August 25               Oriental, North Carolina

We said goodbye to John Peterson and Jimmy Watts, settled our account at the Grand Marina, and pulled away from the dock only a few minutes before noon.  It was bittersweet to go through the beautiful drawbridge that forms the entrance to New Bern’s harbor but we were excited to once again be on the water.  Our voyage down the Nueces to Oriental was brief.  Following several shrimp boats into the small harbor, we docked at the small and quaint Oriental Marina.  The surrounding grounds and small buildings were pristine. 

We were directly across from the facility where the shrimpers docked and unloaded their catches.  The area had a distinct “fish smell,” which the natives termed as the “smell of money.”  We were reminded that we in Fort Worth use the same expression in referring to the smell of manure that permeates the Cultural District during the Stock Show.  Oriental was a small but lovely village that obviously had carefully guarded their heritage by preserving their older homes and buildings.  Tall, old trees and lush, manicured lawns, with few fences dividing them, surrounded mostly wooden two story homes or large, comfortable cottages.  There were several good antique stores and interesting shops.  We enjoyed an early evening bike ride so much that we repeated it the next morning.