Another Day at the Beach!

Thursday, Oct. 10th

Tim treated all of us this morning by making pancakes and sausage for breakfast.  Awesome way to start our second full day at Ocean Isle Beach!

After breakfast, Skid and his dog Sandy met us for a walk around the western end of the island.  Kathy stayed at our beach house to nurse her "tooth extraction" with salt water rinses.  The rest of us headed toward the fishing pier, where Pigeon and Linda decided to hang out, and then Tom, Tim, Skid & Sandy, and I continued along the beach as far as we could go before we had to cut inland at the last public beach access path.

It was fun watching all the birds scurrying along the water's edge in search of their food.

The western tip of the island is a private resort community.  We walked on the road into this area until we came to the end of the island, where we turned around and headed back, winding our way by some beautiful homes as we walked along.

 That is a lot of oyster shells!!

The first home built on Ocean Isle Beach by the man (Williamson) who owned the island was much less pretentious than the ones that are being built today!

It sits on a rise overlooking the Atlantic Ocean to the front and the Intracoastal Waterway to the back.

In the afternoon Pigeon, Linda, Tom and I decided to drive up to Wilmington to check out their Riverwalk.  Since it was a cool, breezy, gray day there was hardly anyone out enjoying the views along the Cape Fear River.

We enjoyed a nice view of the bridge and also the Battleship North Carolina before going inside one of the eateries along the Riverwalk to enjoy a light lunch and to get warm.

We followed Hwy. 421 south from Wilmington (Cape Fear peninsula, I think) toward Ft. Fisher where we planned to take a ferry across the Cape Fear Inlet over to Southport before heading back to Ocean Isle Beach.  It is a small (toll) ferry.

 The inlet where the Cape Fear River spills into the Atlantic Ocean is lined by marshlands, a sanctuary for all kinds of birds.

 

 

As we traveled along Hwy. 211 we passed a small store that sported this unusual sign:

Not what I want with my cup of coffee!!

 

In the evening we all went into the quaint town of Calabash where Skid and Pat treated us to a wonderful meal of Calabash style seafood.  What a special and generous thing for them to do!  We really enjoyed reconnecting and reminiscing with all my A.T. Hiker friends!  I hope Skid and Pat will come to Texas to visit us where we can repay all their hospitality.

I can't believe I did not snap a photo of Skid and Pat together while we were visiting Ocean Isle Beach this year! 

I took this photo of them in Hot Springs, N.C. in 2011.

 

And I took this one (with their daughter) in 2012 when Tom and I visited them.  Great friends!

 

If you'll remember, when I first met Pigeon on the 2nd day of my A.T. Thru-Hike, she had a shaved head.  She shaved her head the day before she headed to the Trail and donated her hair to "Locks of Love".  Well she has let her hair grow long again and is now going to donate her hair once again.