Day 1 Monday June 23, 2025
It was time to get away from yard work, etc for a few days and test all systems in the motorhome before our long trip in August.
We hooked up the Jeep to the motorhome with our bicycles on the bike rack on the rear of the Jeep. Not sure if we will ride them much since the temperature is predicted to be HOT. Our destination was only 1.5 hours away at Cedar Point Campground a few miles from Swansboro NC. We have stayed here several times but have not stayed here since we quit participating in the Seafood Festival Craft Show a few years ago.
It was a nice easy drive arriving just before noon, which is an hour before the actual checkin time. As we were finishing up unhooking the Jeep from the motorhome the Campground Host came over to introduce himself. He was mowing the grass around our site 32 when we arrived. He has been traveling the country for 16 years in a RV working as a Campground Host in different areas most of the time.
We setup in site 32 and turned all three air conditioners on. Actually we had been running two part of the way here via our generator. Did I mention it is HOT. We wanted to come several days ago but it was raining every day and I wasn’t able to find a site that was open for 4 consecutive nights until this week.
It appears we have issues with our front air conditioner. It is not cooling and after watching the power monitor the amperage is fluctuating which is not normal.
After the sun went behind the trees late in the day we walked around the campground and then set outside until almost nighttime.
Day 2 Tuesday June 24, 2025
We decided to check out the Lattes at Sweeter Things Bakery and Cafe in Swansboro. It is amazing how much Swansboro and Cedar Point has grown in the past 15-20 years. When we retired in 2002 and started revisiting this area again both towns were just small sleepy towns but now they are both bustling towns, lots of new businesses, housing areas and lots more traffic.
We got Lattes and Cinnamon buns and made the mistake of setting at a table next to two ladies that talked without taking a breath for the whole time we were there. And one of them was using her “outside” voice.
Then we checked out Hammocks Beach State Park. Wow, has it ever changed since we visited it many years ago. There is a large Visitors Center with nice displays of the area, nice covered porch with chairs overlooking the water and a kayak launch and dock for the Hammock Beach Island Ferry boat that will take you over to one of the islands.
There is also a nice new State Park Campground with full hookup RV sites, tent sites, 4 cabins and bathhouses plus a group camping area.
On the way back to the campground we stoped at a fruit and vegetable stand in Cedar Point to get a few things. We know the owner’s brother and was surprised that he was there helping her out. It is a really busy place.
Lena purchased a seedless Bogue Island watermelon and it cost $10. Wow, I sure hope it is good. I remember when my father grew watermelons on our farm. He would sell some to bring in some cash before the Fall crops were sold. I remember going with him to the Maple Hill community with the body of his pickup full of watermelons and he sold them for 75 cents each and they were more than twice the size of the one we got today. Times have changed.
The temperature cooled off enough we set outside about 7:30 until about nighttime. Just can’t handle the heat like we did when we were teenagers working in a tobacco field all Summer.
Day 3 Wednesday June 25, 2025
We slept a little later than usual which was nice. We prepared a good breakfast and decided to ride over the bridge to Emerald Isle since we hadn’t rode through that area in years. We camped near the beach in Emerald Isle in a tent when our son was a small baby in diapers. That was a long time ago and nothing looked like it did back then. Businesses and beach houses are everywhere you look.
We drove on down highway 58, through Indian Beach, Pine Knoll Shores, Salter Path, Atlantic Beach and onto Fort Macon State Park. We have visited the fort at Fort Macon many times. It is an interesting place but it was way too hot today to visit it.
We pulled into the parking lot at the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and as expected the parking lot was jammed packed and we saw 4 buses that probably transported lots of kids. Nope not going to fight for viewing space in the Aquarium with 200 or so excited kids and accompanying adults. We took our grandkids here in 2014 and they really enjoyed it.
We turned around at Fort Macon State Park and backtracked. It was time for lunch so we went to Bogue House Seafood Restaurant in Cedar Point. We ate here the first Sunday in June and really enjoyed it. Not a fancy place but good seafood.
They provided some “butter” for the hushpuppies but it was actually Buttery Margarine. This stuff is not good for you. Read the ingredients. I read a story about the origins of margarine a few years ago. It was developed for cow feed but the cows would not eat it. So the developers added a butter color to it and sold it as human food. The story said it is one molecule away from being plastic.
Next a stop at Lowe’s hardware for a few items and then a stop at the Lowe’s grocery store next door for some apples and ice cream before returning to the campground.
We had a good rain for about an hour around 6:30 that cooled the temperature down about 15 degrees. Finally the air conditioners got a break and were able to turn off.
Day 4 Thursday June 26, 2026
After a good breakfast we drove to Maysville about 19 miles away to checkout The Lakes RV & Cabin Resort. This is a fairly new facility and since we were close it was a good time to check it out.
They have two large private lakes on the property and access to another lake that is feed by the White Oak River. No boats with motors are allowed in the lakes, only kayaks, canoes and paddle boards. There are several RV sites established, several Tiny Homes (cabins) for rent and 10 tents sites. There is also a large section that is planned for future expansion. All streets are paved and some of the RV sites have concrete site pads. All RV sites are full hookups and have WIFI. But several of the pull through sites dipped down in the front enough that a large motorhome might have trouble getting level. They have a LP fill up station and two EV charging stations.
I doubt we would ever come here to camp. There is not much to do in the area and we don’t have kayaks, etc. to use in the lakes but it is a nice facility and someone has put a lot of money into developing the property.
We stopped in Swansboro on the way back and walked around in the old section of town on the waterfront. The oldest building we saw was circa 1839. Many were circa 1915 or thereabouts. Many years ago when I worked at Camp LeJeune Marine Corps Base I had a Supervisor that owned a small business in one of these buildings.
This is the coolest day we have had this week. Still hot but not as hot as it has been. Sure seems good to not feel like you are stepping into an oven when you walk outside. We were actually able to set outside the motorhome about 6:30 without wilting. I did a short bicycle ride around part of the campground and then we did a walk around the campground until the mosquitoes decided it was supper time.
Day 5 Friday June 27, 2025
It is time to end this short excursion and head home. We had breakfast, put away all our stuff, dumped our tanks at the dump station, hooked up the Jeep to the motorhome and headed home, arriving about 12:00PM.
We had a good time but would have been nice to have cooler weather but it is Summertime. Now it is time to prepare for our next adventure starting in August.
