Morehead, Beaufort, Oriental, New Bern, NC

Miles Traveled 0

Total Miles Traveled 3697

Day 242

We decided to rent a car and visit some of the surrounding cities today.  Our first stop was Beaufort, NC, (Boh-fert) although the name is spelled the same as Beaufort, SC (Bew-fert) it is pronounced differently, and if you mispronounce it, the locals will correct you.

While in Beaufort we visited the North Carolina Maritime Museum, this was a very educational stop for us.  We learned that within 6 months during 1942, German U-boats sank or damaged 397 American and British ships and more than 5,000 people had been killed along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.  The greatest concentration of U-boat attacks happened off North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where dozens of ships passed daily.

We also learned about the pirate Blackbeard, the museum is the official repository for artifacts from Blackbeard’s Queen Ann’s Revenge which ran aground near Beaufort in 1718.  The ship was a frigate launched by the Royal Navy in 1710, and captured by France in 1711.  She was used as a slave ship by the French, and was captured by pirates in 1717.  Blackbeard used the ship for less than a year, but captured numerous prizes using her as his flagship.  The ship was found in 1996 and after lying on the seabed for over 250 years, 31 cannons have been identified and more than 250,000 artifacts have been recovered. 

On the way to Oriental, we were surprised to find the road we were using ended in the water, (thanks for the head’s up Google Maps).  No problem, we took a 15 minute Ferry ride to the other side.  We weren’t too impressed with the town, but had lunch at the local restaurant and headed for New Bern.

As soon as we arrived in New Bern, we noticed Bear Statues everywhere.  The Swiss and German settlement of New Bern was named in honor of the founders home, Bern, Switzerland.  When Bern, Switzerland was founded, it was named by a group of hunters.  They named the city for the first animal they came upon on their hunting expedition.  It was a bear.  Bern is the old Germanic word for Bear, and the bear became the symbol of the city. 

New Bern is also the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, invented by Caleb Bradham in his pharmacy in 1898.  Pepsi was first known as the not-as-eloquent “Brad’s Drink” a local carbonated beverage concocted and sold by Caleb in his local drug store.  Of course we had to visit the  store for a cold Pepsi and a bag of popcorn.