Kee Edwards: Favorite Destinations

Featured
Swim
Wednesday, 12th September
KEE EDWARDS: Favorite Destinations

LEFT TO RIGHT: FRED TOMASELLI SUMMER SWELL, VIA LOUP CHARMANT BLOG

What has been the most awe-inspiring moment you’ve experienced while traveling?
Hard to pinpoint one.
I was once with a friend on a small shelter island off the coast of Georgia, we looked up to see a pod of dolphins swimming and diving parallel to the shoreline. I just bolted down the beach and swam out to meet them and rubbed my hand down the last dolphin as s/he darted by us.

Also, in Vieques, Puerto Rico, swimming in the Puerto Mosquito. This most bioluminescent of bays was such a wonderful treat. I felt like I was floating through magic on a dark night.

What is your favorite destination and why?
The little private island off the coast of North Carolina, where I spent my summer and vacations growing up. The best food on the island is meeting the Shrimp boat as they pull back into dock along the Intercoastal Waterway. Then handpicking soft shell crab to make our own dinner on our dock. Lunch at the local fish shack is a grouper sandwich, tomato salad and beer. Farm fresh food abounds. The fish is local and fresh There are a few local restaurants, but nothing posh; just great classic seafood.

Island life here had a wilder edge growing up. Walking with sea turtles, swimming with dolphins and stingrays, and sunken ships that appeared only at low tide. Miles of empty sand that looked like the surface of the moon at night with craters of baby pools and only the light of a flashlight to illuminate everything. Each hurricane washed ashore a new eco-system of shells and sea-life to be discovered and pored over.

This island is part of my soul. It taught me an immense love for place, a sense of stewardship, and the desire to conserve nature.

September 2012