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