May1, 2024
The mission today was to explore all the pullouts north of the campground. First stop was the Pony Pen, where “Banker Ponies” (ponies of the Outer Banks) are kept. They ran free from the 1700’s until 1959 when traffic became heavier. Across the road, we walked up a boardwalk to the top of the dunes to get a nice view of the beach.
We walked down a long jeep road that was chained. It wound its way through a bushy terrain until it opened onto Pamlico Sound. It looked like you could walk out a long way. Duck blinds were positioned from 40 to 200 yards off shore. There was a good story in the Ocracoke Guide telling of hunting one of those blinds. They stored the boat under the blind, keeping the decoys in the blind. They would throw them out, then walk out to reposition them. I’m sure the sandy bottom is a lot easier to walk on than our marsh on the Rappahannock River.
A number of creeks crossed the road. It looks like they all come from the sound, and it seems like they would be good places to fish. Exploring one creek, a truck was parked with a kayak in the back. I went up and asked the gentleman if he was fishing. He had an Old Town pedal-powered kayak, which he was proud to show us. He said the drum like to come into these creeks in the early morning, but his kayak pedals are too deep. You can take the pedals out and paddle, but he said it is awkward. He had been getting his exercise in the sound, and was headed home. These fishing kayaks are very cool, and by all reports travel pretty fast. The drawback is now you need a trailer to put it on. It might be a lot easier to wade in this creek with a fly rod in the early morning, maybe with a crab fly.
Across from the campground, we walked a trail through a hammock and out to the sound. We almost stepped on several toads in the middle of the path. Wherever there was marsh or wet areas, there were mosquitoes.
We had a relaxing afternoon reading. I was reading Horse, by Geraldine Brooks, a novel based upon the history of “Lexington,” one of the best racehorses and sires of all time in the mid-1800’s. As with most racehorse stories, the characters are interesting. I liked the way she titled the chapters with the central character in a particular year.