We had an early start today. Tavis was up at 6:00 to relax and have a coffee. I was up at 6:30 and we got the kids up at 6:45. We had pop tarts and watermelon for breakfast. It took a bit of time to get everyone packed up, the house tidied, and water bottles full. The car was packed and we were on the road by 7:30. We really enjoyed our stay and we all agreed this was the most comfortable accommodations we’ve had, other than no full kitchen or laundry. The beds were super comfy. We also discovered they had no garbage or recycling pick up which might be why they had no kitchen.
At 9:00, we stopped at a rest area for a bathroom break and to stretch our legs. it was well maintained and there were paved trails through the trees to a picnic area. It was very peaceful. By 9:20 we were back on the road again. We have all been taking turns sitting in the front and we have had very little arguing over seats so far.
At 10:35am we had another scary incident on the highway. All of a sudden a huge semi truck decided to pass us but he was very close. Luckily Tavis realized he was coming into our lane and locked up the breaks because there was a car on the other side of us and we had no where to go. The collision was avoided and no one hit us from behind 😮💨. Tavis’ hands were shaking and the rest of us were on high alert, except Ayva who was sleeping. She briefly opened her eyes and drifted back to sleep. We continued on through Richmond.
Around 11:15, we stopped at Walmart in Chesapeake to stretch our legs and eat our sandwiches. We looked for a loofa and Ayva wanted candy. We noticed a dollar tree across the street so we walked over and spent $6 on our items, while Tavis got fuel which was 2.79/gal. We had a bathroom break and were on our way again before 11:45.
At 12:15 our cell phones started buzzing. Apparently an evacuation warning was released for Outer Banks because Hurricane Erin is coming. We had a bad feeling that we would be turned away from our hotel because visitors were being evacuated today and residents are being g evacuated tomorrow. We decided to drive the last 45 minutes to the hotel and see what they said.
Driving over the bridge and up the island was so cool. It felt like it was a small beach resort town that you see on tv. We drove through a small town called Duck. 😝. Just after 1:00pm we arrived at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Outer Banks. Tavis ran in to see if we could check in.
The receptionist informed Tavis that we were totally safe where we were. However our room was not ready yet so she invited us in to enjoy the pools and facilities. We decided to eat more sandwiches and check out the beach.
After seeing the crowded beach and feeling the heat, we decided to take this opportunity to check out Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hill, about 35 minutes south.
During the drive Tavis got quite tired so we stopped at a public beach parking lot for 15 minutes while everyone closed their eyes. At 2:30 we continued on the the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
We arrived around 2:45 we pulled up to the booth expecting to pay $10/person. We were excited to see that the booth was empty and there was a sign saying we could enjoy the loop drive at no charge. We ended up spending an hour at the Memorial. We walked up Kill Devil Hill where they spent hundreds of hours testing the wings be before the first flight. We walked around and into the memorial that was built in the 1930s to commemorate them.
Next we stopped at a statue that depicted the scene of an early flight. I liked how they had statues of the brothers along with locals and a photographer. We also took lots of photos. Then we carried on to see their sleeping quarters and shop and where the actual first flights took place. They had markers to show how far each one went. It was cool to see actual photos of the events.
At 3;45pm we started making our way back to our hotel in Corolla. Just after leaving we got a call saying our room was ready so it was good timing. We arrived back to the hotel just after 4pm.
We quickly checked in and took our bags to the room. We got a suite on the first floor facing one of the pools. Tavis and the kids had a nap while I got some work done. As soon as I finished I put on my bathing suit and went to the pools. After floating in the lazy river on a tube I relaxed on a hammock. There were clouds in the sky and it wasn’t terribly hot. Ari woke me about 10 minute later and we went for a family walk on the beach.
We walked out to the beach around 6:30 and it was empty. The sand was incredibly soft as we walked down the beach chasing crabs and waves. It was so peaceful and felt so good on our bare feet.
We stayed on the beach until almost 7:00pm while the kids did their own photo shoot. Then we rinsed our feet and set out in the car about 10 minutes north to find some food.
We found a place called Bernie’s Brother that had a line up out the door. We figured it must be good so we put our name in. We were told it was an hour wait so we walked through the touristy stores and watched the sun set behind the clouds. It wasn’t nearly as impressive as lastnight, but still beautiful.
We started walking to the restaurant at 8:15 and just as we arrived back at the parking lot we got a text that our table was ready. We got seated right away. The place was emptying out a bit but not too many people came after we did. I ordered a pizza, Tavis got a burger, Ari got a crab cake, Ayva got chicken salad, and Addison ordered the Texas Beast burger which was unique to this restaurant and the menu offered a challenge to finish it. It was a 1/2 patty between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches… and yes he did finish the burger, but he needed help with the fries!😳
By the time we finished eating and got back to the hotel it was 9:30 so we all went swimming. By that time the pools were almost empty. We started in the lazy river. Then I went back to the room to shower first. When I finished, Tavis was back to shower. The kids moved to the pool just outside our room. We both worked but by 10:15 we asked the kids to come back and start showering.
By the time we got to bed it was after 11:00. We had another great day and I fell asleep almost instantly. I love how each day seems to be amazing and completely different. The cities were much different from the national park, which was completely different from the small touristy beach area of Outer Banks. All so amazing in their own way.
Tomorrow we make our way to Wilmington which will be our laundry day. Hurricane Erin has changed course and seems to be heading there as well but she has changed course a few times so we will carry on and see what happens. It could be interesting, but we have a backup plan because Tavis has a friend in Raleigh who invited us to stay if needed and it is only 2 hours from Wilmington. So no need to worry.