Back to the Beaches Sept 27 - 30

We knew we had some serious driving ahead of us being a Friday afternoon in a large metropolitan area.   We were right.  From the start, traffic was congested and red sections were appearing all along our planned route for the day.  Again, we weren’t even sure exactly where we were headed. 

Getting around Philly and into the Delaware peninsula, we could wander the Chesapeake, follow the beaches or just head straight down the middle.  We ended up taking the beach route because it looked to have sections where just driving would provide scenic reward. 

We bussed our way down the coastal highway in the Friday afternoon throng.  With less nature to see than expected, there were other distractions.  We noticed the sound first.  What looked like normal cars were sounding like they were on a race track.  Then we noticed the wheels, the mufflers … calling our son, Matt, he informed us the H20i was happening.  The numbers of souped up cars and crazy drivers was … impressive (for lack of a better word).

Anyway, long story short, we did make it to the border – and a WalMart.  Having missed our opportunity to book a campsite in the area state parks, we gave up and succumbed to our old standby.  We spent the night wandering into the small, depressed town of Pocomoke City not finding it quite what was billed as the “friendliest town on the eastern shore” despite attending the Friday night social gathering downtown.

Glad to get back on the road in the morning, we headed to the Outer Banks.  Neither of us had ever been so we were hoping to get lucky and score a first come first served campsite.  We both thought a latte sounded good and I directed us to the only coffeehouse I found along the way that didn’t have Star or Dunkin in its name!!  We headed for Hickory Trading Co that showed latte art on their website and the added bonus of being filled with local crafts supporting persons with special needs.  Pulling our big lug into another weird parking situation, we went in to find a great concept but a bust of a coffeeshop!

Back on the road with our undrinkable coffee, we headed for the beach.  The highway toward the beaches covered rural areas and there were numerous farmers markets along the way with mass quantities of seasonal pumpkins to brighten the ride as the traffic increased…knowing we wanted to get to near the Delaware/Virginia border for the night, we journeyed on.

We marched our way through the small communities and out to the seashore.  We arrived at the Oregon Inlet Campground just in time to get their LAST site!  And even that was at the mercy of the attendant rangers at the welcome station who had “a moment” deciding if they could fit us in!  We were SO excited! 

The campground was set on the back side of the dunes.  Wide open, un-shaded and open to the elements, we got ourselves set up and primed for a day at the beach.  Our site didn’t have any services so we did our best to utilize the shade of our rig and awning and then headed out to walk the beach.

Having determined myself to now be a mountain girl, I was nonetheless once again entranced with the beach and the ocean.  We walked several miles enjoying the sand under our feet and the sound of the waves crashing.  The Outer Banks surprisingly allowed vehicles on the beach so, being a Saturday, there were a LOT of vehicles lined up with countless people fishing.  We watched several reel in their catches – one lost along the way and the other a good sized ray that put its captor up for a good fight.

The rest of the day was spent in full beach stupor with a lazy game of scrabble in the shade of the rig accompanied by several cold beverages.  Easing into the evening, the wind picked up as the sun dropped in the sky.  We enjoyed an al fresco grilled salmon dinner before losing what was left of daylight and then enjoyed the myriad of stars offered by the clear and near moonless night.

The next morning we learned our site remained available and we decided to stay another day.  With the temps climbing into the 90’s – our first really hot day since heading out in July – and no electricity, we knew we wouldn’t be spending the day in the sun.  We opted to try a bike ride and headed to the Bodie Island historic lighthouse just 2 miles away. 

There was an adequate shoulder on the main road but the sun was seriously hot and the wind was directly against us and building.  The 2 miles and then another into the lighthouse seemed like double!  With lighthouse access limited to 8 at a time, we decided not to wait for the hour plus for our turn and wandered the area and its short nature walk before heading back out.

Wanting to get some exercise, we decided we should try to bike the rest of way back to Nags Head to see what we could find.  Another 6 miles against the wind left us both sweaty and spent when we arrived to Sunday morning in the less trafficked south end of town.  Nothing but the local convenience store was open so we scored some cold beverages and a seat on the shady front porch before the ride back to our beach home.

The ride back was momentously better!  With electrolytes replenished and the wind at our back, we flew back in a surprisingly short time.  We spent another lazy afternoon – lunch in the  
shade, a nap as the wind continued to build and the clouds began rolling in and another game of scrabble for good measure!

With the clouds and wind taking over, the temps dropped and we enjoyed another beach walk.  With the change in weather and the weekend being at its end, the beach was a whole new experience and we walked the sugary sand and crashing waves until we had our fill. 

With the wind blowing in earnest and the air turning cool enough to require another layer, we chatted with neighbors and whittled away the evening.  Each day was becoming more special knowing that our trip was soon to be left in our memories and on blog pages.