The Dust Bowl
06 May 2007 | Belhaven, N.C.
Jim Lea
This is a picture of a "Tug & Tow" we met on the ICW. We pushed over to the side and let them pass without incident.
Last night (Sunday) we had a windy night, but this morning the forecast seemed to have improved, so maybe we can get moving again tomorrow. Yesterday, we went for a walk and had to come back as the blowing dust made us cough and made our teeth feel gritty. In the distance, the blowing dust looked like a rain storm. But today turned out to be worse than yesterday. Even if we decided to leave today, there's no place to go. Our route from here takes us through a 20 mile canal opening into the Alligator River. The Alligator empties into Albemarle Sound, from which we will head up the Dismal Swamp Canal and back to Norfolk, Va. But the Alligator River has a swing bridge on it that is not opening due to the wind. So until it is opening, we're here. Yesterday we got a few jobs done; Jeannie baked bread, made granola, and I patched the dinghy. Today I changed the oil, one of my least favorite jobs. But other than that, it was a quiet day in Belhaven. When we walked into town, the wind was higher than ever, and the dust clouds are getting so thick that its difficult to see across the harbor. And its seeping in to the boat everywhere. Jeannie tells me I may be optimistic, as the forecast I was looking at was for Albemarle Sound, which is north of here. It's where we are going, but we are currently in Belhaven, which is closer to Pamlico Sound, and it is more windy. In fact the offshore forecast has worsened, with the area of hurricane force winds now showing significantly larger than yesterday's forecast. So it may be Wednesday yet! A few miles south of us on the Neuse River which we came up on Saturday, the winds have driven the water up the river so much that there is flooding in many of the towns. Offshore the waves are reported to be 34' in the gulf stream. We went for a walk this morning, and didn't go far due to the dust. We would have liked to go to the grocery store, but doubted the golf cart would make it, and we were concerned about the dust which is much thicker at that end of town. We'll see about tomorrow. This morning we went in to the Ace hardware store, and found it a great store to browse. In addition to the normal hardware stuff, including a good section on guns and ammunition, there is a used book section, a wine section and a cheese section. Very interesting! But we're snug here and its interesting talking to the others who are here with us. Perhaps tomorrow...