A lot of people we know here in Virginia go to The Outer Banks each year for a family beach vacation. We had yet to make a trip over there and decided we could just as easily do virtual school there as we can here so we finally made the trip over. It was surprisingly way more fun than I thought it would be. I don't see us going back every year and still think its overpriced but we had a really fun week there. We found a cute house over on the Sound side, about 20 minute from the beach in Harbinger NC. We needed extra space so Mark could teach, I could work, and Jared and Lydia could "attend" school. The house had a beautiful yard, chickens to chase (and fresh eggs to enjoy) lots of outdoor seating/deck space and we had really decent weather. We had read that this was going to be a particularly active hurricane season and September is definitely hurricane season but really lucked out. The ocean was pretty rough the first two days with lots of wind but it calmed down by the third day. The hosts had beach equipment we could borrow, there was a friendly neighborhood cat and the neighborhood was quiet and flat enough for walks and bike rides. An added bonus was that our friends the Shaw's were also in The Outer Banks that week and it was really fun to meet up with them. When we learned they were going in September we decided to try to overlap with them and it made it extra fun. Julie has been to there a few times and she had lots of fun activity suggestions which was really helpful. Sue also came out to join us and we loved having her there with us. Sue loves the beach. When she lived in California she would often go with grand kids to the beach and I am so happy Jared and Lydia got to make some beach memories with her. It was a great place to stay.
We left Charlottesville Monday afternoon after Mark finished school (its a four hour drive from here) and drove home Saturday afternoon. In the mornings Lydia and Jared would do their independent school work and then the three of us would head out on a quick adventure with Sue while Mark taught. We came home for lunch and then classes and once they finished we went out with Sue again and Mark joined us when he was done for the day. Even though his schools days are long (9:30 - 4:30) making Mark pretty unavailable during the day, Mark still felt the trip was worth it. It also helps that there is no school Friday so he had that whole day to play. Sue left early Friday morning so our last two days were just the four of us.
I love that they put the eggs in a pattern!
Tuesday:
Sandy Run Park: We took a walk on some raised walkways through wetlands and then a short bike ride on some paths through the neighborhood. When I took my bike off the rack I was sad to see that the front tire was flat, I tried to pump it up but could not get any air to stay in. Jared and Lydia rode ahead and I walked but I wish I could have ridden. It was a cute neighborhood. Luckily Mark was able to get my tire to pump up later in the week.
Ocean Bay Beach and Sunset on the Sound. The first three says we were there the lifeguards had the red flags out meaning no swimming allowed. The rip current was way too strong. Mark and I took a walk along the beach and Jared and Lydia played in the sand by Sue. We told Jared and Lydia to not get wet past their ankles since the water was so rough but Lydia ended up getting wet way more than that. In her defense waves can sneak up on you but she was quite wet. We drove up the road to Duck, NC because it is said to be the best place to watch the sunset and Mark and I each went out to kayak for awhile. It was peaceful and beautiful.
Wednesday:
Sue and I took Jared and Lydia to the Wright Brothers Memorial in the morning. It was really fun to learn about their persistence and dedication. They worked so hard and did not give up and were successful. It's a great National Park and lucky for us they had just reopened the museum about 2 weeks before we got there. Its really well done and the grounds make it so easy to see how they ran their test flights.
3rd successful flight marker
They each bought a set of binoculars with their own money and they are some of the best souvenirs they have picked. They were so cute with them.
The Sound with the Shaw's We met up with the Shaw's on the Sound side after school. Lydia really enjoyed playing in the water. It is incredibly shallow. We walked out at least half a mile and it was mid chest on her. It actually got that deep and then less deep as we walked out. Lydia loved being able to walk that far out. The Shaw's were there with most of Julie's family and there was something like 20 kids 13 so we tried to not intrude too much and enjoyed the time we had with them. A family member had brought an inflatable boat and the kids had fun being owed in it. Lydia really took to Katie, the oldest grandchild and loved being around her.
The sand was so soft and perfect for building. Jared will go in the water but digging and building are his favorite things about the beach.
Mark got there in time for a quick paddle and he had a great time.
That evening we went over to Jennette's Pier. Most people go here to fish but we just walked down the pier although Jared was wishing he had packed his fishing stuff. There was actually a surfing contest going on which was a cool surprise. There were tons of surfers out in the water and it was cool to see their moves. I am not entirely sure why but this was one of my favorite activities. We also caught a beautiful sunset.
These dots are all surfers and there was this many on the other side of the pier as well.
