As we approached Carolina Beach State Park my trip odometer ticked over 1,000 miles. Our little adventure was progressing well. Finley and I are both falling in to the routine of camp setup and dismantle with aplomb. In short that means I do all the work involved while Finley sniffs around new vegetation and scours the trees for squirrels and birds to terrorize or just lays about.
Our first 1,000 miles has been full of adventure and challenges. Our time on Ocracoke Island was accompanied by a sand storm, frigid temps and gale force winds. It was interesting to see how the local villagers dealt with all this. To my surprise, nothing changed. There was no run on bread and milk at the grocery store, the school stayed open and even the crabbers went to work. Complete normality, it made me chuckle to think about the sheer terror and angst that would have pervaded the folks back home should such an event be forecast. A hardy bunch these Ocracokers!
One casualty to the weather was the cancelation of the ferry which was scheduled to take us to Cedar Island. Still, an extra day in our Ocracoke paradise was hardly a chore.
Regrettably, the next day we bid au revoir to this lovely island, I'm sure we will return one day.
Back on the mainland we were greeted with more meteorological excitement in the form of an ice storm and temps dropping into the low teens. Finley rather enjoyed prancing around on the ice while I trod gingerly trying not to slip over. Much to Finley's chagrin our walks were rather short. Throughout these extreme weather events I'm happy to report that our sturdy little Rustic Trail camper has kept us warm and dry and very comfortable indeed. I now know that all the research into various teardrop camper manufacturers was time well spent and I feel that I made the right choice for Finley and me.
Still that's all part of the adventure, although I was quite happy to encounter 50 degree weather on arrival at Carolina Beach State Park. It felt like a heat wave!!
We've been busily exploring all the trails here, enjoying the sand and pine straw forest and searching for the elusive Venus Fly Trap that grows in this area. All these campgrounds made for enjoyable stays but with more hustle and bustle than we were used to. We certainly missed the zen fostering solitude of the Outer Banks. Visiting the beach in winter is a fabulous time to go. Try it, you might like it too!
I have been working on our itinerary for the next few weeks and am excited with the nature of some of our stops to come. Please subscribe to our blog and share with your friends and stay tuned for our next adventure!!