We slept a bit late, or at least I did, and then set about to get checked out of the motel and on the road.  But we encountered a little problem in collapsing the folding sofa—it collapsed to a point and then got caught on something.  Then it got stuck . . . until I gave it a final heave and busted the darn thing.  It was without a doubt a piece of junk, but I was afraid that the motel would try to blame (i.e. bill) us for the damage.  As it turned out, they never did.

 Granada Motel in Wildwood Crest

After loading the car, we set of to find breakfast in this town of very few restaurants.  We found a breakfast joint a few blocks away, a very busy one.  So busy in fact, probably because it was the only such place in town, that we chose not to wait in the god-awful long line and left.  We then drove to the Wawa on the outskirts of town and got take-out breakfast things there.

We drove down to Cape May, found a parking spot on a nice residential side street, and toured this delightful little—and very crowded—town for about two hours.  It was hot and bustling, but the place brought back memories of past times there, and the kids had fun in the arcade, particularly at the basketball and skee ball machines.

Back on the road, we raced over to the nearby Cape May Ferry terminal, arriving at about 2:00 p.m.  A lot of good it did us speeding to the place—once there, we were informed that the next ferry that we could board wouldn’t leave until 3:45 p.m.  It was, however, an enjoyable wait.  We walked up to their modern pavilion, where we ordered some cheeseburgers cooked on an outdoor grill and some cold drinks, including two Heineken drafts.  We enjoyed our fare at a patio table beside the water’s edge.  And as it turned out, we didn’t have to wait until 3:45.  Rather we lucked out and were the last ones aboard the 3:30 ferry.  For the most part the 1 hour and 15 minute ride across the bay to Lewes, Delaware, was a pleasure featuring a nice boat, weather, birds, etc.  Eric was not a happy sailor, however, because he couldn’t run free.

After exiting the ferry in Lewes, we continued to drive to our destination of Ocean City, Maryland.  Along the way we passed Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach, both of which are in Delaware and looked like very charming little shore towns.  Ocean City, on the other hand, was anything but little—it was huge, much more so than I thought.  After driving for about 100 blocks, we finally reached our hotel—the Atlantic Oceanfront Inn.  Parking was very limited, and the motel itself was not the nicest place, but our 3rd floor apartment was quite spacious and had a balcony and a splendid view of the ocean.

We unloaded the car and then hit the beach.  Ocean City has an excellent beach (wide and with nice soft sand) and a good surf with a gradual decline and decent waves.  Afterward, we took off to find a place to eat.  Our neighbors the Farmers had told us about a place called Phillip’s Seafood, which is a landmark in this town.  We found the place, parked in their lot, and checked it out.  But the menu featured almost entirely shellfish dishes, so given my suspected allergy to such fare, we decided to look elsewhere.  We headed down the boardwalk in search of an inviting place, but the pickings were slim.  We checked out a Holiday Inn on the boardwalk, and to our surprise it had a delightful little restaurant in a wide open atrium.  And there we dined.

After dinner we walked along the boardwalk a bit more, enjoying the three-quarters full waning moon out over the water, but for the most part there wasn’t much to see at this end, so we headed back to the car.  I believe Eric again carried Becky on his back for part of the trek.  We stopped at a store across the street from Phillip’s Seafood and got some beer and then hopped in the car and drove back to the Atlantic Oceanfront Inn.  There was only one open parking space left in the motel parking lot; fortunately, that was all we needed.

We watched some TV (I believe Sharon and the boys watched one of their favorite shows).  Meanwhile, I emptied the water out of our ice chest in the parking lot and filled it up with fresh ice.  Afterward, Sharon tucked the kids into bed and retired to our suite.

HIGHLIGHT:     There were lots of pleasurable stops this day, and it’s hard to pick one over the others, but our little tour of Cape May might have been it.

LOWLIGHT:     Ocean City at first blush was not what we’d expected.

Playing the games in the arcade in Cape May, NJ

Waiting for the ferry in Cape May, NJ

Still waiting for the ferry at the Cape May terminal 

Leaving the Cape May ferry terminal

View of Ocean City, MD, from above 80th St. (source ?) 

