1352 October 13, 2026 Special Visit With Special Friends
We spent the morning doing chores and getting our exercises done.
We left the campground and drove north on Route 17. Our good friends, Wayne and Cathy moved from Maryland to their beautiful home in Leland. We are so thrilled for them! What a brave thing to find a new place and retire! We are so hopeful that they find much joy and happiness. We visited and took a tour of their community. We finished our evening with a delicious meal at Cape Fear Seafood. It was an exceptionally nice day and we enjoyed our time together.
As we lay in bed last night, we could see glorious stars and the whole Milky Way!
We were up early and at the ferry terminal before dawn. The wind had died down during the night and the ferries were running on schedule. They loaded us and we were off! The sea was choppy but we made it to Cedar Island without a hitch.
The ride to Holden Beach took us through lots of low country and along the water. It really was a pretty route.
We stopped for groceries and supplies and arrived at our campsite late this afternoon.
Tim found a Planet Fitness nearby and I went for a walk.
We had a light supper and then headed to the Verizon store to replace Tim’s six-year-old iPhone. We got a great technician who helped to reset the new phone from soup to nuts! We were out of there in an hour. It was dark and late when we got back to the RV. We didn’t get to appreciate our beachfront campsite too much today!
It rained all night long. The winds picked up and Isaias had arrived. Somehow, we slept.
This morning, Tim went to check out the National Park campsite that we had reserved. The Ocracoke Campground can be quite soppy and flooded and we wanted to check before we moved. Site 34 was wet but doable.
We packed up the RV and drove the 3 miles to our new home for the night. We could have taken a ferry this evening but it would have put us on the mainland in the dark. We decided instead to stay another day and take the 7:30 ferry on Monday.
The weather gods were smiling on us and it didn’t rain during our move but the rain began again and lasted all morning. Between rain bands, we took a trip to the grocery store.
There was a portion of Route 12 where the dunes are low and the island is narrow. There was a lot of wet sand on the road but it was still passable.
We took the Jeep on the beach for one more ride. We didn’t get out. We just sat looking at he raging waves. It was much rougher than yesterday but not nearly as crazy as last year.
It rained most of the afternoon.
We cooked crab cakes and veggies inside.
After dinner there was another lull in the rain and we both got outside and took walks.
There was some evidence of sunshine but it did not last long.
There is a forecast for wind overnight and into tomorrow. I am hoping that we can get on that early ferry!
It was raining first thing and so I did my PT/yoga/stretching/weights. When the rain subsided, I walked into town. Tim called me and asked me to meet him at Deja Brew for another cup of coffee.
On the way back to town, we stopped at the Community Center for the Watermen’s Festival. This was supposed to take place at the dock but the forecasted weather chased everyone inside. We bought the best of Ocracoke; smoked fish dip, oyster soup, and fig preserves.
We headed to the beach with our purchases. The sand was blowing but we sat in the protection of the dunes and the Jeep and had a pleasant lunch. The water was rougher today but nothing crazy.
As the wind picked up, the rain started to sputter and it was time to leave.
We spent a very quiet and boring afternoon in the RV as the rains came…the remnants of the hurricane had arrived.
We went to 1718 Brewery for dinner and to listen to live music by Lou and Fiddler Dave. It was a nice place to be on a stormy evening.
I was up and out early this morning. I am loving the town and harbor walks. There is a lot to see!
Morning visitor on our campsite.
We got a few groceries, did a little shopping at the Craftsmen, and picked up BBQ from a food truck.
We spent a quiet afternoon. This evening, we took our BBQ out to the beach.
This is as much of the sun as we saw today. It was cloudy and breezy.
Hurricane Isaias is expected to make landfall at the Florida-Alabama border later tonight. We got a text and an email about the possibility of severe weather. No one is certain what track the storm will take and how this area might be affected. There is a forecast for wind and rain. We shall see what that means for us as time progresses.
Another pleasant walk in town. It’s the perfect way to begin the day. There is a large crane set up in the harbor. A crowd of older gentlemen was gathered to watch it work.
We took our lunch to the beach again today. It was a great day to be here!
This evening, we went back to Dajio for dinner. The musicians were just beginning their set as we paid our check.
We had hoped to watch the Draconid Meteor Shower but it is very cloudy. The sky was awash in pastels when the sun went down but it is unlikely that those meteor showers will be visible. If you are somewhere with clear skies…go out and look in the northwest sky!
68 degrees and sunny this morning as I set out for my walk through town.
We packed lunch and headed to the beach. Today we were actually able to sit by the water. I watched the waves curl and crest and crash on the sand relentlessly. When the tide approached the tires, we knew it was time to pack up.
Some rest time this afternoon and then a light dinner at the campground.
We hopped on bikes and then cycled to the harbor to watch the sunset. Tim had an enjoyable conversation with a young man named Boone, who is a baseball fanatic. Lots of memories and stories of the players and the game as the day came to a close. We biked back to the RV just as the mosquitoes came out.
It was a great morning for a walk into town and around the harbor.
We went to El Mariachi, a Mexican food truck, and ordered lunch to go. We took our grilled chicken bowls to the beach. It was a bright and sunny day with some wind. We sat again in the protection of the dunes. We each took turns walking along the water.
There was a portion of the beach that is still closed because of nesting turtles.
We spent some quiet time this afternoon and did some small chores.
We had eggs for dinner and then drove out to the end of the island to watch the sun go down. We walked to the edge of the sea.
The rain stopped early this morning. It was a nice morning for a good 3 mile walk on the bike path.
We packed lunch and went to the beach. The machines are still moving sand and trying to restore the dunes after last week’s storm.
We found a spot protected from most of the wind by a large dune. We had our own mile of beach. We sat and observed. It was 70 degrees and very breezy. The clouds hung leaden and heavy in the sky. We watched squadrons of pelicans flying low along the breaking waves. We watched a pair of osprey fishing, diving and then soaring with fish gripped tightly by talons. We watched a sand crab hauling armloads of sand from his hole, skittish and wary as he went about his business. Terns and sandpipers skittered about in the surf. High tide encroached and the beach became narrow.
This evening, we went to Dajio for dinner. We have always had excellent food and service and it is our favorite restaurant here. We had savory and spicy tuna poke and crab empanadas followed by salads with farro and watermelon radish and butternut squash and beets with arugula.
After dinner, we walked to the harbor and we saw glimpses of orange and pink. We walked the pier and watched a glorious sunset.
Ocracoke in October is a little chillier. The weather is unpredictable. It is also less crowded; operates at a slower more relaxed pace. The beaches are wide open and it’s great fun to take the Jeep and ride along the water. For us, autumn is the perfect time to enjoy this old fishing village.
