Since I’m showing my vacation pictures, especially those from Cape Hatteras National Seashore, you might as well take a look at two sets from 2003 and before.  The first set shot in the summer of 1999, was my initial experiment with a digital camera and putting up a web site.

The site is entitled Cape Hatteras Vacation.  I can’t believe it still lives on AOL, as I’ve not been a member of that service for many a year.  Enjoy!

Here’s a sample.  That’s my daughter, Sarah.

Ocracoke at Sunset

Here’s a few more photos from my Road Trip to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina.

Along the National Seashore

The Outer Banks are a series of barrier islands, a very fragile environment.  Note the proximity of the two beachfront houses to the surf.  Beach erosion has moved more than 40 feet of beach.

Seaside at Buxton, NC

Sandpipers

Colorful end to another wonderful day

Cape Hatteras Light protects "The Graveyard of the Atlantic"

Enjoy a few more pictures from my journey to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.  The lighthouse pictured is Bodie Island Lighthouse, which has protected the dangerous waters around Cape Hatteras for 136 years.  It first shone on October 1, 1872.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

This area is a special and sacred place for me.  I have loved it here since I first visited Cape Hatteras back in 1972, arriving here in a VW bus with long hair and all.  I hadn’t realized how much I missed being here, having not traveled to the Cape for five years.  The ocean breeze and the beauty of the area make me feel whole and at peace.

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge: a haven for migrating birds

Shipwreck from the 1800's

Last Tuesday, I began a road trip, leaving Cincinnati for a 469 mile through the mountains of West Virginia to Charlotte, North Carolina.  I’ve been pretty stressed out recently, truly needing a break, and looking forward to eight hours of pretty scenery and nothing to do but listen to the car radio and iPod touch.

After finishing a training and consulting project in Charlotte on Friday afternoon, I packed the car and headed east for the Swan Quarter Ferry to Ocracoke Island.  Since the ferry didn’t leave until 9:30am on Saturday, I drove as far as Washington, NC (population 9,800) on Friday night, and completed the foggy trip early Saturday morning.

Since that time, I’ve slowed way down to Ocracoke “island time.”  Letting the world slowly pass by while watching the waves on the beach.  Ocracoke is at the southern tip of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and a small fishing and tourist village reachable only by boat.

This area is one of my favorite places in the world, and sitting on these beaches refreshes me and makes me feel whole again.  I’ve note been here in over five years and have truly missed being here.

Here’s a couple pictures of Ocracoke.

Ocracoke Light Station. Build in 1823

Sunset on the Beach (Ocracoke, NC)