#11- Wil-ming-ton!

4-pack posse reunited!

Making our way to the east coast town of Wilmington, North Carolina, to what would mark the official spot where we had now traveled from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean on our journey, was a pretty exciting day. Not just because we would now have covered opposite ends of the US ocean spectrum on our trip, but also because it would begin an exploration of the east coast, while at the same time reuniting the 4-pack posse (a term of endearment coined in reference to Amanda, Chris, Bree & I back in the days of neighborliness).

Team Banana!

Arriving at their lovely abode on Wolcott Ave., we didn’t have much of a plan for the next few weeks (other than the upcoming epic hike on the Appalachian).  Pretty much spend some time, have some laughs, eat some yummy food, spend more time, laugh some more, repeat –while also playing it by ear what other places we would break away some days to check out. It was a lovely live in the moment kind of plan. Only those moments turned to days, then weeks, and eventually close to a month of time we spent being pseudo-roommates with Amanda & Chris and exploring the southeastern coast area. It was awesome.

Sunset on the riverwalk

One of the most memorable excursions we did in this time frame was taking a girls road trip to Charleston for a night. It’s about 3 hours south from Wilmington in South Carolina- and one of the most historic, fun places we’ve explored. The city itself was captured in the Civil War, so many of the buildings are hundreds of years old. Walking around, you get a real sense of that history, with lots of statues & plaques commemorating its past. Unfortunately, due to the insanely hot, humid weather, our walking around was limited to a nighttime affair. So that evening while cruising the streets, we were led by the sound of gypsy-style jazz coming down a stairway. Naturally we decided to investigate. Arriving at the top of the steps, it felt a bit eerie and off-putting, with men looking strangely at us- but then we were led to a doorway that opened to this low-lit, secret room- a speakeasy! Full of candlelight, warm-dark wood, and bottles of homemade bitters lining the bar- we truly felt as though we had traveled back in time. The bartender was a true professional, who made all of us super suave concoctions. I had a mixed cocktail that was lavender/rosemary infused vodka, with mint, champagne, blackberries, lime, and a bit of pepper speckled on top. Yum. Sounds crazy, but it was the best cocktail I’ve ever had. After enjoying our adult beverages, we made our way back onto the street and headed to dinner. Mmm, dinner. The place where we went, Amen Street, ended up being one of, if not the, best dinners we’ve had on this trip. Everything was amazing. Literally the best filet mignon & oysters Bree or I has ever had (we decided to splurge), and this creamed corn dish that was perfectly cheesy, buttery and warm. At this point, we were loving Charleston! 

Dance-A-Thon!

But this wasn’t even the end. Looking up, we saw what looked like could be a fun rooftop bar, with white lights hanging and the weather perfectly balmy at this point. So up we went. And we didn’t come down until closing. Lets just say what was going to be 5 minutes of dancing, ended up being a complete dance-a-thon. Good stuff. Another place we hope to come back to one day. Preferably in the spring.

Don't be coy Roxy!

In addition to our getaway to Charleston, our time in Wilmington (and surrounding areas) was also spent kayaking in swamps and waterways (no sightings of alligators), hiking/camping in the rain, drinking beer and partaking in the “bicycle rodeo” at Tour de Fat (New Belgium Brewery’s traveling fun-fest), a number of chill nights at “home” (aka: Amanda & Chris’s house), going out in downtown Wilmington for comedy or Beatles cover bands, steamed oyster parties, playing with Roxy (their playful, easy to love dog), beach days, riding bikes all over, staring in awe at men’s muscles on the big screen, etc. etc. A lot of fun activities packed into the time we had in this section of the country. It’s amazing how quickly a month can go by. On a final note- I will say that having people you love, that you can spend huge chunks of time with, with such similar activity interests- but that happen to live on the opposite side of the country, is horseshit. Just sayin’. Love you guys, thanks for letting us move in for a bit. J

Bicycle Rodeo!

Lightlash, Garbage & TBD! (trail names)