Portsmouth Island (NC): The Third Time's the Charm

Robert tried to get me to Portsmouth Island twice before. The first time there was a hurricane, and then, during our first trip in the Mystery Machine, we had some minor trouble with the van and ended up in Wilmington. This time was the winner!

The people at the ferry allow people to stay overnight in the parking area. It seemed a little strange, and unfortunately, there wasn't a restroom available. So I just had to make do. (Read what you want into that.)

When we first got there, everything seemed great...until the sun went down and the mosquitos came out. Those things don't play around...they bit me through my leggings. (Word of advice...no matter how hot it is, wear jeans.) 

We boarded the first ferry to get to the island and were the only passengers. I wasn't sure how I would like to be on an island with nothing there and supposedly without much cell signal. The man on the ferry told me people either hate it or love it. Great. I was going to be there for 2 nights and 3 days; I certainly hoped I fell into the "love it" category. 

Once we rolled onto the island we were greeted with abandoned cabins and a bathhouse. As it turns out, there are hot showers to be had! The only request is that you clean up after yourself. Not a bad deal at all. 

We drove down the beach in search of a perfect site. Not being sure if I was going to be a lover of the isolation, I didn't want to drive too far down the beach. We ended up getting a decent spot. We set up the gazebo and the Gazelle tent...plus the utility tent.

Yes, I said the wrong name for the Sound...it's Core Sound!

The stars at night were just incredible. With very little light pollution, the sky was filled with stars. 

This isn't a great night-sky picture. It was my first attempt.

One evening, a couple of spinner sharks put on a show for us. We had never heard of them before, but we were mesmerized by the sight of them jumping and spinning out of the water. 

The sunrises were just jaw-dropping. We fell asleep to the sound of the ocean and woke up to this:

We had enough cell signal to text and make calls; I'm not sure if we were further down the beach we would have had the signal. I was actually a little disappointed that we were able to connect with the "real world". 

Walks on the beach whenever I wanted, reading with my toes in the sand...I definitely ended up in the "love it" group. I want to go back and stay longer.