Wright Brothers National Memorial
Kitty Hawk, NC
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With the world, once again, begging us to engage we decided to take our newly completed POD, our vaccination certificates, and the need for adventure out for a spin. A 3 week spin. The first goal is to continue to test the systems of the van in new situations, off grid, and in heat. The second - and probably the most important - is to reconnect with distant friends that we have not seen in years!
Our first real stop was in Raleigh, NC to spend an afternoon and evening with some dear friends that we have not seen in 7 years since they relocated from Florida to NC! Allyson and Mike have created a wonderful home for themselves and their two young girls, Emma and Morgan (and their dogs, Bailey and Zipper!) - each of them welcoming us into their home and life. We all caught up and settled in for relaxed conversation and an amazing dinner that Mike had prepared! I must admit the fig, arugula, prosciutto, goat cheese and SMOKED walnut pizza was my absolute fav!!! As well as the smoked Bourbon Old-Fashioned!!! Mike is VERY into smoking.
The thing about relationships with good friends ..... they never dissipate!
Alas.....There are no pics from this perfect get-together .... we were too busy enjoying the company!
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We left Raleigh the following morning and headed east to the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks are a 200 mile string of barrier islands along the South Virginia and North Carolina coast. Traversing over 10 miles of bridges we entered the series of islands just south of Nag's Head and headed south along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Along our right we could see the low grasses that led out to the intercoastal and on our left were, first, stilt homes piled together and then ..... dunes.
It was 60 miles of this - and a few bridges - to get to the south end of Hatteras, Frisco, NC. We camped at Frisco Campground, a NPS maintained campground. Scattered among the dunes the camp was bare, isolated, and perfect.
the boardwalk from the campground to the beach
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We love barrier island beaches - and this 60+ miles of beach was over whelming to say the least. However, I was very surprised as we climbed over the dunes to reach the ocean (yes... you can actually walk on all these dunes except for those areas specifically marked by the rangers) because I did not expect to see a beach filled with SUVs! All of the beach is 4 wheel drive accessible - which I guess makes sense because it is so big and wide.
The picture below does not clearly capture the number of vehicles - all lined up next to each other - with added tents, awnings, inflatable pools, fishing equipment.......
I believe it was the most crowded beach I have ever been on!
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It truly is a beautiful beach. The water was crystal clear and quite warm. We walked the beach in awe of the amount of people and, unfortunately, also in awe of the amount of HUGE "Trump 2024" flags planted in the sand ...... ugh. We headed back to camp after a few miles deciding that an early morning beach walk might just be a bit more relaxing. The evening was star-filled, quiet and very warm.
peaceful.....
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The next day we visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kitty Hawk. Of course, we all learned about what these men had accomplished - but it was really quite inspiring to see the spot - the approximate 100' high sand dune (now planted with grass so that it does not shift/disappear) that they had carried the glider up for each test, the wooden shacks they lived and worked in, the markers where they did each of the four test flights from ...... each flight teaching them something new and each flight going just a bit further!
The exhibit in the visitor center was also very well done explaining their process and the principles of flight that they slowly learned and there is also a replica of the plane they built for these first historic sights.
Replica Wright Brothers airplane 1903
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We saw the original plane at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. However, that one is suspended very high above and actually difficult to see up close. It was wonderful to be able to walk fully around the replica no more than 10' away and truly understand the scale of it.
monument on the dune at Kill Devil Hills
Wright Bros National Memorial
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Wanting to experience another NPS camping site on the Outer Banks, we moved into Oregon Inlet Campground which was much closer to the center of the island near Nag's Head.
Also nestled within the dunes, this campground did provide some electric hook-ups (which we did not choose) but the slots were spaced very close together and it definitely was not as relaxing as the last.
We were only there for one night ...... so it was fine.
The walk to the beach from the campground was actually lovely and our early morning dip in the ocean was divine.
morning over the dunes
Oregon Inlet Campground
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The next morning we headed to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. It is the home of the first Roanoke settlements of the 1500's - well known as the Lost Colony - as well as the first Freedmen's settlement in 1862 during the Civil War.
The visitor center was filled with artifacts and displays of historical information.
I cannot say enough about the NPS and the multitude of sites that they oversee, support, preserve and teach from. At every site we have visited we have always encountered rangers that have been knowledgeable and welcoming.
We attended a ranger talk on the first Freedmen's settlement which was very enlightening, informative and just so happened to be delivered to us by a young, female Black ranger on June Thirteenth!
Seemed like the exact thing we should be doing at that moment in time.
Roanoke Island looking into the sound
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Besides the visitor center Fort Raleigh has a few walking trails, a theatre that has produced "The Lost Colony" play since 1937 (!), and archeological evidence of structural berns used for protection. Its well worth visit - history!
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And of course .... we found a brewery!
Outer Banks Brewing Station
Kill Devil, NC
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