N. CAROLINA OUTER BANKS

CAPE HATTERAS - Sept. 30 - Oct. 3
Tuesday we left Virginia Beach and drove to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  Three barrier islands running north and south out in the Atlantic Ocean make up the Outer Banks of North Carolina and can be accessed by highway from the north, or by ferry service from Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands which provides a link between islands as well as the mainland.  The Pamlico Sound stretches between the mainland and the Outer Banks.  We stayed in the Village of Frisco on Hatteras Island at the Frisco Woods Campground.

While siting at our perfect campsite on the Pamlico Sound,
Kite-Boarders entertained us with their antics.

The end to a perfect day.  God, I loved this campsite.

A BIT OF HISTORY I BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW
During World War II German U-Boats off the coast of the Outer Banks torpedoed and sunk an average of 1 cargo ship or allied tanker a day over several months.  After the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard sunk four U-Boats, the German commander called it quits and took his war ships and torpedoes to the North Atlantic and Mediterranean.  While Outer Banks residents knew what was going because of the tremendous explosions and seeing evidence of the destruction, the government kept this information classified and the general public never knew how close the War came to our shores. 

BEACH BEATING
One beautiful sunny day we went to the beach; I couldn't wait to play in the water, watch and listen to the sound of the waves.  I was standing about knee deep in the surf enjoying getting splashed by the salt water when a big wave came in and knocked me down.  As I laid there like a beached whale, waves continued to beat and pound my body, and what seemed like a truck load of sand filled my swimsuit.  Laughing, I managed to crawl and stumble out of the water, then decided to watch the waves instead of play in them.  I was still picking sand out of my ears 2 days later.

A POPULAR VACATION SPOT

This Inter-Galactic Air Stream was camping up the road from us.

CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE
Of the 3 lighthouses on the Cape, this one is the iconic symbol of the Outer Banks.  Built in 1870, it's the 2nd tallest lighthouse in the world standing 198.5 feet, and is affectionately called The Barber Pole.

WE MISSED DA BOAT
Friday we left the Cape and our perfect campsite, having a 1:00 reservation on the ferry to take across Pamlico Sound to the mainland.  As were were waiting in line to board the ferry at Hatteras Island, we discovered we were supposed to be on the 1:00 ferry leaving Oracoke Island. I quickly called the Ferry Station at Oracoke, explained our screw-up and got our reservation pushed to 4:00. The ferry trip from Hatteras to Oracoke was about 45 minutes and the ride from Oracoke to Cedar Island/mainland took 2 hours and 20 minutes.  We finally made it to Goose Creek Campground and had to set up camp in the dark using flashlights.

That's our RV behind the blue truck.

Meeting the Ferry going to Hatteras Island.

CAROL AND TOM
My high school friend, Carol Jorganson Stewart and her husband Tom live about 40 miles from our campsite.  Sunday, they gave us a tour of their historic and charming town of New Bern then treated us to a fabulous lunch at a restaurant with a deck over looking the water.
It was a fun enjoyable afternoon with two great and funny people.

So glad we spent a beautiful afternoon with Carol and Tom.