Patsy Pond

Saturday, we took Alex out to the coast for some sandy hikes.  It was surprisingly warm for November, but lovely weather otherwise.  We first headed to Patsy Pond in Croatan National Forest.  We started off on the combined trails and split from blue and green onto yellow.  A spinybacked orbweaver made his web across the trail.

As the trail looped around, we went out to Lily Pond but there was almost no water.

A little further, we could go out to Patsy Pond.  As the larger pond, it had some water but the level was certainly low.

Continuing on, a spur split from the main loop to run close along the pond.

Eventually, we came to where a number of sandy old roads met up and went left on an unmarked trail for a short ways.  We found a nice log to sit on and have a snack.  There were a lot of birds around here.  I was quick enough to get a shot of a myrtle warbler.

On the way back, we took the Blue Trail out to see Patsy Pond from the other side.

The Green Loop ran around the other side of Lily Pond.

Despite being late in the year, I spotted a purple gerardia flower.

We finished up the Green Trail and took the combined trail back to the trailhead.

By the time we returned, the parking lot had mostly filled up.

From here, we headed over to Atlantic Beach and Fort Macon State Park.  Parking at the fort, we started on Elliott Coues Nature Trail.  A gulf fritillary butterfly was on the ground.

There was a cool Hercules' club tree along the trail.

We then passed the Coast Guard station and hiked through a maritime forest.  Eastern baccharis was flowering.

Along the trail were nice views of the salt marsh between the island and the mainland.

The trail alternated between trail and boardwalk.

In about a mile, we went out to the marsh overlook for a short break.  It was a little warm for Alex.  Too much vegetation here for much of a view, but there were some fiddler crabs in the mud.

Sandy spotted a grasshopper on a leaf.

As we continued on the trail, a light rain started.  A huge silk spider made a web above the trail but even I could walk under without getting webbed.

We crossed the street and got on the dune portion of the trail.  Near the end was a new overlook at the ruins of a World War II bunker used to protect the coast.

There were really nice views from here with Shackleford Banks way in the distance.

Some type of yucca was growing here.

We continued on the trail, finishing up the last short section.

Some dune camphorweed was flowering.

And there was lots of sea oats helping stabilize the dunes.

Out on the beach, we found a nice spot by the inlet to sit and enjoy the waves.  Alex was interested in the little sandpipers but soon he laid down for a nap.

After enjoying the beach, we headed into town for dinner at Idle Hour.  After dinner, we took Alex for a walk on the beach.  The sun was really cool behind the clouds.

Then, we headed to Oyster Point and set up camp for the evening.  They had cleared out a lot of trees around the campsites so it was much more open than on our previous visits.  The moon was almost full and we had a nice view from our campsite.