Day 19

We got stuck in a terrible storm last night. Lightning continuously lit up the sky and rain poured down so heavily we couldn’t see out of the windshield. Kati pulled off the road and we sat in a gas station parking lot waiting for it to subside. When there was a break in the storm, we got on the road and drove a few more miles only to pull off again when the rain became blinding. We did that six or seven times. Initially, we expected to reach our destination at 9:47 PM—according to our GPS. We finally got there at 1:59 AM. It was late. It was wet and more rain was expected. No one felt like setting up camp. We found a cheap hotel, fell into our beds, and were asleep in a matter of minutes.

Since we got to bed late, we didn’t get as early of a start as we had wanted. It is not raining, but the sky looks questionable. We had all been looking forward to a few days of swimming in the ocean. The weather seems intent on thwarting our plans.

We got to the Outer Banks around midday. We headed straight to the National Park Visitor Center at Bodie Island to get ourselves oriented. We also saw the lighthouse. To climb it, you need tickets. Tickets can only be reserved online. They go on sale every morning at 6:55 and sell out in three minutes. Our odds of getting them for tomorrow are not very high, especially since service at the campsite is shoddy.

Since the sky still looked like it could rain, we headed over to the campsite to set up our tents. It’s always better to set up when it is still dry. We are camping in the dunes within a very short walk to the ocean. It’s windy and the stakes don’t stick into the sand as securely as they stick in the dirt. Hopefully, our tents won’t get blown away.

Even though it is chilly and cloudy, G3 wanted to go swimming. He’s been really looking forward to this part of the trip. We drove down to the beach where there is a lifeguard—it’s just a few miles up the road from where we are staying. I expected to have to use our National Park’s Pass to access the beach. We needed it at Cape Cod and Asseteague—two other National Seashores—but it appears that this National Seashore is free. The moment we got down to the water, Kati noticed the red jellyfish. They were strewn across the sand below the high water line. When we looked out at the ocean, we could see them bobbing on the waves. They were everywhere. There wasn’t a single person in the water. We had assumed it was because it was too cold. Nope! It was the jellies. G3 was extremely disappointed.

We drove back to our campsite and then walked over the dunes to the beach. I expected to see more jellyfish. I was wrong. There wasn’t a single one anywhere. Who knew only a couple of miles could make such a difference. Even though it was still windy, cold, and cloudy G3 and I went swimming. We hadn’t been in salt water all summer. It was calling us. We had to listen. The water was warmer than it is back home and we both enjoyed it.

I am loving this campsite. The campground is crowded, but our site is slightly set back and a bit removed from the others. We had sandwiches for dinner and from the dunes I watched the sun set. It was a ball of pink sinking into a bed of clouds. Gorgeous. In the fading light G3 and I went down to the beach and practiced combat sparring. I really miss doing Taekwondo. It would be nice to get a job for September so that I could start taking classes again.. I’m trying to be optimistic and put positive thoughts into the universe, so I had G3 review the first line of the first degree form with me. If I do get to go back to Taekwondo, I need to be ready.

I am now in my tent. I can hear the ocean in the distance. Being at the beach makes me happy. I love listening to the waves crash onto the shore and the smell of the salty air. Of course, the beach reminds me of Dad. I almost expect to see him walking along the shore or sitting in his chair reading a book or listening to a Mets game. If Dad’s spirit lives on anywhere it’s definitely at a beach somewhere.