Day 7 - Thursday, May 29

While Toby, Keri, Annabelle, Seb and Alanna went off to the gun range, Ray and I had a quiet morning in the house. Ray was still under the weather, so I took a nice relaxing walk down to and along the beach. The shooting, for Annabelle, Seb and Toby was great fun with the opportunity to fire a pretty exciting gun at the target. They were all incredibly accurate in their first attempt target shooting!!  They came back to the house for a quick lunch and we all set off for the  Wild Horse Adventure Tour starting in Corolla. The Hummer we travelled in was perfect for the trip. We went down on to and along the beach. What a unique trip! All the way through the dunes there were typical Outer Bank style houses built, most of them huge houses; they lined roads of sand, and were scattered amongst the dunes. The Humvee ride bouncy to say the least; can you imagine sitting in a vehicle built for the navy, that tackles the beach at the water’s edge and the soft sand, that drives up and down a narrow sandy road on short, steep uphills and downhills so that you are bumped and shaken like a rag doll. I can’t say we saw a ton of wild horses but the dozen or so we did see were amazing! Beautiful shiny coats, very good looking, interesting colours and sooooo healthy! There was only we saw that showed some ribs and hollows, and the rest were magnificent. Amongst others, we saw a mare and foal, and a family of the stallion, the mare, and the probable yearling. They were mainly in twos and threes.  They were all so calm and wandered around the empty and ponds of fresh water to satisfy their water needs. They graze on the wild grass in the dunes and browse on the mini trees and bushes. So beautiful you can’t imagine!!! They told us there were around 100 - 120 in the area which is fenced off from roads etc. We saw the Corolla Wild Horse Fund vans that roam the area to check on the health and wellbeing of the horses. If there is a problem, the goal is to treat it on the spot … if possible. Once the horses are removed from the habitat, they can’t always be sent back. So there is a farm where the horses are looked after. I am hoping we can find that and maybe make a visit. 

The tour was about 2 hours in length and then we were back in civilisation in Corolla, filled up on ice-creams, and headed back to our temporary home in Duck.

We had about 2 hours of quiet time before dinner, so I fitted in a very short run (about …) and had time to dry off, rearrange the hair, and head out to dinner at a restaurant recommended by our friends Lloyd and Cheryl. We had a great meal, and then wandered home with our doggie bags for lunch tomorrow.

It is thanks to Lloyd and Cher that we came to Duck in the first place. I can’t remember when, or how many visits we made, but we have some wonderful memories from when Alanna was little, and Lloyd and Cher and Joanna, and then ultimately, Jeff, were all here together. Thank you Cher and Lloyd for introducing us to this unique and fun area.

This is such a fun place. Renting a house for a big family, or you and your friends, or just you creates a setting for a fabulous time. The  area is ecologically rich, the development has been very tasteful, and the town of Duck is eclectic, fun, and beautiful!