We leave the motel around 9:00, expecting to have breakfast and maybe do a little shopping in the village of Cedar Island while awaiting the 12:00 ferry to Ocracoke. There is not much to see when we get there, though. The "village" consists of hardly more than a small motel, with attached cafe, the ferry dock, and a large parking lot. We pull into the parking lot, anticipating a very long breakfast, when one of the ferry personnel comes over to say we have time to make the 9:30 ferry, just ready to leave now. We drive onto the Silver Lake and it leaves almost immediately on its 2¼ hour journey to Ocracoke, sailing past the rusted wrecks of two steel cargo ships which make up the breakwater of the harbor.

Linda has been eyeing me strangely all morning.  In her book, the victim has at last escaped from her murderous husband, and boards a boat to safety....

The poor woman is never seen again...

This is the 'sea cruise' portion of our vacation. The ferry sails out into Pamlico Sound, and as the mainland shoreline disappears we are completely surrounded by the water. We feel as if we might as well be on the open sea (except that the ride is smoother). The breeze feels good, and we appreciate the clear blue sky all the more after enduring four days of rain. There is an observation deck and a passenger cabin with tables (booths, actually). No meals are served, but there is a snack machine, which doesn't work.

  We arrive in Ocracoke harbor at 11:45 and immediately look for a place to eat.Ocracoke is a very picturesque little village at the southern tip of Ocracoke Island, looking every bit like you would expect an island village to look. Its tree-shaded streets contain a mixture of resident's homes and rentals, and there are several small hotels and quaint restaurants, as well as fishing and charter-boat places. We both later feel this was our favorite place on the trip. We eat lunch (breakfast?) at the Island Inn Restaurant , just up a small street (actually, they are all small streets here) from the lighthouse. The tiny dining room is cheery and filled with nautical antiques. We have fish & chips, scallops, popcorn shrimp, and a fish ball. Oh yes, and hush-puppies. It is lucky we arrived when we did. A few minutes later, the dining room is closed to make room for a busload of senior citizens who arrive just as we are leaving.

After lunch, we walk around the village, stopping for fudge and a frozen yogurt cone, and look at the Ocracoke Lighthouse. Then we drive on to the other end of the island (about 15 miles), where we board another ferryboat to Hatteras Island. This is part two of our 'cruise', and, although not as long a ride as the first ferry, it is just as scenic.

The boat leaves Ocracoke Island from a dock at the north end (no village) and arrives about 20 minutes later in Hatteras Village, which is also very picturesque, but larger and much more developed. As we drive on through the towns of Frisco and Buxton, we make a few false turns before arriving at the National Park Service Campgrounds at Cape Hatteras. There are several private campgrounds in this area, but this is the only one that is virtually on the beach. In fact, it is within sight of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. We go out to the beach, which is wide, clean, and nearly empty. We are puzzled by the many holes in the sand, especially back near the dunes, each surrounded by lots of tiny footprints. We are unable to imagine what these holes represent until, as we are leaving, we get a chance to see one of the inhabitants. It turns out that the holes are made by ghost crabs, about the size of one's hand, and one of them comes running out (sideways, of course), looking up at John with its little black eyestalks wiggling in all directions, as if to say, "Go away. You're on my beach! Get away now! I don't care how big you think you are! Shoo !! "

We drive back to Buxton, about ten minutes from the campground, for dinner at Bubba's Famous Barbecue, which, though somewhat touristy, also looks like a favorite with the local people.