MELLOCUTIE: Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

May 11, 2010 - From Greensboro, we traveled 290 miles east on the 70 to the seafaring Cape Hatteras/the Outer Banks region of North Carolina, to the island of Ocracoke. After an overnight stop by Cedar Island, we crossed by ferry 2 1/2 hours to Ocracoke Island, where the famed pirate, Blackbeard lived and died. We stayed 2 nights, camped in the sleepy Ocracoke next to the Atlantic Ocean, buffered by grassy sand dunes. The first day had on and off drizzling rain towards evening, but comfortable enough to walk the village and enjoy the sandy, empty beach.

Our 2nd day offered a beautiful day, where we took it easy and biked to a local pub, Howard's Pub where we ate the fresh catch of fried mahi mahi and oysters followed by desert at a local sweet shop called Fig Tree (amazing fig cake). The evening started getting a little on the shady side where the weather started clouding up. We wanted a 5am start to head out to DC, but we had the unfortunate sudden thunderstorm at 4 in the morning. After the 1 hour storm, we had a short period of drizzle where we could pack up. As soon as I opened the tent, the mosquitoes literally ate us alive. Lingering on the water drops of our tent from the nasty rain, they headed for our bodies and bit right through our clothes. Never had I had so many bites from a short period of time. The swells were all over my neck, face, hands, arms and legs. We packed our flooded tent in the sand and worked as fast as possible to get the heck out of there before the rain got stronger.

Driving out of Ocracoke on the 3rd day, we were drenched on the whole ride through the ferry and the Outer Banks, with the storm once again picking up speed. Once we hit Virginia at our lunch stop in Williamsburg, the rain finally subsided. We enjoyed lunch and a picturesque walk through the historic Williamsburg before moving on to D.C.