This has to be considered a glorious beach day.  The temperatures were in the mid to upper eighties with a slight breeze.  As far as I can tell the skies were completely blue with only a hint of some clouds.  On top of that the sea oats are at the peak of their beauty.

We went up to the Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium to visit Crunch the Alligator Snapping Turtle.  He is an impressive creature.  They estimate his age at 150 years, and he weighs in at 160 pounds.  He requires 4-6 pounds of fresh fish every two weeks.

I know that I would not want to get into a battle with him.  Fortunately Alligator Snapping Turtles are not native to North Carolina so I think we are safe.

On the way up we stopped at the Crab Shack in Salter Parh and enjoyed their baby flounder lunch special for $7.95.  It was a delicious fried seafood meal with slaw and hush puppies and one side.

After visiting with Crunch and enjoying the Sand Castle at the Aquarium, we headed back down the beach.

We were just past Salter Path when we noticed a huge plume of smoke from the Newport area.  My guess is that it was a controlled burn in the Croatan National Forest.

It was an impressive sight from across Bogue Sound.  I thought we might hear something about it on the news, but they were silent on the smoke.

The smoke certainly did not bother the folks over on the beaches, there it was a perfect day to be on the sand and near the waves.