Waiting to board the ferry at Hatteras
To wind up our trip we had
planned to drive the length of the Outer Banks, taking a two-hour ferry ride
from Ocracoke Island back to the mainland. This is a time-consuming venture, but turned
out to be the best part. Once you get
south of Nags Head, the surrounding quickly transform into the remote, rugged
environment I had in originally envisioned and this redeemed the Outer Banks completely.
We started off around 9AM to
beat the traffic through Nags Head, and after that we encountered but a handful
of vehicles. We wanted to check out
all of the classic lighthouses while heading south, but since we hadn’t really
planned things out beforehand there turned out to be a major wrinkle. The ferry ride from Ocracoke departs every
three hours and we estimated that catching the 2PM ferry would get us back home
around 9PM.
Departing Hatteras on the ferry
I had to catch a 5:45AM flight
the next morning for a business trip, so we really didn’t want to miss that
ride!
Thus we only got to stop at
Bodie Island Lighthouse for a few minutes, but it was fantastic. Again I’ll write that up as a separate
review. The single roadway rolls along
through a few small villages and miles of beautiful sand dunes with occasional
glimpses of the ocean on one side and marsh lands on the opposite. This was very relaxing, even though we kept
one eye on the clock. Fortunately Jeff
had told us we could call ahead and make a reservation for the Ocracoke Ferry
to ensure a space on the 2PM departure, which we did and provided some peace of
mind, despite being required to show up there no later than 1:30 to pay up ($15
is the standard charge for a vehicle with people) – you lose the guarantee
otherwise.
Heading to Ocracoke on the ferry from Hatteras
So our remaining time was further
trimmed, but we arrived at the free ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke just in
time to catch the next ferry (these depart every half hour and takes about 40
minutes). Arriving at Ocracoke, we drove
the roughly 13 miles from where the ferry drops you off to Ocracoke Village
at the opposite end. There is pretty
much nothing else on the island, just a single campground about the center of
the island (which seemed very inviting!).
There were quite a few people about however, most driving to some
secluded spot for beach time, but quite a few striking out on bikes to
similarly achieve an isolated stretch of sand.
After making Ocracoke village
and confirming our ferry reservation, we enjoyed lunch at a ramshackle bar
called the Pelican.
Docking at Ocracoke (coming in from Hatteras)
This place reminded Kim
and I of Foxy’s on the Caribbean island Jost
Van Dyke! We both had a strong desire to
return and were remiss that our tight schedule left no time to explore. I was especially disappointed to see the sign
for the British Cemetery described by Brett (Brett4321)
in his excellent blog around the Banks, knowing we had no time to visit.
But it was back to the dock
and soon we were returning back to the continent. A wee bit of travel was still on hand,
however, because after landing on Cedar
Island, we drove into
Beaufort for dinner.
A couple of the beach houses we will NOT be renting when we return to OCracoke!
This is a really
sweet waterfront town where Blackbeard hung out. Very old and very pretty. Kim actually comes here once in a blue moon
and wanted to take us to Clawson’s
to try their renowned seafood bisque, which I will describe in a separate
review. We walked along the waterfront
for a few minutes, but soon climbed back into the car for the final push to
home.
A great trip, but only an introduction. We resolved to come back for a better taste of this amazing place and I look forward to the day when I can expand on this blog!
Bodie Island Lighthouse
The current Bodie Island Lighthouse has been in operation since 1872, although this was the third one built to service this portion of the Banks. The first attempt was so poorly constructed that it tilted right away and had to be torn down; the second one was blown up by Confederate forces as Union troops were taking over the Banks – the Outer Banks were captured by the North early in the war and occupied for the duration). Operation of the lighthouse was transferred from the Coast Guard to the National Park Service years ago (the Outer Banks are designated as a National Seashore) and there is a ranger station here.
You can’t go up this lighthouse, but they do open up the keeper’s house occasionally --- as I was madly dashing about snapping some pictures I was informed that there would be a tour soon by no less than three rangers! This lighthouse is stunning and there were only a few other cars in the spacious lots. A very relaxed, free atmosphere prevails and a visit is highly recommended!
Bodie Island Lighthouse
Bodie Island Lighthouse - keeper
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Bodie Island Lighthouse from a s
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