I have been blessed to stay in some pretty cool places in the past year, but this one rocked. Literally. I was scouring the Airbnb website for a rental in North Carolina last month, when I came across this houseboat.
If you ever have the opportunity, I would encourage you to try it. In addition to the sheer coolness factor, I slept like a baby, lulled to sleep each night with the gentle rocking.
A sliding glass door, lots of windows and full ceiling height. It even had Pergo flooring! If it had not been for that wheel, I could have been in an efficiency or studio apartment. Except for the motion of the water…
The main living area had a lovely leather couch and banquette seating. Five adults fit comfortably for a meal.
Four steps down brought me to the full kitchen, bathroom and master bedroom. I slept on a comfy full-size futon and had lots of drawers and closet space for my clothing.
The bathroom had a shower, toilet and sink. Honestly, it could not have been more cozy.
The second bedroom (pictured below) was snug and better suited for children, although both my adult grandchildren and my 6′ 2″ son slept there on occasion. While the double beds were wonderful, you literally had to crawl in to them. Very low clearance and not for the claustrophobic…
Facing west, I was blessed with an unobstructed view of the sunset each evening that never disappointed.
The bridge spanning the intracoastal and connecting Beaufort with mainland Morehead City framed the scene and added drama.
The high point of my day was to climb on the upper deck and watch that glowing red ball drop into the water.
It never failed to amaze me how quickly it happened. As soon as it reached the bridge, it was never more than 15 minutes until the sun had set completely.
I came to Beaufort, NC (prounounced Bow-fort, not to be confused with Beaufort, SC, which is pronounced Bew-fort) to visit my son and grandkids. Although it was a bit further away from them than I would have liked, the richness of its history and all the things to do more than made up for any inconvenience. And of course, the houseboat…
South facing and waterfront, downtown Beaufort is classified as the “inner banks” of North Carolina. Incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the third-oldest town in North Carolina and the county seat of Carteret County. In 2012, it was ranked “America’s coolest small town” by Budget Travel Magazine.
There was no shortage of public spaces, parks, and flowers everywhere! One could stroll the wooden boardwalk, which ran the length of Front St., entirely along the water.
Kayaks and other water craft were available for rental and it’s an easy paddle across Taylor Creek to Carrot Island.
Carrot Island, Town Marsh and Bird Shoal are several of the islands that make up the Rachel Carson Reserve.
Rachel Carson, an environmentalist, wrote Silent Spring in 1962, which documents adverse environmental affects of pesticides. I was amazed at the education available regarding the preservation of the delicate ecology of these fragile water systems.
https://www.beaufort-nc.com/rachel-carson-reserve.htmlresearch
No desire to kayak? There were lots of options for travel to Carrot Island and many other destinations.
In addition to its obvious nautical attraction, Beaufort is famous for its NOAA and Duke University research labs.
A genuine London double-decker bus provides tours of the charming village whose downtown is filled with quaint shops, restaurants, and a general store.
Beaufort was like Charleston, Savannah, and Nantucket all put together…. on steroids.
Bobbing gently on the water were beautiful yachts and watercraft of every shape and size.
Not trusting our kayaking skills, my grandson Christian and I ferried over to Carrot Island early one afternoon.
Although we never caught a glimpse of the wild horses who inhabit the area, we were pleased with ourselves to be able to make it to Bird Shoal, which is only visible and accessible at low tide.
We spent several hours on the deserted shoal looking for sand dollars with no luck, although we did manage to find some fairly unique shells.
When Christian remarked that the water we had crossed to the shoal appeared to be getting deeper, we made a beeline, sloshing our way back the way we had come.
Safely back on Carrot Island across from the Beaufort waterfront, we wait for our water taxi to return for us.
Later in the week, when my granddaughter joined us, we considered our many options for an excursion. There were fishing boats, ferries, catamarans, and even a pirate ship. I had the dubious pleasure of meeting the resident pirate. That was one scary dude…!
We opted for the six hour catamaran excursion to the Shackleford Banks and Cape Lookout. The group was small and drinks and food were provided.
We sailed for a couple of hours and beached at a small shoal/ island. Lunch was served and we were invited to get off the catamaran to look for shells or to have a swim.
Our next stop was Cape Lookout and the lighthouse. It’s barely visible in the above photograph.
The sky was lowering and the weather was becoming threatening when we arrived at the lighthouse.
Although we were able to check out the lightkeeper’s cottage, we were not allowed to climb the lighthouse that day.
Did you know that each lighthouse is marked differently to identify its location? The bold diamond pattern, or daymark, on this one is multifunctional. Black diamonds run north- south and the white diamonds run east-west, so it also tells the mariner the direction.
On the voyage back to Beaufort, the captain drew our attention to the approaching vessel and told us the story of the boat and its owners. Apparently, they were two old hippies from the Midwest who had been traveling the high seas for years on “JENNY”.
I could be wrong, but the makeshift top deck looks suspiciously like it may have been a school bus at one time…
Later in the week, Christian and I decided to make another attempt to climb the lighthouse at Cape Lookout. This map depicts the placement of the islands.
