Of the pier and the island

My ride to Masonboro Island began with a group on a Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours sailboat that meet at the dock in front of the Blockade Runner hotel. Now this comes with fair warning but the parking situation on the street here can be a bit of a hassle. So either carry quarters with you and just play safe or be prepared for the conundrum that ensues trying to pay by card. The meters say you can call a number and pay but you will have to create an account through your phone to be able to pay. God forbid you make a mistake along the way because then you will have to talk to customer service and they cannot help you until your account is created so back you go to calling from the start again. The service leaves from across the Blockade Runner but no you cannot park in their lot. There is a parking lot at the corner before the bridge that takes credit cards but you will have to go park there and then walk about 5-10 minutes to the pier. I know all this because I was the one that delayed my group from taking off while carrying out this very exercise. So just be smart and keep quarters on ya is all. The boat ride itself though was fun. Good company and tour guide always make any experience enjoyable. Captain Joe knew and shared a bunch about the local greenery and animal species. He knew every type of bird species around - its nice to see your tour guide excited about bird sighting every day as they did the first time, the excitement permeated! You can get off on Masonboro to do a guided nature tour and some of the guests with me did that. Masonboro is the longest undisturbed 
barrier island ecosystem in southern North Carolina, accessible only by boat. Captain Joe was also happy to share about the  local history and ecology of WB. On an another visit I hope to be able to do the Masonboro walking tour as well but I had to head on back to solid ground and get a few more sightseeing venues ticked off my list so off and away I went.