As a surprise to Janis, I suggested we head to the North Carolina outer banks for the 4th. Being such late notice, I was only able to find suitable lodging at the Comfort Inn in Nags Head. I had barely remembered staying there as a 16 year old and it wasn’t that bad. I have to admit that I was a little surprised by the amount of development on the northern end of the outer banks. Turns out that area is a favorite vacation spot for Virginians, yay… Anyways, the hotel was a bit funky and about to fall into the ocean, but probably better than the more expensive alternatives. The amateur beach fireworks show kept us occupied the night of the 4th.

The next day, we tried the beach out. Unfortunately it was bloody cold and full of floating sea grass, not a good combination so we left the beach and tried out some tourist attractions on the main drag. My big plan for the next day was to drive down to Ocracoke and then catch a ferry back to the mainland and head home. Well, we stopped at the Hatteras Light and made our way down to Ocracoke, but had to drive all the way back up to Nags Head and go home the way we came because the ferries were all booked. I’ll have to remember that.