View from our suite at Atlantic Ocean Front Inn

Eric sipping on a soda at the Holiday Inn in Ocean City, MD

We cleared out of the hotel room and headed into town looking for a place to have breakfast.  The pickings were rather slim, but we found a place on the main drag called Layton’s and stopped there.  It was crowded, which should come as no surprise this being a Sunday morning during the peak of tourist season.  What was funny was that while I was at the head of the line, this group of four, seemingly from Hicksville, USA, walked into the restaurant, blew past those standing in line, and presented themselves to a waitress.  She was going to seat them until I interjected, “Didn’t you just enter?”  At which point they retreated to the back of the line.  What wasn’t funny was how long we had to wait for our breakfast.

Another view from our balcony in Ocean City

After breakfast, we drove to the end of Ocean City and parked nearby.  The end of the beach is where things are really happening in Ocean City.  Among those things are specialty shops (including a quaint restaurant that overlooks the ocean, which is where we should have dined), scenic ocean views, an amusement park, a pier, and the start of the famed boardwalk, as well as a very wide swath of beach.  We started down the boardwalk, stopping for a spell in an arcade, where the kids played a few games.  We didn’t go too far down though because it all looked pretty much the same, and we wanted to be getting on our way.

We meandered back to the Honda, but as soon as we got on the road, we realized that we were a long way from getting on our way due to the horrendous traffic jam in this unbelievably congested part of town.  It took about ten minutes to go one block, and we had about six blocks to go before being free of this mess.

Finally free of the gridlock, we stopped for supplies a short distance out of town at a Wal-Mart.  One of the supplies I wanted to get was a trip map, but I couldn’t find one.  So we stopped at a nearby filling station, where I bought a good map of the Chesapeake Bay area.  The countryside along the southern Maryland peninsula remains very rural and very pretty and the weather was perfect.  All in all it was a nice drive, although I suppose if we’d explored it more, we’d have appreciated it more.  One excursion in particular that we probably should have taken was to Assateague Island, famous for its little ponies.  This would have required some advance planning, and to have done that we probably would have needed that map a little sooner.

We continued south on US Route 13, which eventually took us across the world famous Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  As best as I could recall, I hadn’t been on this lovely span since 1974, when I drove down to Florida with Van, Debbie, Steve & Janet (Sue flew down).  Once across the bridge, we were in Virginia and just a few miles from our destination, Virginia Beach.  We found Virginia Beach with no problem, and on our second or third attempt found suitable accommodations at the Days Inn at 3107 Atlantic Avenue. 

After we checked into our room, the first thing the kids wanted to do was hit the beach.  We did, but the experience was dampened, as it had been in Ocean City by dead jelly fish strewn about.  So we soon gave that up and retreated to the indoor pool and hot tub.  A little later on, we journeyed down the cement boardwalk looking for a bite to eat.  We initially settled on an over-priced ice cream joint and continued our search for a restaurant.  We looked at quite a few, but for one reason or another we passed them by.  Finally we found ourselves back where we started—at the Timbuktu restaurant at the Days Inn.  For some reason, perhaps the late hour, their menu and staff was curtailed, but all the same the food was good and the beach view from their outdoor veranda was splendid.

After dinner we drove into the center of this festive town going to the end of the beach and then backtracking.  We parked along the street near 20th and Atlantic and then strolled around, stopping at out an outdoor café along the boardwalk, where I drank a beer while we listened to a fellow sing and play guitar.  It was all very nice and mellow, but alas the gang was wearing out (SEE VIDEO), so back to the car & back to the hotel we went.

HIGHLIGHT:     Dinner was delightful and a trying search, but the best of this day was probably crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

LOWLIGHT:     Ocean City is a sprawling, hodge-podge resort.  Our accommodations were nothing special but cost more than any place we stayed.  Dining while better than Wildwood was still lacking.  And the traffic at the end of the beach was a nightmare.  It was a relief to get out.

Notes:  As mentioned, the boardwalk in Virginia Beach is not made of wooden boards but rather from concrete.  All the same, it is a lovely boardwalk and has none of the clap-trip along it that one finds in Ocean City and Wildwood . . . not that there’s anything wrong with clap-trap.  Also there was some festival or luau going on at the hotel next to the Days Inn.  I don’t know what the occasion was, but it looked like the partygoers were having lots of fun.

