Category Archives: OBX

Life in Board Shorts Day Five – Fourth of July

Oops, we slept in today. Not typical for us. We were out a little later than expected last night at Elizabeth’s Cafe. We’re usually pretty eager to get on the beach early on the Fourth of July. Merri Beth, Zander, and I managed to get to the beach by 11:00 am—not too bad considering our lack of alarm clock.

We packed up the Jeep, lunch included, and headed out. At first, I was thinking Nags Head would be the spot. But as we drove down the beach road, the beach accesses were packed. We turned around and headed back to Kill Devil Hills for the day. We found a great spot that just had a few cars at it. Within the next two hours, it was full. We got lucky. Continue reading →

Marsh Fire Smoking Out Outer Banks

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The family was getting ready to head to the pool for the day and while letting the dogs out around 10:30 am, I noticed large billows of smoke. At first, I thought it was a storm, but then it looked like a bomb had exploded in the air. The smoke was coming from the Sound so we hopped in the Jeep and headed to Bay Drive for further inspection.

According to WAVY-TV 10, “A marsh fire burning in Colington Harbor on the Outer Banks of North Carolina was reportedly sparked by fireworks.” Continue reading →

Life in Board Shorts Day Four – Wine in Duck and Geeking Out

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We geeked out today. There’s no question about it. After my morning run, I booted up the laptop to find a mini disaster that took up most of my morning. Merri Beth decided to log in for a half-day of work. Meanwhile, Zander kept himself occupied with a variety of games and activities. It felt like we wasted a great beach day staying inside, velcroed to the Internet, but it ended up being much better than that. Continue reading →

Life in Board Shorts Day Three – Snorkeling and Sand Forts

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Wow! A great day on the Outer Banks. The ocean was fully cooperating and the weather was almost perfect. My day started off with a 5.7 mile run from the house to the Wright Brothers Memorial. I was up around 6:00 am and hitting the pavement before the sun took it’s full toll on the other runners and bikers out on Bay Drive. I had a great run considering the Summer conditions. A beautiful run with some great views. Continue reading →

Life in Board Shorts Day Two – A Day at the Pool

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It was HOT today. No question about it. We enjoyed a full day at the beach yesterday, but not today. Being on the Outer Banks helped us forget about the heat for a while. We slept in today, and enjoyed every minute of it.

After some breakfast, Zander and I biked over to check the surf and the beach conditions at First Street. By 9:00 am, it was already steamy. There was some small surf, but nothing worth getting the board out for. We had big plans to hang out at the pool for the day. Continue reading →

Life in Board Shorts Day One – Outer Banks Style

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Heading to Norfolk

Our 10-day vacation on the Outer Banks started last night when the family flew to Norfolk after a week in Boston for the Red Hat Summit and JBoss World. We landed just in time to experience some 5-o’clock traffic in Hampton Roads area of Virginia. We took our time and eventually made our way to Kill Devil Hills, NC for the evening.

Along the way, we stopped in Currituck at a local produce stand to get some fresh fruit and veggies. We walked out with blueberries, peaches, plums, squash, zucchini, and sweet corn. On the way towards KDH, we wanted to grab dinner at Weeping Radish, but they were closed when we passed. Bummer! Instead, we got some Mexican at La Fogata in Kitty Hawk. Continue reading →

Get Your Pirate On – My First OBX Half Marathon

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It was five years ago this weekend that I caught the running bug—thanks to my buddy Iain Gray, who ran the Outer Banks Marathon back in 2006. Merri Beth, Zander (6 months old at the time), and I, spent the weekend on the Outer Banks to cheer on the runners. It was a great experience and inspired me to get into running.

Last weekend, I had my best half marathon to date. I finished the City of Oaks race in 1 hour, 42 minutes and I was in the top 20 of my age group. I’m ecstatic with the results. I’ve come a long way in four years. I’m blessed to be able to run these races and love the feeling when I cross the finish line.

This will be my first year running the Continue reading →

Katia Delivers Surf to the Outer Banks

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Surf from Hurricane Katia

I decided to work remote from the Outer Banks during Labor Day week. I got lucky with a plethora of surf. I was hoping for it, but didn’t expect the surf to be this good. On Friday, September 9th, Katia delivered. In the morning, it was head to 3-foot overhead. (6-9 foot surf.) By the afternoon, the swell had dwindled, but it was still 6-8 foot surf.

MB, Zander, and I headed to the Outer Banks on Sunday (9/4), after the NC State season opener against Liberty. The football game was a blast and the Wolfpack won. We arrived at the beach around 2pm. All of our friends were hanging out on the beach and there were a few waves out there. I surfed for about an hour. Continue reading →

Fireworks from Nags Head

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I love spending the Fourth of July on the Outer Banks. Yesterday, we were on the beach all day in Nags Head. The kids played, I caught a few waves on the surfboard, and we had a great day at the beach.

At 9:15pm, we watched the fireworks in Nags Head. The fireworks were shot off from Nags Head fishing pier. I love how the length of the pier was used to create a unique show. Enjoy the video of the finale: Continue reading →

2011 Guide to the Outer Banks

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Wright Brothers Memorial, KDH

So you want to head to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a weekend getaway or a week away from it all? There are a variety of things to see and do, lots of great food to eat, and the beaches are some of the best in the US.

Whether it’s your first time or your twentieth, this post can help get you started to an awesome vacation. You’ll want to go back again and again. Let’s get started. Continue reading →