Beach Time!

I found out about 2:30 this afternoon that Hatteras Island would reopen to visitors at 4:00pm.  By 5:15 I was in the car and on my way.  I'm not usually a night driver, especially if I'm going it alone.  However, after considering the crowd swell that is sure to occur in the morning I thought it best to try something different and hit the road.  My GPS told me I would arrive in Frisco, NC at 11:45pm- almost 6 hours later.  I was sure I could cut some time off that estimate. 

I sailed down 95 and cruised right through Hampton Roads, Currituck and Coinjock.  There wasn't a brake light in sight as I happily zipped along singing to the best of the 80s on the radio.  Driving through Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills I was treated to a fireworks display lighting up the night sky.  It was about 10:30 when I took the left onto Route 12 to take on the last 55 or so miles of my trip.  12 is a two-lane road that winds through the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge before it connects to the many small towns that dot the the coastal highway.

I was safely at my destination by about 11:30- a record setting time for this drive.  331 miles in 6 hours and 15 minutes- with two stops along the way.  I may have figured out a new way to beat the traffic to the beach.