The north end

After our glorious ride on Coquina Beach, we loaded the horses into Rachel's trailer and drove back across the bridge to Roanoke Island.

We parked at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and unloaded the horses.

Then we raided the fridge and had a tasty and eclectic lunch of leftovers.

After that, we saddled up and headed out.

Ha! We totally entered.

We rode along the road for a little bit.

Then we ducked onto the Freedom Trail.

This was a leafy path through the trees.

So many trees.

I thought it was going to be all trees, but then - suddenly - there was an ocean view.

In retrospect, it seems obvious. Roanoke is a small island. If ride long enough in any direction, you're going to end up on the beach.

Still, in the moment, this felt like a wonderful and unexpected bonus.

What's that on the sand?

A pufferfish!

We lingered for a while, listening to the waves and taking lots of photos.

This just might be the most beautiful between the ears shot I've ever taken.

Eventually, it was time to go.

Then it was everything we'd done before, but in reverse.

As we rode through the woods, it started to rain.

The trees protected us from the worst of it.

By the time we got back to the road, however, we were pretty wet.

It didn't matter.

Even with the rain, this had been another perfect ride.

Up to this point, my North Carolina riding trip had been absolutely idyllic. Unfortunately, things were about to take a turn.