Cindy and Dave's Adventures

It was crazy getting here- leaving Congaree NP we headed north and east. It was a pretty long day getting to the coast. Then once you get to the coast, the bridges. So many bridges. And the wind was hard and then extremely gusty. The bridge to Roanoke Island is a twisty drawbridge and we got there when it was open. We watch a poor sailboat (maybe 30’) struggle to get through the gap as it was heading into the wind. They always have such small engines! Then getting to Bodie Island I thought we were going to get blown right off the bridge! They are very nice bridges, with high sides but we were rocking and rolling. Dave’s arms and hands were tired by the time we made it here. It was high 50s but with the wind, pretty cold. The campground is a seaside basic type of campground but the showers are ridiculous! It is separate from the bathroom and the door simply opens to the outside with like a 3/4 door. You go in and sort of around the side but if you wanted to stay dry to get dressed everybody would see your legs. In my case to my knees. A kid’s butt would be below the door. And very high roof that is open on the sides. So we are showering in the rig- thank goodness for King Tut! And electricity to make great hot water! Otherwise, it is pretty close quarters, but we are on the outside loop so we have a little space. And since it is windy, that is mostly what you hear. One day was calmer, and we could hear the waves crashing. I have used the microwave more here than all our mother camping times- I make our hot chocolate and afternoon teas, and warm up the canned veggies for dinner. Usually Dave makes those outside but the camp stove is having issues getting things heated in this wind. And we won’t even talk about our hair, sigh.

These Outer Banks islands are narrow with the Atlantic on the east and Pamlico Sound on the west. They are a series of islands- Roanoke, Bodie, Pea, Hatteras and Ocracoke are the ones we will see. Ocracoke we have to take a ferry to reach and there are two more islands south of it but we won’t see them. These others have bridges between them. There are not any rocks here like you might see in the Pacific; it is all sand, sand dunes and mostly wild dune oak plants. The sand blows across the State Highway 12 from the Atlantic, and the road is bulldozed every day. In the morning it looks great but at the end of the day, the sand has covered the shoulder and half of the lane. Luckily, there are not huge numbers of people driving cuz I bet it gets crazy in the summer when there is more 2 way traffic. Our campground is pretty full. Fishing seems to be a big past time here and it is funny to see all these trucks (and a few cars) with giant, open water fishing poles standing straight up on the front bumper of the vehicle! You can also drive on these beaches except where turtles or shore birds are nesting. So lots of four wheel drive vehicles also.

Our first trip was to see the tip of Buxton, down by the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and then we worked our way back north. It was sad in a way because the lighthouse is completely ensconced in scaffolding and you can’t go up into it. But it was VERY cool to watch a video about how they moved it over 2000’ in 1999. It had to be moved because the shoreline was eroded away. I also never knew that German Uboats were right off the coast of these Outer Banks Islands and at one point they were taking out an American ship of some sort EVERY DAY! Most of the people who live on Hatteras have medals etc from all the rescues! Then we went back west and went through Pea Island Nature Preserve to see a tiny inland pond system. This is part of the Atlantic migratory path so these ponds are critical habitat for the duck and geese, especially. They were some birds there but what we really saw lots of were turtles! Snapping turtles and yellow belly sliders mostly. We also walked on the beach and saw an area where it had be blocked off for sea turtle nests. Finally, we went to the Bodie Island lighthouse where Dave went to the top while I stayed below.

Our second day we went to Kill Devil Hills- aka Kitty Hawk. It was a very nice museum and I loved the focus on learning from mistakes. The Wright brothers were detailed, meticulous and crazy patient. There were many journal entries talking about the minute tweaks they would make when some aspect of the kite, and then plane, failed. We liked how two guys with a bicycle repair shop could spend their time trying to mimic turkey vultures to try to fly! Of all things! It was very cool to see the “course” where they flew the plane as well as the hangers and replicas of the plane. They still have some of the fabric they used for the biwings as well as the wood originally used for the propellers. Apparently there were plenty of smashed up parts, especially in the beginning! It took many years where they worked in the bicycle shop in Dayton, OH during the spring and summer, and then came here for the fall and winter before that first engine powered flight.

After the Wright Brothers Monument we went to Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island. What a disappointment however. First off, there is only a remade earthen spot showing where the First Colony was that later disappeared. OK, I know not much was left of the colony when John White returned from England after 3 years. There was a whole lot of information about how archeologists work in general in the museum. There is nothing that remains of the Fort from the Revolutionary War. Then there were 3 paragraphs about the Freedman’s Colony that happened during the Civil War- if a slave could get to Roanoke Island, they were automatically handed Freedman papers. It was the southernmost area of the Union Army. A well defined community was developed and maintained during the war and about 10 years after. Then there were 4 sentences about how important it was before that time as part of the Underground Railroad because slave chasers didn’t think to come to the island. The end.

And then we went to the North Carolina Aquarium. It was actually a cute little aquarium and very educational. They even had a sea turtle hospital where you could see the injured turtles. Sea turtles are a big part of this coast. I also found out that MANATEES occasionally come up here but not at this time of year.

The final part of this day was going to Alligator River Wildlife Refuse that is run by Fish and Game. It is primarily a drive through Area with many of the roads blocked off for animal protection. We saw a RED WOLF of which there are only 100 on the whole reserve. And 4 black bears (just like down south these bears are truly black!), an egret and most likely a river otter. We ended up going back on Friday, our last day, and we saw another black bear, a raccoon, a tricolor heron, osprey and a black rat snake. It was a cool place to drive around.

Our final adventure from Bodie was taking the ferry to Ocracoke Island. I had heard of this island because they used to have wild ponies on the island but….now they are penned for traffic safety. Disappointing. This is a very narrow island in spots (maybe a block or so wider than the two lane highway) and sand is flying everywhere. At the south side there is a sort of old fashioned beach village but it really is just a bunch of bars and drinking spot I think. Not as good as Key West and not as cute as Pismo. The ferry is a little over an hour long and keeps getting longer, because a sand bar is growing between Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands! Lovely from a seasick person point of view. I took my garlic pills, ate garlic chews and Emetrol- they had us stay in the car so I put the seat back and slept for most of the ride. Much better. On the way back Dave left the car and I was sleeping away when it was suddenly raining salt water on me. RUDE! We had left the moonroof open for me to get fresh air and the water was coming over the front of the ferry to me 3 cars back. The cars in front of us were soaked!

The other things we saw on Ocracoke was a small forest at a wide spot that captures enough rain water for pine trees and ferns. Otherwise it is very sand duney. And there is a small lighthouse down by the southern tip and it doesn’t even have a visitor’s center. Mostly there were beach art galleries, souvenir shops, restaurants and bars.

So overall, we had fun, went out to a nice seafood dinner and a really good local pizza parlor, but this is not really our vibe. It is very touristy here overall, and somewhat high end. And windy. We are glad we came, we loved seeing the Atlantic Ocean, the animals in the preserves, and Kitty Hawk, but it is time to move on to West Virginia. As usual, Dave’s pictures are more inclusive than mine and much, much better!