Struttin’ on the boardwalk in Ocean City

The kids hanging out on the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD

The very wide and very popular beach in Ocean City, MD

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to VA (source ?) 

You talkin' to me?  On the boardwalk in Virginia Beach

Dining al fresco at the Timbuktu in the Days Inn, VA Beach

Pathway to the ocean at 20th & Atlantic in Virginia Beach

The Days Inn couldn’t accommodate us for another night, so after a rather non-descript breakfast, we checked out and loaded our luggage in the Honda.  Then we rented a bicycle/buggy contraption that held the five of us and peddled down the boardwalk in search of suitable lodging.  The contraption was not the most maneuverable vehicle on the planet (that of course would be Bob’s vehicle), and we had a couple of close calls, but it was a lot of fun and ended up being featured in our Christmas card family photo.  And it got us where we needed to go, which it turned out was the Comfort Inn about a mile down the boardwalk near the center of town.

The boys on the balcony at the Days Inn, Virginia Beach

The Comfort Inn had a lot going for, foremost of which was the fact that we were able to check in right then at about 11:30 a.m.  After we returned the buggy, drove to the Comfort Inn, parked, and got situated in our room, we grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant on the boardwalk next door to the hotel.  Then we hit the beach and were delighted to find that there were no jelly fish strewn about.  The boys had a great time battling the waves, and Becky enjoyed herself in the water too.  Afterward, we all took a dip in the hotel pool & hot tub, which was located off their stately lobby and overlooking the boardwalk.

About 2:30 p.m. or thereabouts, the boys and I went out looking for grub, which we got from a nearby Wawa (or 7/11) and a MacDonald’s.  Then all of us except Becky watched the movie “Sleepy Hollow” with Johnny Depp, while Becky played with her dolls.

Then it was back out to the ocean where again a good time was had by all.  Eventually, Sharon, Becky, and Eric returned to the hotel pool.  Travis and I tossed the football on the beach for a good while in the windy conditions and then joined the rest of the gang at the pool.

Instead of going for a dip in the pool, I first checked out the hotel gym (it was so-so) and then ventured out to scout the restaurants in the vicinity.  On my first outing, I walked a few blocks up and down Atlantic Ave. but didn’t find any enticing dining establishment, although the town was very festive with musical acts performing on most corners.  Back at the pool, we spotted an ad in a tourist booklet for a place two blocks away called Abbey Road Pub & Restaurant http://www.abbeyroadpub.com/.  So I went out again to inspect the place.  It looked very nice as did another cafe across the street from it called LunaSea.

As we got ready for dinner, I had the gang pick out some songs for a to-be-made trip CD.  Then we headed out.  I was leaning toward the more intimate LunaSea, but the crew championed the Abbey Road Pub & Restaurant, so that’s where we dined.  We were initially seated at an indoor booth, but it was rather small for our needs and not ideally situated, so we requested to be seated elsewhere.  The hostess was not as accommodating as I would have liked to our desire to find a suitable table.  This annoyed me, and as a result, the restaurant lost very valuable points.  We ended up sitting outdoors at their sidewalk cafe.  This would have been fine had it not been for all those jets that kept screaming overhead.  On top of that, the food was just so-so.  Becky got her fish and chips, which were OK, as were the wings, but the Cajun tuna fingers left a lot to be desired.  (See their website & photos for more—but you won’t hear those annoying jets.)

Back at the Comfort Inn, Sharon, the boys, and I watched the movie “Dodgeball,” which was on HBO.  Funny movie.  “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.”

HIGHLIGHT:     This was the best day at the beach of the entire beach vacation.

LOWLIGHT:     Dinner could have been a splendid outing, but it wasn’t . . . not even close.

Out for ride on the boardwalk in Virginia Beach, VA

The human footstool in our new room at the Comfort Inn

Soaring high in Virginia Beach, VA

From our balcony at the Comfort Inn, looking south

From our balcony at the Comfort Inn, looking north

The pool and hot tub inside the Comfort Inn

Looking  at the Comfort Inn, downtown VA Beach

We ate breakfast, consisting of waffles, etc., in the hotel breakfast area.  Then we loaded up the Pilot and headed out of town, which unlike Ocean City, was painlessly accomplished, that is until we got near Norfolk.  

