Today’s blog is by one of our Discovery Weekend Winners – Peter & Becky from Raleigh, NC. As you can see, they really enjoyed their visit!
The boardwalk was what got us from the first. Is it really this easy to walk into town from the condo? This is so much more fun than driving and parking. That’s a great view of the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. These built-in benches are great!
And then we wondered: with all the twists and turns when walking on the boardwalk, would it be quicker by water?
Becky and I had already hoped to rent some kayaks, even before we headed from our home in Durham for a weekend in a Marshes Light condo. Some years before, we had kayaked around Manteo and looked forward to another adventure.
Becky and I had already hoped to rent some kayaks, even before we headed from our home in Durham for a weekend in a Marshes Light condo. Some years before, we had kayaked around Manteo and looked forward to another adventure.
So Saturday morning we walked along the boardwalk to the waterfront and rented a couple of single kayaks. It was a beautiful April day, and there were lots of other folks with the same idea, even an experienced paddler from San Diego.
Should we immediately head right toward Marshes Light? No, first we just had to turn left and go up that little creek we remembered from years before. It starts out wide, with lots of boats and activity, but soon narrows to where there’s barely room to turn a kayak around. There had been a solitary cabin at the end of the creek. Would it still be there?
The creek was just getting narrow when Becky slowed her boat and pointed silently ahead to an egret in the shallows. I stopped my boat, put down the paddle, and fumbled to get our little camera out of its protective plastic bag (Kayaking usually involves at least a little water dripping inside the boat!) to try to snap the egret before it flew off. As you can see, it worked!
A tree fallen across the creek just a bit farther on cut off any more paddling in that direction, so we turned back toward town. We would never find out if that cabin was still there.
Why go straight when you can take the scenic route? We turned left into one of those long straight cuts through the marsh grass, then into the open water of Roanoke Sound. We skirted the back of Festival Park, stopping to wave at a family with kids in strollers. I think the little ones were amazed to see people floating in the water so close to shore.
Back by the town waterfront and a look at the Queen Elizabeth II, it was time to head for Marshes Light. In no time at all we were floating just outside our marina-view condo. We were looking up to the balcony where we’d had breakfast just that morning.
