Freelance Travel Writing Topics: Our Journey to the OBX

Today, I would like to address travel writing topics. The beach is one of my personal favorites. Here in North Carolina, this beautiful state offers many diverse beaches for a writer to hone his or her writing skills. From the coastline to the mountains, and all the places in between, each region offers its own unique beauty and attractions.

This week's blog will detail a trip I took in January 2009 with my two dogs, Red and Natasha. Red is a seasoned traveler at 8 years old. Natasha was 5 month old puppy that I had just adopted. That weekend I put her traveling prowess to the test. I decided to pack up my minivan and take my two dogs to the Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina. It was a seven hour drive from Wilkesboro, NC to the OBX with one stopover in Tarboro, NC. The next day, we reached the welcome center in the early afternoon just across the bridge. There were several extremely knowledgeable individuals who assisted me with travel information on the OBX region.

In Plymouth, I had already made the acquaintance of a man from Massachusetts who gave very good insight into tourist spots and camp grounds. With a thanks to him, I made my way out to Rodanthe, and immediately recognized "Serendipity" from the movie, Nights In Rodanthe. This film was released last fall and starred Richard Gere and Diane Lane. I admit that I had not yet scene the movie on DVD, however, the house was impressive as it was the first on the left after the bridge from Nags Head. Later, a local magazine pictured a sketch of the house which was a very good likeness in deed.

My dog Red, an 8 year old chow rottweiler cross is an excellent traveler himself. Along with us was Natasha, a chow lab mix who was only 5 months old at the time. Her first weekend with us was memorable. We found the Travelodge in Nags Head to be pet-friendly and gracious. We were given a comfortable room on the ground floor facing towards the beach across the street.

The local beach likewise is pet-friendly complete with showers, drinking water and doggie waste bags. The puppy was reluctant to leave our minivan, so Red and I ascended the wooden walkway to the beach and the Atlantic ocean beyond. The wind was blowing and the air temperature was 35 degrees fahrenheit. Red dashed towards the water on his leash with me following with camera in hand. He stopped just short and circled back towards the dunes. Although cold, I felt he and I shouldn't miss this bonding moment. I walked into the water which was foamy and cold. I pulled Red over to me and photographed both our feet in the water.

This caused me to reminisce about another cold January day at a beach. That day was back in 1990, when my mother and I bonded in the cold Pacific Ocean in Monterey, CA along the famous 17-mile drive. We stopped just short of the water's edge and then a rush of foam swept across our feet. We laughed and laughed. One of our friends perched on a large rock above us photographed our Kodak moment.

As I scanned up and down the visible coastline, Red and I were the only ones on the beach. We stayed for a few minutes and then went back to the van. Natasha was asleep in the front passenger seat. I settled Red in the back seat and then we headed out to the main road to move along to visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial where aviation history was made on December 17, 1903.