Off to see the wonderful Kill Devil Hill monument

You can’t drive straight down along the Atlantic Ocean from Virginia Beach to the Outer Banks because there’s no road; instead, you have to drive west to Norfolk, take the interstate around the city, and head down Route 168 south.  We got on the interstate all right; it just happened to be one headed in the wrong direction.  So we pulled into a corporate office center to reestablish our bearings and then resumed our journey.

The drive south on Route 168 and then on US Route 158 is pretty forgettable, least ways, I pretty much forgot it.  Once in Kitty Hawk, however, we saw signs for the Wright Brothers National Memorial (http://www.nps.gov/wrbr/index.htm) in Kill Devil Hills, so that was the first place we visited in the Outer Banks.

The only other time I recall being in the Outer Banks was in 1984 when I was on my way home from a brief vacation at a resort near New Bern, NC, and took a ferry from the mainland to Cape Hatteras and then drove north.  Although I got a pretty good look at the place, I didn’t stop anywhere other that at a bar.  So this was the first time I’d explored Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills of Wright Brothers fame.  We traipsed around the grounds of the Wright Brothers National Memorial, which commemorates the Wright brothers’ four powered airplane flights on Thursday, December 17, 1903.  The most distinguishing feature about the place is the 60-foot Kill Devil Hill Monument that sits atop a bluff.  Also of interest was the visitors’ center, which contains various artifacts and photos relating to the Wrights and other aviators.  Another neat place we stopped was at a life-size mock-up of statute of the Wright Brothers, their plane, and the photographer who took the most famous photographs of the historic event.  Travis stepped into the scene between the photographer and the Wrights brothers and their plane.  We joked that it was really the photographer’s intent to photograph Travis and he just happened to catch the Wrights in the background.

From Kill Devil Hills we drove around looking for a place to stay.  We had a Days Inn in mind and found it with no trouble.  It was ideally situated, brand new, and reasonably priced—the place looked great.  Unfortunately, lots of other folks must have thought so too because it was full.  After an exhaustive search that had us going back and forth from Kitty Hawk to Nag’s Head, we ended up checking into the Surf Side Hotel in Nag’s Head.  Then we went out to look for a place to eat and settled upon Miller’s Waterfront Restauranthttp://www.millersrestaurants.com/.  For our $68, we were treated to a lovely bay side view and rather forgettable food, although Eric’s hushpuppies were a notable exception.  So too was the beer, which really hit the spot.

After our meal we drove around a bit and found a little near-empty park on the bay side.  We ventured about by foot along the water’s edge and then climbed some sand dunes.  Becky and the boys, in fact, ventured far off to some dunes a hundred yards or more away.  Then after that exhaustive hike, we got in the car and drove to Jockey’s Ridge State Park (mp 12.5) and hiked some more.  Jockey’s Ridge is connected to the same stretch of dunes we’d just explored, except the dunes here were huge, and hiking them was accordingly slow and tiresome on the way up.  But the reward was worth it.  There atop all that sand were hundreds of folks gathered about flying kites and waiting for the sun to set, which it did about 30 minutes after we reached the summit.  Although we didn’t have a kite to fly, we enjoyed watching the multitude of them that were soaring above.  Travis and Becky buried Eric in the sand.  I took a bunch of photos.  And then we watched the sun set.  Afterward we made our way back to the car, which fortunately was all down hill in this direction.  We stopped briefly at the Jockey’s Ridge State Park gift shop before getting back on the road.

Our day was not yet finished.  We stopped at Jockey’s Ridge Crossing in Nag’s Head, and in particular at a store called Kitty Hawk Kites.  They of course sold kites, and had a huge selection.  But we all agreed on same one and bought it.  Then we had some ice cream before heading back to the Surf Side Hotel.  Back at the Surf Side, we watched the movie “Cat Ballou” on the laptop, although Sharon and Eric didn’t make it through much of the flick before falling asleep.

HIGHLIGHT:     The sunset celebration atop the sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park.

LOWLIGHT:     Looking for a hotel was a bit taxing, although by our standards we checked into one quite early.

The Wright Brothers sneaking into Travis's photo shoot

Will the real statue please stand up?

Which  is Orville, which is Wilbur, & who's that little girl? 

