Mini-Vacay to OBX (the Outer Banks of NC)…

Since we were going to be in the Raleigh NC area through the middle of October we decided to sneak off to the Outer Banks or OBX as native North Carolinians refer to it. It is more than four hours away but we were luckily enough to score a campsite in the Oregon Inlet Campground in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore for 13 nights. They recently brought electricity and water to this campground making it more appealing to us to spend a couple weeks in the waning summer heat.

The drive over was uneventful (yes!) and we pulled into the campground where we were able to select the site we wanted from the ones available since visitors are unable to reserve a specific site at this park. The site itself is a bit on the small side but it lies amongst a series of dunes just behind the beach. A short walk over the dunes puts us right on the beach without having to drive anywhere.

I plan to purchase a 10 fishing license here while we are on the island to try my luck at a little surf fishing. Hopefully I will catch a few fish to pay for the ten day license ;). If not I am sure I will enjoy the experience nevertheless. The temperatures this time of year call for daytime highs in the mid to low 80’s and overnight lows in the mid 70’s so the A/C will be working hard to keep us cool in this no shade area.

We walked over to the beach to stroll up and down the shoreline our first day moving slowly  to allow Sharon and her bad ankle time to enjoy it all without feeling rushed. She is anxiously awaiting for the healing process to end so she can get back to a more normal daily activity without limitations. The beach was nice and we noticed vehicles (4-wheel drive only) are allowed to drive on the beach so there were lots of folks set up on the beach either enjoying the sun and the surf or taking in some surf fishing from their trucks and jeeps.

After our walk we drove into Nags Head, a nearby town, and found a beach pier with a bar/restaurant called Fish Heads. It was lively and energetic as we sat at the bar and enjoyed a few craft beers. There was a daily happy hour special of 15 cent shrimp so we ordered up a batch of their small but tasty shrimp and chatted with others at the bar.

We did talk with a couple of ladies from Pennsylvania (Stacey and Candy) who were entertaining especially as we saw them walk down the pier to talk a couple of local fisherman into letting them use their rod and reels to pose as if they were fishing for pictures to show friends back home. The two fellows even pulled out a pompano fish from their cooler to let them pose with a fish as if they caught it… too funny…

What a couple of fun ladies these two best friends were and we were glad we chose a seat by them at the bar! I anticipate we will really enjoy this beach getaway unless Florence causes us to make a quick exit…..

Another great day here On the Road of Retirement…

NOTE: We are now at the Oregon Inlet Campground in the Outer Banks for a while keeping a close eye on the path of the hurricane and will be returning back to Raleigh NC next…