Road Work Ahead-- N.C. Summer 2014 Trip-- Part 17: Horrible Wilmington Traffic and Carolina Beach

JULY 28TH, MONDAY

Supposed to be really hot today, so decided this would be a good time to take a ride to Carolina Beach, cross the Cape Fear River on a ferry, and check out Southport and beaches to the southward (to S.C. state line).

Filled up with gas in Hampstead and drove to Wilmington.  I love Wilmington, but abhor its traffic.  This has to be one of the worst cities in the U.S. to try to drive through.  Nothing but traffic.  We got to it at noon and everyone in town must have been on lunch break and weren't brown-bagging it either.

And, we lost count of the stoplights which weren't set together in timing.  At least in this part of town, the lights weren't photo-enforced like closer to the downtown area..

Passed the beautiful UNC-Wilmington campus, a place I would have very-much liked to have taught.

We had heavy traffic (along with commercial places) a lot of the way to Carolina Beach.

Tote-Em In Zoo is still in business.  For many years there was an old elephant chained up by its entrance, something that us kids always looked forward to seeing.

Then, we came to the bridge over Snow's Cut.  This man-made channel made Carolina Beach and Fort Fisher into an island and was made for the Intercoastal Waterway to connect the Cape Fear River with the sounds to the north.  This is a high bridge and from the top, you can look to the left (east) and see the ocean.  As much as that elephant (as well as a stop at Paul's Famous Hot Dogs in Rocky Point) meant that we were getting near the beach, this view meant "we had arrived!!!"  It is still a great memory jerker.

--Do I Smell Britt's?  --RoadDog