(Road) Tripping, part two

Looking back on the climb to the summit.
Did I mention it was a 4700 foot climb UP? Thankfully I reached for my water bottle and had my hiking boots on before I headed onto the trail. There were people of all sorts - single, pairs, families, all ages, all huffing and puffing and encouraging each other! NOT MUCH FARTHER! Ha!


I only got three or four steps down, not even off the slanted rock, when this little guy caught my attention. He'd acquired a "cheese puff" from someone's lunch and was almost done establishing a personal preference for fat filled, useless, carbohydrated, human treats. He was perched amidst glorious rhododendrons and myrtle.


It certainly takes away a person's breath, figuratively and literally.



Back on the road again and the next real stop was New Bern where I walked around and found the used book store and the pet and pet owner shop (no live animals for sale - just stuff). But the photo I took and the scent I'll remember is this magnificent magnolia. What a find it was - there were very few still in bloom!

Then, it was on to Shackleford Island!




These two shots show, shall I say,accommodations? First is my "island
residence" and then the dining area. Every food item is bagged and stored
because there are raccoons on the island. We must have done a good
job of storing things as we never saw any.

The horses are amazingly adjusted to humans being on the island and actually traipsed through the camp soon after we arrived. As we learned our way around they would walk nearby and graze without too much concern. We knew what actions and expressions to look for and if we needed to step back we did.



The little guy on the right is a Ghost Crab, very active until he knows you've spotted him. Other crabs included the horseshoe crab, a little fiddle crab, and some tourists.




There were trees. Some. But we weren't able to get under them for shade as that is horse territory. Obviously not all of them knew that or they'd have been down to what was called Mullett Pond.



To say it was hot is like saying ice cream is just OK. There was a breeze, thankfully.



And, the view. And, the ocean. And, the horses.