The Outer Banks, North Carolina, U.S.A.
The Outer Banks is a long stretch of barrier islands and a major tourist destination known for its peculiar towns, historical sites, scenic lighthouses, and wildlife refuges. Every month it attracts people from far and wide so we had to go see what all the fuzz was about.
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
The Alligator River NWR was established in 1984 to protect its unique ecosystem consisting of “pocosin” (Native American name meaning swamp-on-a-hill), a wetland bog with a sandy peat soil that is home to a very diverse habitat. A wildlife drive loops through the park and traverses across swamps, fields, and woody areas.
We arrived at the park early because we wanted to see the bears grazing in the soybean fields. Unfortunately the fields were dry and we didn’t see a single black bear. Bert, however, visited this place in June and he had proof that the last remaining black bears on the Eastern Seaboard do roam this place!
We continued the drive and made our way to the Sandy Ridge Trail, a short path that runs through the swamp. Luckily we brought bug spray because it didn’t even take 10 minutes before we were under attack! I thoroughly enjoyed this early morning walk in this pristine and peaceful area. All we could hear was the singing of the birds and the buzzing of the annoying mosquitos. The fact that there were no people, was an added bonus!
Bert was busy trying to find the tiniest of birds so I tried to take some interesting pictures of the dramatic clouds, the morning light and the dew-kissed leaves.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed movement in the grass. A tiny Oak Toad saw me too and sat motionless in the grass. What a cutie it was!
I was very eager to see red wolves, a species that was extinct in the wild by the 1980’s. But after successful breeding programs in zoos, the animals were re-introduced at this park and they thrived! Today, about 40 red wolves again roam their natural habitat at the Alligator River NWR. Unfortunately, I was not one of those lucky few who could catch a glimpse of this elusive mammal. Instead, I had to be happy with some Yellow-bellied sliders. Sigh.
Even though the name of the park implies that there will be plenty of alligators around, we only saw one. It was probably in search of some tasty little turtle. Even though this creepy amphibian was in the water, I was on high alert. I really didn’t trust them and I have never liked the way they stare with those dead looking eyes. They make my skin crawl!
We continued our drive stopping here and there for a short walk because that made it easier to spot animals. And sure enough, on one of the paths, a long black snake was basking in the sun. It turned out to be a non-venomous racer and it was dead.
We definitely enjoyed our morning at this unspoiled, quiet park and even though we didn’t get to see bears or wolves, just wandering around and exploring this area was worth it.
It All Started Here!
The Wright Brothers’ National Monument at Kill Devil Hills is an awe-inspiring and must-see historical landmark when visiting the Outer Banks. It was at this very place that, on December 17, 1903, Orville Wright made the first successful flight in history of a self-propelled, heavier -than-air aircraft. The flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. Three more flights were made that day, with Orville’s brother, Wilbur, piloting the record flight lasting no less than 59 seconds and covering a distance of an impressive 852 feet.
We started our visit at the centennial sculpture, which was an artistic rendering of the moment of the first flight. It showed the few witnesses present that day on top of a stainless steel full scale replica of the 1903 flyer. It was pretty impressive!
Next, we walked to the Wright Brothers’ Monument, which is located on top of the historic Kill Devil Hill. It was here that Orville and Wilbur did their first gliding experiments.
Originally, this hill was a massive sand dune and I can’t imagine having to climb it countless times with a heavy glider in tow!
From here, it was leisure walk down to the boulders that marked the exact first flight landing spots.
“They done it! They done it! Damned if they ain’t flew.”
I totally understood why the Wright Brothers chose this location to conduct their flight experiments. There was so much wind here, I had to brace myself a bit. And to think that there were no nearby houses to block the wind in the early 1900’s!
On the way to the visitor center, we passed replicas of the flyer storage hangar and the living quarters that the brother’s called home for many months while working on the Outer Banks. Originally they stayed in tents but as their visits increased, they build these structures.
There were signs everywhere to stay on the path and Bert soon found out why. The grass was littered with tiny cacti that stubbornly cling to ones shoes and if these are tennis shoes, to ones toes.
Inside the visitor center, we enjoyed a small but very educational exhibit that explained the Wright Brothers’ creative thinking processes and their incremental way of working. We were treated to many pictures, original notebook pages and even the homemade miniature wind tunnel was on display!
A full working replica of the original flyer was on exhibit in the next room. The original still exists and is actually preserved at the National Air and Space Museum in DC. A ranger was kind enough to demonstrate how the flier was operated by the use of a padded hip cradle that worked the wings and rudder and by a simple wooden lever that controlled the elevator. It was a marvelous piece of engineering. Simply ingenious!
It is rather difficult to comprehend how far we have come since that very first flight especially since today, we can fly virtually anywhere in the world. To think it all started on a windy morning on the sand dunes of the Outer Banks!
The Bankers
Ever since I saw the chick flick Nights in Rodanthe with Diane Lane and Richard Gere, I have wanted to see The Bankers, the wild horses that roam the beach at the end of the movie. So the first thing I did when we planned our trip to OBX was book a tour to go see these mustangs who wander around on the northern 4-wheel-drive beaches of Corolla.
Legend has it that these horses are the descendants of Spanish Mustangs who swam to shore after a shipwreck in the early 1600’s. Besides being smaller than domestic breeds, they show two other distinctive physical characteristics such as 5 lumbar vertebrae as opposed to 6 and a tail that is very low set on a sloping croup.
At 2:30 the hummers stood ready to load the passengers and I was really excited to be able to ride in that humvee!
