Yes, the chickens sure did go to the ocean, but Crazy Cookie the chicken will be mad at me if I told the story. So I will leave that part for her and conclude this travelogue.

Our second day at Ocracoke island was sunny. We went out for breakfast and then the kids hit the beach. I decided to take Kylo for a long walk along the beach. Ocracoke is one of those rare places where you can find long stretches of secluded beaches, at least during off season. This made the walk with Kylo a real pleasure. We went a good way up and down the beach while the kids made sand castles. In the afternoon we did more schoolwork. We were on a fast track to finish all of Leena’s pending schoolwork.

Day three at the beach was colder. After breakfast out and another walk with Kylo, Johan decided to take the kids on a bike ride along the beach. That day was very windy. He figured that if they went in the direction of the wind, the wind would push them and make the bike ride easy. I was to pick them up after they had gone for about 4 miles. The plan went beautifully, and none of them were too tired from their bike rides.

Once I picked them up, we drove back against the wind and then Johan dropped Leena and me off on the beach to ride our bikes, again with help from the wind. The bike ride was great fun. We came across a gigantic, but sadly dead, beached sea turtle. While sad, it still was a breathtaking sight. We went back to our campground and let the park rangers know about the turtle in case it was alive. They checked on it and informed us that it was indeed dead, with old age the probable reason.

The next day was Saturday. The weather was turning colder and we had had enough of the island. So we took the ferry and drove to the next island, the Hatteras island. The last time that we were here, we had spent a night in the dunes under the starry sky. This time round, we were hoping to repeat that experience. However, the weather turned cloudy and it started raining. I took Kylo for a last beach walk, after which we left the Outer banks. After this windy and wet weather, we started feeling eager to go home.

We drove that afternoon and almost all of the next day toward our destination, Frederick, MD. Johan has a friend called Ronnie who owns a school bus and volunteers at the Walkersville Southern Railroad in Frederick. We decided to camp at the railroad for that night. The drive to Frederick was mostly uneventful, except when we saw a high speed car chase involving 3 cop cars along the highway around Richmond, VA.

We met Ronnie and his wife Deanne that evening and went out for dinner together. It was a nice time, although I was coming down with a serious cold. The next morning we got a tour of the railroad and and some diesel and steam locomotives. That was a fun morning. We spent some time with Ronnie and Deanne. For their living, they make and sell boats from scratch. It was interesting to talk to them and check out the train carriages. We left Frederick around noon and drove straight home. Everyone was very excited to be back and to find our house unharmed after being left locked up for almost three months. The chickens were remarkable in their memory. The kids set them down in the backyard. They dust bathed and then walked straight over to the coop after being away for almost three months! So amazing.

Now that we are home, new house and yard projects beckon. Spring is an exciting time in State College. Let’s see where we go from here. Oh, here come my dear animals. Let’s see what they have to say.

Rosie the dog: I was about having enough of the bus. I was at my wit’s end. And then, suddenly, just like that, I got a whiff of smell. Could it be home?! Yes it was. Although we were still a few miles away from home, I got the memo. We were almost home. I was up on my paws and started my whining and drooling routine which I have perfected over the years. It goes like this. I get the whiff of home. I start whining. I run from one end of the bus to the other, pacing, drooling, stomping about, falling, you name it. In case there’s any doubt left in anyone’s mind about my interest in being home, I make my intentions crystal clear. Even the densest human gets it. Home is near, and I want to be there. Do not, I repeat, do not drive any further. At last we got home. I almost fell out of the bus (this is easy, since lately all I do is fall) and dragged myself to the yard. Ah, bliss. I go to sleep.

Kylo Ren the dog: (Pokes Rosie). Oh, looks like my wife has fallen asleep on the keyboard. Let me gently move her over so she doesn’t bite my head off. Ok, there, there. Blanket over her. Ok, my turn to blog! So mommy dragged me all over the beach. I wanted to go and destroy Tanya and Leena’s sand castle instead, but mom wouldn’t have it. If I turned around to look at them, mom would call me a lazy butt and make me jump in the waves. I jumped at her whenever she called me a lazy butt and play-bit at her jaw. It was good fun! We went for lots of walks along the beach. At one point I saw Tanya and Leena on a faraway dune, and I recognized them right away. Since there was no one on the beach, mom let me off leash and I shot off like an arrow toward Tanya. Leena hid behind the dune and then I shot off to find her. Wow, that was so much fun!

We left the beach and then went to some strange location where there were other humans that I wasn’t allowed to bite (umm, lick). They even went in Dory the bus and I still couldn’t get at them. Hmph. Anyway, from there we once again drove for hours. At some point, my dear wife Rosie woke up from her slumber and started whining and stomping about. I kept well out of her way but was still curious what the fuss was all about. She wouldn’t let up! Then suddenly I got a familiar whiff, and bam! We were out of the bus and inside the house. And there it was! My CRATE!! I jumped in it and sat for a second before madly tearing about the house. We were finally home. I must say I was impressed by my wife. She knew that we were home for miles. That’s some sharp gal right there. The bad thing about being home is that the girls have been going to their awful school again. That means I have to part with them for hours in a day. Sigh. I guess you have to take the rough with the smooth. Over to Crazy Cookie!

Crazy Cookie the chicken: My drumsticks are shaking so hard with excitement that I can barely type. Do you remember that crumb that I left under the tire the day we were unceremoniously dumped in Elfie for the road trip? Guess what! It’s still there. Or, was still there. I have eaten it. Yum.

So yes, my friends. My human mother speaks the truth. We have wet our feet in the Atlantic ocean. It was as hateful as I had expected it to be. But, hey, we did it! This was the second time I ended up in water. The first was when Baby and I fell in the backyard pond. Back then we had had to use our wings as oars to swim out of the pond before our slow humans came to our rescue. The ocean was a whole different story. Our humans turned mean and actually took us to the waves and set us down with big beaming smiles on their faces. I mean, what did they expect? That we will start riding the waves on a surfboard or something? Obviously we just walked away from the water in a huff. The only positive thing that came out of the ocean visit is that I can gloat about it and be right at the very top of the pecking order of the world’s entire chicken population. I mean, how many chickens can say that they have been to the beach? Not many, if any at all. So yes, my friends, here’s my poem to conclude this memorable road trip.

We fly high,

We touch the sky,

Atop the pecking order,

Until the day we die.

— Crazy Cookie

And that’s not modern poetry! Fear not, my fans. I will keep up with the blogging. Until next time, adieu.