11/8-11/11

After Virginia Beach, we drove down the coast to a random little town called New Bern, NC. We did not know when we chose this destination that the town of New Bern would be so interesting.

We arrived in the early evening and parked at a public boat launch and park. The boat trailer parking is usually just as long as an RV spot and because of the cold weather, the park was empty. We played frisbee with Jono, Maria, and their dog Lucy while we looked for something to do around the area.

It just so happened to be the first Friday of the month and the town was having their monthly Art Walk event. We walked around the historic downtown area, stopping into the galleries and talking to artists, musicians, and the locals. As a nice bonus, the galleries and shops were giving out free wine, cheese, snacks, and samples. We also learned that a local pharmacy was the birthplace of Pepsi Cola and is now a Pepsi Cola merchandise store, modeled to look like a classic soda fountain.

After the Art Walk ended, we returned to the bus and moved over to a local megachurch parking lot that was just down the street. The church would be closed on Saturday, so we knew that the chances of being asked to leave was low.

The next morning, Jono and Maria went on a hike while Jake and I went back to the historic downtown area to see it during the day. We parked near the Saturday Farmer’s Market and browsed the fresh produce, homemade products, baked goods, and jewelry. We purchased some interesting carved stone pendants.

As we walked through town, we noticed these bear statues that were all over the area and were painted to represent different aspects of the town. Jake noted that the bear was a symbol on the flag of the original people who built the town, people of German descent. We took a bunch of pictures of the bears which can be found on our Instagram stories.

At the end of the day, we picked up and left the church and made our way to Jacksonville, NC. We visited a handful of memorials and continued on to Myrtle Beach, SC.