In October 2012, after spending time with friends and family in NYC, DC, and Virginia Beach (and visiting the ponies at Chincoteague), Todd and I headed off the mainland to the Outer Banks. Staying there had long been a dream of mine, and our week there was pretty much perfect, except for the lack of great places to eat. I got up about 5 a.m. one morning to photograph the sunrise. Here is a “late sunrise” photograph.

Sunrise, Kill Devils Hills, Outer Banks, NC Oct 2012

The Outer Banks are home to some otherworldly creatures, such as the horseshoe crab below. I didn’t find any that were living in this dimension.

Horseshoe crab with tail and shadow, Outer Banks, NC, Oct 2012

The Wright Brothers memorial and a striped lighthouse were Todd’s picks.

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I went down to Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge twice, once with Todd (we had a dispute over when and how much to bird, which is nothing new), and by myself on the last morning of our stay, just as Hurricane Sandy was coming

Todd at Pea Island NWR, Outer Banks, NC Oct 2012

in. If we had not crossed back to the mainland before noon on October 26, 2012, we would have been stranded on the Outer Banks during Sandy, and the Prius most likely would have been ruined.

Sandy with raindrops on lens, Outer Banks, NC Oct 2012

We were lucky to get out when we did. But a week was not enough for me. I will definitely go back.

Leave A Comment

  1. Cara Lopez Lee October 10, 2014 at 4:22 pm - Reply

    Love the horseshoe crab photo. I’ve never seen one. The Outer Banks is lovely. I went kite surfing there once for a TV news story. My favorite coastal town in North Carolina was Beaufort – the words “charming” and “idyllic” were invented for places like that.

  2. Beth Partin October 10, 2014 at 11:26 pm - Reply

    Cara,

    I have yet to see a live horseshoe crab. I’d love to be on the Outer Banks when the red knots are there to feast on horseshoe crab eggs.

    What is kite surfing?