Visit - Brodie Lighthouse

 Ever since we have become lighthouse keepers, we feel obligated to visit a lighthouse if we are near one today we visited Bodie Island lighthouse, A beautifully renovated lighthouse south of Cape Hatteras. It was built in 1872 and is 156 feet tall with 219 steps. It is one of the very few left in the US with the original Fresnel lens. We could not climb up near it, but we could look up at it. There’s also a boardwalk that goes out over the Marshs. after a tour, we went to Darryl‘s restaurant for a very good seafood lunch.

Camping - Oregon Inlet

 We arrived at Oregon Inlet Campground in the late afternoon. This campground is behind some dunes by the Atlantic Ocean. The campsites are close together and there are no trees. After setting up the trailer, we walked down to the beach. We took a path that let us down E. Sandy Rd. it was not a quick walk to the beach and we realized it might not be the most convenient path when we visit the beach tomorrow. Onthis day, we just walked a bit down the beach. We rode our bikes around the campground looking for a shorter path to the beach and then across the road to look for the dump station and also a possible restaurant for tomorrow as it sits directly on the water.

Kayaking, Bicycling- Assateague

 We took our kayaks to old ferry Landing to Kayak in the Sinepuxent Bay. On the way out, we paddled into the marshes, but had to turn around as there was not a way to get out into the bay. We did find a pass and paddled out to an island called Great Egging island. A apparently in the past, it was considered a recreational activity to go to this island and hunt for bird eggs. The water was very shallow during the whole 3 miles that we kayaked. We saw mussels, Comorants and several jellyfish. We also saw some people claiming they drag a basket on a stick along the bay bottom, picking up clams they told us they had collected about 100 and were going to make clam chowder. It was not easy paddling Since we are not going to current, and there was a bit of wind on the way back. By the time we got back to old fairy Landing, there were a lot of people there as there is a nature shack, and the Rangers provide programs all throughout the day.

We had lunch and then we went down and sat on the beach for a couple of hours. We took our tent down and with the breeze it was a pleasant afternoon. At the beach, we saw a mother horse and a very young full, who apparently had been born on Sunday.

For dinner, we had crackers and cheese and then after dinner, we went on a long bike ride around the park. At one point, we parked our bikes and walked out on the marsh boardwalk. It looks like a fairly new boardwalk, and it was a beautiful walk over the marsh From the boardwalk, we could see many crabs down below in the bay. We rode out to the bridge where the sun was beginning to set. It was an absolutely gorgeous ride on the way back. We saw three plein air painters painting the sun as it was sitting over the marsh and the bay. Although we had no water or electricity at this campground, I think it is now one of my favorite camping experiences Unique and beautiful surroundings.

Bicycling- Assateague National Seashore

 

We arrived at Assateague national Park late afternoon and set up the trailer. As we drove into the National seashore we could see wild horses everywhere. Marlene, Jim and Denise stopped by for a quick visit. we went back across the bridge and ate at the Estique crab House. Scotty had a crabcake dinner and I had a seafood platter with fish, crabcake, scallops, and shrimp, which I shared with Scotty. Everything was excellent. I think it was the best crabcake I’ve ever had, after dinner, we went for a bike ride and once again saw mini horses. We went to the end of our campground, Loop C and watched the sun set over the bay. 

Bicycling- Columbia Trail

 Our departure from Thacher Island was delayed by one day due to the after effects of hurricane Debbie. And then it actually turned out to be OK weather and we probably could have gone ashore. We were able to see fireworks set off in Rockport on Saturday night as we sat on the Thacher Island boat ramp so that was nice. We had to cancel our camping reservation, which would’ve been only a 2 Hour Dr. and as a result, we drove almost 7 hours to Spruce run recreation area Where we had a two night reservation. This is a large campground sit next to the reservoir, but the strange thing is that we had to park our trailer on the blacktop and it faced onto the Grassy area.

There is once again, a bike trail nearby, the Columbia Trail. We parked at the Highbridge trailhead. We rode 13 miles out before we turned around and as it turns out this trail goes all the way across the state. The trail is compacted gravel, and for the most part a flat ride. Every once in a while, there is a small dip in the trail as you may cross the road we crossed several bridges and other sites. We passed solitude Falls Shortly after being on the trail, although we could only see it from above. We passed over several bridges, passed a tree farm, and a used car junkyard. Also, at the beginning of the path is an art initiative where people have created fairy houses, and place them along the trail, along with various types of gnomes.

Lighthouse Keeper - Thacher Island

 Our second week of lighthouse keeping began August 3 and this week was filled with more rain and , foggy weather. This week we were paired with Dave and Peg. The chores remain the same, although we couldn’t do as much as most mornings and some days consisted of bad weather. Our departure from the island was delayed by one day because of the after effects of hurricane Debbie. Typically, we leave on a Saturday, but bad weather and high seas were predicted. As the day came, we realized the weather would not have been as bad as expected, but a reward was that we got to see the fireworks from the Thacher Island boat ramp that were set off in Rockport.