Fall break looks different around here in different years. But this year we made the every-other-year trip to the Outer Banks for a week of fall break. Stephen's brother and his family joined us for a fun week in the sun. We were super-glad to have been there prior to the week-long rain we've had on the east coast since then!
One morning we loaded up the cars and drove as far south as we could reaching Hatteras (the lighthouse was closed due to the federal government shut-down, so we didn't climb) by late morning. The kids then experienced their first boat ride on the ferry which took us a short way across the inlet to Ocracoke Island.
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| It was definitely a SLOW boat. |
We also made a trip to the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island and were treated to a presentation on sea turtles with a live sea turtle. Elsa was pretty excited given her love for turtles.
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| Cade with a Leatherback Sea Turtle's shell |
Later in the day Stephen took the kids to the beach, and while they were playing in the surf, a fisherman nearby called them over to check out the shark he'd just reeled in! It was a small black-tipped shark, about two feet in length. They all "petted" it before he tossed it back into the waves. I was at the house while Caroline napped, so I missed the excitement. But I can guarantee you there would have been fewer children in the water if I'd been there when the shark was released!
We drove onto the beach north of Corolla to see the horses, and this year we managed to get the car stuck. A kindly local pulled us out with his tractor/backhoe, and we were on our way again.
And the ride home was memorable too. We hardly left the island when we spotted a dead black bear alongside the road. We had to stop and check him out. It appeared as though he'd been hit by a car, perhaps the day before. It was a little unnerving walking up to a real bear!
