I flew out to North Carolina a few weeks ago to visit my good friend Ben. It’s not often that I can fly across the country to hang out for the weekend. I’m so glad that I did.

We packed up and drove out to the Outer Banks. Ocracoke Island was a surreal experience for me. It’s strange being in such a low-lying, flood prone area. It felt like the ocean could (and does) sweep through regularly. The water table was barely a few inches below street level and it’s like that throughout a huge area.

We had the island mostly to ourselves. It sure was quiet on the beach.

The nice, relaxing ferry rides were an added bonus.

Of course, the other highlight of the trip was visiting with Ben’s family in Wilson and seeing some of our other friends. We had a mini Utah reunion. Ethan and Kat joined us for an afternoon.

Ben was severely injured in a mountain bike crash in Bolivia. He has a traumatic brain injury. It’s a long, long recovery. His progress is testament to how fucking hard he’s working at it. Remember to visit your friends ok?