The Outer Banks is a 130-mile stretch of barrier islands, just off the coast of North Carolina.    There are no cities here, just some quaint towns and small fishing villages; much of the area is protected as part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  It’s a wonderful place to relax, listen to the waves, smell the salt air, and eat delicious seafood.  We joined our friends at Carolina Tours to spend a few days here before tourist season gets in full swing. 

The town of Kitty Hawk was our home base – at a very nice Hilton Garden Inn located right on the beach at the Kitty Hawk Fishing Pier.  It was windy and chilly for beachcombing, but it was also just about deserted.  The surf is rough – not many shells survive to be found, but great for walking.  

 

 

Our first stop was north of Kitty Hawk in the village of Duck.  We stopped for dinner at the Sunset Grille, hoping for a colorful sunset over Currituck Sound.  No such luck – the fog rolled in and the horizon disappeared.  

 

Duck’s real claim to fame is Duck Donuts, named for the village but there is also a convenient location next to our hotel.  Donuts here are made to order – you just pick your choice of coating (icing), toppings (everything from sprinkles to bacon pieces), and drizzle if desired.  Their specialty is maple-coated donut topped with bacon pieces; we couldn’t quite go there, but everything we tried was good – worth a stop if you are in the neighborhood.  (Note:  there are now Duck Donut locations in Columbia SC and Charlotte NC.) 

 

 

Kitty Hawk has lots of history, but it is perhaps best known as the place where, on a remote beach on December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers, Wilbur and Orville, became the first humans to fly.  This event is commemorated by a large monument on top of Kill Devil Hill - it was a sand dune in 1903, but now covered with grass.  The first flight lasted only 12 seconds, and the distance of the flight was only 120 feet. 

Here, for the first time, a manned, heavier-than-air machine left the ground by its own power, moved forward under control without losing speed, and landed at a point that was not lower than where it started.  Three more flight were made that day, the longest lasting 59 seconds and covering 852 feet.   

A large stone marks the point of take-off and smaller stones mark the distance covered by each flight. Note the rail in front of the large stone.  This plane did not have wheels; rather it slid along a metal railing until it achieved speed and altitude.  Quite a feat for a couple of guys who made and repaired bicycles in Ohio.

 

Roanoke Island is nearby (east of Kitty Hawk); it is a small island located between the barrier islands and the mainland.  It’s small in size, but big in history – this island was the site of the Roanoke Colony, founded in 1585 by Sir Walter Raleigh. They arrived in the ship Elizabeth II, a rather small vessel for a three-month ocean voyage to an unknown land. 

Supplies to the colony were interrupted during the Anglo-Spanish War, leaving the colonists to fend for themselves for three years before the ship returned.  During that time, on August 15, 1887, Virginia Dare was born -  the first child of the English born in America.  When the supply ship returned, there was no sign of the colonists, giving rise to the nickname “The Lost Colony.”  To this day, there is no conclusive evidence as to what happened. 

Manteo is the largest town on Roanoke Island; it has a harbor, a marina and a lighthouse.  This lighthouse is the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, which was originally located near the entrance to the sound.  It played an important role in brings ships, goods and passengers safely into the harbor though the shallow sound and river.  

 

South of Kitty Hawk, it’s a different world – very small villages and lots of empty space, thanks to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  There are three lighthouses in Cape Hatteras National Seashore; they are spaced at 40-mile intervals along the coast.  The northernmost is the Bodie Island Lighthouse, near Nags Head; built in 1872, it is 165 feet tall. 

In the village of Rodanthe, we saw the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station, now a historic site and museum. It’s a place to visit to learn about the shipwrecks (over 1,000), rescues and daily lives of men serving in the U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Outer Banks.  They were never bored – the shallow shoals, storms, shifting sand ridges and turbulent seas led to a thousand shipwrecks up and down the Outer Banks.  Cape Hatteras is considered the most treacherous of these waters, but the whole area is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was completed in 1870.  The original tower, built in 1803, was the country’s first warning light, not a welcoming harbor light.  It stands 198 feet tall, and its light is visible for more than 20 miles.  In 1999, the lighthouse was relocated one-half mile inland to rescue it from beach erosion.  The original foundation stones are displayed in a semi-circular amphitheater and have been engraved with the names of all of the keepers of this iconic light. 

 

Just south of the lighthouse, we hopped on the ferry to Ocracoke Island, the Outer Banks’ southernmost barrier island.   We had a picnic lunch on the ferry and watched seagulls chasing the boat and hoping for a handout.  It’s only a one-hour ride, just long enough … 

With 16 miles of pristine (undeveloped) beach and a quaint little village by a picturesque harbor, Ocracoke is the cure for the common beach.  By some standards, there’s not much to do – long walks on the beach or short strolls around the village, fishing from shore or charter boats to secret places (think Blackbeard), bike rides, kite surfing, ice cream, fresh seafood – what more could you ask? 

  

How about wild ponies?  Not far from the ferry landing on Ocracoke, we stopped to walk the deserted beach and to look for shells and ponies.  Intact shells are hard to find, but we were delighted to see three ponies, believed to be descendants of long-ago shipwrecks.  The ponies don’t roam free anymore since so many of them were hit and killed by cars; the Park Service has built a large enclosure for the remaining ponies. 

 

In the village, our first stop was at the Ocracoke Lighthouse; built in 1823, it is 75 feet tall.  It is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in North Carolina. It’s not very tall, but it is very visible from all around the village.  We enjoyed seeing it from different vantage points, looking for that perfect picture! 

 

In the village, we walked around the harbor, admired old (and new) houses, explored some back roads, and watched the pelicans at work and at rest.  And after all that walking, it was time to sample the local ice cream.  

 

 

Our guide reminded us of a poem by Dixon Lanier Merritt: 

A wonderful bird is the pelican.

His beak can hold more than his belly can.

He can hold in his beak

Enough food for a week!

But I'll be darned if I know how the hellican?

   

That’s the only poetry for this trip, but we did have dinner one night right beside an osprey nest.  It was nearly dark so our pictures won’t win any prizes.  They are known locally as Ricky and Lucy and they return to this nesting site every year after wintering in South America.

We topped off our visit with a celebration of Ingrid’s birthday.  She didn’t want it advertised, but the whole group chipped in to buy her a nice present – with many thanks for all she does to make traveling with Carolina Tours something special.