F6 EZ EE THE WASHINGTON POST.SUNDAY, MAY 8 , 2022
graves of the only four soldiers
recovered from the HMT Bed-
fordshire, which a torpedo fired
by a German U-boat sank off the
coast in 1942.
I photographed the 75-foot-tall
Ocracoke Lighthouse, the second-
oldest operating lighthouse in the
country, and walked to the 123-
acre Springer’s Point Preserve,
the highest point of land on the
island and believed to be the site
of the first European settlement
on Ocracoke. The stretch of land
was a famous hangout spot for
Edward Teach, the notorious pi-
rate Blackbeard. The preserve’s
nature trail snaked through ever-
green maritime forest and wet
grasslands, ending at a sandy
beach on the Pamlico Sound over-
looking Blackbeard’s favorite
deepwater anchorage, Teach’s
Hole, where he died at the hands
of the British Navy in November- According to local legend,
the headless pirate swam seven
laps around his ship before van-
ishing into the depths of the
sound.
After my walk, I discovered
that the island’s food was just as
savory as its history. The grilled
fish tacos at Eduardo’s taco stand
were tasty, but the colorful food
truck’s cheesy fusion taco was the
best taco I’ve eaten in my life:
pineapple mango salsa, lettuce
and avocado piled on top of mari-
nated jerk chicken wrapped in
two homemade corn tortillas
fused with melted cheese. I sam-
pled a few of the hazy IPAs on tap
at the island’s only craft brewery,
1718 Brewing Ocracoke, which
has the best patio in town. Other
favorites included Dajio’s home-
made candied jalapeño pimento
cheese appetizer and the grilled
banana bread dessert topped
with vanilla ice cream, candied
pecans and salted caramel sauce.
On the last day of my trip, the
winds calmed, and I joined a
small-group boat tour for the
approximately five-mile trip toPortsmouth Island. Our boat cap-
tain, Donald, grew up on Ocra-
coke Island and had an accent I
instantly recognized as the Ocra-
coke brogue. At Portsmouth Vil-
lage, dirt roads connected dilapi-
dated and restored buildings, in-
cluding a post office, Methodist
church and the 1894 Life-Saving
Station. For more than a century,
the village was a major port along
the Carolina coast before a
change in shipping routes and a
dwindling economy led to a popu-
lation decline. The last two resi-
dents left in the early 1970 s.
After we explored the town, the
boat dropped us on a remote
beach nearby. The recent storms
had transformed it into a shelling
paradise, and it seemed as if every
inch of sand was covered in shells.
Although my original plan was to
take photos, my childhood enthu-
siasm for beachcombing sponta-
neously returned, and I used my
backpack’s rain cover to make a
makeshift bag for my shell collec-tion. I befriended a shell enthusi-
ast from Virginia named Amy,
who helped identify the ones I’d
collected: scallops, clams, a large
black spiral whelk, two complete
olive shells and an intact Scotch
bonnet, the state shell of North
Carolina, known for its character-
istically short spire and orange-
square pattern.
As I inhaled the salty air and
watched a group of pelicans fly
overhead, I was grateful for the
storms that had washed the shells
onto the sand — and thankful that
my previous trips were derailed.
Now I wouldn’t have to rush back
because I had a ferry to catch. I
meandered down the beach be-
hind the other beachcombers.
When they turned around, I kept
walking until their footprints dis-
appeared.Mazurek is a writer based in Austin.
Her website is travellikeanna.com.
Find her on Instagram:
@annamazurekphoto.tallest structures on the beach
were the dunes, and the only
oceanfront accommodation was a
National Park Service camp-
ground.
My first stop was to visit the
island’s favorite residents: the
Banker ponies, a group of wild
horses that are descendants of
Spanish mustangs thought to
have arrived with shipwrecked
explorers in the 16th or 17th
century. When traffic increased in
1959, the horses were penned by
the National Park Service, and
two viewing platforms were built.
Oops and Lindeza, the oldest of
the 14 horses, were munching hay
when I arrived.
I checked into an adorable
white-walled cottage at the Crews
Inn, a bed-and-breakfast housed
in a 1908 home with a wrap-
around porch shaded by towering
live oak trees. Near the cottage’s
doorway, I noticed a line with the
words “9/6/19 Dorian” written in
pencil, denoting the waterline of
the 2019 hurricane that flooded
the island with a roughly seven-
foot storm surge. The owner, Al-
ton Ballance, reopened the inn
last summer after spending 22
months rebuilding the inn and
his own home.
On my first afternoon in town,
Ballance offered to drive me
along the beach to the southern
point of the island to photograph
birds, because my car lacked four-
wheel-drive. (Driving is allowed
on designated areas of the beach
with a permit.) When we turned
onto the beach, the wind whipped
through my hair as I stared in awe
at the seemingly endless stretch
of sand littered with shell confetti
and overlooked by enormous
dunes. We passed a handful of
cars on our search for the oyster-
catcher, a black-and-white bird
with a bright orange beak, and
instead we found dozens of gulls
and terns racing along the water’s
edge or soaring overhead.
