An Autumn Experience: The Northern Outer Banks | Eastern North Carolina Now

    These time hardened stumps spend a great deal of their day underwater, as is the condition of the constant movement of the tides, as is evidenced by the seawater that remains awash it this stumps cratered bowl: Above. My best companion used these two blackened stumps to support her ascent to gain a better visage of the beach: Below.

    It looked like fun to me so I posed as well, teetering upon their tops: Above. The Maine Lobster, just a few feet from the remains of this old spit of a forest; however, was faring so well: Below. I tried tried to help this 2 pounder make its way back to the Atlantic Ocean, and that proved to not become a realty, I stopped just short from helping this one from finding the warming waters of my pot.

    From the tall dunes that barricaded the wild within walked Mike O'Reilly, who was taking an extended break from hunting Wild Boar by shotgun: Above. Mike was an interesting fellow, who hailed from Fairfax County, Virginia. Mike, 33 years of age, had spent the last 25 years of his life in America, the first 8 years as a citizen of English occupied Northern Ireland: Below.

    I always find it short conversations with folks of differing origins most interesting, and a staple of my travels to unique places, such as this secluded locale in far northeast Currituck County.

    Our conversation ranged from the Civil War for Irish Independence, which he vividly remembered from his youth, to Wild Boar hunting, to his occupation as an events technician, to even the dying aforementioned Maine Lobster that lay at our feet, which remembrance affords me the knowledge to recall was the happenstance for us to meet in the first place. As I spoke to Mike about the Irish film "The Commitments," I noticed no hint of an Irish Accent. America has a fine way of turning folks.

    Just north of the Dare County line are a series of housing developments bordering the oceanfront. These are one of the greatest assemblies of fine homes that I have ever witnessed, in one long line mile after mile. Many of these large homes are rented during the peak vacation times, with some of the larger structures used as "events locations" for organized events: Above, below and just below again.


    Just south of these fine homes is the Sanderling Resort and community of Duck, North Carolina, which we have briefly examined in a previous article. On my way back to Kitty Hawk, I stopped at Duck's Festival Park for a look at one of the more grand small community boardwalks i have ever witnessed: Above and below.

    The windswept waters of the Currituck Sound beat against the marsh grass and the piers alike as we look south along the water's edge: Above. The Duck water tower is a landmark that makes its mark in many of my images: Below.