"Natural Skylight"
North Topsail Beach, NC - July 2009 (Click to embiggen)
This image and others available for sale at my RedBubble Site!Believe it or not, I have just returned from what I'm pretty sure was my first trip to Topsail Island, NC. I say "believe it or not" because Topsail is probably the only beach in the state I've never explored. It sits almost exactly halfway between the most convenient (Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach) and my oldest favorite (Atlantic Beach/Emerald Isle) and I suppose that's the reason I'd never made the trip there. I always got hung up at one end or the other, and just never made it to the middle. But despite the additional miles up Highway 17, the drive is still quicker than Atlantic Beach, and the area mush more accommodating than Wilmington (at least for now). "Progress" hasn't caught up here as quickly as it has in other coastal areas of the state, though all the signs are there that it's making its way here too. Hopefully the planners will be able to avoid the overbuilding that's so common at other beaches. After all, there's only so much humanity this little sandbar can support.
Like all of the beaches (ocean beaches at least) in the state, Topsail Beach is on a barrier island -- this one separated from the mainland by the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The Intracoastal is a story all in itself, as is the history of the island. But since I'm a newcomer to "TI" I don't know so much of the history there. But in its recent history (meaning "last Friday") it was hit by a mighty thunderstorm, some of which you see pictured here. I shot this from the first of several public beach access points along New River Inlet Road, when this "hole in the sky" opened right above this cluster of houses. I actually got to see this happen twice in the space of a few minutes -- once on either side of me. I wondered at the time what kind of weather phenomenon I was witnessing, then decided I was better off not knowing.
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20 comments:
Awesome shot, Mojo! Hope in the middle of a storm! Glad you had a good trip, I've enjoyed reading about it!
Have a great week!
Sylvia
More storm shots. I love this one.
My favorite day on the Oregon coast ever was a day much like this. Stormy and trecherous, with the occasionaly, slightly bizarre sunbreak. Followed closely by thunder and downpour again.
Thanks for sharing!
How lucky you are to live by any beach let alone so many Beautiful shot
Nice stormy shot, looks a bit cold too. Thanks for sharing:)
Being at the right place at the right time gave you a fantastic opportunity for this shot. Simply gorgeous!
great storm capture ... i have to say i've not yet been to the virginia or carolina coastlines...a something to do in the future...
have a good evening.
Wow - I love that picture!
And I got to meet Maggie Dammit this weekend in Chicago - what a lovely lovely lady!
Good weather shot.
Beautiful Nature.
I love going to the beach when the sky is this way.
Enjoy the week.
I love going to the beach when the sky is this way.
Enjoy the week.
Amazing skyline it's all in the picture..
Waiting for the storm to break lose.
Heaven is really amazing to watch.
Everything can change in a couple of seconds.
It must be a great place to have a swim! And not as dangerous as the beach is in Australia, where there could be crocs around.
Hope you had a great stay What a dramatic picture
Neat shot of the break through hole at the island.
That could be the South Coast of England on a gloomy but atmospheric day. I bet the water is cold there, or am I imagining too much again. Hole in the sky. Nah1 That's the Motherships tracking beam.
The hole in the sky looks quite ominous for me, I'd be running away from it :)
My World is up here.
Beaches are phenomenal. So much beauty for the eye to see!!
a wower!!
Hair-raising! Great capture of the storm.
Very gloomy albeit beautiful capture. Great job.
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