Outer Banks 2015, Part 2

We set out on Highway 12 toward Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the lighthouse there after our time in Nags Head and Corolla.

Brent and I had both been to the lighthouse at Cape Hatteras before but this was the first time for the girls this far down the Outer Banks.

The first evening after we arrived at Cape Hatteras, Brent decided he wanted to get a picture of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from the beach instead of right at the lighthouse. So we headed down to one of the local beach accesses and went out on the beach. There were maybe a dozen people on the beach, most of them opposite of the direction we were walking, and toward the direction we were walking lots and lots of shells!

The big girls both found whole conch shells.

We also got several fun family pictures with the lighthouse too.

            

After dark, we headed back out to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse for Brent to get some night photography in and for us to view the Perseids Meteor shower under a very dark sky. Here is Brent's Milky Way image over Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The picture on the right is the girls and I about 30 feet from the lighthouse after we watched the meteor shower. Yep, it was really dark.

The next day we went out to Cape Point, which is the easternmost point of the Outer Banks. I learned something new about going to the beach around the Outer Banks-apparently, a very popular way to go to the beach around Cape Hatteras is to have a four-wheel drive and drive to your spot on the beach. However, we had the minivan and not the Buick so we walked all the way out to Cape Point. Well, almost to the tip of Cape Point. We walked most of the way and found a rope line across the beach that said "NO TRAFFIC" including pedestrians. If you get a chance, google the "American Oystercatcher." Apparently, there was a baby American Oystercatcher chick was learning to fly along the Point and it was closed to all walking and driving. If you look behind Bethany and I, you can see a part of the Point in the background. Maybe another trip, we will make it all the way to Cape Point!

The girls had fun playing in the water and the little one enjoyed eating goldfish crackers on the beach.

There were also "Sand Angels" made

and sand castles made

We also got a picture of each one with their age on the beach

Bethany wanted to crawl instead of get her picture made!

Next we took the ferry to Ocrackoke for the southernmost part of our trip. Rachel loved the ferry. Bekah and Bethany slept through their first ferry ride from Hatteras to Ocracoke.

Brent got some more photography in and we got our family picture at the Ocracoke Lighthouse.

Everyone stayed awake for the return ferry trip and loved the ferry ride.

As we headed back up Cape Hatteras National Seashore on the return trip home. we stopped at one of the accesses along Highway 12. There looked like there had been a few people walking along the beach there but there was a great tidal pool for the big girls and TONS of scallop shells.

Brent and Bethany walked one direction and looked for shells and the big girls and I looked at another section. The bucket I am holding is completely filled with scallop shells of all colors and sizes. We found more scallop shells besides just this one bucket.

Here is the littlest beachcomber. She is not quite walking yet but she sure could crawl across that sand quickly.

We also stopped by Bodie Island Lighthouse on the way back. Brent had taken this sunrise picture earlier in the week while the girls and I were still asleep!

I really wanted a family picture of us while we were at the beach. Let me tell you, it is not an easy task to get 5 people and 3 of them under 7 to look at a camera on a tripod all at one time, but after several (many...) tries, we got a family picture!

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, August 2015

   We saw 4 Lighthouses in 4 days, a meteor shower and the Milky Way over Cape Hatteras, almost made it to the easternmost point of North Carolina, rode a ferry twice, ate some great seafood, Brent got some excellent images and we had some great family time together. We are thankful for the family time together and gearing up for the busyness of this upcoming fall!