Monday April 13

Today was to be a long day so I was up at 6.30 am and we left about 7.15 am, the weather was sunny and cool but would warm up later.


We had to pass through Greenville so we collected coffees from Starbucks along the way. After seeing to the car's liquid requirements, we set off for the Outer Banks.

Once we were out of Greenville, the traffic lessened and so we had a good run through to Columbia where we stopped for the restrooms. 

There is a large area of National Parkland throughout this locality but we were just a bit too early and everything was closed. They were mowing the grass and tidying up so the opening is not too far away.

We crossed three long bridges that crossed the sounds, two that take the road to and from Roanoke Island and then on to the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks is a long thin piece of land that is only attached to the mainland in the north, just south of Virginia Beach. Access further south is by bridges across from the mainland.

Once over the final bridge, we headed south to the Brodie Island Light House. This is no longer active but there is still the opportunity to climb up the inside, but once again, it is too early and it will open on Friday. 

There is work going on one of the bridges and a lot of work being carried out on the stretch of road leading south from the Herbert Bonner Bridge. This is an area that is badly affected during storms due to the sandy nature of the land.

On our way we passed many houses that are built on stilts to keep them above the water when it floods. They fascinated me as the lower area was generally very tall.

I guess you can't win them all, lol!!! I went to purchase a few items but mine host told me my money was no good in NC, grrr!!

After a walk round, we headed south again along Pea Island to Hatteras Island and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. We caught sight of the lighthouse and then we lost it! 

The lighthouse had been moved 
some years ago so we thought it might have moved again, lol! 

I used Google Maps to discover we had missed the turn off so we turned around and found it this time, we had not gone too far!

Again, it was closed but we had a wander round and took the usual set of photos. It was interesting to see where it had been moved from and there was a film running to show how it was moved. 

We went back to the original site and there was a nice stretch of sand that led down to the Atlantic Ocean. There were some deer in the scrub behind the car park and they were very hard to pick up

This would be the best place for my paddle so down we went and Terri joined me. As we were walking down three aircraft from a bygone era flew overhead.

The water was nice and fresh and my feet certainly appreciated the dip! Although I held my trousers up, I managed to get the left leg a bit damp. I learned a new trick, Baby Powder rubbed on the feet will remove all the sand, it does work!!

We then headed north and stopped at Waves Market to get a sandwich as we had decided not to eat at the seafood restaurant until after we had visited the Wright Memorial and Museum.

We reached the Wright Brothers Museum and it was very interesting to follow the development of their ideas up to the first four powered flights they achieved. 

They were very scientific in their approach and used a lot of tools and parts from their Bicycle Shop. 

They built huge kites to test their theories and finally developed a glider that flew thousands of times. Their plane followed this design closely and finally they achieved powered flight.

There are markers along the ground that show where they took off from and the four points they landed, the fourth flight was over 800 feet and took nearly a minute. It must have been a wonderful feeling! 

There is a full size, working replica of their plane and it is a wonder it ever did take off and survive in the strong winds that were prevalent.

Outside, there are also replicas of the cabin they lived and worked in as well as the hanger that stored the plane. They are certainly to be admired for their tenacity, application and courage.

We then drove up towards the memorial and climbed up the path that leads to it. It is a wonderful memorial to the brothers and it is sited on top of a hill from which you can see another, metal, replica of the plane taking off complete with replicas of the people who were involved.

Finally, we drove to Miller's Seafood and Steak Restaurant for dinner. It is very pleasant inside and the food came in very quick order. I had the soft crabs and had to check if I was to eat the shell as well, lol!! They were absolutely delicious. We did not need dessert so we headed back home, tired but happy after a wonderful day out. The weather was magnificent and I was so very lucky.

We made excellent time going home and there was a beautiful sunset. Terri and I slept for part of the way and, when we woke, we had Comedy hour presented by Steve and friends, lol!!

We called into a Starbucks in Greenville for another coffee to complete a perfect day. Steve was hilarious as I like a single shot and he made quite a thing about it talking ain a strong southern accent. The poor lass who served us was totally confused but I think she took it all in good spirit. We laughed all the way home, lol!!