We had some spectacular weather last week, sunny and 70 degrees, perfect for some day trips to Fort Macon, Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium, and Atlantic Beach. For a change of pace, we took the free car ferry across the wide Neuse River to get to our destination of Fort Macon. The ferry was MUCH smaller than any in the fleet in Seattle, only held 30 cars. Fort Macon was fantastic and definitely worth the trip. It was great to learn of the history of the site - especially in WWII fending off the UBoats off shore. The Fort itself is very well maintained - with great learning exhibits and most areas open for the public to explore. The next day, we visited Pine Know Shores Aquarium - it is set on the leeward side of one of the barrier islands near Beaufort. We are used to the sea creatures of the Northwest from our Seattle aquarium so this was a nice change. By far the kid's favorite was the stingray and shark petting pool. They spent at least an hour in that part alone. There were exhibits specific to North Carolina mountain streams, lakes, and coastal waters. Reed also loved the turtles, Ava liked the lion fish. There was an outside walking path along the marshy shores with trees to climb and a floating bridge to cross. It was a great adventure, made extra boisterous with the local kids on school breakl. We ended both day trips with a couple hours at the beach for making sandcastles, collecting shells, and watching the sunset. We even saw a few porpoises playing in the surf. It has gotten a lot colder here this week, just like the rest of the country. It is January, after all :-). We are making our final preparations for the trip down the coast to Florida. That will take 2+ weeks (at about 50 miles per day along the Intracoastal Waterway). We are all looking forward to trading out our cold weather clothes for shorts and t-shirts very soon! (Note: to get the best view of the pictures, click on one to go to slide show mode. The thumbnails cut off some stuff). | |
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AuthorsWe are Karrie, Eric, Ava, and Reed Sanderson. Our house is in Seattle but our home is wherever the four of us are...and for the next two years, our home is Night Music, a Tartan 37 Sailboat. Archives
June 2016
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