Mobile Blogging - Day # 8

Relocating to a new area, either by moving, visiting, or vacation, requires alot of research for most of us. Where am I going to work, live, shop, kid's school, ......blah blah.  When I am in a new area I want to know one thing -  Where are all the seashells? What's the best shelling beach? How's the access? How much $$ is a trespassing ticket?  This is simplified by the fact that most my kinfolk - in-laws & out-laws live on an ocean or the Gulf of Mexico so when I am on the road visiting family the ocean is usually just a short drive away. Even my land-locked sister in the heart of Tennessee  managed to find a junonia at a garage sale.So how do you find the best places to shell?  Here's some things I do.

Find the local shell club. First I google'd the local shell club and read what their members had to say about the area.  Since the Outer Banks  are a few hours away I looked for local info which pointed me to the south end of Wrightsville Beach.

Check the local tides. Next I check the local tide chart. You can usually find the tides on the news or in the newspaper. I have an app for my phone that covers the continental USA (just in case)

Check the weather. Ouch! 

Just a little bit of research lead me to low tide at the southern end of Wrightsville Beach about 8 miles from Wilmington, NC where we are staying.  The tourists on the beach were all evacuating and the locals weren't too far behind.  Never take a tropical storm or hurricane lightly. HC Irene is still 2 days away so the surfers & the beachcombers are still taking advantage of the rough surf.I didn't find the scotch bonnet I was after but has a great morning traipsing through the tidal pools. 

Wrightsville Beach, NC