Day 3:    Greybeards back on the water: Kayaking Ockracoke

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7:30, AM, in the Bloody Moanin' !!!

Mike and Bone's excellent kayaking adventure was scheduled for the ungodly hour of 7:30 AM. So in classic Mike and Bone fashion, they dragged their tired (an very hungover) butt's up at 7:25 and foot raced to the General Store, where they were to meet at 7:29.

 

The Silver Lake Ockracoke Kayaking Put-In

Staying out of the Atlantic's turned out to be (Pamlico) Sound advice. The 20 mile an hour winds that drove Bone to a fit of despair (for not being fit) where still blowing harder than Ted Kennedy complaining about the Republicans. So unfortunately the kayaking all occurred on the Pamlico Sound side of the Island. Which was a bummer, because half of the attraction for the kayaking was to paddle out to Teach's Hole,  a natural depression in a sand bar that Blackbeard would lure British War Frigates into to be beached.  Mike and Bone where hoping to find a plunder of ancient ales (Bass Ales, that is!). 

 

Into the Weeds again !!

 

"Dock, am I gonna be alright !?!"

 

The Mike and Bone Ockracoke Pirates Song:

"We are Pirates, and that's OK, we drink all night, and sleep all day !"

(Sung to Monty Python's  "I'm a Lumberjack, and that's OK" Song)

 

"All right already ! ! ! Lets go check out Blackbeard's Hole !!!"

 

Voyage of the Damned (or dumb ! ? !)

Nursing the hurt of not being able to go out into the open ocean (which in retrospect, seems kinda stupid!), was quickly assuaged. Per our Tour Guide (a true local Ockracoker) Kathy, the Atlantic side is mostly beaches, but the Pamlico Sound side, is much more rich in flora and fauna.  Kathy, an ex- National Park Ranger (fired for taking her pants off when it was 100 degrees per her husband) and her husband were both excellent guides, and since they were both born and raised on Ockracoke, they know much of the natural and human history of the Island. 

 

Say What?!!  One thing that Mike and Bone both noticed is that they spoke not in a traditional southern Y'ALL!, but with a much more British feel to their dialect.  According to Kathy, most Ockracokers are descendents of the original British fishermen that settled the Islands in the 1720's. It was only until the last 25 years or so that the Outer Banks (especially Ockracoke Island) has "re-attached" to the rest of North Carolina.

 

Lighting up the Town" The Ockracoke Lighthouse

After 3 hours the boys returned with a pretty good appetite, they went to a very cool out door restaurant and had fish and chips, along with several pictures of beer.

 

Life's a Beach with 'Rona's and Ceegars !!!

It's 'Rona Time!!!  After lunch the boys pondered what to do. Despite the facts that their bellies were full, they still had an appetite for,,,, well, more BEER!!! So they drove their car into town (they were both, very done with biking!), bought a case and a half of Coronas with limes, and headed to a rural beach area near the Car Ferry. On the beach the boys enjoyed their 'ronas all afternoon long.  Despite the grey skies, that threatened rain, they also lit up a couple of Cuban Cohiba's that Bone bought along from Windsor, Ontario before the trip. Life on the beach was so good that they continued to drink and smoke as it started to rain and drizzle on the boys, since it was in the low 90's, the rain felt good, and since it didn't seem to affect the ceegars, the party continued until the early evening.

 

Its deja vu, all over again: the Pelican Part Two  After spending so much time on the beach it was pushing 9:00 at night on a Sunday. Since the Drummy was good the night before, they decided to do it again!  Sunday Nights on Ockracoke are normally pretty quiet, with most of the weekend tourist on their way home, the Pelican was very quiet, but the Black and Tans, and the Pecan-Encrusted Drummy was just a good as the night before.

 

Back to the Beach  After dinner the boys made one last run to the beer store, and this time a State Park Beach close to the village. The beach that night was extremely windy and the sky's were very dark and cloudy, after a few beers the boys decided to put-in early, especially since they got up so early and had to leave the island by the 8:00 Ferry if they were going to make their flight back from Raleigh. Interestingly enough, as the boys were leaving, the local constable's were harassing and ticking to local youths for drinking in their cars. Obviously to the officers, the two old geezers in the rental car, would be drinking,  right ! ? ! With luck on their side the Boys retired before the local constables rethought their grievous error.