RoadTrek USA: Outer Banks Beach Wheeling Weekend

So the planning for this trip really came together and made for a great time down in the Outer Banks. Special thanks to Bruce L. and his family for upping the ante and securing a beach house for the week and allowing the wife and I to crash with them Saturday night. They were actually able to extend their time and drove down Wednesday night and made a mini-vacation out of the idea to go wheeling.

My 'navigator' usually does more napping/studying than route planning. Here she is doing more of the former as we made our way down Saturday morning.

As much as I give the Mrs. a hard time for often delaying my departure, she was actually spot on this time. I actually delayed us by about 45 minutes changing over the stowed materials in the toolboxes from things I need for work over to recovery gear and road trip essentials. Then I couldn't find the programming book for the scanner. I was really bummed, as I wanted to listen to the radio traffic further south than Spotsylvania County which I presently have programmed in. By the time we got down to Richmond, I remembered exactly where I last had it. Oh well.

Now this picture was funny to me because I have a niece named Taylor, and when she was younger and just learning to talk, I taught her to repeat this catch phrase from the Starsky and Hutch remake starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. So, as Stiller's character (in character) would deliver the imperative for someone to "Do it", we had my two-year old niece directing her father, "Macaroni and cheese, Daddy...Do it!" Or "Apple juice; do it!"

Some sights from along the drive:

This is crossing the Wright Memorial Bridge which takes you over to the barrier islands. A brisk rain developed once we crossed the border into NC. It had rained some last night, but our hopes were that it would have blown over by early morning. At this point it was around 9/930 AM and steadily coming down. It seemed our hopes of relaxing out on the beach or the deck might be thwarted.

Although Jenn and I have been to North Carolina multiple times, my truck had never been, nor did I have the Welcome Sign photo.

Wiper blade kinda ruined this shot.

I failed to secure a good resolution shot of any of the water towers in the area. This might have been the closest, except the snorkel is in the frame. I don't mind the lift-jack or my rubber ducky, Rufus entering the frame for another cameo, but the snorkel is not needed for frame of reference.

This is about a half mile (as the sign suggests) before Route 12 N deposits you right onto the beach to continue the remainder of your trip to your destination in the 4WD area of Corolla.

We were wondering how long it would take before we saw our first wild horse. Well, this fellow was out for a morning trot as soon as we finished airing down and got out onto the sand for the first time.

Bruce came out to meet us and guide us back to the house which is off of mile marker 20 on the beach. There are mile markers as you would find along a maintained roadway. Street signs, however, were more of a rarity. How he and his family were able to make it back to the house Wednesday night, in pitch black darkness still boggles my mind. Admittedly, it was a bit of a harrowing experience for them. Had it been me, I might have very well camped out in the truck until daylight. It might have also been my last time getting the Mrs. out to do something like this. For Bruce's trailblazing, I am thankful.

The home is called "Break 'n Wind". Bruce picked it specifically because of the punny name. Funny/pun= punny. They allowed pets which was key for him as he brought his three dogs along with them.

After we got settled, we drove back out t he 1/4 mile or so to the ocean front and walked the dogs and hung out a bit down by the shore.

Thereafter, we went on our own little "Wild Horse Tour". There are at least 2 companies in the area offering wild horse excursions on Jeeps or other modified vehicles. But all they were doing, from what we could tell, was driving through the various 'neighborhoods' and sandy paths between properties in well-equipped vehicles. We have well-equipped vehicles and it was essentially our intent in doing the same which led us to come to Corolla where there are wild horses as opposed to permitted OHV area down by Oregon Inlet where I do not believe there are any wild horses.

So behind our heads are some wild horses we encountered.

Bruce and his family (except for the dogs which stayed behind at the home).

Jenn and I again.

Now I need to post the videos of what we went through to get to these horses. The rain turned out to be a blessing and a curse. It helped wet down the sand which made driving a bit easier (although I had hoped for dryer sand similar to that I encountered out in Moab). So that was a blessing. Not sure if the immense water crossings we encountered fall under 'blessing' or 'curse'. We had a lot of fun, but then things got real. Check my next post for just how real.

After the water crossings were done, we just cut straight across from the more severe plunge out to the coast line and made the return leg down along the beach where it was safe. Chickens. I know. Bruce doesn't have a snorkel, and I didn't caulk all the connections or seal the stock air intake yet. So although it reduces the risk of hydrolocking the engine by sucking in a big gulp of water, it does not yet fully eliminate the potential. But this experience showed that even seemingly mundane puddles can quickly escalate. It also made the case for me going out to buy some waders like fly-fishermen have. I've wanted some but couldn't really justify it. On the last crossing, I did try to wade out there rolling up my pants legs, but the water level quickly exceeded that test. Snorkel or not, if I start getting to mid-torso level, it probably is time for me to tap out anyway.

More shots of the horses behind us walking along the ocean.

Truck porn. I took some notes.

Uncle Ike's was a great little bar we checked out after our main wheeling was done. The proprietor/bartender was a really nice guy that took good care of our group. I don't think he was actually Uncle Ike, but he appeared to be the man in charge that day. We had a good time. I encourage you, should you have the occasion to go, to try the Fried Oreo cookie dessert. Think funnel cake, oreos, and ice cream all combined on a platter of deliciousness.