We started the day off by going on a nice hike in the Croantan National Forest. Interestingly, it was in the upper 60's, no wind, sunny, and a weekend yet there it was deserted. It wasn't a particularly interesting or pretty hike but it was just the kind of hike the girls like. The forest was sparsely treed and had very bushes so they could run and run (off leash) easily. There was a swamp that ran here and there so they could get wet and dirty. Mike and I like that kind of forest as the girls can run quite a ways and still be in sight. Although I will say we didn't see them much anyway! When Sparkie did come check in with us she always had a big smile on her face.
You may not be able to tell from this picture but one of the boardwalks over the swamp was damaged by a hurricane. Actually all the boardwalks were damaged but this particular one was sloped at a 20 degree angle. That doesn't sound like much but it was a LOT! And it was really jiggley. Didn't seem to bother the dogs but Mike and I had a more difficult time.
There must have been a fire in the forest sometime in the past few years as in one section some of the trees were very burnt. This tree was very interesting as it was so burnt that it fell over....but not all the way. How it could stay up at this angle with such a small amount of trunk left was very interesting.
Yes, you many notice this is a familiar view of Slugger. Sorry Mom, but that's the only end I see of him when we're hiking. He is always sticking his head in logs or holes.
After the hike, we drove over a bridge to what they call the Outer Banks.
The Outer Banks are small strips of land just off the mainland. Some you can get to by driving over bridges and others you must take one or more ferries to reach them. As you drive down the road you can see the bay on one side and the ocean on the other side. Well actually it is hard to see the ocean much as it is wall to wall condos that are four or five stories tall. Since we were driving I couldn't get a picture but all the houses are built up on stilts anywhere from 10'-15' off the ground.
We found one place that had public access to the beach. So we parked there and walked on this really long boardwalk to get to the beach. Wouldn't you know at the end of the boardwalk were about three stories worth of steps. Arg!! When we got there we then noticed all these cars driving on the beach. Oh man, all those steps for nothing!!
This particular beach was a very popular place to fish.
The beach was lined with people fishing with these really long poles. They put the poles in these "pole holders" (I'm sure they have a fancy name!) and then just left them there as they talked with other fishermen, drank coffee at their trucks, etc. I couldn't figure out when they knew they had a fish on with this system. I stopped and spoke with one of the people and asked them what kind of fish they caught. The lady told me they catch trout, flounder and sea bass. This took me off guard as I thought trout was a fresh water fish. So I said "Well this is the ocean." She looked at me like I must be an alien from outer space. Then she said "Where are you from!" I didn't bother telling her why I said that but Mike thinks maybe what they call trout is different from "real" trout.
As we headed back up the boardwalk I took this shot of the beach.
At one point on the drive home, Mike asked me which way to go. I asked him how I'm supposed to know since he is the one with all the maps. I told him I just go where ever the car goes. He said "Oh, that's right you're just cargo." He thought he was pretty funny. (I think not.)
When we got back to the RV it was just sunset so I snapped a few more pictures. They sure do have pretty sunsets here.
Debbie
11/5/06
No comments:
Post a Comment