Island Whirl

Our visit to Nags Head was intended to be short one, just an overnight stay to say, “Hey, we’ve been to the Outer Banks!” Of course that plan was based on the idea that we were just going to “pop over” from Greenville since the Outer Banks were “in the neighborhood”.  Given how long it took to get there, maybe we should’ve spent more time. 

Nags Head has a lot of commercial retail development but it’s not overwhelmed with neon like say Myrtle Beach, SC. Most of the housing along the ocean side or the bay side are colorful wooden cottages that evoke a more rustic time when the island was accessible only by boat or ferry instead of ridiculously long and anxiety inducing bridges.

I wish I could say we had dinner at a local establishment to partake of locally caught and prepared seafood. But we were too tired from our journey to be experimental with our dining options so we wound up having steak at an Outback.

We were running late leaving our hotel for dinner because Andrea wanted to see James Holzhauer win Jeopardy. 

Again. 

After dinner, we took a walk on the beach. As I noted, there’s a lot less glare coming off of Nags Head compared to more overly commercialized beaches so the night sky over the dark and roaring Atlantic was a beautiful star dappled sight. 

The next morning, we took advantage of the hotel’s free breakfast. A few years ago while having breakfast in a Comfort Inn in Ormand Beach, FL, I observed that the persons keeping the breakfast food supplied were German. I overheard a conversation between a cook and a guest and the cook spoke of how he and his wife has moved from Germany to settle in the United States.

Just a few months ago at a Comfort Inn in Asheville, NC, I noticed the proprietor of the free breakfast spoke with a German accent.  

Now here we are at a Comfort Inn in Nags Head, hanging off the edge of the North American continent on a strip of sand, and the woman running the free brqakfast operation was speaking with a German accent.

What’s up with that?

By the way, today’s post is brought to you by Comfort Inn. 

Badda Book! Badda Boom!

After breakfast and checking out of our hotel, we ventured a few blocks down the road to visit Jennette's Pier.

Aerial view of Jennette's Pier

The pier extends out several yards out into the Atlantic. We took our time, walked a bit, find a bench, sit and watch the ocean. After several minutes of basking in the warm sun and the gentle cool breeze, we would finally get up and repeat the process: walk a bit, find a bench, sit, watch the ocean.

Andrea and Randie contemplate the ocean

It was the most relaxing experience I’ve ever had at a beach anywhere.

Then as we slowly made our way closer to the culmination of our pier walk, that’s when we saw… the dolphins!

OH MY GOD!!! WE SAW DOLPHINS!!!!!!!!!!

There was a whole school (Pod? Squad? Gang? Fam?) of dolphins (DOLPHINS!!!) swimming a few feet away from the end of the pier, gently swimming through the ebb and flow of the waves. I could hear their distinctive chirping sounds as they swam past.

And then another group of dolphins came by. 

OH MY GOD!!! WE SAW MORE DOLPHINS!!!!!!!!!!

I also saw a big sunfish.

It was a wonderfully pleasant time on Jennette's Pier and it was a shame it had to end but we were exposed to the wind and sun with no sunscreen and it was getting on time for lunch.

Randie posing on a turtle statue outside the pier entrance

This time we would experiment.

There was a restaurant called Miller’s that overlooked the water on the bay side of the island.  We sat at a table in the bar with a view of the sound. I would’ve enjoyed the experience more if the music hadn’t been so loud. But that’s a post for another day. I had a crab cake sandwich that was pretty good and some onion rings that were fried up really well. I like onion rings but they tend to be a bit too greasy for my tastes so I generally avoid them. But this time, I took a chance. These onion rings were crispy and tasty with no greasiness.  Andrea had fish with a lemon sauce that she said was quite tasty.  The fish was covered in a bread coating that included nuts which precluded Randie from eating it. So Randie decided to try … buffalo shrimp.

Ooh boy.

I don’t think Randie has ever had a buffalo…. anything. I tried to warn her. It’s gonna be spicy.

Ha! Randie laughs in the face of spicy!

She sniffs tentatively at a buffalo shrimp as it glowed with a preternatural orange aura, throbbing with unearthly heat. 

Randie contemplates the buffalo shrimp

She eats one. And that is as far as it got.

The waitress was cool about it and didn’t charge for the shrimp.

Which was good because it was expensive enough without it. My crab cake sandwich was good but not that good.

Next we ventured south of Nags Head to see a lighthouse. Andrea wanted to see a lighthouse.

Oh look! There’s one now: the Bodie Island Light Station!  

A view of the Bodie Island lighthouse from the wooden walkway that traverses the nearby marsh

Andrea and I with our aching knees decided to forego the adventure but Randie took the challenge and climbed to the top of the lighthouse.  

A rare group photo of the fam thanks to
a friendly handy dandy park ranger

I am fairly certain that's Randie up on the left looking down
from her perch atop the Bodie Island lighthouse

It was a very pleasant and enjoyable experience at the Bodie Island Light Station but the day was winding down and it was time to return to home to the Fortress of Ineptitude, a mere 5.5 hour drive away.  

I would like to return to the Outer Banks again for a longer stay and explore more of the island.  

Even if I have to cross those bridges again.  
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Yes, Avengers: Endgame is coming. 

Our tickets have been purchased (with reserved seating no less) and we're venturing forth from the Fortress of Ineptitude this very afternoon.

I will endeavor to have a report on it tomorrow. 
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