Ocracoke Island and Sunset

We've delayed the trip to the ferry launch for several hours so we're sure we'll avoid the buses. Guess what we found at the ferry launch? Uh-huh!! I nearly died! All was well though as they took up an entire ferry alone and so an additional ferry was called for the rest of us. Ahh!!!!! Nice, quiet ride - about a 45- minute trip across the sound. Beautiful scenery.

As we arrive at the island, we have a bit of a drive to Ocracoke Village. What I have read of a quiet little village reveals instead a bustling little area - spring break has started to happen here. We take a quick drive around the hub (similar to Cedar Key but bigger - certainly busier) and eventually find the final lighthouse on our list. We hit it between 2 groups of our ever present 8th graders and find a spot at a local pub we'd been told to check out.

Howard's Pub is a welcoming place and we find it this mid-afternoon fairly quiet - a nice respite from the bustling scenes we've left outside. The menu boasts beer options galore and we settle on a couple of brews to be washed down with some pub fries - the perfect afternoon snack! After our nourishment, we head away from the populous and find a magnificent stretch of beach to take a hike and burn off those fries! The dunes are stunning and we walk for about a mile with the dolphin swimming in the Atlantic to our right and a wide bank of sand in front. This stroll belongs only to us and it is an amazing time. No one - not even our 8th graders - can find us here. Pure heaven!

We could have walked for miles longer but we need to retrace our steps and catch the ferry back to the mainland. We're gearing for the 6:00 trip, as we have a fairly timely trip home. Unfortunately, there are many who try to catch this same trip, and we are not to find ourselves on board. We'll need to wait for the 7:00, and so meander the shore near the dock, which the sandpipers share easily. There are worse places to be stranded.

The later ferry brings the bonus of sunset aboard the ride and though beautiful enough is further enhanced by the Entenmann's man who has joined us on this trip. He has decided to throw left over breads from the day from the back of the ship, feeding the seagulls who multiply as more bread is tossed. (I can't make this stuff up, folks!) Throngs of birds cluster between us and the setting sun, making for one of the most spectacular end of day scenes you can imagine. Celeste, queen of sunset pictures, is frothing at the mouth as she shoots one picture after another - nirvana has arrived!

Even with the dark and two hour drive along the seashore home, we are in complete agreement that the delay has been worth it. What a spectacular show we have experienced and as tired as we are, the journey home is not awful. The end of our 14-hour day comes none to soon and we are blissfully exhausted. These outer banks have given us a day of magnificent memories!