Adventure to the Outer Banks, NC (part one)

Going to the Outer Banks has been on my list to see for a long time! 

It's really crazy that I've never been considering it's in my home state and only a 4 hour drive. 

We planned to go on Hensley's first academic break this school year! 

After seeing the amazing experience a friend of mine had a year ago with Lookout Cruises there, I knew we had to go!

Andy was off for three days so we decided it was the perfect time (and we wouldn't be down on Labor Day weekend!!!) 

Lookout Cruises is a chartered boat that does several different types of chartered cruises each day. They had excellent reviews online and it looked like the perfect way to get an excellent adventure!

We took the 4 hour drive to Beaufort, NC. It is a very small little town with so much character! There are tons of little shops and restaurants. Boats are marinas are everywhere. It really has a very homey feel! 

The boat is a 45 foot catamaran that holds around 40 people. They offer sunrise cruises, a Cape Lookout cruise, a sunset cruise as well as a midnight cruise.

We signed up for the Cape Lookout cruise, which was a 6 hour cruise with two stops. The first stop was on the Shackleford Banks to have lunch and do some shelling. The second stop is at Cape Lookout lighthouse to explore the park there. 

We arrive around 11:30 and the boat set sail at noon. It did not leave us much time to look around but we definitely will be back to spend more time in this awesome little town.

The boat itself is beautiful! Large with lots of seating and great views no matter where you are on the boat.

We headed out promptly at noon and set sail!

The nets at the front the boat to lay on quickly became a favorite for Hensley and Andy. It was a wonderful way to experience the trip and watch the beautiful water!

We sailed by many smaller islands and the views were breathtaking!

Shortly after setting sail it was time to turn the boat to go in the direction of our first stop. One of the crew members asked Andy and another guy to help her raise the sails. It was so cool to be laying on the nets seeing these HUGE sails raise up.

Andy didn't mind too much when he found out his help earned him a free beer!!!

The best part about this whole trip was that it was new for all of us. None of us had been out to sea this far and none of us had been on a boat like this before. I love finding things that are new to all of us and that we all enjoy! I loved looking over at Andy and seeing that he was truly enjoying the whole experience. 

The Shakleford Banks were so pretty to see. It's really hard to see on the photo but there are over 100 wild horses on the island and we got to see a few as we sailed along. 

Learning the history of the wild horses was really neat and I hope during our next visit we spend a day on this island to truly experience them. 

     The history of the Shackleford wild horses is the same as that of the Ocracoke and Corolla wild mustangs. Like the Ocracoke "Banker" ponies, the Shackleford horses have often been referred to as ponies because of their size, but they are true horses. DNA studies prove they are descended from the Spanish mustangs brought to the Carolina coast by explorers beginning in the early 1500's. Turned loose from shipwrecks, or left behind when explorers had to flee failed attempts at colonization, they spread out all along the barrier island chain as they grew in numbers. 
 They have survived in the wild, isolated on Shackleford and other coastal barrier islands away from the mainland for almost half a millennium. Unlike Ocracoke and Corolla, Shackleford Banks has never been suitable for any significant human population, which has left it virtually pristine to this day. As part of the National Park Service's Cape Lookout National Seashore park, only day visitors and overnight camping are permitted, keeping Shackleford free of dwellings, electrical service or any other trappings of civilization.
 More than 100 horses call Shackleford home, where they brave the elements of nature, including hurricanes, just as they have for hundreds of years. The Foundation for Shackleford Horses manages the horses in cooperation with the Park Service. Occasional adoption of selected horses from the herd is the means used to maintain the herd size between 110 and 130 horses.

Could Andy be any more relaxed????

Hanging out with Daddy on the net was probably Hensley's favorite part of the ride to the island!

People always comment on how Hensley always smiles in his photos and cooperates. Well,  reality is, this what I get a lot of the time!

The boat ride over was truly relaxing. The boat crew made sure everyone was comfortable and came around with lots of drinks. They were so knowledgeable about the area and played great music to sail off to the Outer Banks to!

The first island we arrived on was gorgeous. This is where we would stop for lunch and spend some time swimming and looking for shells.

The lunch was AMAZING! I hate I didn't take any photos of it! Just imagine big gourmet sandwiches, the best potato salad ever, pasta salad, pickles and the yummiest chocolate chip cookies EVER!! It definitely hit the spot!! And the view wasn't bad either.

After lunch we hopped off the boat. We had about 1 1/2 hours to explore the island. We could swim, snorkel, look for shells, or just relax. I snapped a few photos but we chose to swim and look for shells so I left my camera on the boat for the majority of this part. It was nice to just relax and enjoy our family. 

