One Hell of a Trip
OBX-2024
I wanted to take the time to emphasize the importance of taking time off from work to enjoy life. I, like most, live a fast-paced life that forces me to be out of the house for work 75% of my waking hours. Here is a short tale of my trip during my week off.
I went on vacation from the week of August 3rd to August 11th. My wife, stepdaughter and I were invited by my BIL to an Airbnb rental home in the Outer Banks located in North Carolina. Were staying in Avon, NC specifically.
We started our five-hour drive from Bristow, VA that Saturday, August 3rd, 2024. Our adventure began around 6:30am. The traffic was not too heavy because we avoided the Northern Virginia rush hour traffic that could impede traffic along I95 and the I495 Capital Beltway. I was glad we hit the road early.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Debra was making her way into the Gulf of Mexico and expected to bring heavy rain to the East Coast throughout the week. We started to see the rain once we hit the Eastern Shore of North Carolina as some of the roads driving into Hatteras Islands were slightly flooded. I asked my wife to check the local news sites for more information on the weather. Much more rain was to be expected going into the week and flash flooding should be expected. We weren’t going to let that stop us.
We arrived around 1:30pm and greeted the family. We toured this massive vacation home. The home was outdated but had sturdy bones. The home sat along a canal that led out to the sound. This was perfect for kayaking, fishing, and crabbing. All the homes in the area stood on stilts over car ports. We walked up the small staircase into the home that led us to the laundry room. Another staircase led to a narrow hallway on the next level with several doors to each of the 4 bedrooms and a full bathroom. We were invited last minute so our family accepted the room with bunk beds. All was well. We had just gotten a free stay at the beach.
We went to the beach after the rain stopped. We had to deflate the tires in the Ford 250 truck and the Jeep to drive on the sand. Driving on the beach gave us some trouble with spinning and getting stuck but we got to a spot and settled in. Even on that cloudy day we got to enjoy the beach long enough to feel good about the trip. The water was warm albeit a little harsh. We left after a couple of hours once the rain started again.
Read: 10 Ground Rules For Men
For the next couple of days, we tried to do as much as we could. Sunday, we spent six hours at the beach. We fished of the surf with huge, weighted rigs. We raced on the sand. We partied and buried the kids. Monday, we kayaked along the canal in the morning. The water looked like glass in the sunlight. All of us men and boys went to the pier to fish while the ladies went shopping for souvenirs. We returned to the canal at night and drifted together as the shrimp jumped all around us and the kayaks. Tuesday, we got rained in. Whenever I was in the house, I would help the kids unlock rewards on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Warzone. I had one of the best times of my life.
By now, we were getting worried about the flooding. We decided to head home Wednesday after we all meet for a late lunch at a famous seafood buffet called Jimmy’s. That next morning, we packed up and helped clean as much as we could. We started our journey and drove about an hour back toward the mainland to meet at Jimmy’s. When the others stopped, we kept going so we could meet my wife’s aunt at the PetSmart to give cat food donations. She adopts stray cats and partners with PetSmart to help find them homes. On our way the rain was on and off again. There was terrible flooding along the road. We kept in touch to let the other know how bad the flooding was ahead of them. The concern was that the local authorities sometimes shut down the roads during flooding and we did not want them to risk getting cut off from getting back to the beach house. Fortunately, everyone made it to Jimmy’s back with no problem.
After we ate and said our goodbyes, we headed home. I was glad we were back on the mainland and safe from flooding. We stopped at a few more stores for souvenirs and pics before we left town. We started our journey around 4:30pm. Along the way we stopped at this huge market on the side of the road called Powell’s Market. We all picked something to take home. I got a watermelon and pastries. My wife got salsa and black berries. My stepdaughter got a chocolate whoopie pie and pickled garlic. We arrived home around 10:00pm. We were exhausted but that was one hell of a trip.
My wife and I would turn around get ready to leave for a trip that following Friday to Unionville, VA for a romantic weekend celebrating our anniversary… That’s a story for another day.
If you enjoyed this post, buy me a Kofi🍵!
Thank you for Reading!
Be sure to check out the YouTube Channel Talk With BJH!
