The Outer Banks, NC 1

North Carolina – state number 43

We next head for our first new state of this tour – State 43, North Carolina.

This part of North Carolina is quite an amazing area of the country – it is literally a thin strip of land on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of mainland North Carolina.

We have a few days in the area split between the northern section and the southern, less populated area.

We first re-traced some of our trip into Virginia then headed south east toward the coast. We stopped along the way at another outlet centre for some shopping and then a rest stop for our coffee break before reaching the outer banks. First we checked out the northern section along the Currituck Sound as far north as Corolla where we visited the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. There are now 6 remaining lighthouses along the Outer Banks and this is the most northerly.

The houses of the outer banks are quite amazing. The beaches facing both the ocean and the bays are packed with these multi level houses on stilts – some single occupancy but many apartments – all packed with holiday makers. Even after 43 states we are still amazed at the things we see which are so unique to a specific area. Even the Florida Keys which would probably be the most comparable area we have seen has nothing like this as far as housing goes.

The area has also surprised us as to how built up it is, especially in the northern section. It is really just like a continuous suburban strip.

Returning from Corolla to the south, our next stop was Kitty Hawk, more specifically the area of Kill Devil Hills, which was the location back in 1903 where Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first powered air flight. Although test flights had taken place on Dayton, Ohio they were attracted to the area of the mid-Atlantic coast for its regular breezes and soft sandy landing surface. And in December 1903 those first “flights” took place. the best being 852 feet on the 4th attempt.

Our first night we spent nearby at a beachside apartment and found a great brewpub a few blocks away where we had dinner.

Day 2 – Lighthouses

Next day we moved further down the outer banks to Cape Hatteras. As we got further south it became more as we expected with more townships sprinkled amongst natural landscapes – albeit unusual landscape. I suspect the area will be very susceptible to climate change as the land is very low lying and in some areas the landscape shaped by constantly moving sand dunes. Though we didn’t see any, I have read accounts of some of these stilt houses disappearing into the see after violent storms !

Our first stop was Jockey Ridge State Park which is the largest active sand dune system in the eastern US. Next we stopped at Roanoke Island – the site of the first English colony which became known as the “Lost Colony” after the inhabitants disappeared without trace between 1587 and 1590. Thus Jamestown which we saw a few days ago was actually the first permanent settlement when it was established in 1607. Whilst there are theories as to what happend to the lost inhabitants there is no definitive answer still today.

Further south we came across 2 more of the lighthouses at Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras – still in use today.

We drove on to the point of Cape Hatteras to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. This was a little disappointing given the history of the Atlantic Coast as a graveyard of shipwrecks covering centuries. There have been over 5,000 wrecks along the coasts from the 1500’s through to the 21st century. We drove back to a town called Buxton where we were staying at the Lighthouse View Apartments – watching the wild Atlantic Coast in full play – it is very rough and windy. As we had such a great spot we picked up a few things from the local supermarket and had drinks and dinner on our back verandah.

A bit of island hopping in the Down East ….

Our last day on the Outer Banks involved a bit of island hopping. From Cape Hatteras we caught the ferry to Oracoke Island. Although only a short distance as the crow flys, due to the treachorous waters and unpredictable sand bars the ferry has to do quite a loop into Pamlico Sound to be able to get across the inlet so the trip took us just over an hour. The channels are obviously fairly tight because at one point we were almost stopped whilst another ferry passed nearby.

Oracoke Island is pretty small and we had a couple of hours to fill before our 1pm ferry which would take us on our next longer crossing to Cedar Island. First stop was the “wild” horses in the pony pens. The Outer Banks is famous for the wild horses that have roamed the area for some 500 years. They are descendant from Spanish horses which were bought to the area by Spanish explorers some time in the 1500’s. In the northern sections some still roam wild but in other areas they are penned for their own protection. Especially in the lower island where there is little width of land from oceanfront to the bay, they are susceptible to being hit by cars along the road.

In the township of Oracoke there is another lighthouse – smaller than others we had seen and this one is is the oldest in North Carolina – built in 1823 – and said to be one of the oldest in the country.

If you have been paying attention to our tours you will know that we have visited many war cemeteries in Europe – under the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Well, we found two such cemeteries along the Outer Banks. In WWII, the Atlantic Ocean was a playground for German U-boats which destroyed many Allied ships. As a result, there were a couple of instances where the bodies of British sailors washed up on the shores of the Outer Banks and as a result these cemeteries house the graves of 6 sailors, only 3 of which have ever been identified. So the work of the CWGC extends to the Outer Banks and the distinctive headstones remain carefully tended still today.

With a little time up our sleeve, we had lunch at Smacnally’s Waterfront Bar & Grill in Oracoke to fill in our wait till our ferry left.

Our ferry trip to Cedar Island took nearly 2 and a half hours. Once we reached Cedar Island we had effectively left the Outer Bank islands and entered an area called “Down East”. Whilst attached to the mainland, the area is still surrounded by water and barrier islands – though mostly unpopulated. This area is much more sparsely populated and the buildings here have reverted to the more “conventional” appearance than those in the northern parts.

We are now in Atlantic Beach, on a more southern barrier island and have our last night in North Carolina – for now anyway. Our hotel is again right on the beach and we had a casual dinner at the beach bar watching the waves roll in. The Outer Banks have been a real unexpected experience in many ways – we’ve really enjoyed it !