The Outer Banks (OBX) inspired my most recent book.

In June, we visited the Outer Banks of North Carolina for our vacation. We’d never been there, most of our beach trips being the beaches along the northern shores of the Gulf of Mexico. The water you see in this photo is not the ocean. It is the sound side, on the western side of the island, north of Duck, in an area Called Currituck. A lighthouse is nearby, and for $10, you can climb to the top. But be warned––the walkway at the top is very small, and it is extremely windy up that high!

No, we didn’t stay in this house. I wish. We stayed in Southern Shores, and houses like this one lined the beach. Our house was 500 yards from the beach and nothing like this. We did go to the open house for this one. I told the realtors we weren’t serious buyers (they could probably tell by looking), but they said to come on in and look anyway. The house was gorgeous, asking price $1.9 million. One of the realtors told me it rented for $14,000 a week peak season. Seven bedrooms, so seven couples would split the cost, right? It had a gazebo out back, a private pool, and entire back was a wall of windows with amazing views of the Atlantic. I fell in love with it.

This is the beach described in my  recent book that I submitted to a publisher for consideration just yesterday. Notice how deserted it is. The sand is soft, and the beach was never crowded. We went for long walks there every day. There are no high-rise condos, only private homes and vacation rentals. We loved it so much more than the crowded beaches of Florida andAlabama. And guess what? We were only three miles from a Walmart, grocery stores, and other places you need. One evening my son and I drove to Duck, just a few miles the opposite direction of Walmart. The strip of land is so narrow there, you have a clear view of the Atlantic on one side and the sound on the other. We strolled the shops, bought ice cream, enjoyed some music coming from a band performing outdoors at a restaurant, and just enjoyed the vibe.

You can take your dogs to the beach, as long as they’re on a leash, before 9:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m. I used that info in my book along with my other experiences there. You have likely heard of Kitty Hawk, which is just south of Southern Shores. You likely know that the Wright Brothers accomplished their first flight there (you can go to the actual spot and see exhibits, etc. at Kill Devil Hills). Maybe you even knew that the lost colony (remember Virginia Dare?) was at what is now Manteo. And maybe you knew that Manteo was the site of Andy Griffith’s home in his adult years.

So if you’re like me and your beach experiences have been along the gulf, you might be interested in traveling to the OBX. I think you’ll like it.