26 October 2022 Corolla Mustangs

 One of Leslie’s bucket list items was to see the wild mustangs in the northern portions of the Outer Banks. We had visions of herds of wild horses running down the beach with spray flying up from their hoofs. The wild horses are the descendants of horses that the Spanish explorers left on the island in the early 1500s. By the 1980s, they numbered between 5 and 6 thousand. Then the federal government got involved and declared them an invasive species and started removing them. They currently number only 107. We met up with our tour guide ($50 each), Brandon, in the town of Corolla, just a couple of miles from where the pave road ends. Brandon explained that the county road continues for 50 miles on the beach all the way up to the Virginia Border. This was our first clue that our expectations were out of line with reality. Brandon went on to explain that there were hundreds of homes along this stretch of beach highway. Many of these houses are large million dollar plus homes. But no commercial properties are allowed. As we sped down the beach, there were dozens of vehicles driving the beach and even more parked along the surf fishing. Brandon turned off the beach and drove into a “neighborhood” of large beach houses nestled in the sand dunes with sand roads and driveways. The first “Wild” Mustangs we saw were standing just off the road in a yard of one of those homes. Brandon explained that they have large bellies because they suffer from bloat since all of their food is coated in salt from the ocean mists. No herds frolicking in the surf, instead, small family units in the yards of massive homes. We even saw one mustang in a garage enjoying the shade. In total we only saw about 6 horses and the tail of one in a garage. To say our expectations were shattered would be an understatement. But the folks we met on the tour were fun and the drive along the beach was beautiful. 

Corolla Mustang

Mustang headed for the garage

Corolla Mustang

Beach highway

Corolla mustang