Return from Ocracoke

To return to Oriental, we took the ferry from Ocracoke to  Hatteras (instead of the Cedar Island Route) and drove through the outer banks up to Nags Head and crossed Roanoak Island and drove through Manteo and little Washington.   The ferry ride to and from from Ocracoke (on Sunday we drove all the way up to Avon to look for a New York Times before finally abandoned the quest) was the most interesting ferry ride of all we had taken.  One entire leg of the ferry trip was completed backward.  To achieve that, the ferry spent several minutes pivoting against the pilings on the Hatteras side. Then the ferry bounced between the pilings like a pinball game. We had waves that crashed not only over the bow of the ferry but also over the hood of our truck.  A word to the wise--never take your own car to Ocracoke or Hatteras (rent one).  The amount of salt water that we had to drive through was amazing.  We will always make sure that any used car we buy has not spent time on the Outer Banks.

During the two months Gay was in NC, we had the chance to explore the Outer Banks from Nags Head down to Lookout.  And of course, we spent time on the Crystal Coast down below Lookout.  While each area has its charms, so far, Emerald Isle and Lookout Bight (along with Shakelford Banks) are Gay's favorites.  Ken, diplomatically, finds each appealing in different ways.