The beaches of North Carolina

We decided to take a long, scenic route south from Virgina and started exploring the coastline of North Carolina.  The drive was longer than expected (8 hours) but included stops on the Outer Banks Nature Preserve, Nags Head & Kitty Hawk.  Tons of beach houses, all on stilts, and sand dunes as far as the eye could see.  The "highway" was cut out between massive sand dunes and the scenery ranged from lowland swamps & marshes to lush agricultural fields.

It was fabulous to feel the sand between our toes! The pelicans and other sea birds were abundant and the smell of the ocean was heaven...

There were lots of interesting sights as we progressed and the road was bordered with modest farm houses and some obviously poorer areas.  Every home had a porch with rocking chairs and you could just imagine a slower, simpler life.

This was our favourite billboard!

We also saw our first palm trees and moss hanging off the old oak trees. It was about 75 degrees, so another beautiful day.

One of our favourite encounters was with "Ervin" at the tourist center - delightful older southern gentleman who asked if we had a moment to talk.  He proceeded to tell us that he plays Bluegrass music and his instruments are a fiddle, stand-up bass and banjo.  He, "can't pick worth a damn right now and don't know why.  I added a 5th string to ma banjo and cleaned her up purdy, but just can't pick worth a damn!"  We thought it would be impolite to acknowledge that Ervin had only 3 fingers and maybe the 5th string was not such a good idea!  He told us to make sure we had a full tank of gas and to enjoy the leisurely drive - and we did.