Bodie Island Lighthouse
(2/12/2012)
Although we traveled to so many beautiful places, and I like to think I have so many beautiful photos, my photograph for the second day also comes from the Bodie Island Lighthouse. I am sure my favorite for each day will change again and again as I get through my volumes of photos, but even as I was taking this one, I fell in love with it.
But, let’s start the day from the beginning and not at sunset! When I go on adventures, I can be a little intense (in case the spontaneously-leaving-in-the-middle-of-the-night part didn’t already tip everyone off). So despite having accumulated an impressive amount of sleep debt, my alarm was nonetheless set to go off at five a.m. so that I could make it to the Hatteras Lighthouse with time to set up for the sunrise. It was quite hard to get up from the comfy beds of the Seaside Inn, but we managed. It’s hard to explain how bone-chilling it was, but luckily the old guardhouse and museum were close to the lighthouse, and provided a bit of a shield against the freezing wind. Eric spent most of the time curled up in a sleeping bag on the porch. Here is one of the one’s that he snapped:
Shivering in the cold
The colors of the sunrise didn’t really show up while we were at the lighthouse itself due to the heavy clouds, but I’d be remiss not to share a few. In the second photo, taken in a part about quarter of a mile away, the colored horizon lit up by the sun could be seen much more clearly.
Long exposure of Hatteras Lighthouse at sunrise
Hatteras Lighthouse
The hour after sunrise provided great light as we drove around the rest of the park, checking out the camping areas (breakfast had been agreed upon at eight back at the inn, so there wasn’t a huge rush to get back). I very nearly contracted hypothermia in the hour that followed – might have taken the pursuit of the perfect picture a little bit far… but editing the photos now, I can’t say I’m too upset!
Hatteras Lighthouse and the surrounding beach
After breakfast back at the Seaside Inn, and once my extremities had thawed out a bit, we headed back out along the beach to check out a couple of the shipwrecks that line the shore. It was unfortunately high tide, but I did get a couple awesome videos. To get an idea, here is a photo that Eric snapped:
Balancing on the shipwreck as the waves come in and out
Following our ‘long walk on the beach’, we took the ferry over to Ocracoke Island. Quite a few more videos ensued from the ride over, and I particularly enjoyed the emptiness of the island. We visited the Ocracoke Lighthouse, the pony pen that houses the native Outer Banks horses, the Nature Trail and the visitor center, of course, before catching the ferry back.
Ocracoke Lighthouse
The remainder of the trip centered around the wonderful drive back up the coast, with a stop at the Bodie Lighthouse for sunset (early this time to allow for set-up). The photo of the day comes from this final destination. Here is Eric’s photo of me snapping some shots of the sunset:
Prepared for the sunset at Bodie Lighthouse
Needless to say, we were both exhausted by the time we returned to Raleigh. I’m already looking forward to the next trip though!!!
Atlanta: Eight days away 
Go back to the first day, orsee more photos from my Project 365 here or read about My Rules if you’re interested in starting your own!
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I love the series of six beach shots! Sounds like a fantastic weekend