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Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, is a sixteen mile long, sandbank island with ferry terminals at both ends. The Cape Hatteras ferry, docks at the northern point of the island and the Cedar Island /Swan Quarter Ferry, docks in Silver lake Harbour, the beautiful natural harbour which the small town of Ocracoke is clustered around.
Ocracoke Island is a very special place, not just to my family, but to many (mostly American) tourists, and is known locally, as the pearl of the Outer Banks.
The island is protected seashore and is rated the Number 1 beach in the USA. At this time of year, May, it is exquisite! It has the perfect temperature, about 73 degrees and has been sunny each day of our fortnight's stay! There are very few mosquitoes, and very few tourists, as it is still early in the season.
The season begins properly on Memorial Day (last weekend in May) and runs through to 'Labor Day'(second week in September).
We celebrated Cinquo de Maio (5th May ) (Mexican Independence Day) with the most delicious Margarhitas at sundown!
Rob and I arrived in Ocracoke on Sunday 25th April and left again for one night on the Wednesday to pick
Catriona and Bob up from Norfolk Airport, as their flight had been delayed, by the Volcanic Ash!
We had the American breakfast experience in 'Mels Diner' the following day, on our way down Highway 12 to Ocracoke (see picture!!)
The drive down, though 5 hours, is beautiful, over the Outer Banks Islands - Pea Island, Bodie Island, past Kitty Hawk (where the Wright Brothers flew the first plane) on to Hatteras Island - all connected by beautiful bridges then a free 35 minute ferry from Cape Hatteras to Ocracoke Island.
The road, Highway 12, runs down through sand dunes, with the Ocean on one side and the sound (Pamlico Sound - much calmer water) on the other -It is spectacular!
We spent our time on the island, relaxing with Catriona and Bob, catching up with home and family news, then catching up with old friends here, Rob making and us listening to music, cycling round the island - all flat!- drinking coffee in the coffee shop, shopping and browsing in the numerous, high quality craft shops ((Ocracoke has an indigent talented, artistic community.) We ate in great restaurants and frequented 'SmacNallys' a great bar on the dock of Silver Lake
harbour and owned by Scott McNallly a friend of Simon's - Bob and Catriona nicknamed it 'MacSwalleys' for the Glasgow link!!
Our friends, particularly Matt (who visited us in Edinburgh a few years ago) and his partner, Maria, have made us very welcome here. Matt has introduced us to new friends , some who play in a band with him.
Matt lives in a beautiful old Island house, and on Thursday nights, meets up wiith a few other players for a 'session' We all went along and Rob took part and everyone seemed to enjoy him playing and singing with them!!
I must say this was the first time I had ever heard Rob play banjo and double bass!!
On Saturday night Matt organised a 'Fish Fry' (barbecue) for us and we met lots of his friends and neighbours, all interesting people including Tom, who we shared New Zealand stories with. Tom loves New Zealand and is doing all he can to move there next year.
He arranged to take us out on his boat - a flat bottomed Carolina Skiff- used for crabbing and clamming!
He was going to take us to Portsmouth Island, the next Outerbanks island,
south of Ocracoke, which 100 years ago was inhabited, but now, due to shifting shoals (sandbanks) caused by winds and hurricanes, has a restored Ghost town and is uninhabited, apart from a husband and wife Ranger team who look after it!
It is a beautiful place but we did not get to see it that day!!
We had an adventure with Tom on his boat, we all scrambled aboard in a rather undignified way (Bob had decided not to come and he told us afterwards that he had had a premonition that the boat would sink if he got on it ! in hindsight he was right!!) The boat was lying very low in the water, due to rainwater getting in in April but none of us noticed ( not even Tom), until we had left Silver Lake harbour and were out on the open waves!!
Tom thought the boat was a little sluggish and asked the 3 of us to sit on the bow. We did this and were beginning to relax when Tom decided to cut the engine! The boat slumped back into the water and all was calm for 2 seconds then a large cold wave came
over the bow and soaked us all from the waist down!!
This happened 3 times while Tom tried to make the engine less sluggish!!. Completely soaked, Tom returned us back to the dock where he and Rob pumped about 2000 gallons of water (with the help of an electric pump) out of the hull. Catriona and I sunbathed on the dock, trying to dry ourselves and our cameras out!!
With the boat higher in the water, it was time to try again!!We set off and Tom took the boat in a direction which even I knew, was not towards Portsmouth Island! Tom was trying to find a shortcut!! but with all the unseen sandbanks we soon ran aground!!After a lot of weight shifting on board we eventually got into deeper water, However I became a little anxious when I saw'Tom peering out to see if he could spot the island! He couldnt! He did however spot the official ferry boat on its way there and decided we could follow it!! Thankfully Rob asked if we still had enough fuel, Tom checked and I was very relieved when he realised we didnt and had to return back to Silver Lake harbour
and safety!!
A couple of days later we did go to the island on the Ferryboat and that was another experience!!
Our two weeks in Ocracoke has been a wonderful holiday and the 'icing on the cake' of our amazing trip. it has given me time to reflect on the experiences we have had over the last five months and to prepare psychologically for going home! Of course, our emotions are mixed, after being away for so long,with no mail, junk or otherwise, coming through the door, hardly any news, no magazines or papers, and all the other benifits, we could quite easily continue to travel!
This truly has been the trip/ journey/holiday of a lifetime. We have had such fun, hundreds of different experiences, met many, many lovely people in all the countries we visited. Rob's music has been enjoyed and applauded in every little (or bigger) gathering - whether it was harmonica, giutar or song!
We have both so appreciated being able to spend the last 5 months (140 days) doing this and many thanks to everyone who has been in contact or who has just followed our travels on the blog!
We look forward to coming home
now and the richness of life with our friends and family in Edinburgh, Tighnabruaich and the South of England.- and it will be summer! There is no place more beautiful than the view from the front steps of Ashcliffe, looking down the Kyles of Bute to Arran and the Holy Isle on a sunny summer's day.
I have no doubt that in a month or two, home will find us planning another trip, perhaps for next winter!
An elderly American gentleman I spoke to yesterday said that he would never spend time anywhere that had a temperature below his age! In Farenheit of course! I couldnt help but agree with him!
Bye bye and see you all soon!
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