In my rush to get out of South Carolina I took some back roads. As I cleared the top of a high bridge I knew I was in trouble. At the base of the bridge was a large brick gatehouse with a uniformed guard. I slowed to a stop in front of the military police. He asked where I was trying to get to – “Beaufort.” “Did you realize that this is a marine base?” “I got that impression when I cleared the top of the bridge.” “I’ll let you go through just stay on the main highway.” “Okay. Thanks.”
On the narrow road there were side roads with “Tank Crossing” stenciled on the main highway; and I got to see a convoy of “Tactical Vehicles.” I didn’t wave at the drivers.
The Outer Banks run the length of the state of North Carolina. The Cape Lookout National Seashore is accessed from the town of Beaufort (BOW-fort). Unlike Cumberland Island, a fleet of competing boat taxies serves the Core Banks and Shackleford Banks. Historic Beaufort is the homeport. The front street has houses built in the late 1700’s and the early 1800’s plus old commercial buildings and a long boardwalk. The most interesting feature on the waterfront was the wooden boat building shop with an observing balcony for the passersby’s. However it was strongly evident that there was no design review process because the storefronts were a bad mix of styles and materials but the scales were compatible. The major rejection for me was the blatant, gaudy commercialism. It is so easy for a historic town to go down that path (channel). Only good zoning and a constant vigilance against over zealous developers that only have an eye on the profit margin will save towns like La Conner. Beaufort, North Carolina has been lost.
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