Wild Releases #986 & #987

For the first time in 15 years or so, I'm in Sunset Beach, North Carolina! My sisters and I and their families and our friends used to come here quite often in the mid-1990s until we discovered how much closer the Outer Banks were. This trip, I'm joining Sister No. 2 and her family, who have been here since Saturday.

It turned out to be an arduous journey, though it started out in a meandering, laid-back kind of way. I drove down by myself, so I didn't feel the need to stick to any kind of timetable or yield to the pressure of getting my passengers there as fast as possible. I thought I'd stop and see things I wanted to see or get out and stretch my legs or take some photos or whatever I fancied. My first detour was to the New River Gorge National Park in Glen Jean, W.Va. It was a hot and humid day, but I left the comfort of my air-conditioned car and climbed down a gazillion stairs to an overlook where I could see the road I had been on far above me and the New River still far below. After taking a few photos, I left "The Heights," by Brian James, on a high spot at the scenic overlook. I think it took me twice as long to climb up the gazillion stairs. The A/C in my car was truly a blessing as I got back on the road.

A couple of hours later, after crossing the West Virginia/Virginia border, I stopped at a rest stop to release a book in honor of Nephew No. 2's 8th birthday: "See You Around, Sam!" by Lois Lowry, was left on a bench, and I hope to see it around soon in my inbox, letting me know it was caught.

It took another eight hours or so to get to Sunset Beach—I had so-so directions from Google and MapQuest that seemed to contradict each other so there were some wrong turns and I crossed the North Carolina/South Carolina border at least twice, when I shouldn't have at all! In the end, though, I finally arrived. Bring on the beach—tomorrow!