He suggested I visit Howard
Street, one of the oldest on the
island. Picket fences lined the
narrow oyster-shell, sand and
gravel road that twisted past
some of the town’s oldest homes,
small family cemeteries — a
c ommon scene across the village
— and vacation rentals. The
bumpy street was named by the
Howard family, who lived along
it and nailed a street sign on a
tree.
The fickle spring weather pre-
sented a significant challenge. A
gale warning was issued, fol-
lowed by a tornado warning two
days later. The storms passed
quickly, and blue skies appeared,
but strong winds thwarted my
plans to paddleboard in the har-
bor and visit nearby Portsmouth
Island.
While I waited for the weather
to improve, I visited the Ocracoke
Preservation Society Museum, a
historic 1900 s home with a vari-
ety of exhibits on topics such as
the history of the U.S. Navy Beach
Jumpers and the Ocracoke
brogue, an English dialect with
Irish and Scottish influences
that’s spoken only on the island.
At the British Cemetery, a white
picket fence surrounded the
OCRACOKE FROM F1
Savoring the sights — and shells — of remote Ocracoke
If You Go
WHERE TO STAY
Crews Inn
503 Back Rd.
252-928-7011
thecrewsinn.com
This charming bed-and-breakfast is
housed in a 1908 home with a
wraparound porch lined with
rocking chairs and porch swings.
Owner Alton Ballance cooks a
delicious breakfast, including
homemade granola, blueberry
pancakes or fresh egg scrambles.
Rooms from $80 per night in-
season (April to October).WHERE TO EAT
Eduardo’s
10 Lawton Lane
252-928-0234
eduardosocracoke.com
This food truck serves up a tasty
variety of tacos and burritos with
fillings such as grilled shrimp and
chicken. Try the homemade
habanero salsa, made fresh daily.
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m.
to 7 p.m., and Sunday to Monday,
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tacos from
$6.99.
1718 Brewing Ocracoke
1129 Irvin Garrish Hwy.
252-928-2337
facebook.com/
1718BrewingOcracoke
Sip on a hazy IPA while relaxing on
the patio of the island’s only craft
brewery. The on-site restaurant,
Plum Pointe Kitchen, serves up
delicious bites, such as burgers
and jumbo soft pretzels with beer
cheese. Open daily, noon to 9 p.m.
Mains from $13, beers from $7.
Dajio
305 Irvin Garrish Hwy.
252-928-7119
dajiorestaurant.com
The menu at this Southern fusion
restaurant focuses heavily on
seafood, with entrees such as
oyster platters and shrimp po’
boys. Save room for the grilled
banana bread dessert. Open
Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9
p.m.; bar open until 11 p.m. Closed
Sunday. Entrees from $11.WHAT TO DO
Cape Hatteras National
Seashore
252-473-2111
nps.gov/caha
Operated by the National Park
Service, this area is the country’s
first national seashore and
extends from Bodie Island to
Ocracoke Island. On Ocracoke, this
encompasses the island outside
the village, including the beaches,
Banker pony pen and
campground. Don’t miss the^3 / 4 -
mile Hammock Hills Nature Trail
across from the campground.
There are a handful of free, paved
parking areas at beach access
points. To drive on the beach, off-
road vehicle permits must be
purchased online, $50 for 10 days.
Free admission to seashore.
Portsmouth Island Boat Tours
138 Loop Rd.
252-928-4361
Brothers Rudy and Donald Austin
are former ferry captions who run
boat tours to nearby Portsmouth
Island, part of the Cape Lookout
National Seashore and only
accessible by boat. Visitors can
explore the village, beach or both.
Tours are weather-dependent and
typically run daily 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Entry to the Cape Lookout National
Seashore is free, and National
Park Service volunteers staff the
island seasonally. Boat tours $25
per person, four-person minimum.
Ocracoke Preservation Society
Museum
49 Water Plant Rd.
252-928-7375
ocracokepreservationsociety.org
This small museum includes
exhibits and artifacts related to
Ocracoke’s history, along with a
small gift shop. Open Tuesday to
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed
December to early spring. Free.
Springer’s Point Preserve
104 Loop Rd.
910-790-452 4
bit.ly/springers-point
A nearly one-mile nature trail
winds through this 123-acre nature
preserve and covers a variety of
habitats, including maritime forest
and salt marsh. The trail ends at a
beach along the Pamlico Sound
overlooking Teach’s Hole, where
the pirate Blackbeard was killed.
No parking at trailhead; closest lot
is nearby Ocracoke Lighthouse.
Open daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free.INFORMATION
visitocracokenc.comPHOTOS BY ANNA MAZUREK FOR THE WASHINGTON POSTCLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The island’s Banker ponies are descendants of Spanish mustangs thought to have arrived with
shipwrecked explorers in the 16th or 17th century; shells from the northern end of Ocracoke; gulls and terns on the island’s
southern end; signs for one of Ocracoke’s oldest streets, named by a family who lived along it.