North Carolina Coastal Christmas

Rolling Stone

I've just returned from a fantastic weekend spent in the Beaufort area of eastern N. Carolina. A wonderful weekend it was, I've been working rather hard the last few months and the time off was just the ticket to get the body clock back in sync. My family has a beach house located off the beaten path in a rather rustic area of the coast, very quiet, extremely low key and all of nature at your door step. So let me take you on a little tour of one of my favorite places on the planet.

This is the original camp built in the 40's. It has survived many storms and high water and several face lifts. A newer house has been built next door but I always prefer to stay in the camp.



This is the new house with some of the family in the photo. This photo was taken 12/27, not bad for a December weekend. :barb



So let's say you're getting bored with just hanging out on the beach, come with me for a little walk on unspoiled coast.











Do that a couple of times a day and you'll start to feel normal.

The next part of the adventure involved kayaks. My brother and I went into Beaufort and put our boats in at the far east end of town. It was really foggy but our goal was a visit to Carrot and Horse Islands. We were hoping we would get a chance to see some of the wild horses that inhabit the islands and we weren't disappointed. We both had GPS units so we could navigate in the dense fog with ease. Your eyes sure do play tricks on you in very low visibility.

I tried not to make a wake. :wink








It pays to know your tide times. :bash


We got our fill of horses


Battle Scars


We went a little further off shore, it was very cool as the fog started to lift.




As we turned into the harbor at Beaufort the sun was well on it's way to burning off the fog which is what I was hoping for to get some shots of the waterfront.


If your ever in the area make sure you make a visit to the North Carolina Maritime Museum, it's a great way to spend an afternoon.




I managed to get a drop of water on the lens so the next few have a unique "watermark". :splat

Kayaking among bigger boats and ships gives one a whole new perspective. :huh














Just as we got to the eastern end of town and close to our starting point, the fog attacked us again.




Here's a snapshot of our course.


I slept very well Saturday night. :deal

Sunday was spent just hanging around the camp and playing with the dogs.

"If you'll give me the stick, I'll throw it in the water one more time."



I was taking a nap on the lawn but awoke to the sounds of heavy breathing. :rofl


They learned the goose step from the German Shepherd next door.








Well that's about it, thanks for coming along

Yours truly
RS

Life is Good

Darren Troy C

What a great series! The wild horses are AMAZING!

NorthernFocus

That was cool

Rolling Stone

Idlewild wrote:

What a great series! The wild horses are AMAZING!

Actually, they're not very wild. Last year we witnessed a stallion fight and that was pretty cool. The loser returned to the water and went to a smaller island.

Travis

I lived and Atlantic Beach for 2 years and your photos sure do bring back a flood of memories. I used kayak Bogue sound a couple of times a month. It is a truly beautiful place. Thanks for sharing!

BMW Kurt

Good series.... but the shot with the kayak coming upon the horse in the mist was absolutely fantastic!!!! clap

Rolling Stone

BMW Kurt wrote:

Good series.... but the shot with the kayak coming upon the horse in the mist was absolutely fantastic!!!! clap

Thanks Kurt,

I see you're a fellow moto-traveler.