Outer Banks Day 1

     Can’t remember when I started feeling this pull to the Outer Banks. The odd part of that ‘pull’ was that the weather had to be cool. Last fall when I was over the hot weather in Jacksonville I put a deposit down on the ocean front cabana called Lost Shaker of Salt located in Hatteras Village for a week beginning on my birthday.

     I left the Starbucks parking lot at 6:16 this morning with my faithful dog child, PBGV, Natalie. Pretty uneventful trip traveling up 95 except for plentiful beautiful red buds and long unseen blooming forsythia and then maybe the Pepto Bismal limo (hope I remember to check the spelling before I post this. I have no internet. I knew it before I got here. Thought I could live with a moderated “unplugging” from the world for a week and use the wifi café once daily).

     The new direction onto 264 East provided some amusement. I slightly missed my exit for Washington, NC and found myself at a Hess station near the campus of East Carolina.  To make a long story short, this adorable flirty, tall, muscled young man offered to wash my van windows for $5 as a joke. He and his friends are college students and were on their way to ride bikes in Raleigh. To his surprise I took him up on it. He said for $10 he would take his shirt off. I was tempted but I didn’t. L When I retire I want to become a house mother at a college fraternity.

     The last part of the trip was tedious with intermittent two lane highways.  I   was inpatient. I wanted to get here. I loved the scenery even if everything is still brown. Water, water everywhere! So inviting to a Pisces! I see the ocean in Jacksonville on occasion but I wanted to see it now on the Outer Banks and it just wasn’t happening for miles and miles. I felt drawn to getting to the Atlantic Ocean. I likened it to all those people who had to get to the mountain in Close Encounters of The Third Kind.  But first I see a sign that I have never seen before. Watch Out for Bears. What?? And the next sign says Watch Out for Red Wolves. On that one I look over at Jacob Black (the blanket Meredith gave me last year for my birthday which is draped across the back of the passenger seat) and winked before I asked him if they were kin.  Finally I was on Roanoke Island!  I was in Nags Head – awesome! But it was pretty empty. It’s off season. All the way down was pretty much the same way. And then I finally saw the Atlantic Ocean via an Outer Banks sighting. It was dark blue, It looked cold but I saw people wearing wet suits in the water flying kites. That is insane!  I thought there were going to be more bridges/causeways then there were. Hello Rodanthe and Avon! Then there was Buxton and Frisco and at last Hatteras Village at 6:25.

     Lost Shaker of Salt looks like the pics I saw.  I unloaded the van before taking Natalie for a walk on the beach. It’s chilly but we brave it. Nat poops on the beach. No problem – wait – where are the bags I stuffed in my jacket pockets? Find two tissues and manage a balancing act to the van where there are plenty of bags but no! Somebody has their dog off lead and …. All turned out well. The lady wanted to talk and talk. She’s leaving in the morning. I finally excused myself to find the dumpster and go upstairs to call my parents to let them know I arrived safely.

     My phone has no bars. Nowhere in this town can I call out with my phone. I drove around to find a place. By now it’s dark and I can’t see for crap because I live in a haloed night of lights with contacts.  A waitress at the pizza place (the only place open – remember it’s off season) was so sweet to let me call my parents from her phone as they don’t have a pay phone. Out of politeness I order a small pizza which costs almost $20. Yikes!

     Nat and I end up back at The Last Shaker of Salt to eat pizza (I didn’t know she liked crust but then again I don’t let her eat people food nor do I eat real pizza) and I open a bottle of Moscato. I make my way up to the crow’s nest and toast the huge moon that God has sent my way on my birthday, Thank you, God!!

    Nat is sleeping on the gigantic bed. I helped her get up. Time for me to join her so we can have another day of adventure tomorrow. (Word is making these inappropriate indentions and I can’t correct it)