Down in North Carolina

I’ve always been a beach girl at heart.  I’ve been drawn to the ocean ever since I was a little kid.  Even growing up in land-locked Dallas, Texas, I became obsessed with the idea of vast blue horizons and endless shores.  Time and time again, I manage to find myself crawling back to the water.

Last week, I journeyed out to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  The shores of the Outer Banks – and it’s lighthouses – have been a dream of mine for years now.  Making that dream a reality was probably the best decision I’ve made for myself in years.

Along with some serious beach-combing, I visited four lighthouses: Bodie, Hatteras, Ocracoke, and Currituck.  Simply visiting them was a dream come true in and of itself, but I also got the chance to climb Hatteras (the tallest brick lighthouse in North America) and Currituck.  These lighthouses are so beautiful, so historic, and so full of hope and inspiration.

Finally, and perhaps I’ve saved the best for last, I took a tour in a hummer (yes, a legit hummer) to see the wild Spanish Mustangs who roam the shores of the Outer Banks.  Commonly known as Bankers, these horses have lived there on the beach and in the surrounding dunes and forest areas, since the 1500s and are the last of their kind in the world.  They are spectacular creatures, wild and free, and it is imperative that we help preserve them and protect them in any way that we can.

Thank you for the adventure, Carolina.  I can’t wait to come back.