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…

Fun in Nature and Some Pre-Wedding Functions…

When we first arrived in Raleigh we stayed at the Crosswinds Campground at Jordan Lake. It is a state park with no full hookup sites but plenty with 30 amp power and water in a very scenic setting. We have been to the Raleigh area many times as our daughter Katie went to college and then settled here. So we have reverted to doing all the things we like in the area.

One of our favorite things to do is play disc golf  and happily there are lots of very nice disc golf courses within a 45 minute drive of us. One that we particularly like to play is near Pittsboro North Carolina called Rock Ridge. This course is wooded with tight fairways and many long holes. However it is in a very scenic park deep into the woods giving us a great hike as well as a challenging course so we love it.

Also in nearby Pittsboro is Carolina Brewery which has a great Tuesday happy hour so we nearly always play the Rock Ridge disc golf course on Tuesdays and then go over for happy hour afterward. We will be in this area until mid-October other than a dozen days we will spend in the Outer Banks so we will be falling into a routine as we await Katie’s wedding in mid-October.

Just after playing disc golf in some of our favorite courses Sharon suffered a sprained foot and ankle. Here is her account of the unfortunate event…

Oh gosh I really hate to admit that my accidental sprain came as a direct result of my own carelessness. I wanted to adjust the tv antennae and climbed up on an ottoman which is unstable I know, but did it anyway.  Stepping backward too quickly off of it my foot awkwardly hit the base and I rolled my foot/ ankle which made me fall down hard.  So hard that John heard it outside and came in to check on me.  I really did a number on it and am so mad at myself.  Thankfully John inspected it and determined I didn’t break anything and after icing it, Katie taped it while warning me it would take 2 to 4 weeks to heal.   Oh nooooooo……

The weekend after Sharon’s fall we stayed the weekend with Katie and traveled to Smithfield for a couple of pre wedding festivities.  Brooks’ home Church in Smithfield hosted a morning wedding shower at the church.  Katie and Brooks were showered with a lot of love and gifts.  It was very much appreciated by the couple and a very nice shower indeed.

That night was a party at a friend of Brooks’ family who have a fabulous back yard designed for entertaining. With live music presented by the very entertaining one man band known as Adam Pitts, a nice spread of finger foods for the guests and all the beer and wine one could wish for,  this was one fun and grand event.

We met so many wonderful people at the party and it was really fun getting to know some of the friends and family from the groom’s side of the aisle. There were several people at the party who also RV and of course we seemed to talk with them the most. The music Adam played was varied and had a little bit of something for everyone. It was great fun and sadly the evening ended while all the revelers had to part ways.

We spent the night at Brook’s parents house and enjoyed reconnecting with them and of course truly appreciated their hospitality. We all are looking forward to the big wedding day in October…

NOTE: We are now at the Oregon Inlet Campground in the Outer Banks for a while before returning back to Raleigh NC…