i'm not a local, i'm still a tourist

as many of you know, canoeing is quite possibly one of my very favorite activities. i love it almost as much as surfing and extreme biking. this week we had a friend, jess, come in from california for her first visit to the outer banks. naturally, we made it our goal to show her just how great this place is. first stop... kitty hawk canals. me, britt, britt, niki, and bethany instructed jess on what to bring, what to wear and what to expect. it was a lovely spring day filled with sunshine and wild beasts. while traveling the magical waters, my cellular device felt magically drawn to the muddy waters and jumped right in. call me at the house, or leave a message on the the cell... it may be a while before i have another mobile phone.

you may be asking yourself "hey, i thought whitney didn't have a camera that worked and now her cell phone is lost forever." you are correct. these pictures were taken by the photojournalist, nicole farrell, and forwarded to me. i don't think my camera would have taken such a great shot of that turtle anyways. we also saw a nutria (like a weasel), a snake, many breathtaking birds, and spiders.
here's where we really brought out the tourist sides in us for jess... the infamous jockey's ridge. it should seriously be considered one of the seven wonders of the world. i mean don't you think a mountain-sized sand dune in the middle of a city is really bizarre? yes, i said city. above is jesse going down on a boogie board. don't be deceived (like me) cardboard boxes do not, i repeat, do not slide down sand. i have serious cardboard burns on my knees to prove it.

dang, look at me go. i ate a lot of sand just seconds after this photo was taken. if only i had that much style when i surfed...

that's me and niki getting a little tandeming action in. our friend jess gave us a great push. we ended up going mach five down the cardboard path with an amazing finish in the sand. niki was in a complete split and i think i dislocated my hip.
one last action shot of niki really taking sandboarding to a whole new level. this is what she looks like when she pulls in backside in an overhead barrel when surfing.

all in all, it's always fun to be a tourist on the outer banks. there truly is so much to do and see here. we hope you decide to come for a visit. i promise to take you on many adventures. just be sure to bring some band-aids, a swim suit, change of clothes, and possibly a BB gun... and enthusiasm to explore blackbeard's favorite destination, the outer banks.