Today we were going to see the Atlantic Ocean. We had been landlocked since the first couple weeks of the tour and today that was going to change. I hadn't been to the Atlantic Ocean for a full year. So I was excited when we left. It was slightly past 9 when we left the KOA. I had taken a shower, and update on that, the showers were very nice, the weird thing about them was that the shower nozzle didn't come out of the wall, it came out from the ceiling. It was very difficult to rinse out shampoo and conditioner without getting it in your eyes. We had to drive a few hours, until we got to Wilmington and the drive was nothing we hadn't seen before. When we arrived we went to a Walmart straight away to get duct tape and phone stands.
We had to vamp up the RV since a few things were breaking. We used the duct tape to keep a side panel on the dine-et couch from completely falling off. Our cashier in the Walmart had told us that she liked the Wrightsville Beach, so that's where we went. The Wrightville beach had lots of residential area's right on the shore, so most of parking lots were private. And the ones that weren't were completely full. We drove down side streets, up and down bigger streets, scouted out lots. Everything was full. We decided it was probably worth it to just drive out a little ways and then walk back. There was a park about a mile away from the beach, we drove in and once again, completely full. We were on edge of giving up. Ben told us that he thought a lot of these businesses would allow us to park there if we gave them a few bucks. I was doubtful, but it was worth a shot. We asked a fire department right by the park. They were closed but people were still around. I watched as Ben talked to the worker. I couldn't read lips, but the situation seamed positive. I knew for sure when Ben came running back to the Rv with two thumbs up.
Thank you Wilmington Fire Agency for letting us park! We all began our walk down to the beach, it was about a 20 minute walk and thankfully there was a little ocean breeze. The beach was packed, utterly packed. We found a little place to set down our towels and shoes, then we grabbed the boogie board we had bought at Walmart and headed to the water. It was high tide so the waves were very large. They were breaking in close and they were powerful. The first time I rode the board it took a nose dive and toppled me into the sand. I tried again and this time a rode in the wave a little ways. My eyes were already stinging but it was incredibly fun so it was worth it. We played out in the water for an hour. We rode waves, got hit by waves, body surfed in waves. We got salt in our hair, but it was all worth it. It was one of the best boogie boarding experiences any of us had had in the Atlantic Ocean.
The walk back was less fun, the salt was making my thighs chafe and my skin was stinging from the water. When we got back to the Rv I immediately took a shower. The first shower anybody had taken on the Rv. After my hair was brushed and my skin was washed I felt a lot better. I hoped we could go back to the ocean again while we were by the Atlantic. Maybe next time we could even rent out a surf board and catch some waves. Next up on the Phoenix, Oregon Movie Tour is the Chelsea Theater in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, playing at 7pm. See you there!