Being early November, I anticipated cooler temperatures and even came prepared with a new (and quieter) electric heater for the nights. As it turned out, the weather was perfect-high 70’s during day, 60’s during the night, and hardly a cloud in the sky. You couldn’t ask for a better weekend on the Outer Banks. There was nothing particularly special about this outing but, for whatever reason, I had two of the most enjoyable walks on the beach that I can remember.

All areas that go through seasons take on a different vibe in each. Fall and Winter on the Outer Banks, at least for me, provide a very different experience from Summer The beach is empty of the sunbathers and replaced by the more hearty surf fishers. Walking the beach takes on a quieter, more contemplative, experience. Slipping off your shoes and ever so tentatively letting the brisk surf break over your feet while simultaneously both dreading and embracing the shock as the water washes over you.

As it was the first weekend in November, the clocks fell back an hour on Sunday morning so at 5:30AM (felt like 6:30AM), I was awake and realized that the International Space Station was making an overhead pass. It was a still quite dark and not a cloud in the sky. As it turned out, the Chinese Space began a pass just a couple of minutes later so, for about 90 seconds, both space stations were visible at the same time. Not sure how often that happens but it’s bound to be rare. Pretty interesting way to start the day–assuming you’re a space nerd.