Ocracoke, NC
This year we joined Demaris' parents John & Annis at
Ocracoke Island for a late Spring
Break. Ocracoke is a nice little island that's part of the outer banks of North
Carolina. Ocracoke's main claim to fame comes from the pirate Blackbeard, who
made Ocracoke his hideout. Otherwise it's a tourist island known for it's
beaches, wild ponies and a few Revolutionary War era sites.
Being an island the only way to get to Ocracoke is by ferry. We flew into
the nearest major airport (Norfolk, VA) and drove about 3 hours down the Outer
Banks to the Hatteras Ferry .
The house Demaris' parents rented for the trip.
Much of Ocracoke is a marsh, not surprising considering the
Island is a sandbar threatening to wash away
To give you an idea of how close Ocracoke is to washing away this is what
many of the streets looked like a day after a light rain. Made our walk through
the town much more entertaining. Gortex shoes are a must. Not to be daunted,
Magnus, Jay and Demaris went touring.
The Ocracoke Lighthouse.
Ocracoke is know for its wooden ducks. Bonus points for identifying the
real ducks in this shot.
So we wander into a gift shop, looking for a nice pirate hat
in Jay's size, and surrounded by "Ocracoke Beach" T-shirts, seashell coasters
and the ubitquitous minature spoons we see this photo opportunity. What you see
are real. Not exactly "Ocracoke Beach" beach towels nor are they intended for
use as doilies. This is a group of fetal sharks in formaldehyde. Apparently the
local Biology classes dissects sharks. With that said we're not quite sure how
or why or who, arranged for these to be stock items in a tourist gift shop
surrounded by seashell bead curtains and picture frames. Still it's clearly the
perfect souvenir for someone. Certainly it would be a unique gift.
Aaarrrrrgh! Avast ye maties.
Lunch at a seafood place. Of course on Ocracoke all the restaurants are
seafood places.
Ocracoke spring weather is reminiscent of Seattle's. So we
decided to take a trip to the beach!
Beach attire.
Johan and Magnus.
For
more pictures and beach videos click on the above image to view the complete
Ocracoke photo album.