Frisco Beach

"Yin and Yang"

I was at Cape Hatteras last month to try and capture a sight of one of our heavenly visitors in the night sky - Comet Catalina. The comet is somewhat unique since this would be it's only ever visit to the inner Solar System before being ejected to interstellar space forever. It was by no means an easy target to locate and photograph in the night sky especially for someone who's never done that before.

But this is not about my attempts at capturing Comet Catalina (although I did manage to view and capture it). After I was done looking at the comet, I settled by the beach next to this pier, one of my favorite places on the North Carolina Outerbanks, to hear the ocean's mesmerizing soundtrack. I still had about 2 hours to go before sunrise and so I was just sitting and enjoying the unseasonably warm winter in December and just looking at the stars, Venus, Jupiter and Mars in the night sky. I suddenly noticed this big cloud about 5 minutes in streaking just below bright Venus. On a hunch, I decided to capture an image to see what the cloud looked like and a short 15 second later, I saw the start of what turned out to be one of the most perfect sunrises I have borne witness to. The cloud had started to just pick up the first rays from the sun, with about an hour and a half to go before sunrise.

I love the juxtaposition of every single element in this image. The fading of the night sky and stars with Venus shining valiantly as the sun comes back to herald the start of another day, the stretch of unbroken cloud over the hurricane damaged pier and the sheer beauty created in an otherwise damaging act of Mother Nature (the hurricane, not the sunrise :) ). This duality is what inspired the title of the image.

If you're near the NC coast, this location is a must stop. It is close to the town of Buxton and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Thank you for stopping by.

#colorful #goldenhour #hiking #weekend #roadtrip #waterlust #OBX #NC #USA #Pier #Frisco #CapeHatteras #abandoned #beach #beaches #blue #bestof5 #lovemytown

"The ghosts of yesteryears wander amidst the ruins seeking eternal salvation..."

That is the very thought that passed through my mind the moment I laid my eyes on this image on my computer screen. The ghostly silhoutte of the torch bearer and the mist at the base of the pier and the ruined pier add the necessary atmosphere to make this image dramatic to my eyes.

This image has been taken at the Cape Hatteras Fishing Pier, also called the Frisco Pier. It was damaged by Hurricane Earl a few years ago and now mostly serves as a tourist attraction. It might be torn down eventually (I hope not) but for now, it's worth a visit.

This is close to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which is another location worth a visit.

#Astrophotography #NC #Pier #USA #beach #galaxy #milkyway #night #starscape #nightscape #ocean #ruins #sea #space #stars #water #bestof5 #abandoned

Pier broken by a hurricane, makes for a lovely photo - on Cape Hatteras, NC

Visit Frisco Beach

Activities

Popular places to visit

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

This soaring brick lighthouse is among the very tallest in North America. It’s a great place to learn about American maritime history.

Bodie Island Light Station, Outer Banks, North Carolina, USA

Hatteras Village Park

Explore the great outdoors at Hatteras Village Park, a lovely green space in Hatteras. Amble around the area's beaches or seek out its fishing spots.

Village Marina

Explore the waterfront in Hatteras with a trip to Village Marina. Amble around the area's beaches or seek out its fishing spots.

Town and marina of Hatteras in the Outer Banks in North Carolina, United States.

Hatteras Harbor Marina

Explore the waterfront in Hatteras with a trip to Hatteras Harbor Marina. Amble around the area's beaches or seek out its fishing spots.

Tourist enjoy hiking the Buxton Woods Trail located in the Outer Banks, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Dare County, North Carolina.

Buxton Woods Nature Trail

You can take time to visit Buxton Woods Nature Trail during your travels to Buxton. Wander the beautiful beaches in this quaint area.

We had a nice time at Graveyard of Atlantic Museum in Hatteras.

They show cased the Cape Hatteras First Order Fresnel lens that was recently discovered.

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

You can spend time studying the exhibits at Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum during your travels in Hatteras. Wander the beautiful beaches in this relaxing area.