In April 1996 Marco, Dave and Niels blew town for a few days in search of adventure. The exact motivation for the excursion can hardly be explained under a single heading. Mark had to go see about a girl in the New Bern area, while Dave and Niels just tagged along to have a change of scenery - plus, perhaps, to give Mark a morale-booster if he were to face heavy opposition.

We rode in the Mustang. Despite limited space, it was okay for three people with minimal luggage, although the guy in the backseat would get terribly cramped up.

First our route brought us to New Bern, NC, a rather sleepy coastal community without major places of interest. From a Swiss point of view, the town name (Bern being the capital of Switzerland) was arguable the only incentive to hang around for more than 5 minutes. That, and, of course, the aforementioned girl.

Technically trespassing: Dave and Mark in New Bern.

Having lingered in New Bern for a while we pushed onwards, exploring the Outer Banks and made a stop at Kitty Hawk, site of the first heavier-than-air flight performed by the Bros. Wright in 1903. We visited the Kitty Hawk museum on possibly the rainiest day in recorded history. Some of the photographs displayed on this page are really terrible but a consequence of the poor weather conditions.

Next, we followed the coast and ended up in Virginia Beach, VA, got ourselves a motel room and watched TV half the night. The following day we explored the massive US Navy port at Norfolk. We found it impossible to get close-up photos of the moored aircraft carriers even though we spent hours cruising around for a decent viewing point. Eventually we gave up and headed back to North Carolina.

Did Mark get the girl? Well, that is beside the point. Overall the road trip was truly without much aim or purpose, which is probably why no one bothered to make a record of it. Yet despite its deficiencies, we had a pleasant time together and the experience was a major catalyst for the later cross-continental drive.

©NK