The kids in the gazebo at Millers Restaurant, Kitty Hawk 

Sharon reading in the sand near Jockey's Ridge State Park

The kids on the dunes in Jockey's Ridge State Park

Flying kites while waiting for the sun to set in Kitty Hawk

Playing in the dunes at Jockey's Ridge State Park

Wilbur watches as Orville flies,  12/17/1903, Kill Devil Hills

I don’t recall what we did for breakfast, so if the Surf Side Hotel provided a complementary one, it wasn’t a memorable one.  I also don’t recall Sharon and kids going for a dip in the ocean, and neither does Sharon, so it’s a safe bet they didn’t.  That’s too bad though because the beach along this stretch was deserted and beautiful, as can be seen from this video from the Surf Side Hotel website.  The day may not have been off to a memorable beginning, and it would take a while to pick up, but it would—for this day was ranked the most memorable of the year.

Travis in front of the famed Cape Hatteras Light

We loaded the Honda and headed south on Highway 12 in search of Bodie Island Lighthouse.  There wasn’t much in the area, so its rather surprising we had some difficulty finding it, but eventually we got a gander of it from afar.  As far as Eric was concerned, he’d seen enough lighthouses for the day, but that was just too darn bad because the granddaddy was still to be seen and it was right on our way to Ocracoke.  First, however, we stopped to pick up some hot take out sandwiches at a place called Kinnakeet Corner in the town of Avon.  And then it was on to Cape Hatteras Light, which at 208 feet tall is the tallest lighthouse in the nation.  The cost to climb to the top of the structure seemed a little steep, get it, so for that reason and due to time constraints we just walked about the grounds.  What I remember most about the famous lighthouse had nothing at all to do with it all, but with the weather.  Man, was it hot!

Afterward we continued down the Lower Outer Banks.  The area was much more populated and built up than I recall it being when I last visited, and as a result, it was not as picturesque as I recall it being.  We soon reached the ferry terminal in Hatteras where the road ends.  The line to get on the ferry was rather long so we stopped at a nearby shopping center, and had some ice cream and did some window-shopping.  Then we returned to the terminal and got in line, which had gone down a good bit, for the ferry that runs daily year-round between Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.  The 40-minute ride itself was quite interesting owing to the unusual scenery all about.  And it’s free, even for cars.

Once on Ocracoke Island, we started down Highway 12.  The island is quite narrow and until you reach the eastern end, it’s a national park and thus entirely unpopulated and undeveloped.  Along the way we saw some ponies in a corral and stopped to have a closer look.  It turns out they were in fact wild horses called “Banker ponies” and are cared for by the National Park Services.  There’s more about them here at www.nps.gov/caha/historyculture/ocracokeponies.htm  Then we noticed a beach access across the road and decided this would be an excellent spot to test out our new kite.  It took some doing to figure out how to assemble it, but we managed.  Then we took it down to the nearly-deserted beach (I think there was one other family in sight) and let it out.  Never before have I had anywhere near the success flying a kite as we did on this lovely strand of beach.  The weather was perfect for it.  We let out about 200 feet of line from our 500 foot reel, and each of us took a turn flying the soaring kite.  I’m sure we could have let out the whole 500 feet, and probably should have because conditions like this are indeed a rarity.  SEE VIDEO

After that exhilarating experience, we continued down Highway 12 to the tiny and lovely village of Ocracoke.  We stopped at the first hotel we saw, where Sharon checked on vacancies.  They had one, and what a one it was.  The hotel was the Silver Lake Inn, http://www.silverlakemotelandinn.com/ and our suite consisted of several rooms: a back bedroom, a kitchen, dining room, living room, absolutely gorgeous front bedroom, which the kids laid claim to, and a big porch out front with two hammocks strung across it and a view of the marina across the street.  And it was the least expensive place we stayed at the entire trip.

We unloaded the car and settled down into our sumptuous accommodations, still finding it hard to believe we found such a place, and with so little effort.  Then we went out for dinner.  We didn’t go far, across the street to be exact to the Jolly Roger Pub & Marina.  We grabbed one of the picnic tables along the water’s edge, ordered our grub, and dined as the sun set on a very full and satisfying day.  Back in our suite at the Silver Lake Inn, Sharon, Travis, and I watched the movie the “Royal Tenenbaums.”  And finally it was off to beddy-bye.  zzz*

HIGHLIGHT:     Flying the kite.  I’ve never had a kite flying experience anywhere close to this one.  The Silver Lake Inn, however, was quite a highlight too.

