OBX - 2006

Spring break, what better time to escape the mundane for an exciting trip to the beach?  And for those of you who know me – you know that the beach for me is like heaven on earth.  I just feel like I’m at home when I’m there, and this trip was no exception, with the added benefits of having my boyfriend there.  It has to top as the most relaxing and comfortable trip that I have ever been on in my entire life.  The best way I know to describe it is by closing my eyes, taking in a deep breath of air and smiling as it quickly escapes.  

Monday –
We got out of Charlotte sometime after 9am.  It was an odd morning.  While I was in the shower the power decided to go out and there I was… in the dark… soap in hair… no lights.  I managed to feel my way around and made it out of there without killing myself.  Cathy had come up to escape the darkness and so she went to eat breakfast with Will and me once he got here.  And finally we were off to the OBX.  

The drive wasn’t too bad that morning.  It was full of giddy excitement – our very first trip together!  A lot must be said for this.  Will and I have been dating for a little over 3 months now and in a lot of ways it’s a critical point for a relationship, especially for me.  Spending an entire week together, especially when its just the two of you, can leave you either loving each other to death at the end of the trip or so ready to part ways that you quite honestly don’t care when the next time you see that person will be again.  I’ll probably be seeing Will tomorrow night if you are wondering how our trip ended.  (Deep breath, closed eyes, smiling… sigh).

We make it to the ferry terminal in great time.  We were about an hour early for the Swan Quarter crossing to Ocracoke… so we wasted some time.  We made it on board and I ended up sleeping half the trip over to the island.  By the time we arrived it was dark.  George … hehe!!! … had called us during our drive down.  George was the owner of The Captains Landing, the suites we stayed in the first two nights.  Once we arrived he showed us to our room… let’s pause here for a side-story…

I just want to give some props out to independent business owners.  When we arrived George had the place lit up with the little white Christmas lights along the fence where you park.  We went inside and chatted for a bit… almost as though he’d known us from somewhere before.  George was extremely nice.  He told us to pick out some movies from the collection he had and then he took us to our room where he showed us how to work everything, where things were… made sure the icemaker was working, and how to check out.  The room was so nice.  You entered into a little entry hall with the kitchen to your right and a good sized living room ahead of you.  A sliding glass door led you to the balcony which connected to the bedroom.  To the left of the living room were the bathroom, a half-bath, and the bedroom.  Everything was very quaint… perfect!  Point being, you would never receive this type of service, amenities, or George at any chain hotel.  It’s the kind of place that makes you never want to return home.

After we settled in we headed to get some dinner.  There were literally two restaurants open on the island.  This time of the year is not the most ideal to travel to the OBX… everything is closed.  LOL!  But dinner was nice and then we headed back to the room totally beat and watched a movie and fell asleep.

Tuesday we decided to travel around the island.  We slept in every morning but the last, so we decided to walk to a local grocery and grab some stuff for breakfast.  George then unlocked the bikes for us (yet another FREE amenity) and we headed out on an excursion.  First, we traveled to the lighthouse.  We took some pictures and what not.  Will then found this side road that cut to the ocean and we made our way out there, not knowing the road was 3 miles to the beach it became deemed ‘the never ending road.’  We finally made it and it was gorgeous.  The most remarkable part of the NC coast is going out to these islands and looking up and down the beach and there not be another person in sight.  It was beautiful!  The trip back down this 3 mile stretch of road was horrible!  It was cold, the wind was blowing hard (35-40mph gusts according to the news) so we spent most of the way back pushing the bikes.  Once we got back further inland the winds died down due to the buildings and trees breaking them up, so we headed to the British cemetery.  We estimate that we traveled between 15-20 miles that day on the bikes so by the time we got back to the room we were pretty well beat.  We took a nice long nap – yes I took a nap and didn’t even wake up in a bad mood – and then we headed out for dinner at the other choice of the two restaurants that were open.  Then back to the room for a movie and sleep.

Wednesday we parted ways from George which was highly disappointing for me.  HAHA!.  We headed up Ocracoke Island and took the ferry over to Hatteras.  We stopped at the light house (which was closed – note to self – write letter).  We took our pictures and then headed for the hotel to check in.  We spent the next two nights in Nags Head.  I’ve never done this trip this way before – meaning having two sort of stations for departure and exploring everything and returning for the night.  It worked out really well.  On the way up we also stopped at yet another personless beach and Bodie lighthouse.  They’d put a fresh paint on Bodie and it was looking rather nice.  Will read that Bodie is identical to Currituck, minus the painted black and white strips.  The third and fourth nights we stayed at The Surfside Hotel.  It was nicer than previous hotels that we’ve stayed at in Nags Head, but nothing like The Captains Landing.  It was oceanfront and cheap, however.  After we checked in we headed over to Roanoke Island to the fort and the Elizabethan Gardens.  This place was kind of … interesting to me.  It’s all like some kind of giant fallacy; not so much the fort, but the gardens.  They tell you once you pay for your ticket that this garden represents what they believe the gardens of the Lost Colony ‘might’ have looked like had they survived.  The tour guide continues by showing us her favorite spot on the map of the gardens that happens to be the statue of Virginia Dare… and what Virginia Dare might have looked like had she lived.  Other points of interest were the “breathtaking view” down the axis of the sunken garden (I had many and much better breathtaking views over the course of the week) and the “ancient live oak” tree that they also ‘believe’ would have been alive when the Colonists first arrived.  I guess for me this attempt is like sitting on the fence.  Were going to put all this effort into something we ‘believe’ could have been like this, but we don’t really know anything for sure.  I’d much rather they just lie to me and say they found some plans somewhere and this was the layout they used for the gardens.  The naked statue of Virginia Dare also did not sit well with Will or me either.  However, the gardens were very nice and there was a gazebo with a really nice view out into the Roanoke Sound.  I’d also never been to this place and Will had, so it was nice seeing something new at the OBX.  Once we finished our excursions here we headed back to the room and took another nap – what can I say… Will has this effect on me.  LOL!!!  I always wake up in the best mood after curling up in his arms or him in my arms.      

