38th day - March 20, 2022

If I ever made it back to Manteo Station - I would stay here again in an instant. This little motel just has charm. Even though you don't get breakfast, there is a big coffee machine in the lobby where you can brew your own coffee. They also have ice water with lemon. And the staff is really warm and friendly. I say goodbye to Brandon and leave at 9:30.

After a few minutes, I come across a supermarket and stop. I still need drinks and some snacks. And I think, before I run out of beer, I'll get a few more. At the checkout, everything is rung up except for the beer. I can't buy alcohol before 10:00 am. It makes me laugh. I explain to the cashier that it wouldn't be a problem for me at home. I can get alcohol there as early as 6:00 am. She smiles and says it's not a problem for her either. She's from Seattle. And in Washington, you can also buy alcohol in the morning. Just not in North Carolina. So no beer for me.

I drive to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and take a round on a gravel track. But it's not really uplifting. There's no sign of alligators. I don't even know where they would be lying around. Black bears, which are supposedly often seen here in the summer, are apparently still hibernating. There are none of them either. Only water turtles sometimes sit on the logs in the water and disappear as soon as you stop. I manage to catch two of them on my phone. Probably a dozen dive down before that. This piece of untouched nature is impressive, but without animals, it's not exactly what I imagined.

Now I'm driving across North Carolina again towards the coast. Once again, the traffic is heavy, the sun is shining the whole time, and the landscape is very European, except for the initial swampy areas. Only the relatively high temperatures indicate the subtropics that prevail here.

On the way, I stop at an Arby's and order a Reuben. My favorite sandwich here in the USA. It's piled high with corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese, and Thousand Island dressing. And all of that between two slices of rye toast. In my opinion, it should conquer Germany. But I've never seen it here. I save it and plan to eat it at the coast.

The coast is only half an hour away and the offshore island of Emerald Isle gets its name from the emerald green sea that the Atlantic represents here. The beaches are huge and sparsely populated. The season hasn't started yet here either. Only a few daring souls venture into the water at temperatures of about 20 degrees. Most people are lying on the beach enjoying the spring sun.

I check into my hotel, which is expensive but very centrally located. Right on the Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier, a historic wooden structure that extends several hundred meters into the sea and provides numerous anglers the opportunity to indulge in their hobby. At the end of the pier is a platform where I enjoy the sun for 2 hours and admire the miles of beaches on either side. The coast is built up with small houses and not huge apartment blocks, which gives this place its charm.

In the evening, I go to the bar on the pier and have breaded flounder with coleslaw. Grouper, as it's called in American, is a relatively inexpensive dish. Strangely, my beer is served with an orange slice. But it still tastes good. It's very convenient not having to drive and being able to be in my room in 5 minutes on foot. You can't hear any street noise here. What a beautiful and wonderfully located place.