Above: From our campground at Frisco National Campground on Hatteras Island, we can access the beach by walking this long boardwalk, then up and over the sand ridge. Below: the view of the ocean from the end of the boardwalk on top of the sand ridge. Our beach is a 5-mile walk from the Cape.

Cape Hatteras, Graveyard of the Atlantic, was our goal today. We walked for miles, mesmerized by the boiling waves. At the very point of the Cape, two distinct currents clashed producing the most amazing wave action. I took way too many photos, but every second produced a unique abstract form that cried out to be captured. Well, at least in my head.

First, we hiked the 1-mile Buxton Woods Trail Loop through the 1,007 acre Buxton Woods Preserve near the lighthouse. This trail tours what is called relic sand dunes, that is, dunes that have been colonized by the hardy plants that can survive a nutrient-deficient soil and a salty sea breeze. Oaks, cedars, palmettos, and lots of tangled bushes have created a beautiful thick woods. That warmed us up for the main event - the 6-mile walk around the Cape.

Don’t let the 3/4 mile sign fool ya. Our Gaia GPS app said that we logged a full mile. Of course, we do take a lot of side paths to check everything out.

These thickets offer dense tunnels of vegetation.

I like the symmetry of the palmetto leaves.

To drive to the Cape, one needed one of those special permits and a 4-wheel drive vehicle. There were plenty of those on this absolutely gorgeous day. For us un-permitted 2-wheel drive vehicle owners, it meant walking an extra mile just to reach the beach. Then another 2 miles to round the Cape, and another 3 miles to complete the loop back to the van.

It was worth every step. The ocean, especially at the tip of the Cape, was powerful. The fishermen and women were friendly. The sun was warm. Even the breeze lacked the bite it usually has in November. The clean light-biege sand stretched on as far as we could see. The surf threw plenty of sea shells onto the beach to comb through. Most were broken, but we picked up a few gems.

I am shocked that with all the surfer clothing shops and T-shirt shops, we didn’t run across one shop selling shells. In fact, the only shop selling shells that we found was on the Virginia Beach boardwalk. That shop sold Scotch Bonnets, North Carolina’s state shell. I didn’t buy one of the little beauties thinking I’d find one on a beach in the Outer Banks. So far, we’ve only spotted badly busted up ones. I am beginning to think that I should have bought one, but its like buying sea shore rocks. Buying them goes against the grain. Finding those special ones is where the fun is. Anyway, Scotch Bonnets are a smaller version of the large conch shells. They are cute and complex swirls of calcium.

This parking lot is as close as we could drive, which is still a mile from the beach.

Even with an ‘Off Road Vehicle’ permit, I wouldn’t take our 2-wheel drive van down this road.

This lady caught a baby Flounder, the same kind of fish that we cooked up yesterday. Most fish are flat vertically. Flounders didn’t get that memo. They are flat horizontally. Their eyes are really goofy. Both are on top, but not quite aligned right. It’s like the eyes didn’t finish evolving completely to the top side of their body. The same is with their mouth. It also didn’t quite make it all the way around to the horizontal orientation yet. Oh well, it’s a work in progress.

These waves don’t come in orderly rows. The roiling boiling broiling helter-skelter water action was mesmerizing. The cross currents at the tip of the Cape is responsible for this kind of wave action.

A protected turtle hatchery.

The expanse of sand stretches on for miles. It was high-tide when we were there. At low-tide, there is even more sand.

After walking the Cape, we drove down to the little grocery store in Hatteras. The only development on the island is at the lower end where the tiny villages of Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras are located. The development consists of more rows of these rental houses. They are all built on stilts. The bottom may have sheds, garages, and car ports, but no living space. Still, these buildings are stick-built. I am not convinced that they could stand up to a Cat 4 or 5 wind.

The few people that live on the island don’t bother with stilts. They mostly have very modest single-story brick houses.

Glossary of terms used for newcomers: 1) V-Jer. The name of our camper. 2) Saturn. The name of our Van. 3) Duende. Our mischievous gremlin that breaks things. 4) Tata. The good gremlin that helps us fix Duende’s dirty work. 5) The Black Hole. This is what we call Walmart because every time we go in for just a couple of items, we come out spending way more than we figured. 6) QT. Quaint Town. 7) Little Buddy. This is what we call our Dyson cordless stick vacuum.

Dave and Wanda

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