We drove to the ferry on Harkers Island this time. It was about 25 miles from Beaufort, a very enjoyable ride on a beautiful morning. Harkers Island was inhabited by the Coree tribe of Native Americans in the 16th century and has a fascinating history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harkers_Island,_North_Carolina
Our approach to the lighthouse was from the south this time, so the journey to Cape Lookout was shorter, just over one half hour.
First a quick stop at Shackleford Banks to drop off beachgoers. I could not get used to the practice of taking a ferry to a deserted island in the middle of the sound.
And off we went to complete our mission…
There was a lot of activity here today because of the weekend. The weather was beautiful and warm and many people were on the beach and on boats.
Once we “measured up”, and got a briefing from the resident park ranger, we headed up.
It was a bit warm and stuffy inside, but not claustrophobic. Christian and I managed the 120+ steps well, and found ourselves at the top in no time. The light at the end of the vertical tunnel!
Although we were warned, I was not prepared for the intensity of the wind as we stepped outside to admire the view. Regardless, I did manage to capture some impressive shots of the amazing shoals, sounds, and basins that are part of the Outer Banks
Our feet back on terra firma, Christian takes a last look at the towering structure, and we head back to the ferry dock for the ride back to Harkers Island.
There was plenty to do around the marina where my temporary home was moored. Included in the price was the use of two kayaks and two bicycles. One needed only to pull them out of the rack and drag them to the adjacent small beach.
This corner appeared to be a favored fishing spot. We garnered several looks of amusement and disgust as we splashed clumsily by in the kayaks, scaring the fish away, no doubt.
Once the kids went home, the time passed quickly and I found myself with one more day of leisure before heading home to Florida. For $1 and a 30 minute drive to Cedar Island, I found I could ferry to Ocracoke Island, a 2-1/4 hour journey.
Although I had allowed plenty of time to make the 10 AM ferry, my GPS sent me on a wild-goose chase. I felt sure I had missed the boat (no pun intended), and debated turning around, even as I raced the last 5 miles down a desolate strip of road with water on both sides.
Thankfully, the ferry was late, and cars were just beginning to board when I arrived at Cedar Island.
The ride was thoroughly enjoyable. I saw fishing and shrimping boats, and an occasional sea gull followed the ferry.
The shoals that seemingly popped up randomly out of the water characterize the entire Outer Banks infrastructure. This one emerged as Ocracoke came into view in the distance.
You can see the woman approaching the ferry. She will press a button to lower the entire ramp to the level of the ferry’s deck.
I had a little over three hours to explore Ocracoke before the next ferry back to Cedar Island. Although golf carts appeared to be the preferred method of transportation, I set out on foot to find the lighthouse.
The General Store on Ocracoke Island was adorable! It had colorful toys, household items, and even a potbellied stove with chairs to gather around in.
Bike rentals, T-shirt shops, and the usual array of cottages and inns greeted me as I meandered, keeping an eye out for the lighthouse.
I continued to follow the directional signs pointing to the Ocracoke Light, and finally, there it was, emerging out of the trees across Silver Lake.
The day was warm and the walk was quite lengthy. As I began to question the validity of doing this on foot, I saw it. It was much smaller than the lighthouse at Cape Lookout.
Because it is owned and maintained by the US Coast Guard and a functioning lighthouse, it is not open to the public. I’ll admit, I was a bit disappointed that I could not look inside.
When I realized how hungry I was, I began my long walk back toward the ferry dock. I had enough time to sit and enjoy a yummy grouper sandwich at the Jolly Roger, and then I bought my $1 return ticket and boarded the ferry that would return me to Cedar Island.
I dozed as the ferry lumbered southward, reflecting on what a wonderful adventure this had been! My words and pictures are a feeble attempt to describe this colorful place. No matter where I went, people were warm and friendly, and quality and value consistently exceeded my expectations. Thanks for sharing it with me. Feel free to leave a comment. Blessings!
Marie,
You certainly have had such great experiences that many of us aren’t able to do. Thank you so much for sharing it with us to enjoy.
Love you
Barbara, thanks for your comment and your love. Blessings to you and John!
WOW! Except for the scary pirate I could almost picture myself in a Nicholas Sparks novel! Beautiful memory to make with your grandchildren!
what a wonderful time you had with your family. God is so gracious about stuff like that . He answers prayers even if we don’t think of stuff,He knows what is best for us. I want to learn to fully rest in His love and that He will show me what that looks like! Thank you for sharing, because it looks like a great place to take a vacation.
What an incredible journey you have had! And I feel quite certain, that this is only the beginning of your travels! Thank you for sharing all your stories and photos ~ welcome back! 💜❤
Marie, I thoroughly enjoyed my stroll down memory lane with you. Thanks for introducing me to your blog! Love, Paula
Thanks Paula! Take care of yourself. So happy for your new home!
Beautiful pictures/scenery! Glad I got to enjoy vicariously….