The Beginning
And so, it begins. Another attempt to cross the nation using the Trans-America Trail. Our beginning was to be the first few days of June. But a few complications, not the least of which were four, yes four, kidney stones lodged in my gut(that’d be Ron) would not allow us to leave on our prescribed schedule.
After a few weeks of doctors’ visits, we set our clocks for leaving on the morning of June 14, 2007. At 3 A.M. on June 14, I awoke to a sharp pain in the area of my kidneys and knew I was in trouble. Like a fool, I decided I wouldn’t take the pain medicine given by the doctor. Stupidly I thought the pain medicine would render me unconscious and not allow us to leave. Of course, you’re saying, “but the pain from the stone wouldn’t allow you to leave either, dummy!” I agree.
So, after 3 hours of staggering around, partly doubled over, partly kneeling, in so much pain that, if I’d had a gun, I would have gladly chosen death over the torture, I decided a drug induced stupor was better than what I was going through.
Surprisingly, the pain medication didn’t make me drowsy much at all, and killed most of the pain, enough to leave anyway. I was so grateful.
We pulled away from the homestead at 8:30 A.M. on June 14, 2007. It was a relatively late start, but not enough to be debilitating.
Our launching point was to be Avon, North Carolina. Of course we had several sights to see before we arrived on the Outer Banks.
We headed east on Interstate 20 bound for our first destination of Vicksburg, 
Mississippi. I had never visited the famous Civil War site where, on July 4, 1863, the city of Vicksburg, after being under siege from the Union, finally surrendered. The city sits high on a bluff above the Mississippi river, and the National Historic Site offers a 16 mile driving loop, highlighting certain events of the 40-day siege. Along the route, many states have erected monuments to their soldiers who fought and died. The most interesting of these was from Illinois. It resembles the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. I was impressed.
The most impressive sight at Vicksburg is the gunboat Cairo. The Cairo was torpedoed (the Civil War term for hitting a mine) toward the beginning of the siege. In the early 1960’s, the Cairo was brought to the surface. 
Tons of artifacts were found sealed in protective layer of silt. A museum shows these artifacts, most surprisingly well preserved, along with telling the story of the boat.
By the end of the day, we were very tired and moved on down Interstate 20.
The next morning we awoke to gray skies,drizzle and the fear of a very rainy day to dampen our travels. Luckily the clouds parted quickly.
We left interstate 20 after entering Alabama at the town of Eutaw. We moved east towards the town of Moundville. In Moundville there are, you guessed it, mounds of dirt.
A thousand years ago virtually the entire Southeast was populated by the Mississippian Culture. In many places these people gathered into “cities,” and, possibly for religious reasons, built large mounds from dirt. The park at Moundville protects one of the largest and most important of these “cities.”
The University of Alabama administers the area and shows many of the artifact
s found at the site.
We were allowed to walk to the top of the largest mound. It was easy to see how the person living at the top was the “big dog” of the society.
In the picture to the left, Meredith’s dad is at the base of the mound, to the right.
It’s hard to imagine moving every bit of dirt with nothing more than a shell scoop and a twig basket. It left an impression on us. We moved on east, heading toward Horseshoe Bend.
The Battle of Horseshoe Bend was fought in 1814 at a curve in the Talapoosa River. The Creek Indians had been at war with the United States for several years. The Creek knew their time was either up, or they would defeat the Tennessee Militia, led by General Andrew Jackson, at the Horseshoe Bend. We visited this site next.
With their backs to the river, the Creeks were defeated, launching Jackson on his path to the White House.
We spent the night in Augusta, Georgia at a motel called “The West Bank”. Luckily we didn’t have rocket fire.
The next day was a day of putting down some miles, but we still saw many neat sights.
We approached the outer banks of North Carolina from the south. Therefore, we would have to ride two ferries to get to Avon. Luckily, I remembered the website for the ferry said that reservations were a must. When I phoned, the lady said that the ferry was booked until 8:30 P.M.--and keep in mind that the ferry ride was 2 hours and 15 minutes. Then there would be another ferry ride of 45 minutes after that. The night was shaping up to be a very long one.
A ferry was to depart at 6:00 P.M. We felt we might as well show up then to s
ee if we could slip on it. As luck would have it, we did just that. At 6:02 the ferry pulled away from the dock. The ride was an enjoyable one.
We arrived on Ocracoke Island and drove the length of the island to the next ferry.
We boarded that ferry and arrived on Hatteras Island at 9:15.
Oddly enough, all restaurants on the Outer Banks seem to close at 9 P.M. So, we were relegated to a convenience store supper. My microwave hamburger was delicious!
We decided to spend a day in Avon before leaving in order to catch our breaths. I’m glad we did. The area is charming and worth the extra time spent. The beach is unlike any I have ever seen. It slopes steeply to the water, forcing the water to break suddenly and violently. When you are in the surf, and a wave breaks, it’s akin to being in a washing machine filled with very course sand. After a swim, there was sand in places I didn’t know I had!
Later on, after de-sanding, we visited the historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, built in the 1870’s and the tallest in the nation. We climbed to the top and admired the view. 
Originally, the lighthouse was a good distance from the beach, but over time, erosion pushed the beach back to the point where water was nipping at the lighthouse’s toes. A few years ago, it was decided that it would have to be moved. Now, at more than 1,600 feet from the surf, it’s safe for another hundred years.
For the rest of the day we made our preparations for the next day on the motorcycles.
By day’s end we were prepared.
Our departure time was set for 7 A.M.
