Last year I spent two weeks in Coastal North Carolina working on the new version of Lonely Planet’s guide to Georgia & the Carolinas. Upon my return from Alaska, I was happy to see that this beauty is now an…
Ocracoke Island
Ocracoke, North Carolina – There’s no bridge to Ocracoke Island – only the ferry services from Hatteras and from the mainland. The relative isolation has protected this idyllic place from overdevelopment and from influxes of outsiders (known locally as “dingbatters”).…
Graveyard of the Atlantic
Hatteras, North Carolina – Shallow shoals, shifting sandbars and inclement weather have long posed a threat for ships navigating the waters off the North Carolina coast. Near Cape Hatteras, the Diamond Shoals are particularly treacherous. As evidence, the seafloor is…
Marsh Land and Maritime Forest
Hatteras, North Carolina – Summer vacationers flock to the OBX for fishing and surfing and other beachy fun. But there is a backside to these islands, a patchwork of marsh land and maritime forest that is also a wildlife wonderland.…
Wild Mustangs on the Beach
Corolla, North Carolina – Wild mustangs roam freely on the beaches and dunes north of Corolla. It’s not unusual to see the horses grazing amid the houses and communities at the north end of Bodie Island. There are no roads…
A Meaningful Destination
OBX, North Carolina – I am currently on assignment in the Outer Banks and the North Carolina coast. It’s not the most exotic destination I have ever written about, but it is a meaningful one. The last time I visited…