By the title I am sure you guessed I returned to the Outer Banks for a vacation this summer. I love it there so much, I would live there if I could. My family rented the same house we had the previous year in Avon. It was just as I remembered it and thankfully still in tact after the hurricane that went through the Outer Banks a few months ago.
On the drive down to North Carolina, we stopped in Norfolk, VA for the night to break up the drive. My dad found a model train store he wanted to see, so we checked that out and it was pretty cool. The upstairs had a giant layout that a club built and some of the members were up there chatting and working on some pieces. They let us pick a train and drive it around the layout. There was also a scavenger hunt to do. They had laminated paper with about 25-30 items on it of things to find. I had fun walking around trying to find everything. If you are interested in trains and coal mining my dad has a YouTube channel you can check out his videos and see what he’s been up to here.
We left Norfolk around mid-morning / early afternoon. We checked out that train store and went to breakfast and then hit the road to OBX. The traffic going into the Outer Banks can be a little rough. Thankfully it seemed like we didn’t get stuck in it too bad but I remember last year we sat in traffic for a while. When we first arrived at the house there was beach restoration going on a couple miles down the beach from us. We watched them get closer and closer every day and dreading it if they closed the beach in front of our house. My dad and I talked with one of the guys who said they were restoring the beach from the hurricane that went through not too long ago and moving sand from sandbars in the ocean to the beach. There was a ship out in the water that would collect sand and connect to a pipe and send the sand to the crew on the beach. It was pretty interesting and they did a great job. Mid week they were 4 houses away and we were trying to soak up every second we could at the beach before they came to our house. When we talked to them again, they said they were finishing up where they were at and moving on to a different location. We couldn’t believe we got so lucky. Here are some pics of the work that was going on. My dad also has a video on his Youtube channel about it, check it out here!
This time around, the ocean water was a lot calmer. Last year there was a tropical storm that came through and the waves were pretty rough. Not this time though! The water was fairly calm and it was SO blue! It was amazing! I had never seen ocean water so blue before. The visibility was great. There were days where I was out deep enough where I couldn’t touch but I could still see my feet.
Every morning I would wake up around sunrise to look at the pretty colors the sun made as it made its appearance to the world. My dad would be making some delicious breakfast in the kitchen, my mom and I would go for bike rides and/or walk the beach. That week was one of my most active weeks in awhile and it felt so good. I am trying really hard to keep it up since I’ve been home. Below is a glimpse at some of the amazing food my dad made for us throughout the week.
There was one day my cousin and I spent a few hours looking for seashells and sand dollars. For as long as I could remember I have always wanted to find a sand dollar right from the ocean instead of buying one. I found a lot of broken pieces of sand dollars on the shore. When I stepped into the water and started looking I actually started seeing whole sand dollars rolling in and out with the waves. I couldn’t believe it! I read somewhere that the gray coloring means the sand dollars are alive and the white means they are not. Interesting fact right?
The first day on the beach, my dad and brothers built a sand pyramid in front of our house. Last year the tide came right up to the sand dune in front of the house so we thought this pyramid would get washed away. The water went around the pyramid! This pyramid stood it’s ground all week and was still standing when we left. It was fun to watch people walk by it and admire it. The people that rented the house next door had a bunch of little kids that were fascinated by it and even built their own mini replica in front of their house.
I rented a surfboard again for the week. On the drive down to North Carolina I was actually watching YouTube videos on how to surf trying to get some tips and pointers to be better at it this year. It paid off. I took the board out when we arrived and stood up on the first shot. The only thing that I didn’t really do in the beginning was venture out to where I needed to be to catch bigger waves. I was a little hesitant about being out that far alone for many reasons. The ocean is no joke. It has its own power, no matter how strong of a swimmer you are always use caution and pay attention to the tides. The ocean is also home to many different types of sea life, and going in the ocean is entering their home. Respect the locals and stay vigilant.
