Our Trip to the North Carolina Coast

It was an amazing couple of weeks. I have been looking forward our North Carolina vacation ever since C invited us to join her family earlier this year.

About a week before the departure approached, I got my second COVID vaccine and it made me sick, sick, sick. I was afraid it would ruin my trip. However, the day before we left I was feeling almost normal, thank you Lord! So, early on Monday, May 24 Dale and I headed to Austin Airport to catch our flight to RDU. We had a layover in Nashville.

C’s family had gotten up even earlier than us to catch their flight from Dallas to RDU, with a layover in Charlotte. That actually never happened. When we arrived in Nashville we got an update from C that Z had suffered with a kidney stone almost as soon as they took off from DFW. He was in extreme pain all the way to Charlotte. He was considered a medical emergency and deplaned first. So much happened after that. Suffice it to say that C rented a car, got him to the doctor then drove to RDU where we met them on time at the Hertz Car Rental Office. Again, thank to the Lord that Z did not have such a severe attack again and improved daily.

Monday, May 24. [see video] We arrived in North Carolina and drove to our first beach house located in Atlantic Beach. We tucked Z in bed then headed to the Food Lion for groceries. Later we walked to the beach. Z was still resting.

Tuesday, May 25. [see video] Z is feeling better and they walked to the beach while Dale and I fixed breakfast. It was the first time Z has seen the Atlantic Ocean. We spent the morning at Ft. Macon, then returned home, ate sandwiches then went to the beach. Dale taught A how to boogie board. She did so well! She probably had the longest, best ride of the day. And B surprised us all as well by allowing Dale to teach him to boogie board as well! When we first got to the beach he would not go in past his ankles. C and Z coaxed him in farther but it was Dale who got him up to his chest and catching some “tasty” waves! Ha ha! Unfortunately most of us got sunburned. 🙁

For supper we drove into Morehead City and had seafood in a restaurant on the waterfront. It had very nice views. Then we headed to Beaufort for ice cream. This was the best part of the evening. The walk along the waterfront looking at yachts was so relaxing. Then Z took us on a driving tour of some of the nicest waterside homes I’ve ever seen.

It was a wonderful day.

Wednesday, May 26. [see video] The kids have a balcony off of their bedroom. Each morning Dale and I, and the grandkids head there to journal, read or talk. I made biscuits, eggs and sausage for breakfast, then we headed to New Bern. We walked around town, had lunch at the Baker’s Kitchen, got some ice cream then headed back to Atlantic Beach. We went back to the beach late in the day so that the sun wouldn’t hurt our burns. We flew the kite. The waves were a bit rough so we waded and relaxed.

Thursday, May 27. [see video] We checked out of our Atlantic Beach AirBnB and headed to catch the 10am ferry to Ocracoke. We made it in plenty of time and we were off! Two and a half hours later we arrived at Ocracoke Island. It has grown so much since we last visited more than 24 years ago! We headed to see the Ocracoke Lighthouse, had lunch, then caught the second ferry that would take us to the main Outer Banks Islands.

We continued driving up Highway 12 toward Duck, visiting lighthouses as we went. We saw the Hatteras Lighthouse and the Bodie Lighthouse. We arrived to the Nags Head area just in time for supper and ate at Dare Devil Pizza. We checked in to our beach house and headed out for a quick walk on the beach. We can see the ocean from our deck and have a short wooden path right to the beach.

Friday, May 28. [see video] We spent the morning at the beach. The waves were strong and the water ice cold! Dale, Z, A and B were the only ones to get in the water. A was the bravest of us girls! She did a little boogie boarding too! After lunch we headed to Kill Devil Hills to see the where the Wright brothers lived while they developed a heavier-than-air aircraft that finally flew using its own power. We spent a couple of hours touring the museum, the memorial and the area where the flight actually took place.

We all rested for a bit then went to dinner at a nice restaurant with a beautiful view of the sound and the sunset!

When we got home we played a game of OBXopoly. I won! I could hardly believe it. The game went so long we had to finish it during breakfast the next morning.

Saturday, May 29. [see video] Today we went to Corolla to see the Currituck Lighthouse and check out the surrounding area. It was another very enjoyable day. Everywhere we went we learned something new about the history of the surrounding area. We drove to the very end of Highway 12 which ended up on the beach. We headed down the beach but quickly turned around before we got stuck! We were hoping to see some wild ponies, but we didn’t. 🙁

We found a cute shopping area with restaurants where we ate. The restaurant felt very local and was jampacked with people. We did not wear masks the whole time we were in NC and no one else did either!

Sunday, May 30. C turned 33! It started raining during the night and lasted all night. When we woke up Z had already made coffee and was getting ready to pack the car. We hit the road by 9am, stopping for breakfast at a McDonald’s drive through. We made it to the airport on time! It was a wonderful trip!