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| When arriving in the Outer Banks, the long 2-lane bridges connecting little islands were reminiscent of the Florida Keys! |
North Carolina has
seven lighthouses; we visited four of the five light stations on the Outer Banks barrier islands. We missed the
Cape Lookout National Seashore lighthouse which would have required a toll ferry from Ocracoke Village south to Cape Lookout (we simply ran out of time and didn't get to it). We did visit all three
Cape Hatteras National Seashore lighthouses plus the northernmost, Currituck. Each lighthouse has a distinctive paint pattern (daymark) and light sequence (nightmark) so seaman can distinguish and determine where they are either in daylight or darkness.
DAY 1 of lighthouse hunting: The first lighthouse we visited,
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, is at the south end of Hatteras Island. Unforunately, we were two weeks early to visit the inside or climb the towers of any of the lighthouses. At over 198', Hatteras is the tallest brick lighthouse in the US. It was transferred to the National Park Service in 1937 as part of the nation's first National Seashore, Cape Hatteras. Currently, the NPS maintains the lighthouse and keeper's quarters while the Coast Guard maintains the light (which has been automated as most have).With its distinctive spiral stripe, I think it is one of the most picturesque. It's recent history also presents a good example of the challenges of any stationary structure on these ever-moving barrier islands. When constructed in 1870, it was 1500' from the water, but by 1970 due to the constant erosion of the barrier island and movement westward, it was a mere 150' from the water's edge. After much debate and planning, it was moved to its current location (
fascinating move of the lighthouse ) 1600' from the water, where it should be safe for another 100 years!
When in Hatteras, another very cool place to check out is the
Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum next door to the ferry terminal. Arrive early for the ferry and you can check it out while awaiting the ferry. From Hatteras, we took the
free ferry from the south end of Hatteras Island across Hatteras Inlet to
Ocracoke Island, which is also located entirely within Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Arriving on the north end of Ocracoke Island, you have a 13-mile drive to town - 13 miles of pristine beach on the Atlantic side, and protected wetlands, marshes and estuaries on the sound side. You will also pass the
Ocracoke Pony Pens. Once in
Ocracoke Village, parking is very limited (only 4 or 5 parking spaces at the lighthouse!) so it is best to park at the
Visitor Center and walk (face the traffic and be cautious - there are no sidewalks most of the way and it can be hazardous, especially when busy).
The
Ocracoke Lighthouse is about a 1-mile walk from the visitor center. At 75', it is the smallest of the three we visited, but bears the distinction of being the second oldest lighthouse in the nation in continuous service.
From the lighthouse, we walked around the corner to
Springers Point where there is NO public parking (again, best to leave your vehicle at the visitor center). This small nature preserve is on a high point of land with a trail leading to a beach at "Teach's Hole", a channel where Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard) could hide and keep a lookout for passing ships. As the story goes, Blackbeard lost his head to Captain Maynard of the Royal Navy here, and when tossed overboard, his headless body swam 7 times around the navy ship.
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| Blackbeard's favorite hideout |
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| Boardwalks and beaches on Ocracoke Island |
On the way back north to the ferry, we stopped briefly at one of the many beach accesspoints to walk the boardwalk and admire the miles and miles of white sandy beach.
We also stopped at the Pony Pens. The Ocracoke "wild ponies" used to run free but have been penned since 1959 because completion of the roadway in 1957 made their continued roaming dangerous to both ponies and travelers. There currently are only 17 ponies in the herd.
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| A sunset ferry ride home to Hatteras Island |
DAY 2 of lighthouse hunting: We had one fantastic weather day left to explore, so we headed north beyond Nag's Head and Kitty Hawk, to the northern end of the Outer Banks. Then we worked our way south - there was more than we could possibly see in a day. We took a drive on the beach, beyond the reach of roadway NC 12, where there are beautiful beachhouses in the
Swan Beach and Corova Beach area, accessible only by 4-wheel drive. This is also where the
Corolla wild horses roam free; for those without 4-wheel drive, there are tour companies which take you in by hummer or jeep.
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| more seashells! |
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| we made it but there were definitely moments when we almost got stuck |
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| That sand is actually their driveway |
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| tour by hummer |
We also hiked the short trails at the
Currituck Banks Reserve where, if you're lucky, you can see the wild horses (we were not lucky - unless you count the gorgeous warm sunny weather!). There is a boardwalk trail leading to a lovely viewing platform overlooking the popular kayaking palyground of
Currituck Sound, and also a wooded trail through maritime forest.
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| Didn't see any wild horses, but just in case, we closed the gate! |
Next stop going south was
Currituck Beach Lighthouse which I found to be most beautiful with its natural brick. Here in
Currituck Heritage Park, we could have easily spent an entire afternoon visiting
Whalehead and the
Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education but unfortunately, they were not open!
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| Currituck Beach Lighthouse |
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| Whalehead |
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| Marina in Currituck Heritage Park |
From Currituck, we proceeded south to Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills (
interesting stories as to how this town got its name), where we spent some time at the
Wright Brothers National Memorial. I walked up and around the top of the hill where Orville and Wilbur did their glider tests, and walked the actual flight path including the reproduction of their "launch rail" . The museum includes portraits of pioneers of flight through the past 100+ years, fascinating. But my favorite thing was reading of Orville's recollection of Wilbur, who at one point during their years of effort, proclaimed in frustration, "Not within a thousand years would man every fly". Who of us has never had a moment like this, where you feel all your efforts are in vain, this is just never gonna work?! These two brothers proved that you will never get there if you don't push your way through those moments, with determination and perseverance. To quote Tim Allen in my favorite Star Trek spoof, "Never Give Up, Never Surrender!"
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| The big hill of Kill Devil Hills |
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| Kill Devil Hill momument |
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| From the hill looking towards the visitor center and flight path |
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| The launch rail and flight path |
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| inside the museum, replicas of the Wright Flyer |
For our last stop of this long day...we headed just south of Nag's Head to the
Bodie Island Lighthouse, which is surrounded by marshes and maritime forest, the most natural and undeveloped setting of all the lighthouses we visited. Interestingly, and once again demonstrating the ever moving nature of the sands, this is no longer an island, as the inlet closed which once separated the Currituck Peninsula and Bodie Island in the area of Nag's Head.
If we ever fortunate enough to visit the Outer Banks again, there are many attractions we missed or did not explore as much as I'd like! On top of my list: visit
Jockey's Ridge State Park which is the tallest sand dune system on the east coast; explore Currituck Sound and Pamlico Sound by kayak; get to the south end at Cape Lookout National Seashore.
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