5/20/2013

Destination: Outer Banks of North Carolina 5/20-23/2013

 We have heard so much about the Outer Banks (or OBX as it is well known) and have never been there.  Anyone we have talked to that has been there always says they enjoyed the trip.  So, now it's our turn to see what it is all about.  This will be our first camping trip in about 20 years.

On the road at 6:00 AM, headed south down US 15, US 17, I-95, US 460 and a few others and we arrived at Deep Creek, Va. 

This is the home of Deep Creek Lock marking the northern end of the Dismal Swamp Canal.   So now we can see the ground view of the first lock we passed through on our Intracostal Waterway trip aboard our boat TwoGether in 2011.   It’s a bit of a trip down memory lane for us. We had a quick look and scrambled back to the van to get out of the rain.

Waiting for the next opening



Deep Creek Lock on the Dismal Swamp Canal

 



NC Welcome Center

US 17 parallels the canal for the entire 25 mile run and sometimes it’s less than  100 feet from roadside to canal bank.



Then a short trip down US 17 to the NC, Welcome Center where we stayed tied up for the night in November 2011, waiting for Tow Boat US to take us to Elizabeth City for repairs.

Soon we reached the south end of the Canal at South Mills Lock, crossed over the draw bridge and headed for Elizabeth City.

 

Sailboats on the Dismal Swamp Canal

 After passing Elizabeth City we are now in “New Territory “.  OBX is only an hour away!

 

 

Late afternoon found us at Ocean Waves Campgrounds in Waves, NC.  It didn’t take long to set up camp.  Ok…we did fiddle around for over a half-hour trying to figure out how to set up the screen room.  Hey, it hasn’t been out of the box in 20 years! … Then we walked the 300 yards to the sand dune and climbed over the top and found a pristine beach with crashing waves.  It was worth the drive just for this...but there is still so much to see and do.

 

5/21/2013

After a gourmet breakfast of bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, cooked on the new Coleman stove, it is time to set out for the Wright Brothers Memorial and Museum in Kill Devil Hills, NC.  I finally found out where the name Kill Devil Hills came from.  Old kegs of spoiled rum would wash up on shore from shipwrecks and it was said it tasted so foul it would kill the Devil himself.

 


Wilbur and Orville Wright



Wright Brothers Memorial



Although the town of Kitty Hawk is always associated with the exploits of the Wright brothers, most of their flying experiments took place about 4 miles to the south on the sands of Kill Devil Hills. The town of Kill Devil Hills, where the memorial is located, was incorporated in 1953.

Orville at the controls.

Here is a link to the eye-witness account







 

The Wright Brothers selected the Outer Banks for three important reasons.  It has mild winters, a nearly constant wind and soft sand in case of a crash landing.

Linda uses the Wright Brothers
wind tunnel as a desk to write postcards!



The Statue of the First Flight



 

Standing in the shadow of my hero Charles Edward Taylor



I was happy to find a picture of my hero, Charles Edward (Charlie) Taylor.  He is the mechanic who designed and built the engine for the 1903 Wright Flyer.  Little is recorded of him.  However, Orville wrote of him in his diary.  He is an icon among the aviation maintenance community and the Federal Aviation Administration’s highest award (for 50 years’ service in the aviation maintenance field) is named the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award.  He died penniless in 1956, eight years to the day after Orville Wright.

 
 

The Wright Flyer Engine



Singer Sewing Machine like the one
use to sew the fabric on the Wright Flyer

 


This picture is taken at the take off point.
Each marker is the landing of the four flights on Dec. 17, 1903.
The first flight was 120 ft.; the forth was 852 ft.
The farthest flight marker is in the center of the picture at the tree line.
 



Wilbur Wright



The famous picture of the first powered flight, Dec. 17, 1903

 
 

 


The view of the museum grounds from the base of the monument

Jockey's Ridge was our next stop.  We were told by a neighbor to make sure we stopped at Jockey's Ridge State Park located in Nags Head.  Jockey's Ridge is the tallest active sand dune system in the Eastern United States. Shifting winds are constantly reshaping the dunes. Because the Ridge is always changing, it is often referred to as "The Living Dune."  It is believed that the name came from the locals (“Bankers” as they are called) racing horses around the dunes years ago.

