Day Three of My Summer Vacation

We woke early this morning and headed out of the house at 7:30. At Vanessa's suggestion, we drove south to Hatteras Island, and then took a ferry to Ocracoke Island. First, we stopped by Vanessa's house to borrow a book on the island of Ocracoke.

She welcomed us into her "beach box" as she calls it. It was as cute as she is. And ladies, her scriptures on her doorways and window frames are even better in person. We got to meet her three boys, First, Second, and Third. What a delight to finally meet Vanessa and her family. She was just as I expected her to be. We agreed to meet back up later in the day after we returned from Ocracoke.

The ferry ride from Hatteras to Ocracoke took about 40 minutes. Collin asked one of the attendants how fast the ferry travelled and how far it was from one island to the other. The ferry travelled about 12 mph, and the islands were about 6 miles apart. They are actually closer than that, but the ferry has to travel in a curvy line because of shallow waters in certain places.
Once on the island of Ocracoke, we travelled about 9 miles and then stopped at a beach. The sand was soft, and the water was warm. We found some beautiful shells. It was hard to leave, but we had lots more planned.

Upon arriving at the village, we went into the Ocracoke Preservation Museum. Next, we walked up into the village further and visited a few shops. We ate at Jolly Roger Restaurant. It has no walls. All of the seating is outside, and the birds and boats are right there. I had a blue fish sandwich. The fish was caught just this morning. Yum!

Next, we walked to Teach's Hole. This is a small museum dedicated to Edward Teach, also known as the pirate, Blackbeard. From there we went to the British cemetery. Here, four British servicemen are buried. They perished off the coast when their boat was bombed by a German submarine in WWII. The US Coast Guard keeps the cemetery up. Just across the street was Candyland. The man there makes and sells hammocks, and we were happy to test them out. We bought a small bit of candy to bring back for Grandma. She loves her fruit slices!

Our last stop was the Ocracoke lighthouse. It wasn't open for climbing, but we were able to go inside and look up. Wow! The lighthouse was built in 1823. The steps need replacing, and the cost will be well over 2o million! They've decided to put it off for awhile.

We drove back to the ferry and crossed back over to Hatteras Island. We called Vanessa just as we were exiting the ferry. We met back up with her at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. We climbed all the way to the top. It's equivalent to 12 stories. Vanessa shared some local history with us. She brought some coral to give to the kids, and made us a big plate of her famous brownies to take back home. (No one could wait to try them and everyone had one when we got back on the road. Mmm. They are yummy!) She is so sweet. I wish we could have spent more time with her.

We arrived back at the house around 7:00. Everyone quickly used the bathroom, we grabbed Grandma, and headed out the door to Barefoot Bernie's for supper. The food was delicious. I had looked for eateries on the net before we got here. I chose Barefoot Bernie's because the owner is a Pittsburgh Steeler's fan. I knew that Verne would be pleased. The food was wonderful and the prices were good. We even talked to the owner and discussed the upcoming season.

We stopped at a "touristy" store that sells t-shirts, souvenirs, and such. All we bought was some kite string and an OBX sticker for Mac's guitar case.

Home again. It was a full and enjoyable day. Mac said it was his favorite so far. I know that we will all sleep well tonight!