name. The manager then turned up the
volume for all to hear.
Racheal’s
Bakery
Cheese
Danish was very flaky and moist, not dry.
