The Outer Banks

A foggy Myrtle Beach

4-11    Once again, plans don't always go the way you want.  I am planning (hah) to take the ferry from Cedar Island to Ocracoke.  Ocracoke is at the beginning of the Outer Banks and the only way to get there is fly, or take the ferry.  I had to make a reservation to be sure I got on, even though this time of year it isn't busy at all.  It only goes 2x a day.  So I planned (there's that word again) to drive part way to Cedar Island (total distance 250 non interstate miles) and find a campground to stay in to break up the drive.  We went along the coast and checked out Myrtle Beach along the way.  It looks pretty much like all the other beach towns along the east coast.  High rise hotels along the oceanfront with a few public beach access places and lots and lots of tourist stores.  This one was really quiet.  No spring break and the weather wasn't all that great for most beachgoers.  I thought it was though.  Nice and cool.  Still shorts, but comfortable.  Getting out of the heat at last.

So we drove....and drove.  I stopped in a couple campgrounds, but they were more like permanent places, no overnight.  And one was just a big dirt lot all locked up.  I almost stopped at Wal-Mart but was hoping to get a shower, everything well charged up, and some laundry done.  So we kept driving.  Finally, around 8 o'clock at night, we got to the end of the road by the ferry dock.  There is a campground here that has plenty of spaces.  I hate to think what it costs.  I'll find out in the morning when I go to pay for it.  But at least we have a place to sleep and little chance we'll miss the 1:oo pm ferry. 

That's us...half way back and crammed in

4-12     The camping spot turned out to be reasonable ($25).  After talking to the very nice, southern sounding ladies that handle the ferry reservations, they got me on the earlier ferry.  So I finally got to the Outer Banks.  The first town, or rather, village, is Ocracoke. It's the off season so the crowds are minimal.  This place has more normal (not rich) folk than some of the other beach towns I've been by.  It's very small and Cash and I walked around the village and also a nature trail not too far out of town. 

Ocracoke village

We didn't do the beach much because of the high winds.  The blowing sand is down at his face level, so we just took a look and left.  The weather has been very windy, but cooler.  The campground I'm staying in is the first one that's given me pause.  There are some of the "normal" folk living here year round I think.  In very beat up looking trailers.  The campground and store are for sale if anyone is interested.  You also get all the feral cats running around.

We did run back down to the beach for a very pretty sunset.  I had to stop while writing this and kill about 2 dozen mosquitos.  They hadn't been too bad lately so I got lazy and left the door open.  That's what I get.  And they got me.