Sunday, we took Alex for a day trip to the beach. We left around 6 and headed to Hammocks Beach State Park. First, we got Alex's passport stamped.
The ferry isn't running and we have no way to get Alex to Bear Island anyway. But the park recently opened some trails on the mainland so we could take Alex for a little hike. The trailhead was right at the entrance to the parking lot. The white-blazed Track Trail led to a couple unnamed but blazed loop trails through the maritime forest.
One spot led out to a pretty little beach on Queens Creek.
We looped back to Track Trail and then went out to the ferry dock to see the intracoastal waterway.
After some pictures, we headed back.
Our next stop was Fort Macon State Park. Again, we got Alex's passport stamped.
Then we hiked the short Yarrow Nature Trail. Finishing back up at the parking lot, we got on the longer Elliot Coues Trail. This loop trail ran parallel to the entrance road and alternated between boardwalk and trail.
There were some nice views of the salt marsh along the way.
After 1.5 miles, we crossed the road to hike along the beach side. The trail passes the park's main beach access and we headed out to the beach here.
Hiking west, we left the park to Atlantic Beach.
Alex could be on a longer leash so we ran him a bit.
He really enjoyed it. A mile or so down the beach, we stopped and watched a pod of dolphins in the surf.
After a nice break, we made our way back to Fort Macon. There were a bunch of little ruddy turnstone sandpipers running along the beach.
At the access spot, we got back on the trail. Winding through the dunes, it was a beautiful hike back.
Near the end, we could see Cape Lookout and the lighthouse was just barely visible in the distance.
Before we left, we wanted to check out the fort. Dogs are not allowed so we took turns. The fort was really neat to see. Near the entrance was a replica of the 30-pounder Parrott Rifle cannon, developed near the start of the Civil War.
The range and accuracy of the cannons made forts like this obsolete. The fort was built into the ground.
Cannons on the upper level provided defense from all angles.
Interestingly, only the cannons were visible from the entrance road driving in. The rest of the fort is hidden behind the dunes and only visible from the upper levels of the fort.
The fort was very scenic and I enjoyed a short stroll around it.
After I was done, I waited with Alex so Sandy could take a walk through and then we started heading home.
We stopped in Morehead City for dinner at Dank Burrito. Alex had a plain chicken taco for dinner!
Then we hiked the short Yarrow Nature Trail. Finishing back up at the parking lot, we got on the longer Elliot Coues Trail. This loop trail ran parallel to the entrance road and alternated between boardwalk and trail.
There were some nice views of the salt marsh along the way.
After 1.5 miles, we crossed the road to hike along the beach side. The trail passes the park's main beach access and we headed out to the beach here.
Hiking west, we left the park to Atlantic Beach.
Alex could be on a longer leash so we ran him a bit.
He really enjoyed it. A mile or so down the beach, we stopped and watched a pod of dolphins in the surf.
After a nice break, we made our way back to Fort Macon. There were a bunch of little ruddy turnstone sandpipers running along the beach.
At the access spot, we got back on the trail. Winding through the dunes, it was a beautiful hike back.
Near the end, we could see Cape Lookout and the lighthouse was just barely visible in the distance.
Before we left, we wanted to check out the fort. Dogs are not allowed so we took turns. The fort was really neat to see. Near the entrance was a replica of the 30-pounder Parrott Rifle cannon, developed near the start of the Civil War.
The range and accuracy of the cannons made forts like this obsolete. The fort was built into the ground.
Cannons on the upper level provided defense from all angles.
Interestingly, only the cannons were visible from the entrance road driving in. The rest of the fort is hidden behind the dunes and only visible from the upper levels of the fort.
The fort was very scenic and I enjoyed a short stroll around it.
After I was done, I waited with Alex so Sandy could take a walk through and then we started heading home.
We stopped in Morehead City for dinner at Dank Burrito. Alex had a plain chicken taco for dinner!
No comments:
Post a Comment