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The Dark Side of the Moon
WOHHHHH is it really morning !?! There are prices and penalties to pay when one decides to stay up late drinking and howling at the Moon (literally !!) And Mike and Bone were paying far more than their fair share. With absolutely no idea of which way was the fastest route back to the Norfolk Airport, they began to meander towards Virginia. When the boys left Nags Head, they only had nine hours until their flight left, and it took five hours to come down from Norfolk, driving along the coast. The boys thought that cutting through Roanoke Island to the mainline of North Carolina, then straight up to Virginia might be faster, and also provide them a route that they hadn't yet seen. So in a crummy gray drizzle, and heavy heads, the boys headed west from Nags Head to Roanoke.
The Alligator River ?!?
Alligators? In North Carolina ?! As the boys went through Roanoke, and on towards the mainland they drove through a series of swamps, canals, bogs, and generally soggy terrain. Finally, they came to a fairly large river that separated the North Carolina mainland with the no-mans land that started the Outer Banks. Stopping at a Gas Station right on the river, the boys saw a sign stating that the name of the river was the "Alligator"!
Mike asked a local if there really were gators in these parts, the local said "yep! looky inside the station !!". Entering the Gas Station there were several aisles filled with gator heads, stuffed gators, and gator skulls that could be purchased as gifts. Deciding both not to swim in the river or tarry any longer the boys shook their heads and headed north.
Trip, Postscript
Usually on a Mile and Bone trip the weather is awesome, and to that point the entire trip to date, the weather had stayed in the mid-90's and sunny. However, on the trip back it was a gray, cold, damp day, with a constant drizzle, with the weather matching the their hangovers, the boys slowly worked their way back to Virginia.
With a early evening flight the boys began to panic as it approach 3:00 and they were still in North Carolina, increasing their speed they raced up I-85 to finally enter Virginia and were able to make the flight with an hour to go. However they did turn a 5 hour drive into an 8 hour drive.
The morale of the story:
The longest distance between two points is a "shortcut"
As the boys boarded the plane, the denizens of the Outer Banks now realized that they could survive anything, including: hurricanes, floods, "nor-easters", and a Mike and Bone tour.
Thus ending the 1993 Cape Fear Tour.