 

 

There is more to it than a gigantic pile of sand.  While climbing the dunes will give you quite a work out, there is also  hang-gliding complete with a hang-gliding school, kite flying, and walking trails and a good cross section of native flora and fauna.  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fifteen miles south of the Wright Brothers Memorial is Bodie Island Light (pronounced “Body”).  It was built in 1872 and stands 156 feet tall.  It is actually the third light to stand in the local area. While not as popular as the Cape Hatteras Light it is a beautiful lighthouse in its own right that just went under a restoration and was reopened in April of this year.   

 

Bodie Island Light Station

 

 



5/22/2013

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Yesterday was exploring the sites north of us and today will be the sites to the south.    The main destination today is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, NC. 

  

While definitely the most recognized light house in America for its beauty, it also has quite a history.  Just off Cape Hatteras the warm waters of the northbound Gulf Stream collide with the cool southbound Virginia Drift an offshoot of the Labrador Current.  This collision causes storms and rough seas and constantly shifts the Diamond Shoals which extend about 15 miles offshore.  Water depths can go from over 50 ft. to less than 10ft. in a mile.  This is not good for a large vessel that draws 20 ft. or more.  The Hatteras Light warns ships that they are near the shoals.



Lighthouse Keepers house

Double keepers house (now a museum).

The original light went into service in 1803.  In the late 1860’s it was determined that the deteriorating lighthouse should be replaced. The current structure’s lamp was lit in December 1870.  It was approximately 1500 feet inland from the shore.  By 1999 the shoreline eroded to the point the lighthouse was only 120 feet from the shore.   The Lighthouse was moved intact 2900 feet in 23 days and now again sits 1500 feet from the shore.

Click here for a  Link to moving the lighthouse

  

Linda is standing at the original 1803 location.

After visiting the lighthouse we stopped at the Frisco Native American Museum.  It was really worth the time to see the collection of artifacts.  I have no idea why I left the cameras in the van but if you click on the link above you can check it out.

The next stop was the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, NC.   

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum,  Hatteras Village, NC.

 


Original Cape Hatteras Lamp and Lens

The architecture resembles the ribs of an old sailing ship.  Here you will find a complete history of the original (1803) Cape Hatteras Light and how the lamp and lens was moved to keep it out of Union troop’s hands.  While we really expected to see more history of the shipwrecks, there was rather little on the subject except for the loss of the “Alligator” a civil war submarine.  There is a display of the history of SCUBA diving equipment and its evolution that was interesting.  There was also a display of the commercial fishing that takes place in the Outer Banks.  I wouldn’t drive the whole way to just see this museum but when you’re in the area its worth a visit.  There is no admission!


 

 

Back at the campgrounds we took a walk  to the beach and watched the fishermen and enjoyed the sights, sounds, and smells of the ocean.

Snack Time



Trying for the catch of the day.



Can you  see me?  I can see you!



This is my fifth shark today!

 

5/23/13.

 With everything packed up and ready for the ride home we decided to treat ourselves to a good breakfast at one of the local restaurants.  Headed north we passed a restaurant that looked inviting but I thought the parking lot was full so I kept driving.  Linda noticed that there was parking in the rear but… I just kept going…There has to be another just up the road.  Now a full parking lot is usually a sign of a good place to eat.  Maybe in this case it was because it was the only place to eat!!  Passing one restaurant after another that didn’t open until lunchtime; we finally pulled into a McD’s.  That was an experience.  Almost everyone in there was a trainee.  (School’s out.  Young folks starting their summer jobs)  After explaining our order three times it still wasn’t right when delivered and the eggs were a little wetter than I like.  But, hey… I didn’t turn around when the navigator told me to so who’s to blame.  

The drive home had the windshield wipers busy.  We had two days of perfect weather to explore OBX and check out the camping experience.  This is a must do again! 

Thanks for coming along!