I started packing and everyone else started paddling - literally everyone else. It was awesome seeing everyone having a great time out on the Pamlico. Super flat water, brilliant sunset and decently warm temps. What a wonderful way to end a vacation - reality sucks compared to the vacation life. I need to find a new line of work or win the lottery....
La and I ate at this place back when we lived in Virginia Beach and made monthly trips down to Avon-Waves-Salvo. It was hard to look at Chicamacimico and not think of Chimichangas, but eating a lump crab cake sandwich or the Carolina Pulled Pork made you temporarily forget Mexican food. The place has upgraded quite a bit since the early 2000s, but the ambiance is still the same. Now I feel like eating a chimichanga....
Just for the record, I only went to the top of the ramp to make loading easier. I did not buy an off road permit this trip so I didn't take the surf taco "off" road. Next time. This was the last surf session for this trip, but not the last water excursion.
So I finally pulled the Go Pro Hero 2 I have out and used it again. Having the remote made a HUGE difference in ease of use and sparing the labor post session sorting out the keeper shots. The funny thing about this camera though is it always makes my belly way bigger and it shrinks the waves - Go Pro needs to fix that...
Probably the wave of the day - even if it wasn't, about the only more you could ask for was 20 degree warmer water. You already had - no crowds, warm sunshine, family having fun on the beach, peace and quiet all around. Ramp 27 delivered the goods!
For those of you that know Amy Bisgard, heed this warning - spending too much time in the Outer Banks will shrink you. She is now La's height... And on another note, the kids had fun pulling the plastic eggs laden with money and chocolate delectables from the grip of the Graveyard of the Atlantic sands...
Last Friday post - there is something ultra relaxing - almost sublime - about watching the sun go down over a water horizon. In certain places, you can be lucky enough to watch both the sunrise and sunset over water (like Hawaii) - the lower Outer Banks is definitely one of the sublimest spots I've come to know...
Friday afternoon SUP surfing - the waves were small, but to a landlocked surfer, waves are waves and they must be ridden or you will suffer the curse of dry skin and creaky joints (DRY ROT). I had fun and so did Noe!
We're back from spring break and almost settled back into our normal routines. I'll be posting the rest of our activities for continuity. So on Friday morning we were joined by the Bisgards for SUP surfing, running the kids around and essentials like eating and drinking. We heard over the radio that Kitty Hawk Kites would be throwing an Easter Egg Hunt and a Kite Flying Festival - so we thought we take the kids over (the Outer Banks schools started their Spring Break the next day). The kids had fun climbing up the dunes and rolling down - I was emptying sand out of pants pockets, car seats and jackets for the next couple of days after this. What matters is the kids had fun (especially while being attacked by the jellyfish tailing kite)!
This morning the wind was from the NNW and stable around 16 mph. I figured it would be a good day to stay in and finally put up a kite - 16m Crossbow and the Raptor Pro. It has been literally since last May since I last kited - but as expected - it's just like riding a bike. Except that here on the Outer Banks the water and air temperatures are still in the 40s. With the cold and the compression offered by the wetsuit, my left hip felt much better, but I didn't do anything radical just in case. La took these pictures from inside the jacuzzi at the place we are renting this week. For once I didn't feel guilty for having a good time while La and the kids froze/sweltered/got pelted with sand/attacked by bugs - I did come in after an hour because I couldn't feel my fingers anymore. Another great day on the Banks! I thought I might have diversified too much bringing SUPs (with paddles and windsurfing rig), fishing rods, kiting equipment - but for once I got to use everything I brought down. And we've got a few more days to go! Now I just have to fix my hip....
It's Spring Break for the kids and we are hanging out in the Outer Banks. WE LOVE THIS PLACE!!! From trying to properly pronounce Chicamacomico (Chimichanga always rolls off the tongue) to hitting the old haunts (like the Ocean Air shop formerly known as Windsurfing Hatteras), this place is timeless for us. My hip is giving me grief right now so I opted to flyfish instead of SUP surf. This spot was just south of the New Inlet (recent storm breech? - they had a bailey bridge rigged up to cross the new water way). I didn't catch crap!!! This is like the fourth time I've gone this year and I haven't even seen a fish. I brought my gyotaku stuff down and a ton of fishing equipment - I even bought a tourist fishing license. I'll resort to using bait in a day or so. The kids loved digging smaller holes (not their normal stand inside holes) while La collected shells. The only issue was the cold - with winter still clinging, we were lucky to hit 50 today. The wind did not help. Tomorrow we'll probably hit the Aquarium at Manteo Island and check out the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kitty Hawk. I'll also try to sneak in a SUP surf session in the morning (cold water helps sore hip joints right???!!!???). No matter what we do, it will involve a lot of chill'in - literally and figuratively.
