martinzoo

…… You’ve GOT to do this!

Just North of where we are staying is a beautiful area of the Outer Banks called Swan Beach and Carova Beach (Carova got it’s name because it is SO close to the border of Carolina and Virgina).  These beaches have the most secluded, beautiful vacation homes I’ve ever seen.

We decided to go on one of the wild horse tours that are available in these remote beach areas. We used Bob’s Wild Horse Adventure Tours and our guide was Byron. He did a great job and we really felt like we got very personal attention.

The wild horses are believed to be decendents of Spanish Mustangs from the 16th century explorers. For centuries they’ve roamed the Outer Banks feasting on the native vegetation and providing locals with stock for farming. However, with developement, the horses became threatened. Most of the herd was moved into the four-wheel-drive area of the beach and the Corolla Wild Horse Fund now helps with the horses’ medical care to make sure the herd is protected for many more years to come.

Byron told us that there were two theories about the mustangs. The first was that Spanish explorers were so greedy that they left the horses on land so that they could bring back more treasures from the new world. The second story was that two Spanish ships colided off shore and the horses that survived swam to the coastline and stayed. Byron seemed to think the second story sounded more true, but I like the first story better.

Here is GB standing in front of our crazy looking jeep/off road vehicle. It has seating inside for the driver and one passenger. That’s where Gramma sat. The middle row seats three, me, GB and Grampa. The seat in the back is raised up a bit and seats two. We had two young ladies in our group who were clearly unprepared for the weather. They were wearing high healed shoes and light jackets. And it was way too chilly for that.

This beach is considered to be a solidified forest. It’s quite similar to a petrified forest, which has tree trunks that have turned into fossils. But it’s not quite as old as a petrified forest. The photo above shows the almost petrified tree trunks on the beach.

This vacation home was on a row of houses that the locals have termed “wedding row” because there are so many weddings that take place here.  This house is the crème de  la crème. It rents for $45,000. and will sleep 45-50 people. So you can have your wedding on the beach, party at the house, and nobody has to go home afterwards. All-in-one-stop-wedding-reception-honeymoon-vacation……..LOL!

In this video we are on the tour and you can see the horses just meandering around. They seemed so comfortable and free. It was wonderful!

I loved the look of this shot that I got of this trio of horses. The baby one is just adorable, and the movement of the tail on the bigger one just cracks me up.

Aren’t they amazing?

The road system…….. well, there is hardly a road system. This was a frequent occurance. And if you don’t have a local as your guide, you won’t know if this water in the road is 12 inches or 12 feet. The young ladies in the back of our jeep were scared to death that they were going to get drenched with spray. But our guide was great. Oh! And some of the dune/roads were outrageously hilly; so hilly and wildly bumpy that you couldn’t even see over the tops when you were driving through and over them. Can I say again that it was nice to have a guide?

You really had to keep an eye out because around any bend in the road you may find a group of horses just munching away.

Me.

If you are a local, this is a sight that you may just be greeted with when you step out into your front yard.

Gramma’s favorite part of the trip was getting to ride on the beach. Byron drove really fast, it was really bumpy, which GB LOVED, and it was deserted. So freakin’ cool!!