Turns out, my wife's new teaching job kept us from getting really wet.
Originally, we planned to take our trip to North Carolina last week, but at the last minute we had to move it up a few days because Kristy had some professional development obligations.
By going early, we avoided Tropical Storm Andrea and the record rainfalls she dumped on the Northeast late last week.
We ended up with nearly ideal vacation weather, other than a heavy rain near Jackson, Tenn., on the way home. We were fortunate, for sure.
Those Andrea-drenched beaches had just welcomed us with blue skies, dry sand and fairly tame waves.
We were able to have a great experience at two beautiful spots in Nags Head beach -- part of The Outer Banks -- and Atlantic Beach, which is on the Crystal Coast. Had we waited a week, it certainly would have been disappointing to make a 16-hour trip and miss out on beach-going, especially since we had been saving up for what was our first real vacation as a family. We were lucky in that we basically had a little section of Nags Head to ourselves because it was a weekday, and we had a good time at the more populated Atlantic Beach as well.
Timing is everything, I suppose.
------
We made the most of our time on the Eastern Seaboard. Kristy's aunt and uncle were gracious enough to host us and suggest places to visit.
We checked out a few museums, visited a nice aquarium, went to a couple of scenic parks that featured waterfalls, boarded a replica 1600s ship with a true-to-era "crew" and walked through Fort Macon, a Civil War battleground. On our way to Fort Macon and Atlantic Beach, we took a slight detour to the home of my wife's favorite author -- Nicholas Sparks, who lives in Newburn, N.C.
She snapped a quick cell phone picture and got rather excited when she noticed him grabbing a newspaper or something from the driveway -- one of her favorite moments of the trip.
I tried to leave as quickly as possible before he alerted the authorities of a strange van in front of his gated mansion.
------
Along with playing on the beach with the kids and watching them in awe as we drove through the Smoky Mountains, one of my favorite moments was getting to the top of the Bodie Island Lighthouse, after climbing 214 steps to get there.
Scaling those stairs certainly gives one a new respect for the lighthouse keepers of long ago, men who had to make multiple trips a day, toting heavy items at times.
I encourage anyone, who has the opportunity, to climb a lighthouse; it's quite an experience.
------
Another of my favorite parts of the trip was seeing two pages of the Emancipation Proclamation, which is in incredible condition for its age.
As luck would have it, the historic document was on tour, for lack of a better word, and happened to be on display at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh.
The Emancipation Proclamation was kept under dim lighting with a man guarding it to prevent anyone from taking photos or any mischief, no doubt.
That particular museum also had an interesting exhibit on Watergate, and a well-done section dedicated to a rich sports history.
Across the street was the four-story Museum of Natural History -- both had no admission fee, by the way.
They're worth checking out if you're ever over that way.
For those looking for a vacation spot, I would recommend eastern Carolina -- as long as it isn't in the path of a hurricane at the time.
mbrasfield@blythevillecourier.com