Surf City, NC - Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 2009

We traveled 300 miles south to Surf City in the low country of North Carolina.  While the community had the funky flavor of the 1960's surf scene, we did not meet up with the Beach Boys or Jan and Dean.  However, we did glimpse a few surfers on the rather mild mid-Atlantic waves. 

We stayed at Lanier Campground on the mainland side of the Intercoastal Waterway, but within easy walking and biking distance of the beach.  While the campground had a good location, it was definitely one of those places that looked much better on the Internet than it did in reality.  The park was quite run down, and when it rained it turned into a massive mud puddle.  And it rained a lot.  We learned later that the owners were trying to sell the property and hadn't properly maintained it for quite some time.

During our stay in North Carolina we toured the historic section of Wilmington and lunched at a lovely restaurant on the Cape Fear River.  We walked the beach looking for interesting shells and biked Topsail Island.

On a particularly promising day we drove north along the low country's back roads through farmland, fishing villages and resort communities to Beaufort for lunch.  At Harkers Island we caught the Calico Jack Ferry, a 10-passenger open skiff, to Cape Lookout Island, the southeastern most island of the Outer Banks.   

On the way to Cape Lookout the ferryman took us by a low-lying island to view a herd of wild ponies.  DNA tests have shown the ponies to be descendents of Spanish mustangs, but how they came to be on the islands is a matter of lore and legend reaching back 500 years.

After a short cruise we landed in the shadows of the beautiful, diamond-patterned Cape Lookout Lighthouse.  The previous weekend the lighthouse celebrated its 150th anniversary with hoopla and fireworks.  As a birthday gift it received an appropriation from the stimulus package for repairs needed to reopen the tower.  Once reopened, the 165 foot tower will once again offer fabulous views of the low-lying islands.

We enjoyed our time in the languid North Carolina low country, but were happy to be moving south to Charleston to a less boggy environment.