Later in the week I signed up for a surf lesson with OBX Surf School. It was a BLAST! When I first arrived on the beach my instructor was fishing. He was reeling in a fish on one of his poles when the second pole got a bite. I ran over to it and started reeling it in. It took probably 5 minutes to get the fish on land, it was really heavy and hard to reel in. It was the biggest fish I have ever caught in my life! I was pretty excited that I got to reel the fish in and hold it. (I can’t remember what type of fish it was, if you know leave it in the comments!) The surf lesson was probably one of the best highlights of my week. I felt a lot more confident being out farther and getting up on bigger waves. I highly recommend OBX Surf School! I was on cloud nine when I left the lesson. I was so stoked that I caught some waves and got some more tips. I still wiped out quite a few times but I had so much fun doing it and that’s all that matters. I am definitely a surfer girl now. Any chance I get I will find a way to surf.
My cousins and I also went horseback riding again at Equine Adventures. Another 10/10 experience. My horse was named Flicka. (Have you ever heard of the movie Flicka? If not, check it out. I was obsessed with this movie when I was younger and watched it all the time. The fact that I got a horse named after the horse from this movie was like fate.) Unlike last year when I was too nervous to gallop down the beach, this time I did. It was a really freeing experience. The connection between horse and rider is cool. You are trusting your horse and your horse is trusting you. Flicka was great. I gave her lots of pets and compliments on the ride. If you have the opportunity to do this I absolutely recommend! I am trying to figure out how I can make it back here for another ride before next summer. One thing I will say is I wouldn’t wear a hat or anything you wouldn’t want to lose. The beach was windy and it did take one girls hat right off her head and into the water. Our trail guides were awesome though, they were able to save the hat. They also took group pictures for us down on the beach near the water.
We also made it back to Ocracoke Island for a day adventure. We booked our ferry tickets in advance. Departing around 9am and returning on the 7pm ferry. We rented a golf cart and some bikes for everyone in our group to get around. The bikes were really fun to ride around the island. It’s not something I get to do all the time at home. This time I did a little more research on things to do and see. First, we went to the lighthouse and then made our way over to the nature trail to Springer’s Point Preserve. There were a lot more parking spaces this year. I remember last year there wasn’t a lot of parking for golf carts near the lighthouse and nature trail, and Springer’s Point was one of the things I missed seeing.
The trail was really pretty. There were some spots with small benches to sit. The trees were cool, they were big and twisty. The big tree at the end of the trail before it opened up to the ocean was really cool. The limbs were low enough you could sit on some. We sat out on the beach for awhile and saw some dolphins swim by. It started to rain so we made our way back to the golf cart and bikes and headed to Howard’s Pub for lunch. After leaving Howard’s Pub we went to Sweet Tooth, a cute ice cream place that had other sweet treats. I got a couple dark chocolate covered pretzels and they were so tasty. Next, we went to the Pirates Chest Gift Shop. After that, we went to the Moonraker Tea Shop. They had jars of loose tea you could buy in bags to take home or have a fresh tea brewed for you. I bought 2 medium size bags to bring home with me. I got an Lavender Earl Gray and a Vanilla Chai. Both were really good and when I run out I am going to see if I can order them online. Across the street from the tea shop there was a little bookstore. There was some handmade items as well as books inside.
A little farther up the road there was another shop with handmade items called Village Craftsmen. There were so many cool things in here! Handmade glassware, decorations, and other items. We visited the British Cemetery again and the surf shop. The day flew by with all the things we saw and did. As our day was coming to and end, we stayed near the ferry and sat at Dajio for some appetizers and drinks. On the ferry ride home my cousins and I sat on the top deck of the ferry to watch the sunset. It was so beautiful.
I found a cool clay studio in Avon called Kinnakeet Clay that sold handmade items. There were so many beautiful pieces. I got a cool blue mug and a beachy Christmas ornament. Of course, while in OBX, I had to go back to Hatteras Bowls. I tried some different smoothies and got my family into it as well. I think we visited at least 3 times that week. I also bought a coconut bowl to put my own smoothies in at home.
The week went by all too quickly and I’m not sure when I will be able to return, but the Outer Banks is home to me. One thing I have learned while traveling is that home is not a place, but a feeling. Every place that I have been to becomes part of me, and part of me will always be there. OBX holds a special place in my heart and I am forever gone to Carolina.
The Venturesome Introvert 