Thursday:
We headed back to the ocean to play in the water and sand and fly the awesome kites Sue had bought. Lydia and Jared were so happy to be at the beach. There was not much wind which was surprising as it has been crazy the previous day so Lydia did not fly her kite much but Jared gave it a valiant effort.
After school we stopped bu the Saws beach house to swim in their pool. The water was freezing so Lydia was really the only one who enjoyed it. I didn't even bother to get in. Jared actually fell in which was a big surprise to him. He was trying to get a ball to move across the pool by whacking a pool noodle and then just fell right in! Luckily they could all warm up in the hot tub. Once Mark finished work we went over to Jockey's Ridge to play in the sand dunes with just the 5 Shaw's and then go ghost crabbing. It was a perfect evening. The sand dunes were so fun. Its just sand but climbing up the dunes, jumping around, flying kites, building in the sand we all loved it. We loved it so much that we went back the next evening.
I was pretty creeped out by the crabs. Once the sun goes down tons of crabs scuttle along the beach. We walked along the sand with headlamps, nets and buckets. All the kids thought it was the most fun and it was cool to be on the beach at night but I was so paranoid about stepping on a crab or having one run over my foot. It was so great to hear pure happiness from Jared and Lydia. That was something really nice about a beach trip that I did not expect. They were so happy doing the simplest things. We didn't do anything fancy and they were never bored. I don't love the beach which is a big reason why it took us so long to make this trip but it sure provides a lot of easy entertainment for kids. They were both so happy to be at the beach.
Friday:
We were sad to see rain in the forecast for Friday, our one day with no school. Luckily for us it cleared out by lunchtime. We planned to get Duck Donuts in Duck because that is the original store but they were so busy we couldn't even place an order. So we opted for Donutz on a Stick instead and it was a great alternative. They were so fresh and delicious. Even though we had a really fun week I don't think we will be going back to The Outer Banks regularly so I wanted to see as much of the area as I could so we headed up past Duck to Corrolla, the Northern section of the islands. A friend had told me that they had ridden bikes there when they went so we looked for places we could ride. We settled on Corrolla Historic Park and while I enjoyed riding nobody else really did. It was rainy, Mark fell off his bike and got a small injury and Jared was just grumpy and cold. The park was really pretty it had an old mansion and a lighthouse so I was happy we went there. I would have liked to have gone to the more famous lighthouse in Hatteras but they had a lot of road closures because of some big storms over the weekend so it was not very accessible. Mark also had a faculty meeting while we were riding so that was interesting. After the park we stopped by a souvenir shop and found a a place to pick up some clam chowder for Jared and Mark. Eating clam chowder was pretty high on Jared's list of desired activities.
What a beautiful place to call home.
That afternoon we went back to the beach, caught a great sunset at Jockey's Ridge-got slightly lost in the dark as we tried to find our way back to the car from the sand dunes (that was really pretty stressful but provided Jared a good lesson on prayer) and went ghost crabbing again. Most of Julie's family went ghost crabbing this time and it was really fun for Jared and Lydia. All the crabs that got caught got placed in one large bucket after we had hunted for awhile. The everyone stood in a circle and one person overturned the bucket to let the crabs free. The idea was to see who could stay the longest without moving their feet. There was no way I was going to play that game but it was a fun idea.
Lydia tired some Boogie boarding but did not have much success.
There is a crab on Jared's foot, near the orange net. Yuck!
Saturday:
After checking out of our Air bnb we went on a quick bike ride around the neighborhood and then headed back to Jennette's Pier. I wanted to see it in the daylight and give Jared and Lydia one more chance to play in the ocean. After the Pier we went to the Sound to play and then stopped for Crumbl cookies on our way out of town. I had seen a few people post pictures of these cookies out in Utah and Idaho and was excited to see a store at The Outer Banks. They were amazing. I am not a big cookie person and I was impressed. They have 6 daily flavors they rotate which makes choosing what to get really easy. They always have chilled sugar cookies and chocolate chip then the other 4 flavors switch out. We got peanut butter brownie, classic chocolate chip, and pumpkin chocolate chip. We left to head home around 1:00 and made it back to Charlottesville just after 5:00.
Typical set up. Lydia fully in the water Jared building in the sand.
So delicious and beautiful.
This was one of the best trips we've taken. I never would have guessed that myself; a non beach lover, mostly scared of the ocean type of person could have such a good time there. I think it would be the perfect place to have a family reunion when Mark and I are old and get to make memories with our grand kids kind of place. I am so glad we went.
