Posts filed under ‘Places’
Doing Nothin’
The past weekend marked the end of the summer season on the outer banks. Fall arrived like a lion. Winds, up to 30 mph gusting to 50mph from the northeast, pushed the ten foot waves crashing onto our beaches. The weather was cloudy and cool and felt more like a late fall day. Even the water cooled down to the low 70’s.
Fishing was non-existent. Surfers were also surprisingly absent. Maybe the weather was too nice. I even tried to cast into the ocean’s close in wash for a late leaving pompano or a lazy puppy drum but the winds kept my line from even reaching the near slough.
I had hoped to go fishing with my Dad on Saturday who had come down for the week but because of the nor’easter type weather we were resigned to just enjoy our company. What a great way to do nothin.
Hanna – Not your typical Nor’easter
We spent Friday afternoon securing the house and yard for the approaching storm. With Hanna teetering just below hurricane status, we were worried a complete lock down was an over kill. Living within ear shot of the ocean, we weren’t going to take any chances at which level of intensity or impact Mother Nature would throw at us. We locked her down anyway.
Friday evening, the first mate and I went out on a picture taking mission. The last time we went out the night before a storm, Hurricane Isabel took direct aim at our shore and destroyed many things including the Kitty Hawk pier. I had confidence that we would not have a repeat performance, but we weren’t taking any chances. We wanted memories of the island.
First light on Saturday brought a mild morning. A light breeze and cloudy skies early turned ugly and raw within an hour. With our rain gear in tow, we ventured to the ocean front to see the storm. Winds topped 30 miles per hour, gusting to 45 with the ocean waves crashing into the beach up to twelve feet. The rain was torrential. The wind and waves shook the beach and our truck. It was all we could do to hold our vehicle on the road. We spent most of the day just touring the island and the exploring this weather phenomenon.
At noon the rain had stopped, but the wind continued. And with the help of the incoming high tide, the south wind began to push the water up into back bays and canals. By mid afternoon, the waters had breached our bulkhead, over washed our dock and poured into the yard. Fortunately, the winds began to subside and the water receded just before dusk. The news reported the storm was well on her way to New England.
We surveyed our home and found only minor limbs and debris. A quick clean up was all we needed. We survived another brush with nature’s fury.
Best restaurant not on the beach
The most frequently asked question I get from our out-of –town visitors is “What’s the best place to eat on the beach”. With hundreds of restaurants to choose from, it is hard to identify just the right one for their taste.
They typically follow the first question with: “Then where would you eat on the beach”. Our response surprises them when we tell them that our favorite restaurant isn’t on the beach at all. It is located in a little town called Water Lilly, North Carolina, just 25 miles north of the Outer Banks. Their response is then, “how long will it take us to get there”? We tell them is takes most people thirty minutes drive when they go by car but when we go, it takes two hours. We prefer to take another mode of transportation – Fantasea II.
Fantasea II is our twenty-five foot Robalo cuddy cabin power boat. Two hundred, twenty five cubic inches of engine pushes us through the water with ease. It has all the comforts of home and it is perfect to carry four boaters but works best when the first mate and I steer her into North Carolina Sounds – just us two.
On Saturday we decide that we were in need for boat ride. So off we go, heading to Coinjock for lunch. Our trip began in our neighborhood canal system and into the Jean Guite Creek. We then proceeded into the Albemarle Sound and up the North River. The weather was a little testy for the first hour, but once in the river it smoothed out; resembling a sheet of glass. We cruised along the Inter-coastal waterway at 25 knots with the wind in our hair. The winding river took us through the many estuaries, small ditches and canals along the ICW. Although, the deer and other wild life were not visible from the water, the birds were abundant.
After two hours of cruising, we pulled along side of the marina dock, gassed up and headed into the restaurant for lunch. We had an outstanding meal of crab soup, crab cakes and fried chicken and that famous southern ‘sweet tea’.
With two full tanks, and back on the water, we headed south just ahead of a slow moving tug pushing a large barge. Another beautiful day on the water in paradise.
NCsaltaire 