Our annual two week escape to the NC Outer Banks - Ocracoke - one pic from each day - first week

[NRaleighLiberal]

Sat Oct 4 - getaway day - the drive, the ferry - then the first sunset - just my cell phone camera, a bit late. But we are here

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Sun Oct 5 - not a kayaking day (too breezy/choppy), but perfect for a beach walk - my wife on our walk

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Mon Oct 6 - first kayaking day - very calm, and a treeful of immature Ibis cooperated beautifully!

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Tues Oct 7 - morning at Springer Point - Reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock!

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Tues Oct 7 afternoon kayaking on the Pamlico Sound side - we ended up in Silver Lake for a view of the lighthouse

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Didn't take any pics on Wed (breezy, didn't kayak)

Thurs Oct 9 - another great kayaking day, but best pic was one at Sunset from Windmill point

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Fri Oct 10 - remarkably calm day for this date, so another long kayak - two pics - this fellow posed nicely

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And this shows how calm it was! Glassy surface - we got to see some rays darting under our kayaks! This is coming out of an estuary into Pamlico sound

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I've been AWOL from MIRT and Hosting - and not working on my second book. I am somewhere out there in maximum space, light years away from the real world, just my wife, our two dogs, and cooking lots of fresh seafood!

Let the second week begin!

[elleng]

1. These are great, NR!

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. thanks. Great views of our natural world can make anyone a decent photographer!

[elleng]

3. Yes, I've noticed!

[petronius]

4. Very nice pictures - that sunset third from the bottom is spectacular!

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. Thanks - I used the vivid color setting on my camera - bumped the colors a bit (but not much - it

was a lovely sunset!)

[In_The_Wind]

6. You are truly blessed.

I would love to live there.

[NRaleighLiberal]

7. Thanks - so would be - priced well beyond our means to own anything - but

to be able to get here in a 6 hour trip - well worth the effort!

[PeoViejo]

8. Did you get to feed the Seagulls on the Ferry ride?

My daughter came to visit me from OK when she was 6. I took her to see Ocracoke. Her favorite experience was holding up snacks and having the Gulls take them from her hand. It was her first experience of the Atlantic and I tried to make it a memorable one.

I highly recommend the trip for anyone.

[NRaleighLiberal]

9. amazing, isn't it! Here is my Ocracoke Ferry seagull story...

We've not been here in the summer for a long time (too hot, humid, crowded and buggy), but when our girls were small, we did - my wife was eating her sandwich - someone was feeding gulls on our side of the ferry. My wife ended up with an unwanted topping on her sandwich.....straight to the garbage basket with it of course.

On our trip across Saturday we ate lunch, read the paper and snoozed.

[PeoViejo]

11. You should have fed it back to them.

Gulls are nasty.

[PeoViejo]

30. On second thought

That Seagull that ruined the Sandwich was probably hoping she would throw it overboard.

[taterguy]

10. Ferry? Was the tunnel closed?

Please stop posting pics like these.

Ocracoke's charm is its lack of crowds.

Keep this up and you'll ruin it.

[NRaleighLiberal]

12. Yes, that's exactly right!

We like it now (offseason) because the huge summer crowd dissipates. We've spent a few Thanksgivings here (delightful!) and even a Christmas (incredible).

Sorry for the potential ruination (well, not really!)

[PeoViejo]

31. I noticed the Docks were pretty empty when you were there.

They were packed when my daughter and I were there. I figured the Boat People were migrating South for the Winter and Ocracoke was a regular stop en-route. I noticed a lot of Cocktail Flags hoisted aloft, so it must have been a Party Stop as well.

[awoke_in_2003]

13. I hope to, one day

revisit the Outer Banks.

[Solly Mack]

14. Great photos! Thank you for the lovely tour!

Love the birds!

[NRaleighLiberal]

21. Lots more of just bird pics in my blog post I just did

http://nctomatoman.weebly.com/nctomato-and-garden-blog/week-one-at-ocracoke-for-the-birds

Thanks!

[Solly Mack]

22. Ooooooo! Thanks! Off to be a lookey lew.

[NRaleighLiberal]

23. nothing too rare - yet.

There was a Redstart warbler in the back yard here, but way too fidgety to take a good pic. We've seen some Grebes - but they really don't like us to get close in our kayaks and dive and vanish quickly. We often see Yellow crowned Night Herons or Green Herons - none of them yet - and yet to see an Oystercatcher. It is rare for me to get a decent shot of a Kingfisher - they are also pretty constantly on the move and don't like being approached.

[mnhtnbb]

15. Lovely!

We're headed to Emerald Isle tomorrow for a week.

[Boomerproud]

16. A real vacation to be sure.

Keep those pictures coming and have a great time.

[No Vested Interest]

17. I am so jealous of you - surrounded by that beautiful wildlife. nt

[Baitball Blogger]

18. Love!

[FailureToCommunicate]

19. Sublime! It's still on our bucket list...

[ms liberty]

20. beautiful! k&r. n/t

[Hissyspit]

24. Love Ockracoke.

Camping on the beach. No place like it in the world.

[NRaleighLiberal]

25. we are also having a rare week when mosquitoes are not in great supply!

[AllyCat]

26. Went there this summer. Loved it.

Want to go back.

[DonnaM]

27. Sunset from Windmill Point

A captivating photo! I felt like I was there and could breathe a bit easier. You are very lucky to be there

D

[TBF]

28. Awesome place -

visited years ago. I also remember beautiful horses but I'm not sure if they were on Okracoke itself or whatever island we took the ferry over from ... it's a wonderful vacation spot.

[Liberal_in_LA]

29. kick

[Gore1FL]

32. I was there in 2001 with my ex wife. n/t

[ctsnowman]

33. Excellent!

[packman]

34. Started going to Outer Banks in 1965-

When the only thing there was a hamburger stand, Midgett's grocery store that sold bait and groceries, and the fishing pier. Of course, we climbed Kill Devil's dune where the Wright brothers launched their first flight and went into Roanoke to see the Lost Colony play.
The wilderness of the Outer Banks back then was breathtaking - primitive and harsh and beautiful at the same time. Alas, it has changed so much- but still worth the trip.

We went on that Ferry ride and the seagulls snatched a kid's hot dog right from his bun. He wailed, and cursed that gull and was inconsolable. Funny memory.

[AlbertCat]

35. beautiful pics! I Love the Outter Banks!

The Teabagger legislature here is working fast to ruin this and the rest of the state so.... save the pics for when this is all full of off shore rigs.

[bigwillq]

36. Beautiful pics!

Enjoy!