Long Weekend at Ocracoke, NC

Ocracoke is Debbie's favorite destination, period.  You have to stay in Ocracoke to appreciate all it has to offer.  Just a ride through, which takes 5 minutes or less, doesn't let you in on all the little secrets it has to offer.

My birthday was on October 7th and that was the one that caused me to turn 50.  My birthday present was to spend a long weekend at Ocracoke and make that excursion on two wheels.

Originally we were to have Debbie and me along with three other couples to spend the weekend at the Beach House Bed and Breakfast and see what the area had to offer.  Things changed a few weeks out and not even Chad and Lynn were able to join us.  So it was Mike, Holli, Debbie and me.

Mike and Holli left Wilmington on an Electra Glide Classic late  Thursday afternoon and rode to New Bern.  We met up at 7:30 Friday morning so we could gas up and head to Cedar Island to catch the 10:30 ferry to Ocracoke.  It started out at 48 degrees and by the time we hit the Intracoastal Waterway bridge on Hwy 101it was time to stop for a brief warm up.

To those of you not familiar with the area, a ride in the Real Down East can be an interesting experience.  Hwy 70 ends just before Cedar Island and you begin to ride Hwy 12. The ferry route is actually a continuation of Hwy 12.  The area is large, open and sporadically populated with small communities along a winding two lane road and quite a wonderful area for a two wheel day trip.

The temperature had warmed to the upper 60's by 9:30 when we reached the ferry landing.  There was a light fog over the Pamlico Sound and the water was as calm as a bath tub.

With the bikes secure we settled back for the two hour ride to Ocracoke.

One of the many ferries that cross Pamlico Sound several times a day.

Around 1:00 we arrive at the Beach House. We stayed here before and we'll stay here again.  Carol and Warren are great and have wonderful insight into what to see and where to eat.  They always let us park the bikes next to the house, away from the road and the breakfast is always good. Breakfast is usually at 8:30 but Warren is always ready with coffee at 8:00.  It's a good time to catch up and find out what we have missed.  Between the two of them there is always a great story.

We take off on foot to check out the sites. A trip to Ocrackoke without grabbing a burger a Smacnalley's would be lacking.  So we grabbed something to eat and the girls decided that we wanted to rent scooters next door.

Yep I said scooters.  You can rent 'em at Wheely Fun which happens to be adjacent to Smacnalley's which is all part of the Anchorage Inn and Marina .

So here I am listening to the recitation of how to operate this 50cc power house while wearing a Harley shirt and holding a "cute" flame theme helmet.  That aside, we really had a lot of fun and after about an hour had seen about all of the paved area in Ocracoke.

The populated area of Ocracoke is geographically small and the whole place is all about being laid back and relaxing.  The Beach House is almost at the east end of town but it's still convenient to walk most everywhere.

Relaxing on the front porch is what it's all about.  Looks like Mike may be in agreement.

Naturally if one is in Ocracoke for any amount of time then it is recommended to visit Howard's Pub.  It is conveniently located about 100 yards from the Beach House.  They were quite busy at 7:30 Friday night.

Saturday morning we head to the Hatteras Ferry to begin our journey to the Elizabethan Gardens and Aquarium in Manteo.  One thing you need to remember while in Ocracoke is that all that you do will depend on the ferries and their schedules.

We met a couple of BMW riders on the way to a rally in Virginia and one of the guys offered to take our group picture.

Electra Glide in Blue with Mike and Holli just outside of Manteo. We stopped for lunch at Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe. We had some really great food and I highly recommend the She Crab Soup.

Elizabethan Gardens

Statue of Virginia Dare

Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth

Aquarium at Roanoke Island

To go from Ocracoke to Manteo and back with a couple of stops along the way will take most of your day.  It's only about 80 miles one way but the speed limit is under 50 mph for a good portion of the ride.  There is some very good scenery as you navigate the sliver of land that's called the Outer Banks or OBX.

With the days ride behind us we decide to have pizza at Jason's which is right across the street.  We all agreed we chose a good spot.   Jason's Restaurant

Due to lack of planning, and I'll never let that happen again, (meaning no reservation) the ferry is full at 10:30 on Sunday.  After some discussion (we actually discovered this Friday in Ocracoke) we decide on the 7:00 AM ferry which means we have to get up at 5:15 or so to be in line at 6:30.  Debbie was not impressed even after I told her we would see the sunrise.  We had tried our best to be quiet going up and down the stairs when we were loading the bikes. About 20 after 6:00 we cranked the Harleys. I'm afraid we woke up all the guests. We missed the 8:30 breakfast but Carol had thoughtfully prepared some lemon/poppy seed muffins for the trip.  7:00 and we bid a fond farewell to our weekend getaway.  We arrived in New Bern about 12:00 after a breakfast stop in Morehead.  The rest of the gang made it to Wilmington about 1:30 or so.

Once again we had a great time.  The weather could not have been better if we had ordered it so.  Sunny with highs near 75 and lows at 65 made for perfect riding and sightseeing and we added 400 miles to the Ultra.  The mosquitos were a bit active in places on Ocracoke  and Cedar Island due to the recent wet weather but with a little bug spray it was minimal aggravation.

PARTING SHOTS