Spring Break 2013: North to Corolla

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We spent some time at the beach the morning after we stayed in Ocracoke. Greta loved the sand, shells, birds, and dogs. She found a plastic rake on the beach and used it to stir up trouble. The highlight of the morning, for Greta, was when a helicopter flew over the beach close enough for us to see the passengers waving at us.

We loaded a tired Greta into the car and boarded another ferry – this time to head north to Hatteras. This shorter ferry ride is a unique one and a free service provided by the NCDOT.

Once off the ferry, the drive north along Highway 12 is a scenic one.

This bridge was built quickly to accommodate the newest inlet, Pea Island Inlet, after the most recent hurricane season. It doesn’t look shady or anything…

We reached Corolla by afternoon. The live oaks are much taller and more prevalent in this region of the Outer Banks.

We stayed at the Inn at Corolla Light. The room was very spacious with a bedroom, bathroom, and large closet at one end. In the middle it had a ,small kitchen with a sink, microwave, refrigerator, and basic necessities. The living room was at the other end with a sleeper couch, table and two chairs, TV, and sliding glass doors that opened up to the pool and hot tub! There was plenty of room for Greta to spread out – she took no time at all to sit at the table and color.

The deck was just outside our room – complete with hot tub and pool that overlooked the water.

We went exploring before dinner.

This place would be a hopping place in the summer.

Can’t you just see a wedding at the end of this pier? This place begs for another visit.

To the right of the pier was this view: the Whale Head Club and still the forest fire.

A boardwalk and gravel trail continues along the edge of the water, offering excellent birding opportunities.

Our mornings were filled with beach trips. This is the end of Highway 12 – a sandy road blocked off with fences to protect the wild horses the roam the area.

The Fit was not fit for sand driving.

So, we traded in 4 wheels for 2 wheels. Nothing like a chilly, beach bike ride to start your day.

It was a dramatic morning for a ride, with plenty of sites.

Rain was looming most of the out time in Corolla – but it did not stop us from getting our fill of the area.

We checked out a trail that takes one out to the coastal marsh of the estuary. We spotted only one wild horse only briefly – sadly some really loud visitors scared it off.

The area was beautifully quiet after the noisy crowd moved off in search of other wild horses to scare off. The muddy area underneath the walkway was filled with horse prints.

The first part of the trail snaked in between a maritime forest of live oaks, southern wax myrtles, and loblolly pines.

We ate dinner at the best Mexican food I have had in a long time at Agave Roja in Corolla. I have been hunting for something that even compares with the pescado tacos I had in the heart of Mexico City at a little stand years ago. I finally found them, on the NC coast – they were grilled with crunchy slaw, chile aioli sauce and guacamole. Eric ordered Camarones Tacos with pineapple-haberno sauce that were to die for as well. The black beans and rice were also fantastic. More to come on those in a future post.

The atmosphere and artwork were equally pleasing – tasteful rope light and original paintings.

Our last day at Corolla started with a walk at the beach at dawn.

We are all a bunch of early birds and had no trouble getting down to the water to see the sun rise.

We were glad we made it – the colors were liquid golds, pinks, and violets. How were we to know this would be the only sunlight we saw on this day?

After breakfast we made a stop at the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, but Greta was more concerned with where her shell had gone inside her pocket.

Out last stop was at the stately home of the Knights, known as the Whalehead Club. It was built in the 1920s as a hunting and entertaining lodge for wealthy northerners. It has been restored and tours are available. We opted to quickly view the free basement exhibit and take Greta on her merry way, as she was crashing towards nap time.

Oh North Carolina coast – how much I will miss you when we are in land locked Iowa. I am so grateful for this spring trip to familiar and new places. I hope we see you again soon, Outer Banks and Atlantic Ocean. This image is from a trip in July of 2007, and is the beach on Ocracoke Island.

A few of my favorite reads on the Outer Banks of North Carolina are: