Hatteras Village/Ocracoke Island- OBX Day 2

The common misconception is that the Hatteras Lighthouse is in Hatteras when in fact it resides in Buxton.

Quick story, when I came down to the Outer Banks in 1999 they were in the process of moving the lighthouse because of significant beach erosion. It's a fascinating story, read about it here. I didn't get a chance to climb the stairs or take in it's history. In fact, it was raining and we stayed for 10 minutes, a rushed glimpse! 

This time was different (see images as proof). It was a clear sunny day, no rain in sight, and the lighthouse was solidified in it's permanent position. The lighthouse now sits about 2900 feet from its a original position and about 1600 feet from the shore. No beach erosion to worry about for the foreseeable future.

I won't go into too many lighthouse statistics and facts, but at 210 feet, it is the tallest lighthouse in America. And yes, I did climb all 12 stories. 

It's highly recommended that you take the walk to the top!

We also decided to drive further south. We caught the ferry from Hatteras Village to Ocracoke Island. The intriguing part of the 40 minute ferry ride was seeing various sandbars throughout the waters (this part of the Atlantic off the OBX coastline is aptly named the "graveyard of the Atlantic" because of the sandbars and the unusual amount of wrecked and sunken ships). There were people fishing on some of these sandbars (freaky). Without a boat you cannot gain access to some of these sandbars.

The ferry drivers deftly navigated the sandbars with expert precision! Slowing down and speeding up staying inside the buoy markers for a smooth ride. It was like the sea version of an obstacle course! Nice work fellas! Shout to the NCDOT!

Images from the ferry ride!

Then we made our way back to Buxton for a few brews and a beautiful beach sunset.

Day 2 in the books! There's some laptop wallpapers in here! Day 3 coming up next!