Wilmington, NC

This weekend Josh had a four day so we headed off to Wilmington, a small beach town on the Atlantic.  We didn't have any solid plans but wanted to soak up the sun and see a few of the major sites.

Our first stop of the afternoon was the Battleship North Carolina.  The ship was used heavily during World War II and served as a protector for a few of the major aircraft carriers of the time.  The ship was supposed to be sold for scrap in the early 1960s but a few key people in Wilmington pushed for the ship to be returned home to its namesake and its been in the harbor ever since.

The Battleship North Carolina

I have never been on a battleship before and was in awe of the sheer size of it.  The outer deck alone seemed to be the length of a football field.  The original guns lined the deck and it was interesting trying to figure out how the sailors managed to fire these huge artillery.  Below the deck was a maze of floors and rooms.  We toured the kitchens and the engine rooms.  We also got to see the hospital, barber shop and officer quarters.  It seemed to go on and on!  Just when I thought it was over we realized that we hadn't even explored the upper decks.  There were two upper levels that you could tour that mainly housed the captain and any visiting admirals.

The outer deck

Overall it was a bit exhausting going up and down the narrow staircases but I loved the history of the vessel and trying to imagine spending the better part of a year aboard.

After touring the ship we headed over to a local brewery for lunch and then out to Carolina Beach, about a half an hour drive from the heart of Wilmington.  When we got to the town we went straight to the beach to dip our toes in the water.  The surf was a little choppy but we wanted to see what we could expect the next couple of days.  On the way back I managed to talk Josh into stopping for some ice cream at a local shop and from there we headed to a local state park to set up camp for the night.

Josh in front of the ocean

Now I knew going into it that camping while 8 months pregnant might be a bit of an experience but I was excited to break out our gear again.  Camping in the U.S. is quite a bit different than in Kenya.  I kind of felt claustrophobic with our site almost on top of the people next to us and hot showers, who has those?  Overall it could have been worse.  We've had worse!  But it was VERY humid and I pretty much got eaten alive despite putting on DEET (oh and somehow managing to get it in both of my eyes as well)

The next day we slept in and had a lazy morning around the camp.  From there we headed out to the beach stopping by the local farmer's market on the way.  The farmer's market was filled with yummy treats and fun crafts.  I only wish ours' here in Fayetteville was similar!

The beach didn't disappoint and we enjoyed just soaking up the sun.  The surf was calmer than the day before and made for a refreshing dip every half hour or so.  Josh tried some body surfing and I enjoyed some people watching.

The pier at Kure Beach

After a few hours we were sunned out and decided to check out the local aquarium.  It was a bit on the small side but still had a ton of exhibits.  There was a reptile area as well as an outdoor botanical garden.   Of course they had the typical underwater exhibits.  They even had small touching pools where you could handle some of the sea life.  I especially loved the turtles and jellyfish.

An Albino Alligator

At one of the touching pools

This tank had small reef sharks 

One of the jelly fish

That evening we headed back to the beach to do a little fishing on the pier.  Josh brought his pole and we got some bait shrimp.  He didn't get a lot of bites but it didn't seem like anyone else was either.  Just after I made him pose for a picture the line started to get some movement and sure enough he pulled in a small fish a few moments later.  A friendly pelican immediately slantered over looking for a free dinner.  He was a bit disappointed when Josh threw the fish back in.

Josh's catch of the evening

On Sunday we decided to spend the majority of the morning on the beach so after packing up camp and a quick stop to a local shop we headed down to the surf.  That morning we bought an umbrella and body board and I am so glad we did.  The umbrella provided much needed shade and Josh had a blast boogie boarding out in the waves.  That afternoon we tried to visit a few other museums on the island but were disappointed when they were closed.  Instead we walked around Fort Fischer, a local civil war site, and chatted with a family "fishing" for crabs with chicken thighs.

Soaking up the sun and rocking the baby bump

That afternoon we checked into our hotel and promptly fell asleep.  The sun and added activity just wiped us out.  We woke up around 8 and headed to a local Thai restaurant for dinner.  The food was amazing.  I felt a little bad not eating sea food but the food came highly recommended and it was totally worth it.  That night we headed to a local bar and grill to listen to a live band and relax a bit.  The bar was really fun with cornhole sets and a sand volleyball court.  I was feeling a bit sore but was glad that Josh was able to play a few rounds.

The next day we indulged in our air conditioned hotel room and slept in a bit.  We slowly made our way home via Wilmington and spent the rest of the day unpacking and cleaning everything out.

Overall it was a great vacation and I'm so happy that we were able to get out of town for a bit.  It was great to spend some quality time with Josh too before we are officially a family of three.  Despite a few bumps in the road (mainly the mosquitoes and heat) it was a great trip.  And I mean what would camping be if we didn't have some stories to tell afterwards!!