Thankful Thursday - OBX Highlights, Part Two

I am so thankful to be home from vacation.

The one thing I have continually told friends who ask about our trip is that this was the first truly relaxing vacation we've had since our children were born. That is such a blessing.

What else can I tell you and show you from our vacation to the Outer Banks?

Oh, so much more.

We visited the Wright Brothers Museum. This plaque was right outside the welcome center, where there were tons of pictures and replicas of letters the brothers sent to their family back home in Ohio (I believe) about their experiences.



Orville and Wilbur Wright chose the Outer Banks area because of the gusty winds (great for lift-off) and sandy dunes (great for soft landings).

They made four flights, each one a bit further than the last. These markers show where each flight ended.



And way on down at the end of the plastic mat walkway, my kids hid behind the final marker.



As we were walking up to the huge monument on the hill, we noticed the winds picking up, the temperature drop, and huge clouds form overhead. Before long, we decided to hightail it back to the truck. The fat raindrops started as the kids and I hit the parking lot. Bruce was too cool to push an all-out run, but we weren't, so we were in the truck when it really hit. Bruce made it by the hair of his chinny, chin, chin.

I realized near the end of our sprint across the field that there were signs reminding visitors to stay on the path to preserve the area. And because I am such a rule follower, that has really bugged me since. Bruce hasn't spent one more second thinking about it. He's a rule breaker. Funny how God puts two people together like that.

Bruce is also the more patient one of us. So we drove slowly around the grounds while the rain poured, waiting for it to pass so we could walk up to the monument. I would have called it a day and left.

They eventually walked up the hill while I stayed in the truck to enjoy a few minutes of quiet and the beauty of the area. I love the way the earth smells after it rains.

Here's a couple of views from on top of the monument.





And then we checked out another indoor part of the grounds. I had to share these pictures of our little astronauts.





After our visit to the museum, we met some friends for dinner at a restaurant on a pier. Bruce works with Richard, whose family vacationed at the OBX the same time as we did. Richard's wife Christina and I meet with the other wives of our husbands' coworkers at least a few times a year for dinner and a bunch of laughs. The Smiths have a son Clay's age and a daughter the same age as Spencer and Allison.

The next day we had plans to see more lighthouses, but to the south of our campground this time. And we would take a ferry ride to get to one of them.

They packed those vehicles onto the ferry. Here's our truck, sandwiched in between other cars.



Here are a few other pictures taken on the ferry ride.

Me and the kids.



And Bruce, pulling his "I'm too sexy for this shirt" pose.



And as if we hadn't already had enough of the seagulls...



A short distance from where we got off the ferry, we noticed a sign for beach access where you could drive on the beach. We'd never done that before, so when Bruce asked if we wanted to do it right then or after seeing the lighthouse, I practically shouted, "Let's go right now!"

Bruce revved the engine, pausing just long enough for me to get a picture.



We bounced around on that hilly dune like a ship on rocky seas. The kids and I were laughing our heads off. And then Bruce said, "I don't like the feel of this at all."

I picked up on an odd note in his voice, and the smile on my face was wiped off as I whipped my head to face him.

"What did you say?" I asked as I felt the truck begin to bog down.

And then we stopped. Stuck in the sand. This close to the packed sand.



Bruce gave a few valiant attempts to try to get us out of our sand trap, but then sat back and said, "I'm not sure what to do next."

Like I knew??

He got out of the truck and started letting air out of his tires. Lots of air, because he keeps something like 60-70 pounds of pressure in them.

I stayed in the truck with the kids and tried to remain calm and positive. I said, "Let's thank the Lord right now for the breeze, because it would be so hot out here right now without that breeze." So we prayed for the breeze and asked God to help daddy keep cool... in more ways than one.

Then a beach patrol guy drove by and told Bruce they are not allowed to pull anyone out of the sand. But he gave Bruce a business card for a local towing company.

We called them and were informed that it would cost somewhere from $60 to $100 to tow us.

It's amazing what kind of incentive that will provide. Bruce remembered something the guy he bought the truck had said about being stuck once. He got out and manually locked something involved with the 4WD. (I'm not technical. I don't retain that kind of info. If you are technical, you probably already know what I'm talking about. And if you aren't, then explaining it to you better won't be any more effective than it was for me.)

Hallelujah! It worked.

We called the towing company to cancel our "appointment". And then Bruce put the pedal to the metal to get us out of there. We laughed like crazy on the way back out, too, but more from delirious thankfulness that we were free... and still not any more broke than we were when we started our trek onto the beach.

Finally, we got to Ocracoke Lighthouse.



And after that, we got back on the ferry for our return trip. We found the closest gas station that had an air pump and spent nearly 45 minutes getting the air pressure back up to the recommended amounts.

Then we drove on to visit Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. And Bruce clicked this one of the kids with their cool shades.



We left with the intention to come back so Bruce could take pictures near dusk. We drove just down the road a bit to eat dinner at a fantastic local restaurant called The Captain's Table in Buxton, N.C. The setting was wonderful, the service was great, the food was fantastic, and the price was good. It was yummy, yummy, yummy!

Afterwards, we went back to Cape Hatteras, and Bruce got this beauty.



Okay, I have to stop again. Evidently, there will be a Part Three.

Have a great day.