June 6, Friday - Smoke

As I drive north the population density increases. A line almost exist at Georgetown, South Carolina. From that point north the rural flavor of the coast disappears and the summer places of the rich clog the coastal highway. From "Beaufort-by-the-Sea” as the promoters want the masses to know their quaint, seaside town, one has to travel inland to go around the imposing Pamlico Sound to reach the next set of islands that make up the Hatteras National Seashore. Going off the beaten path always (Again I try not to dwell on this) a concern is for the price of petrol. With town names like New Bern, Washington and Griswell I brace myself. I go for the Hess at $3.96 and suck down $120 worth of liquid gold. A few miles down the road at a laid back country intersection I glance at the $3.90 price and keep rolling.. what’s $1.83 difference when we’re dealing with $120.
Going into the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center I take refuge from the heat by mooching off of their A/C plus enjoy their information and displays. But down the highway in the middle of the refuge, I shake my head in total confusion as I witness a highway truck spraying roadside herbicide on the shoulder and into a water tree-lined waterway paralleling the route.
Farther up the road I see a portable highway sign ahead flashing “Dense Smoke Ahead, Proceed With Caution”. Something was burning and smoke hung in the air. When I cross the one and half long Alligator River Bridge, I couldn’t see the other side. When I hit the Outer Bank Island set, it was clear. I recalled the Florida fire I drove through on my north and wondered if I was going to see the same thing.