Cape Lookout, National Seashore

I am back to the ocean!!! After an hour long drive this morning, I was able to catch the ferry. This time they allowed dogs, so it was a piece of cake. The ferry took me to Shackelford Banks, an uninhabited island, and part of this park system. I had my pick of shells and there were several. Wild horses live here and they were very close by. They seemed to be used to people. They were so beautiful against this background of dunes, and blue-teal waters. I was on this island before 9am, so there were very few people around. It was so peaceful taking a morning stroll. Our captain on the boat said that some of the best shelling in the world can be found here, and that a shell about 1 foot or more in diameter was found after a December storm, a while back. It was just short of the world's record. That's what I wanted to find here, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. I caught the next ferry to Cape Lookout Island. These passenger ferries are small, less than 30 people. I immediately walked across the island on a boardwalk to the oceanside, and took a very long walk. I was able to view the lighthouse on this island and museum. It was pretty hot here, almost 90. So, Jo Jo and I made ourselves as wet as much as possible. By 2:00pm I boarded the ferry back to the mainland. That breezy boat ride in the water felt so good! There were a lot of boats in the water here. I headed back towards the New Bern area and found a recreation site in the National Forest I was looking forward to spending time in the woods, however my neighbors didn't allow for it. They arrived at the bewitching hour of midnight, with prolonged distruption. So I decided to take off after enlightening them of their inconsiderate ways, and spent the rest of the night in a parking lot at the Hampton Inn. Surprisingly, that was quiet. I may be finding more hotel parking lots like this, as I continue to boondock.

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