Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Ocean side

Pea Island Ocean side

 The last part of the hike was a trip down the beach.  The choice was to huff it back down Highway 12, no thanks! or cross over and hike down the beach,  Well it was pretty obvious what the choice was.  The beach was still open, no birds or turtles nesting, so down the beach was  the route.  Oh my, This is what the OBX used to be like before development.  It was like a walk back in time. 

Enjoy

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge patterns in the sand

 

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge ripples

 

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

 

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

 

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

 

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

 

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

Sanderlings are so fun to watch

 

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

Boiler stack from the Oriental at the end of the hike

“I’m so pretty” Snowy Egret dance

While hiking the 4.5 mile loop around the north pond at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, witnessed the comical yet so beautiful antics of the Snowy Egrets.   I named it the “I’m so Pretty” dance, and I am sure there is something much more scientific if I would just do the research…but I will later.

Enjoy the dance and I appoligise for the lack of good quality of the images, they were beyond the reach of my equipment.  But you will get the idea!

I'm so pretty dance, snowy egret

I'm so pretty dance, snowy egret

I'm so pretty dance, snowy egret

I'm so pretty dance, snowy egrets

I'm so pretty dance, snowy egret

I'm so pretty dance, snowy egret

I'm so pretty dance, snowy egret

 

I'm so pretty dance, snowy egret

  

I'm so pretty dance, snowy egret

Ya, I got the look back over the shoulder!!!!!

hike at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and why I wish I would trade my car for a bigger lens!

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge sound side looking east

took the 4.5 mile hike around the north pond at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.  Wonderful easy hike, beautiful and great for bird watching!  And Oh do I wish I could trade my car for a bigger camera lens, my 200mm just does not even come close!!!  I have some good shots but that are severely blown up, but I know you will get the idea! 

The first 1/3 of the hike was pretty bug free, great time watching the different birds, lots of egrets, blue wing teal, coots, tundra swan, Ibis, terns, sandpipers, sea gulls, and on and on.  Witnessed the Snowy Egrets do the “I’m so pretty” dance.  Very comical!!  Fall is the best time for the massive migration here, but there was a good show at this time none the less.  After about the first third even the super strength deet did not hold a candle for the monster misquitos that tried to carry you away!!!  Brutal!!!  The last part of the hike has you crossing highway 12 and you hike up the beach to the shipwreck where you cross back over to the parking lot.  I will post the ocean side later.

but enjoy a few of the images from the sound side of the refuge!!!

Great Egret at Pea Island

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

pair of Osprey dancing above platform Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

sound side west Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

with my connection being very weak at this time I will post the Snowy Egret dance on the next post, it was so neat to watch!

“Never smile at a crocodile” or alligator here in the OBX!

tracks found on Pea Island OBXNC

Now you see so many different tracks here in the sand; so many birds I will not bore you to list, fox, crabs, deer, two legged human sorts, beach patrol, pick-trucks further south or further up north.  The sand is amazing to investigate!!

But there is this one track that has me a bit baffled, has me singing, and had me watching a bit closer when I am hiking.  It could be a number of creatures, but whatever it is it is freaking big and definitely not going to be all that friendly to me if I get to close.  It would have been so sweet to have captured and image of what ever made these tracks, but what I have seen on the web and where these tracks came from it looks to be possibly a smaller alligator.  I very well could be mistaken, but how cool are these tracks!!!

close up of track fround Pea Island OBX NC

They were found on the north end of Pea Island, just after you cross the Bonner Bridge.  There is an old Lifesaving Station in the area and many large pothole type ponds there and these great tracks came right out of one of these holes and strolled right up the dune!!!

So whatever it was that made these tacks it is very sweet that is picked Pea Island to make its home!!!!

Audubon Society Nature Preserve walk

reeds and grasses at sound edge at the Audubon Society Nature Preserve

 

 

view of the sound from the Audubon Society Nature Preserve

decking on the sound at the Audubon Society Nature Preserve

Audubon Society Nature Preserve

A very wonderful area just down the road from where we are staying is the Audubon Society Nature Preserve.

Located on the sound side of the bank and it is walking distance from the beach house is made a great day trip!!!  The trail is only 2.5 miles though the sanctuary and it is about a mile or so walk to the area made for such beautiful finds.  We didn’t walk the entire trail, hubby is still hobbling on his broken foot that he did not have looked at before the trip, so our hikes are short.  But making do.

The views on the sound side are wonderful, but the best was watching the Osprey flying around.  And It wasn’t just one we counted 6 at one time .  Plus there are platform nest in the sound for the Osprey, and we were able to see an active nest, from a great distance, sorry for the poor quality on the image, but I think you get the idea.   I hope we get a chance to go back to the sanctuary and do the entire 2.5 up and 2.5 back.  We will see!

Osprey Audubon Society Nature PreserveOspreyOspreyOsprey or know as "Sea Hawk"Osprey nest with chicks on platform from a distance

same Osprey platform nest with chicks

What I learned to do and not to do in the OBX

Storm upon us!

 Big storm rolling in, and yes you cannot see where we are we are under it!

friends don't let friends drink... during a storm

1.  FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS DRINK TEQUILLA WITH A BIG STORM COMING IN

OK YES THEY DO

 

friends dont let friends photograph storms.....

2. FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS TAKE PHOTOS ON THE BEACH WHILE DRINKING TEQUILLA WITH A BIG STORM COMING IN

OK YES THEY DO

 

OH NOOOOO, ouch, that is not good, Oh shit, damnit!

3. FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS DROP THEIR CANON 5D ON THE BEACH IN THE SAND, WHILE TAKING PHOTOS ON THE BEACH, WHILE DRINKING TEQUILLA WITH A BIG STORM COMING IN

 OK YES THEY DO

BAD DAY FOR THE CAMERA GREAT DAY FOR THE STORM!

BAD TEQUILLA, BAD

 

 

Some storm images to cool to have a good thunderstorm roll through.  You can see it for miles!!!!!

before the drop, so beautiful

thunderhead rolling through

rainbow after the storm

sunrise in the outer banks

 

WOW!!!!!!

what a sunrise!!!!! The first morning sunrise!

sunrise day 2 OBX sanderling

There are no two sunrises the same just as there are no two snowflakes that are the same so they say.

Part of my obsessive nature or my total inability to just kick back and say “fuck it” will not let me just let a sunrise go by without me being out on the beach to greet it.  The past two mornings were no different, diet coke in one hand camera gear in the other and off I trek to the sand, waves and the beauty that I cannot capture.  Only can you see it, experience it, feel it to know.  

This morning I was the only “Human” out there.  The only fresh prints were of my own, the sea gulls or kindly called “sea pigeons”, ghost crabs, and fox.  And the remnants of the drunken prints from last night, boy do I have a headache!!!!   We will get to that later!!! 

There is such peace in the morning as the sky is becoming light, everything is in its place and everything is as it should be. 

Here are a couple of sunrise images for you, I have been trying something different, trying to get that flowing water look, still not there but getting closer.  I will just have to keep coming back till I get it right!!!   I think that is a great plan!!!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

on the beach with my blue moon

Ahhhhhh…is the only appropriate words to describe, well maybe a sigh or 20!

Yesterday was incredible!  We were chased by storms all the way here and once we arrived, no rain, clouds with clearing, very windy, and the sea, Oh’ my the sea, it was beyond words.  The term “surfs up” was accurate!  The waves were big and just crashing in, and yes they were surfing at the Avalon pier. 

Ate at the traditional first place you eat at when you get to the outer banks, the Jolly Roger!!!!  Had some good but sad moments thinking about Dad and how much he loved coming to the outer banks.  I teared up a bit when I was talking about coming here to the Jolly Roger and Dad and I would have Seafood Omelet for breakfast and something seafood for lunch and dinner…Seafood all 3 meals!!!!   Can’t beat that!!!  Best seafood is right HERE in the OBX!

The beach house is cozy, no renters in the houses on either side so it is quiet here.  Checked out the dunes you can tell the damage that the Nov storm did to them.  It is substantial!   The beach is also not as wide as it was last Oct.  Mother Nature has her way of altering the landscape here to her likings.   Many of the houses have had been worked on and in fact one is being worked on right now, the ocean and the weather is hard on them.

The evening walk I only came across one other person, and this morning the same it doesn’t get much better than this.   My beach finds were few shells, lots of building and drift fence debris; a dead crab, puffer fish, and half ate eel that was gobbled up by a sea gull, tire, and the normal bits and pieces of the ocean. 

Yesterday it was in the 70’s to it is to hit the 80’s which is freaking wonderful, ocean temp is 58 degrees!!!  COLD!!!!!   First wave that hit me yesterday I screamed!!!!!!   WOW was it cold!!   But it is ok, I will get over it and endure!   I saw that it is like upper 40’s at home, sorry about your luck, you know I am thinking about all of you.  Especially last night when I was walking on the beach drinking my Blue Moon!!!!!!

Well, I am hoping I can hijack some hifi, yifi, any kind of anything that has a signal to make a connection to get this posted.

It is sunny, 76 degrees right now and I think it is time to go  hiking!!!!!

Till next posting be safe!

Let me live, let me breathe…almost there

let me breathe

let me live

let me breathe

not months, or weeks, or even days….but hours I will breathe!!!

My next post my friends will be from the outer banks; my toes in the sand, face in the sea breeze, salt on my lips, and a beer in my hand.  Yep it will be rough, don’t feel sorry for me, I will suffer through it for you. 

Till then see you at the beach!

life’s many adjustments

flip flop free

 

It seems like an eternity since I have posted.  Not that I have had nothing to say, believe me I am full of plenty to say.  But what I wanted to share here just didn’t seem to flow.  I received so much grief about talking about the outer banks that when I shut up about it I realized there really wasn’t much else to talk about.  Let me go back a little here.

My hubby and I have spent what seemed like a life time raising kids, not that it was a bad position to have been in, it wasn’t!!!!!  I loved the band events, soccer games, children’s choir, track, on and on  and on.   Now that the kids are “mostly” gone and on their own, I find that we really don’t have much else we do besides work.  We really don’t have any hobbies, friends we hang with, few fun things we do, all we seem to do is work.  Life is work, his life is the job.  Now this is not a pity party or such, just a revelation.  I find it is common with some empty nesters that dedicate their lives to their family and career and not to themselves.   Which leads me to the Outer Banks…yes back to it!

I can’t help but talk about it, think about it, dream about it.   It is the one place that keeps me going, keeps the monotony of life from taking over.  The glimmer of hope that I can get away from the grind of the same shit but different day mentality.  One has to have something to look forward to; some down time to recharge ones soul to continue through the crap till the next time you come back. 

So I hope to start posting more as the days count down to my much needed attitude adjustment.  Oh it is coming up oh so soon; just 5 shifts away and I will have my face in the sea breeze, feet in the sand, camera around my neck and a cold beer in my hand!   What a life, somebody has to endure it!