Alligator River Marina, Columbia, NC aka Miss Wanda

The scenery as we cruised to Alligator River Marina was the most diverse scenery we have seen.  The Pungo River is wide with green trees and bush-type growth. We followed the Alligator River Pungo River Canal, which is a 21 mile canal connecting the Alligator and Pungo Rivers (surprise!). The Alligator River is a tributary of Albemerle Sound. Bear, deer, otters, wolves and alligators can be found in the surrounding Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. We did not see any wildlife...not even an interesting bird, but we did see lots of stumps, which in their own way are quite beautiful.

Starting our day on the Pungo River.

The scenery is changing.





The contrasting colors caught our attention.

Stumps, stumps and more stumps! The boat wash over time erodes the banks and the trees fall into the Canal, producing the stumps.

Alligator River Marina is merely a stopover and we arrived about 3PM with thoughts of cleaning up the boat and completing some chores. We were pleasantly surprised shortly after we arrived to see Jay Brandt from Greenville and Beaufort, NC, who had entertained us along with his delightful wife Lori while in Beaufort. Jay's hammock stores are located throughout the area and he was passing through the area after visiting his store in Kill Devil Hills.

Alligator Marina and Gas Station.

On the porch of Jay's Hags Head Hammock store. Great products and so charming!

Life size artwork recreates the historic event. The sculpture is made of stainless steel.

Imagine lying on your belly, anticipating flight!

Who is not supposed to be in this picture?

Wayne, Ruth, Jim and I loaded up into Jay's SUV and Jay was off once again to show us the sights of the area. We had no idea we were so close to Kitty Hawk, NC, home of the Wright Brothers National Memorial. The National Park memorializes the 4 flights made by the Wright Brothers in 1903. Great little museum along with monuments on the field exhibiting the distances for each flight.



Jim, Michael, Gloria, Wayne and Jay chit chat on the dock.

 Our generous tour guide & chauffeur, Jay, drove us to a cute little town which shall remain nameless (because I cannot remember the name) and we ran into our friends aboard Muddy Waters, docked next to the restaurant. Mike, Jennifer, Keenan (12)  and Daria (11 this week) are from Miami Beach. A nice family having a great time on the Loop. What a great learning experience for Keenan and Daria!