This is the first year in a long time that I have not been able to make it to the beach. So on this rainy day, I thought I would go back through my archives and post a few pictures I took last year kayaking through the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I reached the coast on Friday Night, but I had about a 4 mile paddle out to Shackleford Banks so I decided to get a hotel for the night and head out first thing the next morning. It was a great day to be paddling other than the fact that the tide was against me. I reached the island and right away I saw one of the wild horses. Shackleford Banks is home to about 100 wild horses. About 400 years ago when settlers were heading to America, some would wreck in the shallow shoals of the Outer Banks. The horses were often thrown over to try and lessen the weight and fortunately, some were able to swim ashore and survive the arid climate. Shackleford Banks is about 9 miles long and tends to be the preferred island of the horses in the area. The National Park Service tries to not manage the herd other than making sure the population stays a little over 100 horses, at which point they will put a few horses up for adoption.
Kayaking through the tidal channels was a pure pleasure. I enjoyed floating around a corner and having the horses and birds around the next bend, neither of which giving you much attention. The was is so shallow that boats can not get into the channels so it felt like I had the area all to myself.
Todays Humor - Three old men are sittin' in their kayaks fishing a cove on a quiet Sunday morning when a funeral procession drives by. One of the old men takes off his hat & puts it over his heart. The procession winds its way around the cove and disappears over a hill. The old man puts his hat back on and continues fishing. One of the other old timers says "Geeze Ed, that was a thoughtful thing to do." Ed replies "It was the least I could do after 49 years of marriage." -Unknown Author
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