We just got back from a great break at the coast. This view of the mountains greeted me yesterday morning. The beauty of the shading of the colors of the mountains is hard to appreciate in a photo, but this is a good try.
The cool air was also a nice change, but while we were 96 today, Beaufort, NC on the coast got the cool air that we had yesterday morning and only had a high of 84 degrees Fahrenheit. The only thing better than the coast and the mountains happens to be mountains at the coast, but at least in the continental US, it's pretty hard to find that with water warm enough for swimming.
Saturday morning I was four and one half miles off of Beaufort Inlet trying to catch some fish. I found a great guide who picked me up at the dock of the hotel where we were staying and delivered me back just as check out time rolled around. The view from that far out is a little different than my standard view.
There not a lot to see except the occasional fishing boat. We did see a sailfish jump, and I did catch and release a nice shark while we were trolling for King Mackerel. The sea was pretty quiet except for a few swells from the most recent hurricane.
Before we left Beaufort, we stopped by a great local seafood shop since I brought home no fish. We got Wahoo, Tuna, and fresh Shrimp. It's hard to beat fish just off the boat. In fact the tuna steak I had tonight was the best, I've ever had.
On the way home Saturday, we got hungry around Chapel Hill and hit the restaurant button on the car's GPS. One of the first restaurants listed was the "Barbecue Joint" on Weaver Dairy Road. Most excellent barbecue and lots of interesting food items. The location is marked on this Google map. Here's a nice review of the Barbecue Joint, and remember that it's only a slight detour off of Interstate 40, and I can guarantee that it's worth the time. If the restaurant button worked that well every time, I would be exceptionally pleased.
I snapped this shot on Route 58 just east of Martinsville about 8:20 pm on Saturday night. It's a good thing the sunset was beautiful or I would be complaining about the empty Route 58. I'm sure I might have found a little more traffic on Interstate 81.
It's good to be home.
I got home a day before you. I'm missing the ocean...but coming up the parkway felt great...so green and no people!
Posted by: colleen | July 27, 2005 at 08:08 PM