Nags Head/Roanoke Island/Manteo- OBX Day 4

Cape Point Beach

The last day in the OBX was a bit melancholy, but upon reflection, the previous three days we spent here were relaxing and informative, with the beach being the focus. I felt rested, my mind soothed, hesitantly ready to assimilate back into the hectic world, but wait, I had one more day.

Tower Circle Motel

Before I left the OBX, we did the following:

About 7:30 AM, way before check out time, I coaxed my GF into an attempt to walk to the eastern most end of Hatteras Island, Cape Point Beach. Less than halfway through on the eerie secluded beach with waves pounding the shoreline she gave up, convinced that the roughly 3 or 4 mile walk was just too far! She wussed out man! I think she got scared because there was no one walking at that time. Like no ONE! Still, we could have made it! Damn, next time I'm going with or without! 

Walking back up the shore, the Lifeguard station appeared closer and closer. I was actually kind of relieved. During the walk, the sky had this ominous grey tone and the sound of the surf was loud, it felt like we were walking toward the end of the Earth! Yeah, it was like apocalyptic!  There's literally one section of beach that is roped off to swim in and that was right by the Lifeguard station like 2 miles back. I wouldn't have gone in the water that day no matter what. It just didn't feel right. The power of the sea was quite evident that day! Very scary, but still had this blissful calmness! You had to be there I guess. 

Hatteras Beach, the walk to Cape Point Beach

The Hatteras Lighthouse from the coastline

Bathroom break 2 miles up

Hatteras Lighthouse through the dune plants

We had a couple more stops to make before the drive back to Wilmington.   

The next destination was Nags Head to visit Jennette's Pier. The Pier really wasn't that exciting. We stayed less than 20 minutes, which gave me time to snap a couple of photos. We had lunch at a Sam & Omie's across the street. A waitress from Diamond Shoals recommended it. It was crowded, but the food was standard fare. Time to go!

Jennette's Pier

Nags Head Beach

Sam & Omie's 

The next and last stop of our OBX excursion, Roanoke Island- home of the mythical Lost Colony. 

Ok so you know the history; In 1587 English settlers (the second set of settlers) arrive on Roanoke Island- which they called Virginia. They live a strained, but peaceful existence with the Algonquian people. In August 1587, Virginia Dare is born, the first English settler to be born in North America. Dwindling food and supplies and low morale cause internal dissension. John White is elected to be sent back to England for supplies and food. He leaves 115 settlers behind, including Virginia Dare. It takes White 3 years to return. Upon his return there is no sign of the settlers. Only the words "Croatoan" carved into a fence post and "CRO" carved into a tree. According to historical documentation, no search was conducted and in fact, the men left next day! Hmm. No remains or traces of the settlers were found, ever! Theories and hypothesis have been suggested, but no scholar who's studied the subject can conclusively offer a concrete reason for the disappearance. 

Inside the park there's a small museum where you can view relics and get historical information, including a short docu-drama detailing the history. Also, everyday in the summer you can see a live reenactment of the Lost Colony (for free) at the outdoor amphitheater.  

The Lost Colony Amphitheater

I also discovered that in 1862 during the Civil War, the Union made Roanoke Island a Freedmen's Colony, a haven for freed African American slaves. By 1865, the population swelled to 3900 people. The colony flourished with settlers, contained a church, several schools, houses and a saw mill. Sadly, by 1867 the government decommissioned the colony, giving the land back to the original owners forcing most of the original African American settlers to move away. Thankfully, there are decedents of the original families that continue to inhabit the island in 2013. This short chapter of the African American experience has been egregiously overlooked and under documented. This discovery was a satisfying conclusion to a memorable four days!

The only documentation in the park regarding the Freedmen's Colony

*I did not take the photo of Cape Point Beach, but the rest of the images are mine. 

Stay for awhile, check out prior OBX blog posts Day One, Day Two, Day Three and on the beach with the kiddies. 

Kill Devil Hills- OBX Day 3

Wright Bros. Mem, top of Kill Devil Hill

Most of you know that man's first flight took place somewhere in the Outer Banks or somewhere in NC. For those of you who flunked US History (no disrespect intended, I flunked Algebra), the flight was conducted at Kill Devil Hills by the brother tandem from Dayton, Ohio- Orville and Wilbur Wright AKA, the Wright Bros.

A quick side note, the largest sand dune on the east coast is in Nags Head (the neighboring town down the road). You may or may not know that. I thought I'd throw that in there anyway. We did not go to that sand dune! When inquired about the locals weren't enthusiastic about us visiting the dune. Skipped it! That doesn't mean you should, I mean if you really want to see it.

First impression- history exudes from these grounds and so do many tourists! I'm usually not one for touristy spots, but this one is a must see simply because the undeniable innovation it bought to the world. The first flight was one of the most important innovations of the 20th century. It's up there with the printing press, the railroad, the car. Man flying was just the catalyst to overpriced airlines and no food, and those understandably ridiculous wait times! I digress, sorry where was I? Yeah, so flight disrupted mankind's existence both negatively (war planes, V-1 rockets, Military drones, Air Trans Airways) and positively (business class on Emirates Airlines, Pan Am's 70's stewardess, the Space Shutter, the Mars Rover). Whatever your stance, you can't deny the irrevocable impact on mankind!

Ok so, the first visit here in 1999 was a bit of a wash out. Dreary weather, no full scale replica plane, and the use of a crude Kodak disposable camera to document a significant part of the trip made it suck more upon reflection!

This time immediately I noticed some changes. One, it wasn't overcast or raining! Two, there were two new additions to the park site-  a Centennial Pavilion (a commemorative building celebrating a 100 years since the first flight) and a Visitor's Center which holds a full scale replica of the plane (amazing) and other artifacts. Three, wait, oh yes, a series of life size statues depicting that monumentous event. Four, I was able to capture some really good images and some video!

A couple facts I'd like to share:
1. The first flight was tested on flat ground, lasted just 12 seconds and went a total distance of 120 feet.
2. The big Kill Devil Hill was only used for testing the gliders, which they flew over a 100 times before the first flight.
3. Images of the locations where those significant moments took place will be included in this post.

NO more words, if you want history and more facts go here, here and here. History geeks, I'm sure you know all that stuff, but hey, I knew some of it too,  and it was still cool to learn some stuff I didn't know.

Ok enough! Here's the pics, the photos, the images and a video (a KBR/NYC snip)!

Full scale replica of the hand glider

First flight statues

The walk to Great Kill Devil Hill 

Full scale replica of the first plane 

Inside the Wright Bros. shack 

The actual distance of the first flight marked by stones

A view from midway up Kill Devil Hill

The memorial stone marker

And I'll leave you with a short KBR/NYC snip-

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! 

Buxton- OBX Day 1

Upon arriving we checked in with the usual boring arrival details.

I won't bore you with the play-by-play, but I will tell you the Tower Circle Motel is a rough gem. Rooms are being renovated. Our room was clean and tidy (did not take photos, damnit!) It's in close proximity to numerous dining options. The co-owner Merrill was cool and attentive. The motel is about a 3 minute walk or 110 yards from a secluded section of Buxton beachfront. 

So that covers all of the pertinent information you need right now.  

But this is what we came for (see image above and the images below)!