Cheers, OBX Bound
Cheers, this Coastinista is OBX or Bust this Memorial weekend.
The Outer Banks, and especially the southern OBX (Ocracoke, Hatteras, Frisco, Buxton, Avon, and Rodanthe), NC is a special place for me. It is like traveling to a completely different world, but it’s sort of right around the corner. Sometimes I think of pinching myself for living near such an amazingly beautiful and completely chill place rich in coastal heritage and exploding with maritime history.
What I adore most about heading to OBX is that it’s easy. I know what to expect, I know what I am going to do, eat, see, and feel and I love every single minute. It’s not to say that everything is the same every time, however, the feelings are pretty close and the familiarity is this magical bliss ball of nostalgia that gives me all the feels. Even the journey there is chill (NC BY FERRY).
Don’t get me wrong, I love traveling the world and experiencing completely new cultures, food, and places, but there is something so magical about the Outer Banks that I just keep coming back time after time, year after year, several times a year, and I cannot imagine there being an end to this repetitive cycle of coastal backyard exploration. It is like a familiar hot cup of tea that blankets me in comfort while thrilling me with the very best waves on the east coast, epic sound-side paddle locations, killer wrecks for diving – complete with my fav shark species’, wooded trails for hiking, challenging (I am freaked over heights) climbs up the lighthouse, and when all else fails I finally feel relaxed enough to get in some much needed nose-in-book-time with my fav inde book store or thrift store finds – and if I run out of reading material there is a great lil’ bookstore in both Ocracoke and Buxton.
This trip, Mr. Coastinista and I initially expected fair weather, blue skies, hot and sunny, and I was crossing my fingers for some dive time offshore.
Well… Things change.
The weather has turned and we are now expecting, not only bad weather, but a tropical storm no less. Oh well.. Lemonade and all, I am still planning to have an amazeballs time filled with all the excitement one could expect from a slight adrenaline junkie and salt water nut. After all, bad diving conditions usually mean good surf conditions and vice versa and so we are bringing everything we have in the realm of watersports (SUP, Surfboards, Dive Gear, floaty things, hand planes, there might even be a partridge in a pair tree – oh wait no the bird is nesting in our front door wreath and she is housesitting for us).
I also packed a couple of skateboards and bikes – wishful thinking, but if I don’t bring them I will wish I had and it’s not exactly like we haven’t been biking or skating in tropical weather – we do have rain gear. Wes even wants to “bring the boat”. Hehe and belly laughs = not happening, but next time fo sho. It is funny how I can pack one single backpack of clothes, but the gear…
Cheers to the sand, salt, waves, and live music in the near future. If you too are heading to the OBX – hit us up and join us for a surf sesh, rainy bike ride, brewskey over live music, blustery paddle venture, or whatever the weather brings.
Cheers to another Memorial weekend on the OBX and an Endless Summer meet up with our pal, Robert August.
Cheers to protecting the coast and the journey complete with beach cleanups and marine derbis tracking, of course.
Cheers to you and yours.
Most of all Cheers to our armed forces both past, present, and future and cheers to world peace.
Wishing everyone a safe, happy, and memorable Memorial Weekend complete with time for reminiscing about those loved and lost and that remain forever in our hearts and minds.
With much love and respect for those that died while serving our homeland, protecting these beautiful places that we call home,
LR (C)
Coastinista 