Few places have been as difficult to leave as North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Fortunately, I’m not talking about physically—it’s easy to imagine the 30-mile back-up that would ensue if an evacuation were required.

Nope. The two days I spent on that narrow strip of land in the Atlantic Ocean were glorious—sunny and warm, with a wind steady enough to blow away the bugs, but not my beach tent. Perfect. And as I’ve noted elsewhere in this blog, 70° and sunny predicts favorable impressions most every time.

The near-constant breezes attract kite and sail borders from around the world. Indeed, most of our neighbors at the Sands of Time Campground in Avon have boards strapped to their vehicles, german accents and a distinctly windblown look. The local grocery stores, restaurants and coffee house yield more of the same.

It is early season here, so tourists of other sorts are thin on the ground (which is liberally coated with drifting sand). The whole place has a mellow vibe that anyone who lives in a vacation destination recognizes and savors.

It would have been near-impossible to leave, if not for the fact that we were headed TO the NPS Oregon Inlet campground—a place capable of producing a photo like the one above. No electricity, wifi or cable—just wind, waves and sand. It was a little slice of heaven.

Stay: Lacking commitments elsewhere, I would have stayed for days (if not weeks) at either the Sands of Time Campground in Avon or the Oregon Inlet campground at Cape Hateras National Seashore. They're very different, but each is wonderful in its own way.

Eat: Fresh local seafood. We were chumps for not filling the freezer with it.

Play: Biking, boarding, surfing, paddling, fishing and birdwatching—all of it world class.