This is reading material. There’s a lot of it. So, if you’re looking to kill some time on a lunch break, this is your chance.
So…the long awaited OBX blog. Yeah, I know our vacation was like…a month ago. So what?
Quick preface: this was our first “real” vacation in 3 years. Since the honeymoon. The whole “losing my job” business left me with hectic unfriendly schedules, no paid time off and not a whole lot of spare quiche. So, the whole idea of an honest vacation was put on the back burner. Needless to say we were stoked about this one.
the Saturday evening before, we took our stubby-legged ball of fluffy-smile over to his Grammy’s house. Once there, he could’ve cared less that we were leaving him behind.
Sunday morning BEFORE the crack of dawn, we were up and out on the road. So early in fact, that our neighborhood Starbucks wasn’t open yet. We set off and stopped for breakfast two hours later in Asheville. After getting off the interstate in Raleigh, the rest of the journey seemed tortuous. Speed limit was a humble 55mph on a two lane state highway for the rest of the way (some places even lower). We arrived in Nags Head about an hour before we could check in. So we did what any sensible couple with a car full of cargo would do…we drove up to Corolla and took the Subaru OUT ON THE BEACH. Yes, you read that right. It was so much fun. I can’t really explain why. It just felt like something that shouldn’t be done at any time. I was literally a little kid back on Toole Drive, cruising around in a power wheel. (that’s right, I went there). 
So after that nonsense, we checked in and found our lil condo. It was literally on the beach. The view from our balcony and bedroom was insane. I could tell from this arrival, that this was going to be a relaxing and satisfying week. We made a grocery run to Harris Teeter (cause we’re old people) to stock our fridge. Dinner that night was a grab n’ go at a little hole in the wall called Crabby Fries. You want to talk about Crab Cakes?
Yeah. Crab Cakes. No imitation crap here or small chunks o’ crab. Big, juicy, succulent chunks of all white crab meat. And a tartar sauce to die for. Ah…good first day.
Monday:
Monday was our day to head north in search of Wild Horses. Long story short, we drove on the beach for hours, getting sand in all places imaginable and found ZERO horses. We did however, stop and see Currituck Lighthouse and the Whale Head Club on the way up to Corolla.
Once we struck out on the horse adventure, we went back towards home and checked out Jockey’s Ridge State Park. That place was surreal. Felt like being in a dessert. It stretched on for as far as I could see. Windblown dunes and lots of sand in my mouth, and eyes.
For dinner that night, we stopped at a local fish market and bough some Tuna. We got two HUGE tuna steaks for…wait for it…$11. I seared those puppies off and we had ourselves a yummy homecooked meal.
Tuesday:
Tuesday was the day that was threatening rain. So we had decided not to make any plans that day. It was windy, gray and *meh* all day long so we stayed in and watched movies. But Kara did manage this great shot.
We made dinner reservations at the Flying Fish Cafe and our food was nothing short of spectacular. We capped off the main course with cappuccinos and the “Chocolate Hurricane”. I will let it speak for itself.
Wednesday:
Brief pause, Wednesday’s sunrise was the best. Boom.
This was our head down south day. Toward Hatteras & Ocracoke. It was a lil bit of a drive (about 2 hours) but an absolutely beautiful one. Miles and miles of untouched wildlife reserves, beaches, and NO ONE on the roads.
The ferry ride over to Ocracoke was longer than I thought. About 45 minutes and people were antsy…including me. Ocracoke was charming, tiny and had the most beautiful beach I have EVER seen. It was actually voted best beach in 2007. I can certainly see why. We ate lunch downtown near the harbor, walked in the “historic” district and stopped in to buy some artwork at the craft store.
Look! A rare sighting of the mysterious Browns! In matching corny sweatshirts no less!
Thursday:
Another day of not really having any plans. We used this day to head over to The Wright Brothers Museum. Really fascinating stuff for the history buffs out there. Just imagine two guys moving out to Kitty Hawk and trying to CREATE flight. Like…no man had ever flown before. How crazy is that?
To our hearts delight…Kill Devil Hills Frozen Custard & Beach Fries had opened for the season. Let’s just say…we went there 3 times. Custard = Yum
Thursday was a good day for hunting for seashells. Nice, long walk on the beach. Good for those romantical times.
Friday
Friday was another lazy day. We went to Manteo to explore the historic downtown over there. A replica of the QEII was downtown along with the Native American museum.
Saturday
Well, this is where the journey ends. Prematurely. Originally we weren’t heading out until Sunday. But the weather turned cold, gray and nasty and there was nothing we could do. So, rather than drive all day Sunday and have no time to relax, we took our time and headed back Saturday and had ALL day Sunday to relax. But we will conclude with 2 shots…
Looks like you guys had an awesome time. Your pictures are fantastic! I had no idea there was so much to do at the Outerbanks. I’ve only ever been to one beach on my visits with family. Tim and I will have to add it to our list of places to explore.
That was epic! We were there for just a couple of days and for work, but I would never have imagined from what we saw that there was so much that you could fill a week with. You did your homework!
The OBX is not short on lighthouses, that’s for sure. I just love those beautiful, pure, and practically deserted beaches. Sure beats going to Myrtle Beach and having to scout for an hour to find 10sq ft of unoccupied sand to plop a towel on.