OBX Adventures

Hello!

It's been a while since my last post so I'll dive right in! We planned a big camper trip right at the beginning of Summer to Outer Banks, NC. While the trip involved a lot of miles, we took our time a bit more with the drive and stopped in campgrounds most nights there and back so we could all stretch our legs, cook out and let the kids explore the campgrounds.  

Our first stop was in Lexington, KY where we stayed at the Kentucky Horse Park campground. We explored the horse museum there and saw the "Circle of Champions" including Go For Gin who is the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner! He is quite beautiful and well situated in one of the primary paddocks there.

We ate a wonderful dinner out in Lexington where Dad and Quinn shared a 48 oz Porterhouse steak and between them, they ate the whole thing! The kids were both so polite at dinner and displayed such great manners that they had both definitely earned a nice dessert. When the server explained the dessert options including chocolate mousse, Olivia said "I've had that before and it actually tasted like pudding... So is this really a chocolate moose or more like pudding?"  It was really cute and we both told the server they needed to up their game in the chocolate moose department (!).

We really loved Outer Banks, NC and hope to return someday. I was expecting it to be more similar to Florida panhandle beaches, and it really was completely unique. The beaches were endless with picturesque sand dunes. We got a beach driving permit and could easily find beach spots without another soul in sight.

Jason fished from the shore, the kids played in the sand and I played fetch with Murphy and just took in the beautiful sights. The campground we stayed at actually spanned both the sound side and the Atlantic ocean side of the island. So we could walk to the beach in the AM to watch the sun rise over the ocean, and in the evening, we could watch the sun set right by our camping spot on the sound side.

Beautiful Sunsets

Kids Playing at the Beach

One of the days, we drove as far south on the island as you can and hopped the ferry to Ocracoke. It is this darling little place where the primary mode of transportation is a golf cart. We definitely want to return there someday.

I also enjoyed learning about the history in OBX including the Wright Brothers First Flight at Kitty Hawk, the demise of Blackbeard the Pirate in Ocracoke, the marine history including thousands of shipwrecks, the really cool lighthouses, and the list goes on.

There are also some oddities with the area, including these really weird fish that look kind of like snakes. The local fishermen encourage you to fish with "blood worms" which actually have little teeth and they know how to use them! The locals don't tell you this but you should NOT swim in the ocean past your knees because the waters are actually shark infested.

It wouldn't be a Cunningham vacation without a few days out on the water fishing, right? One of the days, we caught several Mahi Mahi. It's fair to say our freezer is stocked for the foreseeable future!

In other news, Jason brought home a new toy that we have been using on weekends to get out and about on lakes near KC. It's been fun to take just a few hours and play on the water for a bit.

We also have launched in to a garage remodel that is coming along nicely.

The kids have a Summer packed with sports this year including swim, dive, tennis, lacrosse, golf and hockey. Signing off for now. 

Love~claire