On Friday, Cindy and I decided at the last minute to forego the yardwork we'd planned for the weekend and head for the Outer Banks. Although we arrived quite late (10:30 PM) and it was relatively crowded (75-80% full), we managed to snag the best site in the campground. P59 has a great view of the ocean, is exposed enough to get a good breeze but has an open area nestled between the dunes that is relatively protected and large enough for our screen room plus a second picnic table totally sheltered by live oak and yaupon holly for private dining.

Saturday morning we got up early, fixed coffee and drove up the beach for a mile or so seeing only a few other early risers. Then breakfast (omelets with crab, shrimp, Old Bay and mozzarella) at Diamond Shoals restaurant. Dropped by the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse to see if the Park Service had anything special going on for the weekend - they didn't. Then back to the campground where we threw the chairs, a cooler, books, music and the cabana into the Tacoma and back to the beach by ten.

Much more crowded this time but we found a good spot and settled in to do ........ absolutely nothing..... for six hours. Drove back to town and bought a pound of shrimp and a couple of crab cakes (mostly backfin lump) from a local seafood market. Cindy fixed a marinade and skewered the shrimp while I got the charcoal going and by seven we were dining well.

We couldn't have asked for better weather - actually needed a sweatshirt after dark to take the chill off. Not bad for mid-July in NC and NO BUGS.

Did see one other egg in the campground; a Trillium (I think) but never saw the owners around. Coming home, we had a 13' Scamp ("Escape Pod" lettered on the rear) for company from Manteo to our cutoff in Tarboro.

All in all a great weekend and highly recommended.

Al & Cindy

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Thanks Al & Cindy...I was just checking out the NP sites last nite as we hope to head to friends in Hampton via the Outer Banks... once we leave our FGRV buddies, Doug & Kathy when our week in the Smokies is over.
Last time we did the Banks was in a Eurovan and we camped at Ocrakoke. This time we will come from the mainland and go through Ocrakoke to Frisco.
We'll have to check out Diamond Shoals...sounds like a good eatery
I see by the park's website that there are "cold" showers...how cold were they?
Glad to hear that the skeeters were not too bad...hope that's still the case in end of August!
Happy trails...Alistair

The cold showers will probably be a welcome relief most anytime in July or August. The mosquitos are usually much less of a problem at Frisco than Ocracoke.

Where are you folks camping in the mountains? We're lucky enough to live within four hours of the Outer Banks and six of the Smokies and really enjoy camping in both areas whenever we can. The Cherohala Skyway from Tellico Plains TN to Robbinsville NC is a great drive if you haven't found it yet. On the NC end, in Nantahala NF is one of our favorite campgrounds, Horse Cove. I'd also recommend Hwy 64 rather than I-40 when you head east for the coast if you have the time and don't mind a winding road - much more scenic. Van Hook Glade on 64 is another campground we like.

Hope you folks enjoy your stay with us.


Al & Cindy

What's the name of the campground?

Hi Bob,

Its the National Park Service campground at Frisco. Come on down out of them mountains and visit with us flatlanders sometime. Now that you have all those book/movie royalties coming in, you don't have an excuse anymore. Congratulations - really glad to hear of your success there.
http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm


Al

Thanks!

My wife has been bugging me since 2005 to take our Casita to the Outer Banks. I reckon we should head on over. I think it's the enormous drive that has always put me off. But it's on the agenda, now.

Enormous drive!!! We're coming down from Canada
It'll be a coupla thousand miles round trip
Al & Cindy...we are two nights in Great Smoky Mtns NP and then four nights in Grayson SP in VA where we hope to bike the Creeper Trail. Then off to Hampton via Durham and Outer Banks
Cheers Alistair

That's the weird thing about the Outer Banks. There's no direct route to it from the Charlotte area. Even though it's in my home state, we're still looking at about a nine-hour drive to reach Hatteras.