The cold returned on Monday as forecast accompanied by buckets of almost freezing rain for the past 3 days. We have spent the week exploring a bit more, doing boat chores and getting ready to leave for our road trip home. This was a trip we knew in September we would be making. David has some left over work, he has to appear as an expert in Federal Court. When he learned of this he had anticipated we would have to leave Rafiki in the Bahamas and fly home but we have a road trip from Charleston instead. We did not get a weather window in the 2 weeks we have been here and the area is currently 20F below normal and as it happens is not much warmer in North Florida. We have become accustomed to the cold, I think and one gets used to wearing many layers.

On Wednesday we had a visit from fellow Corinthian Bill Thomas who was visiting his brother George who lives at Daniels Island, nearby. They came aboard Rafiki for drinks and then we went for dinner at Brasserie Gigi which is beside the market and worth a visit if you are in that area when you visit Charleston. We must have looked like drowned rats when we arrived as the rain was bucketing down.

We made an early start, the overnight torrential rain had become a slight drizzle by morning and it was very cold loading up the car. We stopped for breakfast at IHOP, we couldn't find a ubiquitous Waffle House anywhere on our route. We chose to travel on I 17 rather than I 95, hoping to avoid the heavy truck traffic because the forecast for points north was for snow and freezing rain. We didn't run into falling snow and first saw some at Pollocksville, NC. just a dusting there on the fields but there was varying quantities along the way and by the time we reached Virginia Beach, VA. where we stopped for the night there was at least 6". It's a much more interesting drive than I 95 but slower, particularly through the Myrtle Beach area. Once again we passed through rural areas of great poverty, it's always astonishing to me to see this in our great country. It had us musing that it was probably better to dwell in a small shack in the countryside than in the tenements of an inner city. It's a sad sight either way. We stopped at the VA visitors center at the Dismal Swamp. It was covered with snow, deserted and quite spooky as it was getting dark.

Our trip yesterday, Thursday, took us over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and up the DelMarVa Peninsular in bright sunshine. We stopped at Cape Henlopen to stretch our legs. The beach was covered with snow and there was ice (from the Delaware River we assumed) floating on the sea and crashing and rattling onto the shore a weird sound, like giant ice cubes! See the picture above. We spoke to a couple of lads pushing what looked like baby strollers. They told us they were walking across America, Cape Henlopen, DE to Santa Monica, CA. They had just been dropped off by their parents and had taken their first few steps. Looking at their iPhone they asked us how to get out of the park! We wish them luck and warming weather. Your text to link...

We arrived home to find it warm and in good order. We have a thermostat at home that we can adjust via an iPhone app and check on the house temperature too. It gives us a bit of reassurance. When we were on the boat we imagined freezing pipes at home, it's been so cold for longer than usual and the reverse was true when we were home over the holidays we worried about Rafiki. We enjoyed our trip to Charleston. It was good to check on Rafiki, and we enjoyed exploring the area, having our car made this trip great. On our return we hope for good weather, we have been patient!