That week was culmination of a number of weeks of great weather. We got to enjoy open windows and sea breezes for almost two weeks until the temperatures got above the mid-eighties for three days.
Now as we begin this second week of October, our high temperature on Tuesday, October 8, happened at midnight when we dropped past 74F on our way to the low sixties. The rainy weather that has brought us over five inches of rain in thirty-six hours will improve but this is a big change, and for a time we will have to cling to pictures that help us remember those recent warmer days.
The first picture at the top with the sea oats, white sand, and blue sky was snapped on October 2, 2013, at just before 6 PM near the ocean side of a beach access near the Point at Emerald Isle, North Carolina. You can see larger versions of any of these pictures by clicking on them. That will take you to Pinterest. Once you are on my Pinterest board if you click one more time, you will get to see the original full-size image, and you can easily share the image.
I spend a lot of time on the White Oak and when I am not on it, you can often find me walking its shores.
With all the great weather, it has been a little challenging to even decide the best activity for a given day. There have been plenty of coastal choices to befuddle me. I have been torn between work, kayaking, fishing, walking the beaches, and boat rides in our skiff.
The picture to the left was taken on October 5, near the middle of the White Oak about 2.5 miles north of Swansboro.
It was close to low tide when I snapped the picture, but earlier in the week we had some low tides which were high enough to keep the oyster rocks covered.
I cannot complain about the fishing over the last couple of months. I have caught a couple of very nice drum this summer including one 21 inches long and another a hair short of 20 inches on October 3.
That same week, I brought home a nice Spanish Mackerel that I caught in the surf at Third Street Beach. My drum were both caught from the kayak and among the oyster rocks of the White Oak River.
A few times the bait has been so thick that it has been hard to cast and not snag something. Unfortunately the larger fish have been more challenging, but I am sure they will come as the water cools.
This is link to an album of some photos that I took on a hike at the Point on October 3. The trucks are back on the beach, but there are never a huge number of them and it does give access to the beach to some folks who would otherwise not get to enjoy it.
The slope of the beach is so gradual that you really get a chance to appreciate the crystal clear water that we are so lucky to enjoy here on the Crystal Coast.
While the ocean water in the fall rarely gets that special emerald color that we sometimes see during the summer months, fall sunsets can be amazing like this beautiful sunset at the Point that I captured on October 3, 2013.
Make sure you click on the above sunset image from my kayak to get to the larger view of it. It is a really nice photo at full size. This album has an additional set of river sunset pictures. Sunsets have not been the only neat scenery on the river. We also got a rare foggy morning reminiscent of Nova Scotia where fog is a way of life.
October and September also brought some great boat rides, including this short one to Swansboro and the marshes on the other side of the Intracoastal Waterway. This is a photo album of that same trip.
I also have created a photo album that is a collection of my favorite kayaking pictures starting in late summer 2013. The album also has some great bird pictures.
There is more information about other water areas that I like to visit in this post, Crystal Coast Magic. You might also be interested in my posts about life here on the coast, Living the Dream, A September Evening on the Beach, and Wave Catchers.
If all the information on this page has perked your interest, please check out our new book, “A Week At the Beach - The 2013 Emerald Isle Travel Guide.”
It is a really special guide to the area and only $3.99 for the Kindle version. Emerald Isle, Nags Head, Ocracoke, and Myrtle Beach all have great but very different beaches.
If you do not know what you want in a beach, it can be hard to find the right one. Those people looking for something like Myrtle Beach will not find it on the Crystal Coast.
There are some very special beaches here. Some require a little planning and work to reach, but those of us who enjoy their beaches in their natural state find that they are worth every bit of the effort.
One of my favorite beaches is Hammocks Beach which is accessible only by boat. It is truly a special beach to love. You have already heard about the Point at Emerald Isle which I sometimes call the “End of the Sand.” To get to that favorite spot requires either a boat, a 4WD with a beach driving permit, or a hike of over two miles if you do go to the end of the sand.
If heading to the beaches during the last days of summer does not excite you, perhaps visiting the Canadian Maritimes in the heat of an American summer might. If you need a little Maritime travel advice to get your wheels turning, you will find it in our A Taste for the Wild book.
Nova Scotia is a paradise of blue and green and as long as you are not planning a dip in the water, you will find little to complain about in a place where Americans, even those of us from the South, are most welcome.
I like to say the book is worth the $2.99 just for the story about our honeymoon on the barrens of Newfoundland where my wife was convinced that we were close to being lost forever.
All of our books are now available in print from Amazon.
A Taste for the Wild, Canada's Maritimes
The Road to my Country
A Week At The Beach, The 2013 Emerald Isle Travel Guide
The Pomme Company
If you are interested in more information about me, check out the about me section of my main website. It has links to many other places where my writing is posted. You can also visit this site to see what I have recently published, or if you are interested in the technology side of the world, visit this list of articles that I have written for ReadWrite Web.
More general information about the mainland where I live is available at this link to my Swansboro to Cape Carteret area page.
You will find some helpful area details that might make folks think you are a local, but for the real local experience and information head for our travel guide.
Why we love it here?
It is hard to say that any place is perfect. However, for those who think a walk on the beach is better than a trip to the mall, the Crystal Coast is hard to beat.
While living by the water is not for everyone, it has worked out well for us. If you are considering living on the water, you might want to read my post, Life By Coastal Waters.
For thoughts on where we have chosen to live, I would steer you to my articles, In the Wildness of our surroundings there is peace, Community, America the not so overfull, and Why I love living in Carteret County
My Crystal Coast, Salt Water on Your Feet site also has a number of articles for people considering a move to the Crystal Coast.
To make life even better we have found a wonderful church home at Cape Carteret Presbyterian Church.
Our quiet spot sheltered by Bogue Banks, Croatan National Forest, and the Cape Lookout National Seashore is a friendly area with a great future. Right now it is the spot for us.
This is a link to a simple map of the area. There are more detailed ones in our Emerald Isle Travel Guide.
You can find an introduction to the area and links to most of my other blogs at this link or visit this page for the basics.