After a short drive, we entered the first gate of what I thought was a protected sanctuary. Not so! This area was actually public and privately owned land where a herd of about 100 horses are free to wander around while being protected. So I was little bit disappointed when I spotted the first harem nibbling sea oats and grasses in someone’s yard. I expected to see entire herds galloping on the beach and cantering in the surf. Oh well.
Our guide informed us that horses can only be seen on the beach when temperatures are high because that draws out the bugs and to avoid being bitten, the horses flock to the here to find reprieve.
Our tour continued and turned into and exhilarating drive over steep sand dunes and on bumpy, narrow, sandy roads behind the houses. We were treated to another harem, which consisted of a dominant stallion and a few mares. Interestingly, the mare makes all the decisions for the group while the stallion is simply the protector.
I was exhilarated when I saw one of the foals! It was absolutely adorable! Unfortunately, the second one died a slow and painful dead last spring when a tourist fed it an apple that got stuck in its digestive tract. People can be so very ignorant and foolish!
After about 2 hours, it was time to return to the city. Right on time to enjoy a delicious dinner at a local joint that served fresh blue crabs. Yum! Savoring these freshly caught crustaceans was the perfect way to end our day!
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
We started our day early with a visit to the legendary Jennette’s Pier where anglers of all ages and all levels enjoy some of the best fishing in North Carolina. Birding wasn’t that great this morning. All we saw were Brown Pelicans and cormorants.
Soon, we were on our way again. We made a paid a quick visit to the information center at the entrance of Cape Hatteras National Seashore so we were well prepared.
Besides the natural beauty, the famous leatherback and green turtle nesting grounds, and the picturesque lighthouses, Hatteras NS is also a birding paradise. Twice a year, birds migrate through and rest in the pristine coastal zones. Since it was fall, we were going to have a blast!
The black and white horizontally striped Bodie Island Lighthouse Station was our first stop. Towering above the tall pine trees, it was really hard to miss. It was erected in 1872 and electrified in 1932 and to this day, this picturesque lighthouse still keeps watch over the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”.
We continued our journey to the protected and undeveloped Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, an extremely narrow barrier island, which is only 1/4 mile wide at some places! After visiting the overly developed towns the previous days, it was refreshing to be able to enjoy the unobstructed views and serene beaches.
The weather was beautiful so what more could we ask for. We had seen differently on a previous trip about a month ago. Back then it was so windy that the waves crashed over the sand dunes and flooded the road!
We explored the short North Pond Trail, which offers spectacular views of the marshes and surrounding ponds. It also buzzed with a gazillion insects and it only took a millisecond before I was blanketed with the biggest mosquitos ever! I was ever so glad for that bottle of bug spray!
The first thing I saw were snapping turtles hanging out under the bridge. There were so many they might as well cal this place turtle pond.
Next I spotted a river otter frolicking in the water. And then, there they were, the thousands of ducks and gees. But that was not all! The shrubs along the path were teaming with migratory warblers and sparrows who were feasting on the countless annoying bugs. It was incredible! No wonder most people on this trail were hard core birders.
Bert was thrilled when he spotted 3 lifers: Blackpoll Warblers, a Cape May Warbler, and a very rare for this area Clay-colored Sparrow. The latter attracted quite a crowd. One guy even called his friend to inform hi. of this rare sighting. Sure enough, a little while later, that friend showed up so he too, could add this dull brown bird to his life list. Birders…they are an interesting breed.
After our little hike that took no less than 2 hours, we crossed the street and climbed over the sand dunes so we could enjoy a stroll on the desolate beach. Aaaaaah, life was good!
We drove through the town of Rodanthe and lo and behold! There, on the shoreline, sat that Inn from the movie Nights in Rodanthe! Obviously, I could not pass without taking a picture.
We tried to find a quiet spot for our beach picnic but were unsuccessful because it isn allowed to drive onto most beaches. Instead of having a beautiful view of the ocean, we, sadly, had to look at a parking lot of pick-up trucks. I truly could not understand how people could enjoy a relaxing day at the beach while cars continuously drove by and obstructed the view.
Upon reaching Cape Hatteras, we first visited the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. With its candy cane black and white stripes, it is very recognizable. It stands a staggering 208 feet tall, making it the tallest brick lighthouse in the world. It was moved inland to its current location and decommissioned when, due to erosion, it threatened to fall over into the ocean. Even though this tower attracts more visitors every year than the other OBX lighthouses, I found it to be less idyllic than the one on Bodie Island.
Cape Point, Hatteras Island’s most eastern beach, lies behind the lighthouse. It begged us for another walk on its shore. Shelling was incredible and we even saw a turtle nest! Were it not for the sign, I would have totally missed that inconspicuous mound of sand.
By now it was late afternoon and it was time to take the car ferry to Ocracoke Island.
Because we were one of the first cars to drive on board, we had an excellent spot to enjoy the brief, but beautiful crossing.
The sun was setting and all that was left to do was eat a delicious dinner.
We woke up to pouring rain. We hoped that after breakfast the nasty weather would subside, but we were not so lucky. All we could do was break out the rain gear and be on our way. We visited the Ocracoke Lighthouse which is the second-oldest operating lighthouse in the US and the smallest on the Outer Banks. Though cute and charming, I found it not as scenic as the other lighthouses we had visited. I’m sure it was because it was located smack in the middle of a residential area.
We also walked the Springer’s Point Nature Trail, which was not impressive, although we did have some nice views of the sound.
It was almost noon and we had to make our way over to the ferry, but not before another quick walk on the beach, in the rain.
This time the ferry crossing took two hours and I was happy I still had a downloaded movie on my tablet. We created our own little drive-in theatre and the crossing to Swanquarter was over in no time.
