Lacking a Nail

The Inception Vacation

We’ve all heard that it’s about the journey and not the destination. I’ve always thought that meant take the scenic route. Don’t focus so much on the destination that you miss the natural beauty of the path you’re on. I had the pleasure of having two reminders of what the journey can mean this weekend.

A Firetruck Detour

On Saturday we got up with the sun to make our way to the Wilmington, NC area. On the way there Riley, my daughter, complained that her butt was starting to hurt. We had been driving for a while and my butt was started to feel it too. Then I saw the sign Lake Waccamaw exit 1/2 mile ahead. I figured that’s be great pull off. Hopefully this lake would be close by. Or at least signs saying how far and we could spend some time at a beautiful lake stretching our legs. There were no signs for the lake. I went a little further down the road, still no signs. Having no desire to get lost or and worrying that my hopes of a 10-minute detour for an hour by the lake would turn into an hour of driving for 10-minutes. I turned into the next gas station I saw. It would work just as well for stretching legs. There were 3 firetrucks on the other side of the gas station.

We had the pleasure of bumping into the Lake Waccamaw Volunteer Fire Department. One of the volunteers asked Riley if they wanted to take a look at the firetrucks, run the siren, play on the radio. Stretching our legs turned into a fun and unique experience thanks to the Volunteer Fire Department. It was a wonderful 10-minute vacation from our vacation. Also a good lesson to try and throw in some fun breaks when traveling far.

The Ferry Adventure

Then, it happened again. We arrived at the beach early. Too early. Recalling the Ferry that ChatGPT told me about (that is another post about the dangers of failing to do thorough research on your own) we checked apple maps and found our way to the ferry terminal. Because what else are you going to do with your time when there’s an island and a ferry? Long story short we took a ferry, a first for both of us, to the island. (The long version is another post believe you me.) It was an exciting time. Riley kept watch for pelicans in particular, and we enjoyed watching the birds dive into the water for their food. Riley is sure speed boats where seen, because they were going fast. I know I saw a couple fish leap out of the water. The ferry to the island is my most memorable part of that little adventure. The island itself was a lesson failure to take weather you’ve been experiencing all day into consideration. The pleasure of meeting new people. Why sometimes, a lot of times, spontaneity actually requires a great deal of planning and preparation.