Moseying On Down The Road – Visiting Moratoc Park in Williamston NC

I left The Outer Banks after my chiro appointment Monday morning (November 16).

My time in the Outer Banks was interesting with a mix of storms, after effects of a hurricane, power outages, back problems and talking with new neighbor’s as they rolled in and out of the campground.

I enjoy meeting new people at the campgrounds I stay at. There’s always a mix of those who want to keep to themselves, those who chit-chat in passing and those who stop in and ask me to join them at their campfire.

The thing about staying a while is… you get attached. Not only to the people (who come and go) but to the area.

There’s always a sense of sadness as I head down the road – briefly glancing in the rear-view mirror.

But, then, I turn my focus to the view through the front windshield and wanderlust stirs up a healthy dose of excitement – snuffing out any remnants of sadness.

The “P” Word!

If you’ve followed my blog even a teeny bit you probably know I’m not one to make plans. Yikes… I said the “P” word!

Since my solar doesn’t allow me to be off-the-grid more than 1 or 2 days (unless I want no fridge, no CPAP, no electricity) I have to go to a campground to plug in and recharge my house battery more often.

Campgrounds have been pretty booked lately, especially on weekends. It could be because it’s that time of year, or I’m just in the wrong place at the right time or (I hear) it’s due to Covid and more people trying out camping or just camping more, in general.

It’s not like years gone by when I could pull into a campground almost any day of the week and get a site. And, when a site wasn’t available, I could simply go down the road and get one.

In today’s world, if I want to ensure I have a campsite I’m pretty much forced to make plans in the form of reservations at a campground.

I prefer to just wing it but, for now, I have to do what I have to do.

I’m only planning a couple weeks out. Making plans is scary business for a person who’s not keen on planning. So, I’m taking baby steps again.

As of today, I’ve made plans through the end of November.

Spending Time In Williamston, North Carolina

Since I can go a day or two without plugging in I try to be off-the-grid for at least a day in between campground stays.

After leaving The Outer Banks I headed to Williamston NC. My destination was only 2 hours away so I took my time.

I had placed a grocery pickup order for Tuesday morning at the Williamston Walmart. This Walmart allows overnight parking which means I can spend the night, wake up, drive down to the pick up area, get my groceries and head on down the road.

Arriving In Williamston NC With Time To Spare

Even though I took my time getting there I rolled in to Williamston in the early afternoon. This was to early to head to Walmart for the night.

I had time to spare so I asked Google to find “city parks near me” and one of them caught my eye.

It was just a few minutes drive to Moratoc Park which sits along the Roanoke River.

There are some unique, old-time looking buildings at the park.

As I walked by one of the buildings I looked through the broken window.

Through the window I saw furniture and other household items strewn about. It looked as though someone had lived there and left all their stuff behind and someone else went in and rummaged through it.

The Moratoc Park website says they’ve renovated the buildings but they must still be working on them as I heard a bunch of hammering going on inside one of the buildings.

Moratoc Park Is Huge

The park is 18 acres but I only visited a tiny portion of it. There are flood warnings for the rivers in this area and part of the park was already under water.

I walked over to the fishing docks to check out the raging Roanoke river.

The swiftly running waters of the Roanoke river were almost touching the underside of the dock I was walking on.

I could feel the current beneath me as it rushed by just inches below my feet.

As I stood on the dock I noticed what looked like little whirlpools forming in the water.

These whirlpools came out of nowhere and, as they quickly floated past me, they continued to grow. I don’t know if or when they disappeared because they floated by too quickly to see where they went.

Feeling the dock sway ever so slightly beneath me was a bit unnerving so I didn’t stay on the dock long.

Spending The Night At Walmart

I rarely eat fast food (mostly due to food allergies) but I’m also not opposed to it and I didn’t feel like cooking. It just so happened that I knew there was a Pizza Hut down the road (not because I Google it or anything) so… I ordered a pizza and picked it up through their drive thru.

I’m not sure why but people always want to know what I get on my pizza. So here goes…

• No cheese (allergic)
• Extra sauce (to make up for no cheese)
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Green Peppers
• Roasted Tomatoes
• Green Olives (only on the rare occasion when I’m in the mood for it)

I order via the app (online) and have to specifically check the box to request no cheese. It’s highly unlikely that I could accidentally check the “no cheese” box, yet, they often call to verify that I really didn’t want cheese.

I don’t get pepperoni, beef, sausage or pineapple either (allergic to all). I’m also not fond of ham.

I’m sure many people would shake their heads at the type of pizza I eat but I’m telling ya… that pizza was good!!!

It Was A Nippy Night At Walmart With No Heat

The temps got into the low 40’s during the night and it was pretty nippy. It was also a bit damp which makes it all the worse.

Morning finally came and it was time to pick up my grocery order.

After picking up my order I went back to Moratoc Park to put my groceries away and make some breakfast before heading an hour south to New Bern NC.

I’ll be spending almost a week in New Bern before heading to my next destination.

November’s Plan

With each new place I stay at and every new road I travel I feel more and more like I’m coming back to life. Admittedly, I’ve had to force myself to get out and do things (like going to Moratoc Park).

After I leave New Bern, I’ll be taking several days to make my way to Kingsland, Georgia where I (should) end up just before Thanksgiving and staying through the end of November.

Why Kingsland GA? Because I’m familiar with it and, once in a while, I need to add something familiar into the mix.

From Kingsland… who knows… that’s too darned far ahead to plan!

Take care, y’all!