Sarah and I are enjoying a wonderful vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. For those not familiar with the Outer Banks, there is a tiny strip of land off the shore of NC, in the Atlantic Ocean. Check out this map. We are on Hatteras Island, which can only be reached via a bridge at one end, or a ferry at the other (or boat, of course).

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We rented a beach house with another couple and have been having a great time. Unlike our only other real vacation, this one is turning out to be rather relaxing. From our beach house, it’s just a short walk down to the beach, literally right out our backdoor.

Our first full day here it was quite overcast, and it rained on and off.

Since then, the weather has been absolutely beautiful … sunny, 70s at night, 80s during the day. We’ve sat on the porch …

… found the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and climbed up for a better view.

… seen quite a bit of wildlife, including osprey, turtles, egrets, pelicans …

… and possibly our favorite, the Sanderling. These little birds run around on the beach. After a wave comes in, they peck in the water to try to find some food, following the water as it recedes. As the next wave comes out, they run back and start the process over again. It’s quite hilarious to watch.

We’ve also spent a good amount of time at the beach. I’ve never been much of a swimmer, but with the big waves you can’t swim so much as try to withstand the waves.

We’ve also seen a lot of these little crabs. These “ghost crabs” mostly come out at night, due to their sensitive eyes.

Suffice it to say, we’ve having a wonderful time.

I had reserved a rental bike for the week, but after seeing what a non-bike-friendly place this is, I cancelled the reservation. There’s only one road across the islands, and it’s a busy highway. So this is a purely non-bike trip. In a way, it feels good to have a break from riding, along with everything else.

There is much more to write, but I’ll get to it when I get to it.

File under: Vacation