Portraits of the Planet

Friday, January 2, 2015

North Carolina: The Outer Banks

My first venture to the Outer Banks was super special as my mom accompanied me. We stayed a couple of nights in a lovely little beach rental in Rodanthe, right next to the pier. After we spent the first morning picking up seashells, bird watching, and watching surfers enjoy the waves, we travelled to Cape Hatteras to check out the Hatteras Lighthouse. The Light is the largest brick lighthouse in the United States, but it is no longer in service. It is now a National Park and museum. We couldn't climb up the lighthouse, but the park ranger did let us get a peek inside (you can only climb up in the summer and on Christmas day). We had a lovely picnic on a beach with people fishing from their truck beds around us. The next day we headed on over to Bodie Lighthouse. I feel that the Bodie Light doesn't get as much love as the Hatteras Light, but it is every bit as impressive. On the way back home, we stopped at the aquarium in Manteo and saw their sea turtle hospital. We also paid a very quick visit to Fort Raleigh, the location of the mysterious Lost Colony. The trip to the coast was short, but it was really incredibly worth it. I began photographing the sea birds and discovered a new area of photography that I have since began exploring in ernest. My next trip to the Outer Banks will hopefully be in February to see the Razorbill (relative to the puffin) migration.

Bodie Lighthouse

Bodie Light

Inside the Hatteras Light

Hatteras Light

Brown Pelicans

Rodanthe Pier

Virginia: Shenandoah

The town I live in is less than three hours away from Shenandoah National Park, so once the leaves began to change, I hopped in my car and drove north. I missed the really colorful trees by about a week or so, but it was still neat to go to Shenandoah. For the most part, it was foggy and rainy the whole time I was there. I wanted to do more night photography, but the fog made that pretty impossible as the night wore on. I took a small hike the second day I was there, but the fog made any of the more lengthy hikes a bit dangerous. Overall, I was pretty happy with the trip even if I didn't get to see a lot of the park. What I did get to see was very beautiful, and the park warrants a second trip, probably in the spring.

On the way home, I swung by Appomattox and visited the McLean House where General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant thus ending the Civil War. It was a place that I always have wanted to visit, but I ended up being disappointed by it. Appomattox is largely a recreation, and several of the artifacts from the house aren't located on the premises but in Washington D.C. The museum at the Courthouse was really well done, however, and even though I had studied the Civil War in college, I still learned some new things.

The McLean House

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

North Carolina: Oriental

Six months later, I am FINALLY able to update my blog and begin to post some new pictures! These ones are from Oriental, NC, a little town at the mouth of the Neuse River about twoish hours east of Raleigh. I ventured to the "Sailing Capital of North Carolina" for the Croaker Fest in July. The croaker is a little brown fish that is in season in the fall/winter, however, they have coincided the 4th of July festivities with the biggest festival dedicated to the fish (which is tasty, btw). I bunkered down in a B&B called The Captain's Quarters. An old blue and yellow Victorian, The Captain's Quarters proved to be in the best location in this tiny town where walking everywhere isn't out of the norm.

The festival was similar to other Southern style festivals: lots of amazing fried and fresh food, artisans from around the state selling their wares, and music every night with a street dance. I partook in the festivities which kicked off a day late due to Hurricane Arthur. The hurricane caused little to no damage in the area, and the rest of my stay was crystal clear and perfect. Oriental is a beautiful little coastal town with extremely friendly people and a very large 4th of July/Croaker Fest Parade. This year, the theme was "AARGGHH The Croaker!" On my last evening there, I wandered out to the pier and spotted a pod of dolphins had swum up the river. It was my first time seeing dolphins in the wild, and it capped off the trip beautifully.