Day 37 - March 19, 2022

Some idiot set the stupid alarm on the radio alarm clock in my room for 5:00 am. Anyway, this thing wakes me up at this time. Annoyed, I unplug it and go back to sleep. Then I wake up again at 8:00 am. That's a pretty record. There's no breakfast here, and I don't feel like having breakfast, so despite waking up late, I'm ready to travel at 9:30 am. I booked my next destination last night, it's in Manteo, a small island about 300 km from here in North Carolina. Among the many expensive options, it was not cheap, but highly rated. It must be said that the prices here on the East Coast are significantly higher than on my first road trip towards Texas. But that only applies to accommodations. Gasoline is two dollars cheaper. Per gallon.

After returning on Route 695, I take Route 13 south again. Like yesterday, the traffic is moderate and I drive comfortably in bright sunshine and pleasant warm temperatures. The landscape is flat, with some trees and fields, just like yesterday. Occasionally, there are signs indicating tornado evacuation routes. Virginia seems to be visited by them often. But not today.

After about 90 minutes, I reach the toll booth of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. I pay $14 and now one of the most spectacular sections I have ever driven begins. The bridge is 37 km long, 37 km. Unbelievable. You drive on this colossus of concrete and steel at a maximum speed of 55 and a minimum of 45 miles/h. The eye is always focused on the other bridge for oncoming traffic. This is how you become aware of how you drive over the water. The journey is interrupted by two tunnels that pass under the water's surface, allowing ships to pass through the bay. If you don't constantly think during this trip that humanity can create something like this, something is wrong with you.

The journey takes more than half an hour and I'm totally stunned in the end. The traffic around Norfolk and Virginia Beach is now significantly increasing and it takes a while to continue on a smaller road towards the settlement. These metropolitan areas are really not for me. But sometimes you have to go through them.

I leave Route 13 and end up on Route 168, which runs further east. For lunch, I have chosen the Frog Island seafood restaurant. Since the weather is great and I don't want to sit inside and the outside seats are pretty lousy, I have my food packed. A shrimp sandwich and 12 Chesapeake oysters. With these delicacies, I drive a few more miles to a picnic area and sit outside at a nicer table. I save the sandwich for tonight, and the oysters are among the best I have ever eaten. Only in Ireland can I remember even better ones. And for $14, they are also a bargain.

After half an hour, I continue my journey towards the Outer Banks of North Carolina, to which Manteo belongs. You can reach these narrow islands via bridges, and I first visit Duck, a tiny town with a boardwalk where you can stroll past numerous shops by the sea. However, almost all beaches here are private.

That's why I continue to Kitty Hawk, the place where the Wright brothers made their first flight famous. You can also visit a museum here. But I am more attracted to the public beach and it is really impressive. Very wide, almost empty, and with a magnificent sandy beach.

It gets even better at Jennette's Pier, a few kilometers further. It is over 300 m long and from there you have a fantastic view of the mile-long beaches of North Carolina. I never realized that this state is blessed with them. I actually find this area more beautiful than many beaches on the Pacific.

And this statement surprises Brandon, who welcomes me to my accommodation. He says you almost always hear the opposite. I then tell him that I also found the Atlantic coast in Spain more beautiful than the Mediterranean coast. Not as crowded, rougher, and more original. The Island Motel is a true gem and worth every penny. The rooms are not that big, but who needs that anyway, and they are lovingly furnished. And it's incredibly clean. Despite the tiled floor, you can't find the smallest speck of dirt. And the fastest internet so far. I upload my pictures here in record time. This would also be a place to stay longer.