Outer Banks, NC

We just spent a week in the Outer Banks, NC. We rented a beach house with some friends and had a great time!

On our way there, we did a little side trip and visited Chincoteague Island in Virginia, home to a herd of wild horses that roam the beaches and marsh lands. According to romantic legend, the horses arrived on Chincoteague when a Spanish galleon with a cargo of wild mustangs sunk off the coast. The surviving animals swam to shore and are the ancestors of today's herds. Unfortunately, the horses (called ponies because of their slightly stunted size) most likely are descendants of herds turned loose by early settlers.

The horses are not always visible. We looked and looked...

We weren't having any luck spotting horses, so we rode over the Assateague Lighthouse (it was built in 1833 and stands 142 feet tall).

Finally on our way back to the car, Dave spotted a herd of horses! They were pretty far away, but at least we didn't go away empty handed.

Crossing the 23 mile long Chesaspeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. This part of the trip is pretty fun, going over and under the Chesapeake Bay.
After a long day we made it to our house...and we got the master bedroom!

On Sunday we had to drive an hour to get to church, so we decided to make the most of it and go to nearby Roanoke Island afterwards. This is an outdoor theater where they do a production called "The Lost Colony". Before Jamestown and Plymouth, a group of about 120 men, women and children bravely established the first English settlement in the New World on Roanoke Island in 1587. Life was diffcult, the colonists were low on supplies and were facing hostilities with the Native Americans, so they sent Governor John White back to Enland for more supplies. When he returned 3 years later, the colony had vanished. The fate of the colony remains a mystery to this day (I think the Indians got 'em).

It was actually a little strange walking around the island, knowing we were standing where those colonists stood (and where they were probably murdered) over 400 years ago.

The Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island

Manteo Waterfront, Roanoke IslandThe rest of the week we mostly spent our days relaxing on the beach...

skimboarding...
playing beach volleyball...
boogie boarding...
you get the picture.One day midweek we rode our bikes up to the Currituck Lighthouse (it was built in 1875 and stands 158 feet tall).Then we rode around historic Corolla Village.Dave spotted this nasty huge spider in the Corolla garden. I had to take a picture, even though I was worried the spider would lunge for my hand! Whatever it had just wrapped up was still moving. yuck.

View of the lighthouse from the Currituck Heritage ParkGood lookin' group!

We couldn't get in the water our last day (Tropical Storm Hanna was on her way).
Saturday morning we left Outer Banks bright and early, with the wind roaring and the rain starting up. We had planned to stop in Williamsburg on our way home, but we weren't sure if the weather would cooperate.

We were able to stop and spend a couple hours before the downpour came. It only wetted our appetites for more, we just barely scratched the surface of what you can see there. I guess we'll be planning another trip soon :)

Somehow we managed to follow Hanna all the way up the coast. Seriously, these were our driving conditions for 8 1/2 hours! Thanks for driving the entire time Dave!