The Triathlon, the Kite Festival, and My Morning Commute

September 8, 2026

Good Morning OBX Crew!

This is one of the busiest weeks of the fall. The Outer Banks Triathlon runs out of Manteo Friday and Saturday and the Outer Banks Kite Festival is at Kitty Hawk Kites both days. New moon Friday, so the stargazing that night should be excellent.

Let's get into it!

My Morning Commute

When we're out there, I'm on the bike most mornings before anything is open.

I head west from the house toward the sound. The sun comes up behind me and the whole sound lights up, and there's almost nobody out yet. Just water and quiet and the occasional other person who had the same idea.

Our stretch has the perfect path for it. Paved, runs right along the road, and it goes on long enough that you can settle in and stop thinking. Honestly, half the appeal is looking at the houses. The old ones that have clearly been there through a lot, the brand new ones, and the ones with the boat in the driveway. I could ride that loop every day and not get bored of it.

We're three weeks out from being back, and that first ride is the thing I'm looking forward to most. Not the beach, not a restaurant. The ride.

If you've got a stretch of path out here you love, hit reply and tell me where. I'm always looking for a new route.

Restaurant Spotlight

Duck Cycle

Duck Commons, Duck

Since I just spent four paragraphs on biking, here's where to get one. Duck Cycle sits in Duck Commons near Sweet T's and rents actual bike-shop-quality cruisers instead of the rattling things you sometimes end up with. They have baby seats and kid trailers so nobody gets left behind, and they rent kayaks, paddleboards, surfboards, and beach chairs too. What makes it worth it is where you'd be riding: Duck and Southern Shores have about ten miles of paved path, set back from the road and shaded by live oaks and cedars. Rent for the week, not the day. You'll use it more than you think.

Get a Bike

The Report

Conditions

Tides: Low 1:21 AM · High 6:53 AM · Low 1:43 PM · High 7:29 PM (Duck Pier)

Water Temp: ~79°F

Surf: ~3 ft

Wind: ~10 mph

Sunrise: 7:40 AM ↑

Sunset: 8:20 PM ↓

Moon: Waning Crescent 🌘 (New Moon Friday)

Humidity: 60%

Puzzles

This week we're going full pirate. The crossword digs into Blackbeard's last bad day off Ocracoke. The man, the boat, and the Navy lieutenant who ended the run. Then the scramble takes you down the beach road village by village, from Kitty Hawk to Frisco. See how many you can name before you cheat:

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