A part of life on Hatteras Island has washed away with the tide, as the federal government shut down means no driving on the beach.

Sharon Magaw and her husband spent $50 for a pass to drive on the beach, sadly there's no refund.

"We woke up this morning, went out in the roads and a couple of the access areas were still open so we're like, alright they're not going to close everything down, but then you see the rangers out there actually digging post holes," said Sharon Magaw, from Dover, DE.

Chains blocked the access to the beach. Not being able to drive on the sand for a day is one thing, unfortunately with no signs of compromise, these signs are staying up.

"Well you knew it was coming but you hope at the very last second that they'll get their act together and pull it out of the hat or whatever," Magaw said.

Rick Montinez came all the way from San Diego. Government shutdown or not, he was going out with his family on the beach.

He can't drive on the beach like he wanted, so he put one foot in front of the other and tried to put DC's stalemate behind him.

"It seems like there's a lot of bickering," said Rick Montinez of San Diego.

People come to Hatteras Island to unwind and escape the grind of their daily lives.

Washington's gridlock is putting that bliss on hold.