Thursday was the most exciting part of the trip for me.  I’ve never been up the north side of the OBX before.  We decided to head up that way first thing to see the Currituck lighthouse and whatever else was up there.  The drive was pleasant with lots of new stuff to see.  This side of the coast is being way over developed with housing.  In fact, that is true pretty much all the way from Nags Head north.  And just so you people know, there is something extremely disturbing about a log cabin being built at the beach!  It just is not right!!!  People are finally starting to understand the concept in architecture that we call ‘sense of place.’  This is what gives an area its special qualities, makes it unique from everything else in the world.  Take for instance, New Orleans.  The old architecture there very much gives New Orleans a ‘sense of place,’ a quality that people will return to because it is unique, offers historical reference, and is specific to a certain region.  Another example is Charleston.  Here everyone loves the beautiful homes that are placed parallel to one another along their long axis with the huge porches that sometimes are bigger than the house itself.  We know that they were built this way for a reason.  When these homes were built air conditioning did not exist and by placing the homes so tightly together these porches stayed in the shade and providing cooling from the trapped hot air on the interior of the homes.  At night, the temperatures would drop sometimes quite severely and then, the trapped hot air kept them warm inside.  Point being, they weren’t just built this way to be pretty.  It’s served a purpose.  And if we were to take Charleston homes and plant them all over the US just because we like them, it would very quickly ruin what makes Charleston such a special place.  That’s why we should not built log cabins at the beach!  Also of note, the scale of these communities continue to be ruined with these McMansions that line the coast.  People, is it really necessary to build a 3-7,000 square foot house that you are going to be in for all of 2 weeks tops?  Most of the time you aren’t even occupying the house – or you shouldn’t be.  You go to the beach for the beach and to be outside and part of nature.  Otherwise you should just stay at home!  Scale here is extremely important and could work to retain some of the character and sense of place that these island communities offer.  This can also be achieved through materials like the white cedar shingles they use.  STOP PAINTING THEM ALL DIFFERENT COLORS!!!  HAHA!  Okay, I’m going to stop bitching now.  Oh and for Will’s sake, stop building Wings stores every other block as well.  They all carry the same shit, it’s just not necessary.  We past a few nice new hotels to stay at (note to self for future reference) and lots of restaurants and shops.  At points you are driving right next to the sound which was really pretty.  A lot of the buildings just don’t have the land so the literally build out over the water.  The lighthouse was my favorite of all the NC lighthouses.  It has this sort of French style of ornate architecture that the others don’t have.  The grounds were kept very nicely and it has an original brick façade not painted.  Our lighthouses are well known because of the different patters of white and black stripes and diamonds that cover them.  That, and because they helped to stop so many shipwrecks along the OBX, also deemed the graveyard of the Atlantic.  Another cool thing about this lighthouse was the little independently owned shops that had been put in these old renovated structures.  There was a great bookstore that got our attention for at least a half-hour or so.  On the way back down we stopped at the Wright Brother’s Memorial.  We toured the museum(s) and exhibits and walked to the top of the hill where the memorial is.  It’s quite a nice place and maintained pretty well.  Then it was back to the hotel for a nap, out to dinner, and sleep.  

Friday was one of those days I didn’t want to come because I knew it meant going home.  We checked out of the room and went over to Jockey’s Ridge, some really cool sand dunes.  I wanted to go hang gliding, but the day we would have gone was too windy anyways.  It was a gorgeous day though, the temperature was perfect.  We walked around the dunes for a while and then headed back across Roanoke Island to come home.  The trip back was extremely short.  When we got back to my place we caught up on the missed episode of 24 from Monday night and then Will headed home.  I was really sad to see him go.  I got extremely used to being with him; waking up next to him and falling asleep with him… all of those little things that let you know how much someone means to you.  I greatly enjoyed waking up in the mornings and just laying there watching him sleep.  I have to say we had a perfect week.  Nothing went wrong.  The best part, I knew that he felt exactly the same way.  When he got home he text messaged me and said ‘Back safe miss you already.’  I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and smile.