OBX Getaway

Matthew and I left Ally and the dogs behind at the lake with Ray & Dee and set off on our own for some fun in the Outer Banks last Friday afternoon. We took the scenic route and even stopped at a vineyard for some wine tasting on the way! Upon arriving at our B&B in Nags Head, we checked in, enjoyed some yummy appetizers prepared by our hosts, and then we took a windy beach walk. On Friday night we dined at the Black Pelican.

On Saturday morning we had the best intentions of sleeping in, but both of us were awake at 6:30am. We hung out in bed dozing for an hour and a half and finally rolled out of bed at 8am. We had breakfast of custom made omlettes outside on the deck then got out the maps and guidebooks to plan our day.

First we visited Jockey's Ridge State Park to explore the amazing sand dunes. After working up a good thirst we stopped at the Outer Banks Brewing Station (the first wind powered brew pub) for a 'before noon' beer! Next we were off to Jurassic Putt for a competitive game of mini golf. Matthew had the advantage since he happened to have his own putter in the back of the car. He beat me 40 to 52 but we both had a few hole in ones- on the same hole no less! In an effort to continue our glutenous streak, we had a late lunch at Fat Boys! By now we were in a serious food coma so we headed out to the swimming pool to relax/ nap for an hour.

Once we'd rested up we decided some more exercise was in order so we hopped on the two complimentary beach cruiser bikes and headed south. This proved to be a bad idea. The wind was out of the south so we were riding into it on bikes with no shocks, terribly uncomfortable seats, tires that were low on air, and no gears! It was hard work! We made it about 2 miles down to the fishing pier where we stopped to get a drink and rest for a few minutes. Thankfully, the ride back home was much easier and more pleasurable since the wind was at our backs.

By now it had been like two hours since we'd had anything to eat so we chowed down on our appetizers again back at the B&B and enjoyed our first bottle of wine for the night. After cleaning up and attempting to take some pictures up on the very windy rooftop deck, we headed out to dinner at Owens. We had such a good time! It was prom night in the OBX and we sat next to a 12 top table of high school kids with raging hormones! One of the guys was wearing a top hat.... in the restaurant... at the table... while eating dinner! He looked SO COOL!! (Are you picking up on the sarcasm??) Anyway- these kids provided our entertainment for the night. We stared at the girl's dresses, snickered at the boys in their penguin suits, and eavesdropped on their conversations about how to procure mass quantities of alcohol. Ah, high school.... don't miss it a bit!!

We hit up the hot tub at our B&B after dinner for 20-30 minutes and fell into bed. Two bottles of wine tends to have that effect on us! Sunday morning we slept in a little later- 7:30ish. We enjoyed round two of the homemade omlettes and checked out early so we could book it up to Currituck so we could catch the 11 o'clock ferry to Knott's Island. It was a beautiful, sunny morning and I can't think of a better way to have spent it than sunbathing on the top deck of the ferry with my honey! We visited the Martin Vineyard for some more wine tasting then headed for home once we discovered that there was absolutely nothing else of interest on the island. What would a vacation be without one more fattening meal? We stopped for a Mexican lunch and cervesas on the way home and then it was back to reality.

We had a few hours to kill before our little family arrived home to meet us so Matthew washed our pollen covered, bug splattered car while I mowed the grass. We had time to get cleaned up, unpacked, and start some laundry before our happy reunion. Matthew and I had a fabulous time, but were very happy to see Ally.

We're down to only two weeks before Matthew deploys so we're making the most out of the time we have left. He goes back to work on Thursday, but we're planning another trip to the lake for the weekend to visit with Matthew's brother Brian and we have an early anniversary diner date for sometime next week.

Thanks for checking in- enjoy the picture montage! (You can click on the picture to enlarge the slideshow.)