savi.you

I was hoping to be able to post a bit while I was on vacation at the Outer Banks, but just didn't find the time to do so. Ok, that's a lie. What really happened, I was too buzzed from drinking Coronas, Mojitos, and Sangria all day! I figured I could just cram it all into one post when I got back home. So, now I’m back from my week off and finally have some time to write some things down while they’re fresh in my head.

We left on Saturday night around 11pm. Some of my friends thought that I was crazy to drive overnight with only a brief nap a few hours before. The secret for me were sunflower seeds, Red Bull and Howard Stern shows on my Tilt 8925 (with earphones). The sunflower seeds kept my mouth busy, which in turn kept my mind awake. The Red Bull obviously gave me a quick jolt of caffeine. I would chug a can of it when I was several hours into our trip and a booster about 2 hours later. The Stern show kept me entertained without bothering my passengers. Of course, Casey helped drive a few hours so I could rest my eyes for a bit so I can't take all of the credit. This worked out really well for my girls. They slept peacefully and I stopped only a few times to refuel or empty my bladder.

We reached our destination in about 9 hours. BTW, I used my recently purchase Garmin Nuvi to navigate and it came in real handy. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, even after all of the research I did. The OBX is a totally different beach experience than any of the NJ or MD beaches and you’ll realize this the moment you see your first stretch of dunes along the highway. These islands, almost 200 miles, are flanked on one side by the Atlantic and the other side by the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. It feels sort of strange to be able to just drive to a place like this.

Since we arrived a few hours before Mike and his family, we ate breakfast at the Froggy Dog and spent a few hours hanging out at Club Hatteras, an amenity featuring an Olympic size and kiddie pool, deck area, putting greens, tennis court, grills and a playground. This is offered by Hatteras Realty for early arrivals on check-in day and people leaving late on check-out days. Mike arrived about 2 hours after us.

Once we got settled into the house and purchased some essentials at the local Food Lion, we immediately hit the beach. The Outer Banks are well known for their pristine white sand beaches, which seem to stretch out for endless miles in either direction. All the hype was totally justified. It's just amazing to see a beach like this...

The week just flew by. Every day, our group spent mornings on the beach, came home for lunch and nap time for our kids. The adults would hang out by the pool until the kids woke up, then we'd do a little site seeing or head back out to the beach. Our evenings were spent chasing ghost crabs, sitting in the hot tub or just hanging out in our luxurious beach house. It was just pure relaxation. The best part for me was being able to spend some quality time with my family and making new memories with a good friends.

We didn’t do a whole lot of site seeing, but, we did get a chance to drive down to the southern tip of Hatteras Island and took the ferry to Ocracoke. It was in the list of “top 10 things to do in the OBX.” This tiny island is nicknamed "the Pearl of the Outer Banks" and was known as one of Blackbeard the Pirate's hangouts...YARRR! The beaches here were voted #1 beach of 2007 in America by Dr. Beach.

The town itself is very quaint, with a bunch of small shops and restaurants. It was definitely an interesting area, although not exactly what I was expecting. The streets were small and crowded with tourists…something I found very annoying. That’s what you get for being named #1 beach in America right? The beaches there were very beautiful, although I couldn’t tell the difference between them and the ones along Cape Hatteras...which was listed at #8 in 2008. I guess it’s the whole atmosphere that makes Ocracoke such an attraction, not really my cup of tea, but I can see why people would like it. Hey, atleast I can say I’ve been there!

We also took a trip to see the famous lighthouse in Buxton. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, built in 1870, measures 198.48 feet from the ground to the tip of its lightning rod. It's the tallest lighthouse in America and the tallest brick lighthouse in the world. I am by no means a lighthouse expert, but it was pretty impressive even to me. The lighthouse was in danger of being destroyed by the eroding shoreline, so they actually moved it inland to where it is now.

Hatteras Island, is known for world-class sport fishing, surfing, windsurfing and kiteboarding, and is called "the blue marlin capital of the world." I didn’t get a chance to do any of those things, but definitely, have something to look forward to when our daughters are a little older…yes, we are planning on going back!

The last night, Mike and I built a fire on the beach and reminisced of the good ol’ days. There’s something special about staring at the fire and just hanging out with family and friends that I can’t really describe.

The OBX is a far cry from the crowded beaches, expensive hotels and noisy boardwalks that we're used to. It offers the vacationer, looking for a remote getaway, exactly what they're looking for at a reasonable price. It's the perfect way to enjoy the "dog days" of summer and connect with your family.

The beaches are beautiful and for me that was the main attraction. While it's not a tropical paradise, they have a certain charm about them that you just can't get anywhere along the shores of NJ and MD. Although, some of the things, such as waitresses that barely speak English, Sunsations, and overpriced EVERYTHING will be the same at whatever beach you go to, it was worth the trek.

If you have never visited North Carolina's famous beaches, I highly recommend it for your next summer vacation! Do I sound like a commercial yet?