Four Oaks to Wilmington, North Carolina – 26 November 2023
The 2 hour trip to Wilmington was uneventful, but when we arrived we got the good news that the Strubin baby, Alden had at last arrived. We were thrilled.
We spent 5 days in Wilmington, NC. Our primary purpose was to visit the US K9000 dog wash factory but we also managed to see a little of the City.
The first thing we did was to meander along the riverwalk in downtown Wilmington, which was really lovely. There was a very neat house boat community in the river which was part of the Port City Marina. These trendy little house boats are owned and rented and have fantastic views of the historic Cape Fear River from their rooftop terraces and other vantage points. With onsite restaurants, shops, a large park, only a 5 min drive to the airport and 30 mins to beaches, they are an extremely popular housing option. We both felt after living on a boat and in an RV that this type of lifestyle was very appealing.
On the way back to the car we passed through the historic district and came across the Cotton Exchange where we stopped at a pub for dinner. This historical building is made up of over eight historical buildings dating back to the late 19th to early 20th century which have been converted into a shopping complex.
The buildings used to hold a variety of businesses including a wholesale grocer, a warehouse used for flour in 1900 which was originally (1893) an outdoor beer garden, a two story boarding house and saloon later used as space to clean and shell peanuts, a steam engine used to power the neighbouring mill, a Hominy Corn Mill, producing 4000 bushels of pearl hominy, grits, and corn meal a day, the James Sprunt Cotton Exchange building which claimed to be the largest exporter of cotton on the east coast and the former pub and brothel known as Paddy’s Hollow. So much interesting history there!
The following day we met up with Pete and Kate at the K9000 USA factory. It was great comparing notes about US and Canada specific dog wash requirements. They very kindly took us for tour of their factory where they also produce a number of other products besides the K9000 dog wash. Very impressive. That night we went to the El San Jose of Lake City Mexican Restaurant. I love the authentic Mexican food, it is always so flavourful. I ordered a combination plate with three different types of taco dishes which was quite delicious, as well as an enormous Pina Colada which came with a big dollop of ice cream as well as cream on top. Derek had some sort of meat dish which he also enjoyed.
While we were in Wilmington we also went for a hike in the Carolina Beach State Park which is one of the few places in the world where Venus Fly Traps grow wild. You can’t touch them as they can blacken and die, and theft and poaching of naturally growing Venus flytraps is a felony in North Carolina. They are challenging to find as they are very small and try as I may, I couldn’t see any – perhaps this was not the right season for them. The park led to a lovely beach which overlooked the intra coastal waterway. On the way home we took a drive to one of the other beaches – Kure beach. Absolutely beautiful with mile upon mile of white clean sand just like the beaches on the Gulf shores in Alabama.
It was American Thanksgiving and as we had missed the Canadian Thanksgiving this year, we decided to go whole hog and have Turkey, Brussel sprouts, yam and trimmings all washed down with some pumpkin pie. We found ourselves a small rolled turkey breast in Walmart which was perfect for two. It turned out to be delicious.
Before we left, Derek went to see the USS Carolina, the highest decorated US battleship of WWII. She was commissioned April 9 1941. Destined to be scrapped she was saved by North Carolina and ended up in Wilmington on Cape Fear Rive. She was dedicated as North Carolina’s WWII memorial in April 1962. A very worthwhile stop if you are ever in Wilmington.