This place could not have been more peaceful or serene. It was so untouched and perfect! We could have spent all day out here!!!

We loved seeing all the shells but had no idea what was in store for us when we got in the water. The water was so clear. We watched fish nibble on our feet and found AMAZING shells!!! It was truly a treasure hunt! The look on Hensley's face as he found the largest shells we've ever seen in person was priceless. He was so HAPPY! So in awe!!!

The cruise provided shell bags for us and we filled up two of them!!! When we got back to the boat Hensley couldn't wait to go through his loot. 

We were not excited to leave his gorgeous island but we were very excited for the next stop....Cape Lookout Light house!

Seeing the light house emerge from the island was really neat. Its so much bigger then it ever seemed.

 The boat docked and we were off to explore.

We stopped by the small souvenir shop on the island that held all things Cape Lookout. They not only had cool little trinkets but also some really interesting hands on things for the kids to look at.

It was perfect that they had all these awesome treasures from the sea, since we had just been shelling. It was really cool to put names to all these items.

The kids were allowed to pick and touch all these items which made it even cooler.

We were soon informed that the last tour of the light house was at 3:30 pm each day. Also, they only sell 10 tickets per tour. We arrived at the shop to purchase tickets at 3:15! And, they weren't sold out!! We felt so lucky to have the opportunity to visit the lighthouse!

The short walk around to the light house was a beautiful one!

Here a few more "reality" photos of Hensley posing with the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.

We were having so much fun on this adventure!

Here is an aerial shot of the lighthouse area from the dock our boat was at, to give you an idea of the walk. The white house in between the lighthouse and the ocean is a museum, which holds a ton of interesting facts! The buildings with the brown roofs are the gift shop area and restrooms along with picnic tables to have lunch. 

As you approach the beautiful light house you will see the museum in front. We got the opportunity to walk through this as well. The volunteers there were incredible. They knew so much information and loved showing Hensley all the interesting exhibits. 

I didn't take any photos inside the lighthouse because it was pretty dark. However, we did learn a lot from the volunteers on the way up the 207 steps! 

The Cape Lookout Lighthouse is a 163-foot high lighthouse located on the Southern Outer Banks of North Carolina. It flashes every 15 seconds and is visible at least 12 miles out to sea and up to 19 miles. The Cape Lookout Light is one of the very few lighthouses that operate during the day. It became fully automated in 1950. The Cape Lookout Lighthouse is the only such structure in the United States to bear the checkered daymark, intended not only for differentiation between similar light towers, but also to show direction. The center of the black diamonds points in a north-south direction, while the center of the white diamonds points east-west.

This lighthouse is actually the second one to stand here in this location. The first was built in 1812 and the one that stands there today was built in 1859.

She was really beautiful!

The views were breathtaking! Photos can never do it justice!

The walk down was much easier then the walk up!

We had just enough time after touring the lighthouse, to walk through the museum. It was a small little spot with tons of exhibits about the lighthouse and this area.
This area is known as the "graveyard of the Atlantic" because over 200 ships have sunk off the coast here, most during wars. Hensley and I were also able to lift a weight that was equivalent to what the keeper of the lighthouse had to carry to the top each day. The bucket he carried was so heavy and full of oil to keep the light lit all night long!

We had about three minutes to make it back to the boat. Not that they would have left us but we weren't taking any chances!

At this point we were ready for a relaxing evening boat ride back to the mainland.
The crew had drinks ready, chips and watermelon to snack on and relaxing music. It was the perfect end to our adventure. We really all got to sit back and chill out and enjoy the cool evening air and the beautiful water.

Hensley was up looking around. Hoping to catch a glimpse of a dolphin. I snapped a few photos of him because he looked so incredibly grown!!!!

I definitely will be framing some of these because they are just as beautiful in black and white.  

These photos make me quickly realize just how fast time is going and just how soon my adventures with my sweet boy will change. I pray he always looks forward to fun trips with his dad and I but I know as he grows he will long for more time with friends and he will venture much farther away then I will want him too. I try to remind myself how thankful I need to be that he is healthy and happy. Excited to grow and see the world. 

The ride back was perfection! 

This part of our trip could not have been more good for our souls! It was one of those days I will look back on and treasure forever. The boat, Hensley's face while we were shell searching, laying on the nets watching the ocean and soaking up every moment with my family.

We headed off to find our hotel for the night :)

I am going to make the second day of the trip in Part 2 of the this blog so it's not so very long!
Stay tuned!