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in October we will have been married for 44 years and neither of us can remember ever taking a road trip that wasn't directly related to some specific objective .... we've talked it over and decided we want to take such a short road trip simply for the heck of it .... for us the logical direction to go is to the Caroling coast .... according we just booked a room to spend a couple of days at Carolina Beach, arriving on Sept 10th and leaving on the 12th .... after considerable looking we decided to go with a small motel the reminds me of the ones my family used back in the '50's, as opposed to one of the high rise franchise hotels .... with school back in session I was surprised at the number of motels/hotels throughout that area that are booked solid .... there are still many such motels down there, we chose to go with the Sea Witch Motel .... it is about a 130 miles down I-40 which should be cheap, fun drive in Maureen's Camaro .... now I have to get busy and find some good seafood restaurants ..

https://www.expedia.com/Wilmington-Hote ... ERSX.MIDSX

Enjoy your trip JEBar, this one is just for you and your babe...................

Do take a few pics, though

I most certainly hope to take a bunch of pictures .... who knows, I might even get up early enough to take some sunrise pictures like the ones I took a few years ago at Myrtle Beach

Enjoy. My parents just hit 67 yrs married on Sep 1st.

JEBar wrote:two words == ==> Hurricane Florence !!!

Be safe!

those two words are growing larger == ==> Hurricane Florence !!!

Tropical Storm Florence is reported to be intensifying over the Atlantic Ocean ..... it is increasingly likely to either landfall or strike a part of the U.S. East Coast as a formidably strong hurricane mid- to late next week.... the latest forecast calls for it to be still be well off shore when we are due to leave on Wednesday morning .... if conditions warrant, my wife's Camaro will most certainly head west on I-40 earlier than planned

believe it or not, we are going to pull out in a few minutes and head toward the coast .. .. over a month ago we decided to take a short trip to Carolina Beach (Wilmington) .... at that point there hadn't been a single hurricane type storm in the Atlantic this year .... we made reservations for Sept 10 - 12 to stay at a small old school, water front motel .... it is supposed to hit our coast on Thursday and move on inland .... the forecast from now through Wednesday is actually pretty good .... sure hope they are right .... we plan to be home around Noon on Wednesday and button things up .... we anticipate flooding in our area (not right were we live), trees down on power lines and roads .... the local weather guys say it could get pretty rough

JEBar wrote:believe it or not, we are going to pull out in a few minutes and head toward the coast .. .. over a month ago we decided to take a short trip to Carolina Beach (Wilmington) .... at that point there hadn't been a single hurricane type storm in the Atlantic this year .... we made reservations for Sept 10 - 12 to stay at a small old school, water front motel .... it is supposed to hit our coast on Thursday and move on inland .... the forecast from now through Wednesday is actually pretty good .... sure hope they are right .... we plan to be home around Noon on Wednesday and button things up .... we anticipate flooding in our area (not right were we live), trees down on power lines and roads .... the local weather guys say it could get pretty rough

Good luck, Jim. I know you will be careful. It is now a CAT 4 and growing stronger. It is expected to make landfall on Thursday just north of Wilmington and is currently 500 miles wide. There are indications that it will remain stationary there for a while before moving inland. Keep that Camaro fueled up!

JEBar wrote:believe it or not, we are going to pull out in a few minutes and head toward the coast ..

I don't think I would be doing that. Local authorities are requesting people start evacuating now. Could be a real traffic jam up mess getting out of there on Wednesday. Whatever you decide, stay safe.

right now it really beautiful and should be that way through tomorrow .... our current plan is to pack everything possible tomorrow night .... Wednesday morning we hope to get up and get on the road ASA.... at that time the eye should be way out at sea and not come even with Wilmington until sometime Thursday PM .... one concern for us is, hurricanes that hit Wilmington usually track up the Cape Fear River .... the last one that came ashore as a Cat 3 and did that knocked out the power at home for 4 hours short of 2 full weeks .... we anticipate considerable west bound traffic but unless someone makes a major ooooops, traffic should move along

its been a beautiful day in the neighborhood .... when we checked in at noon there was no indication that we couldn't spend two nights and head home on Wednesday .... the first picture shows metal plates bolted over the windows of the local McDonalds and structure board over the windows of the building next to our motel .... apparently something has changed because we have been informed that the local authorities have ordered beach front motels closed tomorrow ... therefore, we plan to get up in the morning, spend a while at the beach and then head home .... if Florence reaches Category 4 strength and hits where they say is most likely, there is going to be major damage .... catastrophic may well be understating it

JEBar wrote:its been a beautiful day in the neighborhood .... when we checked in at noon there was no indication that we couldn't spend two nights and head home on Wednesday .... apparently something has changed because we have been informed that the local authorities have ordered beach front motels closed tomorrow ...

I'm glad you're moving out, Jim. This is nothing to take lightly. Thanks for the "before" pictures. I'd like to see the "after" pictures when you return.

CT_Shooter wrote:I'm glad you're moving out, Jim. This is nothing to take lightly. Thanks for the "before" pictures. I'd like to see the "after" pictures when you return.

couldn't agree more about such storms being nothing to take likely .... the first one I remember dates back to 1954 .... I was only 8 when Hazel came ashore near Calabash, N.C. with 130-mph winds and an 18-foot storm surge.... it was widely reported that all traces of civilization on the immediate waterfront between the state line and Cape Fear were practically annihilated .... as to after pictures, I suspect that news coverage will have plenty of them

JEBar wrote:its been a beautiful day in the neighborhood ....

Beautiful sky pictures. You'd never know or think there was a hurricane on the way.

we are back home .... traffic in the westbound lanes on I-40 was fairly heavy but, for the most part, it moved along at something above interstate speeds (70+ mph) .... our time down there was short but we did have a good time .... not to mention having some good seafood .... just listened to the weather and they still don't have a good handle where the eye will come onshore .... we live 130+ miles from the coast and TV coverage has folks here in a tizzy .... no bottled water or bread on the shelves .... many gas stations are out .... its very hot and beastly humid so I won't get out to move the camper and get it ready to provide housing if the power goes out

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Glad you made it home safely! With a 500 mile wide storm, 130 miles inland does feel like a very safe distance to me from extreme high winds and lots of rain. Take care!

JEBar wrote: .... we live 130+ miles from the coast ...

much depends on the path it takes after it comes ashore .... several of the computer forecast are now calling for it to swing a bit further south on its inland trek .... if so, that could be a good thing for us .... right now they simply don't know

You all take good care, Jim. Lots of Forum Folk hopeful for your safety, as well as having very little to no property issues from Florence. We'll all be grateful when Florence fades away...….
PT7

Take care and best of luck riding it out.