Robot Journal : Hola Ocracoke!

8/29/2007

Beach trip wrap up

We went to the Outer Banks for a few days before heading south for the annual robot family beach fest (tm). I had been to the Outer Banks once as a kid, but I think we just stayed up in that Kill Devil Hills area with all the junk.
Neither of us had ever been to Ocracoke.

I didn't take a lot of photographs (I took the vacation idea seriously).
If you want photos, look at this guy's cool aerials of the Outer Banks.

Lighthouse

Ocracoke Lighthouse (and tiny friend lighthouse)

There is a lighthouse in Ocracoke. Maybe I am cranky, but it's a short little thing.
Or am I just really tall?
No, I think it is small.
no. serious. not the small one in photo.

Sleep
We stayed at "The Cove". It's a B&B. Very nice place. Super friendly innkeepers. Lovely breakfast.

Beach
Ocracoke was named 2007's "Beach of the Year" by Dr. Beach. I don't know much about Dr. Beach, but Mrs. Robot and I once watched a show he did a few years back where he ranked his favorite beaches... and to this day we still laugh about it because he constantly used the phrase "world class beach". Like every other word.
"And that's why blahblahblah beach is a world class beach. Next up, Maui, home to some world class beaches that are world class. And beaches. Beaches classed in a worldly way."

It is a very nice beach. The water wasn't super hot (unlike down in SC where it was something like 150 degrees (23 degrees Canadian)).
Sand.
No sea monsters.
I saved a woman from drowning.

Ate
We had three proper dinners and they got better as they went.
First night was at the Flying Melon Cafe. High quality food that was maybe sometimes hit-n-miss in regards to the pairings. Specifically the red snapper and crab meat dish I had. Crab meat? Yes! Red snapper? Yes! Together? Sure! Do they do anything when put together? Not really.
The service was sometimes clumsy but meant well.
Decent wine list (we had a bottle of Muga ros�!)
Yes, Muga! thx Eve!

Second night
The Cafe Atlantic
They like Parmesan cheese. That's not a bad thing. It was all generally good.
Dessert was awesome (apparently one of the owners is a pasty chef or something).

Third night
The Back Porch. This was our favorite.
It was a fun dinner. The waitress was smart and clever.
We had scallops wrapped in bacon.
The wine list was extensive and we had a white burgundy.
I forgot what the entree was but I remembered cleaning my plate.

After dinner we mounted our bikes and cruised happily through the little neighborhoods until we came to the southern end of the island where there is a boat ramp and a small pier.

BTW - Pretty much perfect: riding bikes with a full belly and light head from wine on a breezy evening at the (world class) beach.

As we were looking out at the water an older couple pulled up in a truck and went out on to the pier to check their traps. Mrs. Robot asked if she could follow them and watch them do it. The couple was looking to catch some sort of little fish, but were using crab traps - so that is what they had. The man dumped all the crabs out.

Then we rode back in to town and got some ice cream.

At the end of the night, we rode down the long-ish street back to the inn and it was super dark. So we rode down the middle of the street and crossed our fingers that we didn't hit a random person.
Or swamp monster.
Or pesky cat.
Or pony.

Speaking of pony
The pony aspect was a bit lacking. Yes, Ocracoke used to have packs/herds/gaggles of wild horses/ponies roaming the island, but in the 50's they started getting hit by cars, so they have all been fenced in. It's sad that they can't run free, but their pony area is pretty substantial.
They have an adopt-a-pony program as well.

Crazy Ocracoke Pony Fact!
Ocracoke ponies have distinctive physical characteristics: 5 lumbar vertebrae instead of the 6 found in other horses, 17 ribs instead of the 18 found in other horses, and a unique shape, posture, color, size, and weight
more!

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