LOWLIGHT:     Nothing really.  This was ranked the no. 1 day of the year.

We were gonna stay here, but it was too cramped

Flying, diving, soaring, sailing, floating . . . you get the idea

View of the living room & kitchen at the Silver Lake Inn

Master bedroom at Silver Lake Inn, Ocracoke, NC

View from our balcony at the Silver Lake Inn

A late evening meal on Silver Lake at the Jolly Roger Pub

Another shot from the Jolly Roger Pub in Ocracoke, NC

I really liked our accommodations, so much so that I wanted to stay another day.  But Sharon checked at the office and found that there were no vacancies.  So we ate a small breakfast in the cozy Silver Lake Inn lounge, and continued a long-running debate about whether to take the two-plus hour ferry to Cedar Island.  This would have lead to the mainland and probably a stay at Atlantic Beach, NC, and would have entailed taking an inland route home, perhaps via I-95.  The alternative was to head back the way we came.  We drove over to the ferry terminal about a half-mile away, and circled around a time a two, I suppose looking for a message from the heavens.  We didn’t get one, but nobody seemed to be in favor of waiting around for a ferry and then taking a two-plus hour ride.  So we toured the village of Ocracoke, stopping at the surf shop called Ride the Wind, http://www.surfocracoke.com/, where I picked up a nice shirt.  Then we hunted for and finally found the third of the famed lighthouses on the Outer Banks, this being Ocracoke Light http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocracoke_Light.

Becky & Eric relaxing on hammock at the Silver Lake Inn 

After getting a good look at Ocracoke Light, where an elderly sightseer volunteered to take the only photograph of all of us on the trip, we drove aimlessly around the village.  I didn’t want to leave, but I guess I didn’t make my feelings clear enough about that.  At any rate, sometime a little after noon, we left and started back for the ferry to Cape Hatteras, which we hopped on almost as soon as we got to it.  Once on the other side, we stopped for lunch in the town of Avon at The Froggy Dog restaurant, http://www.froggydog.com/, where the atmosphere was warm and rustic, the food OK, and the service real slow.  Then we just headed back the way we came.  The plan was to return to Virginia Beach and spend another night or two there.

Sometimes things go according to plan, and sometimes they don’t.  Virginia Beach was the latter.  We got into to town about 6:00 p.m., and looked for a place to stay.  It was rather maddening, with most places all booked up, including the Comfort Inn.  I believe the Days Inn had a vacancy, but the price for a night was about $240, which was quite a bit more than they’d charged earlier in the week.  Also, as I recall, they didn’t have a room for a second night.  It didn’t seem to make much sense to put out $240 if all we were going to do was crash and then have to leave.  We checked out another hotel, which Cyndi highly recommended called Station One Hotel.  They had vacancies, the price was about $175 a night, and Sharon was OK with the room.  I would have taken her word for it, but she insisted that I inspect it too.  I did, and didn’t like it at all.  Perhaps after having just spent a night in the Silver Lake Inn, nothing was going to satisfy me.

We were all starving by this point, so we stopped at Travis’s favorite restaurant—Pizza Hut, for pizza . . . imagine that.  While dining, I suggested that if we gave up on Virginia Beach and concluded our vacation, we could put the money saved into something for the family.  The kids went along, and in the end so did Sharon.  But I must say it was sad to call it quits on a vacation that all along we figured would go for a couple more days.  All that was left was the six-plus hours of driving home, which took us back over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, this time at night, and on up U.S. Route 13 through Maryland and Delaware and into Pennsylvania.  We got home about 4:00 in the morning after logging over 11 hours of driving time on this our last day of a beach trip.

HIGHLIGHT:     The best thing about this day was what happened two days later (see the photo to the right for a clue about that).

LOWLIGHT:     Like I said it was sad to call it quits.

View of Pelican Restaurant & Silver Lake Inn (source ?) 

One more lighthouse 

A rare shot of the five of us, at Ocracoke Light 

On the ferry ride back to Cape Hatteras from Ocracoke—it was all over but for the long drive home

Meet Sedona, who we find at Tom's Pet Outlet, "home of the happy dog"