To the Beach

Late May is biting Black Fly season in New Hampshire, which means it’s time for a Casita adventure! We hitched up our mobile little house last week and headed for the ocean.

Near our Campsite!

Our first beach night was in Assateague State Park on the island in Maryland where wild ponies roam. A big shout out to Marguerite Henry and her classic girl-meets-pony story, Misty of Chincoteague. There’s an annual pony swim across the channel between Assatague and Chincoteague Islands, in Virginia, and the volunteer fire department runs an auction where tweenage girls (mostly) fall in love with cute little fouls. (My friend Vicky bought a pony, Secret Trinket, at the Chincoteaugue auction!)

Our campsite was nestled up to a dune, with nothing but sand between us and theocean. The dogs had their first beach romp there (click here for a short video), and we were lulled to sleep by the sound of waves breaking. The next day we took a marsh walk in the Assateague National Wildlife Refuge and bird watched. We didn’t stay for long, as we were on our way to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, but we’ve promised to return to Assateague, and next time we’ll rent kayaks to explore the inlets on the quieter sound-side of the island.

Off to North Carolina! We crossed the astonishing Chesapeake Bay Bridge (23 miles, including two tunnels), then we drove through Kitty Hawk (Wright Brothers’ land) and Nags Head and onto the Outer Banks. Our first night was at a fah-ncy RV park, the sort of place where our travel trailer is very, very small in a sea of jumbo RVs. The lure of this place is that we reserve a site that abuts the Pamlico Sound, and it’s nice from time-to-time to have “hook ups.” (In RV language, that means electric power and water, not something racy!) While we sipped cocktails and watched the sun set over the Sound, we were entertained by kite-boarders doing tricks.

The next morning we packed up and scurried on our way to Hatteras, where we caught the ferry to Ocracoke Island, our all-time favorite beach spot. (And we’ve even been to Hawaii!) The ferry ride is under an hour, and we enjoyed our spot near the front, which became the back when they turned the boat around — funny how that happens. Gracie slept the whole way, but Beau, who is suspicious of water, kept a look out for rogue waves.

Once on Ocracoke, we headed straight for the state park campground. We were able to reserve a site for two nights, but not a specific site, so we skeedaddled, and we were rewarded! We backed the Casita into a site nestled up against the dunes with a path to the ocean. Heaven! More beach romping was enjoyed by all before cocktails on the picnic table, supper, and sleep to the sound of waves. Our screens got a real workout as mosquitos and no-see-ums came out to play at night.

Beau's duck brigade in ferry line Ocracoke

Beau’s duck brigade in the ferry line at Ocracoke

We spent two nights on Okracoke, beaching it, exploring the village, and nature-walking. From there we caught a ferry across Pamlico Sound to Swan Quarter and drove to Chapel Hill where we enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend with our wonderful friends Vicky and John Boreyko. (Yes, that’s the Vicky of Chincoteague pony fame!) Among many other activities, we caught a Durham Bulls minor league baseball game. (Ah, Bull Durham ~ a great movie!) From Chapel Hill we headed west to Asheville for the “mountains” half of our trip. That’s another post!

Here are a few more photos from our Casita adventure: