Take a break from lock-down to your happy place at the beach with 7 travel tips to KEEP IT safe

After months of lock down and more pandemic days looming, Hub and I longed for somewhere to escape. But the destination had to be affordable, Covid-safe and within a 3-hour drive from our North Carolina home.
 
Could such a place exist? YES! 
 
Join me on a photo walk of my safe-distancing expedition to an old-timey fishing cabin near the small coastal town of Shallotte, NC.

Beach walkway - Ocean Isle, NC

---

​ 1. The Hunt
​
I search online for places outside populated areas
but close enough to fun spots to explore.
(tbh...browsing vacation rentals
has been one of my greatest, safest Covid escapes.)
​ I book only with super hosts,
​who receive stellar reviews for their communication and housekeeping.
Oh yeah, and provide strong wifi, too,
so I can continue writing my stories.

Blue chair at Sauce Pan Creek

We visit around holidays and other off-peak times to keep costs down. Many hosts offer discounts for weekly rentals, so we discover lovely homes we couldn’t afford otherwise. 

Traveling with travel kids?
Many homes have kid-friendly amenities,
​like bikes, board games and corn holes. A few even allow pets for a small fee.

---

2. Bring EVERYTHING

Extra supplies for Covid escape

Thanks to Covid, our trip requires a trunkload of supplies.

Our gracious host assures us of a stringent cleaning regimen, but Hub and I carry our own wipes, linen, towels and pillows.

​The cabin is sparkling clean when we arrive, but we open windows, make the bed with our linen and wipe down surfaces just the same.

---

---

3. Room with a View
​
We're desperate for a change from looking at the same four walls 
during months of lock-down. 
We seek places off the beaten path
with amazing views.

Front yard - Sauce Pan Creek

Our cozy Shallotte cabin along Sauce Pan Creek 
belonged to the owner’s great-grandfather. 
It was his fishing cabin back in the day
before Brunswick County was “discovered”
and developed as a coastal paradise.

Located off a dead-end country lane and down a dirt road, 
we’re surrounded by trees and the salt water creek. 
​We don't see a soul during our stay.

Signage on the dock

​First light is perfect for
wandering with my camera
to catch Sauce Pan Creek’s
wondrous tidal flow and changing moods.

I stumble barefoot and half asleep
to the dock at dawn.
Thumb-sized black crabs
thunk-skitter-thunk
under the crossbraces and startle me.
But we’re soon good friends.

​Note to self:
Wear shoes to dock.
Don't step on cute little crabbiesI 

Sleepy Cat at dawn

---

 4. Have Food, Will Travel!
​
A fully-stocked kitchen is another must for our Covid escape.
Our cabin is fab for cooking meals and dining in.
Only a few miles from groceries and restaurants,
we still pack the cooler from home with breakfast, lunch, and dinner staples.

But we can't pass up a few take-home meals from amazing local seafood places.
We feast in picnic splendor on the deck.
Plus, we want to support small businesses and restaurant workers.

Local catch: ginormous scratch-made crab cake with sweet tater fries from the Purple Onion

---

6. Keepin’ it Safe
​ 
We stay out of the action during Covid, though not too far.
A pleasant 10-minute drive down country roads deposits us by the nearest beach, 
Ocean Isle Beach (or OBI, as locals call it).

 The it's just a breath-taking jaunt over the bridge
​and across the Intercoastal Waterway to this barrier island, 

Bridge view over Intercoastal Waterway; OIB left

 
Signs posted all around before we hit the sand
​remind us to be cautious.

Covid cautions

​We visit during off-peak times.
Arrive by 10 am or early evening
to avoid crowds and blazing heat.

​We have the place to ourselves. 

Gulls screeching
Sea breezes cooling
​Shore birds scampering
Shrimp boats catching
HEAVEN!

Hub and I splash in warm waves
and walk for miles on sugary, hard-packed sand.

Growing up along the Connecticut coast,
I have salt water in my blood.

The ocean is my happy place.

Morning walk - Ocean Isle Beach

---

 7. Delight in the Unexpected
​
The best part of a Covid escape is wandering into 
delightful unexpecteds
that come from being in the moment
and discovering the wonder of every day things.

I collect shells for my fairy garden.
​
​Hub shows me a starfish before waves claim it.

Starfish on the shore

Sooooo excited!
​
We discover

three

sea turtle nests!!!!!
​

Cat & sea turtle nests

Tucked in the dunes, these nests are
exactly like
​the one
I wrote about in
Sweet T and the Turtle Team

My heart is doing another happy dance.

Nesting site: "Sweet T and the Turtle Team"

One of these days,
I'll get lucky
​and time my beach excursion with seeing a sea turtle's nest boil.
I long to watch the babies flipper over the sand 
along a sea turtle highway to the ocean.

We miss this hatch by just one night.
Maybe next time.

Hatchling highway to the sea - Ocean Isle Beach

---

I don’t realize how stressed I am
until this ocean escape
​brings me back to
gentler times. 

I finally relax.
Soul restored.
Feeling better
​about handling
 what's ahead
​ for our world.

#Thankful
​

Low tide at Sauce Pan Creek

​​
​With so many people
out of work
or battling Covid and its fall out,
I am
beyond grateful
for this getaway.

Thanks for
your company.

I hope
this photo walk
​ offers
*you*
a slice of calm
in this turbulent world.

---

Photos: Cat Michaels
Illustration: Irene A. Jahns from "Sweet T and the Turtle Team"

---

---

   Twitter   Facebook   Pinterest   Goodreads   Amazon   Instagram