Outer Banks

So after a long hiatus, I finally got back on my horse and set out to find unchartered territory. This time I had a travel buddy. One of my best friends, Seana, joined me for the journey. After picking Seana up from the airport, we met a friend in Raleigh and had dinner at a great little restaurant downtown. Saturday, we headed for the Outer Banks of North Carolina, or as the locals like to display on their back windshield, OBX. I never even knew these islands existed until I moved to North Carolina. Stretching 107 miles from the Virgina border to Ocracoke Island, most of the land is protected by national preserves and state parks. Human life traces back to aboriginal times, but many of the early settlers were shipwreck survivors that swam to shore and decided to stay. These stormy banks were very appealing because of their access to fish.

Our first stop was the Wright Brother's National Memorial, taking my mind back to elementary school and history class. We were standing in the very spot where aviation began. Although history books designate Kitty Hawk as the place where the first flight occurred, it actually happened in Kill Devil Hills, just south of Kitty Hawk. Kitty Hawk was just the nearest settlement. We climbed to the top of the 90ft Kill Devil Hill, from which the Wright Brother's made the first controlled flight. The views from the top were pretty amazing as we had a panoramic view of the ocean and the sound waters. We also viewed the numbered stones marking the 4 flights on Dec. 17, 1903.

We grabbed a quick lunch and continued north to the end of the island. We stopped in Duck, which was named after all the ducks that frequented the area. This was my favorite place by far. Until 1984 Duck was the end of the line until N.C. 12 was paved all the way to Corolla. Perhaps this is why this town of 500 residents still has the semblance of an old beach village but now with a little more posh. We stopped at the waterfront shops and stretched our legs. We continued on to Corolla. Until 1985, this remote stretch of beach was accessible to only property owners and guests. Unfortunately, we did not plan ahead nor were we aware of the wild mustangs that inhabit the area. You are only able to view them by venturing out on an ATV. We did stop and see the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. While most lighthouses were painted different patterns to help the sailors differentiate them from the sea, this lighthouse was left unpainted leaving beautiful red brick. It is the only natural red brick lighthouse on the east coast and still flashes 17 sec off, 3 sec on to warn sailors of shallow waters. We decided to head to Nag's Head and check into our hotel. Any guesses on how it got it's name? Story has it that the locals would hang burning lanterns around horse's necks and allow them to walk on the beaches. The bobbling lanterns, to the eyes of sailors, would look like boats at the harbor. Lured to a non existent harbor, the boats would wreck and the locals would practice their own form of piracy. True or not, I like it. We took a little rest break and had dinner at an odd little piano bar. The food was good and arrived with an interesting presentation. We called it a night. There is nothing better than going to sleep to the sound of the ocean.

Sunday was a beautiful day. After playing on the beach for a little while, we headed to Jockey's Ridge State Park. It has the largest living sand dune on the east coast. The dunes are 140 ft above the ocean and the sound. Tempting as it was, I resisted the urge to roll down the dunes in fear that I might reinjure my hand. I was also itching to go hang gliding. I talked to one of the guys that gives lessons and I will definetely consider going back for a thrill. We navigated south to the Cape Hatteras National SeaShore and found Bodie Island Lighthouse. It has tons of character with its black and white horizontal stripes. Noticing some dark clouds rolling in and seeing some rain drops, we decided to start heading back but not before stopping on Roanoke Island. Yep, the very island that was home to the first English settlement in North America. It was a quaint, little, Elizabethan-style village. By the time we ate and strolled through the shops, the rain was coming down. We took that as our sign to head back to Rocky Mount. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with Seana and I am excited that I got to see another part of the country that I had not seen before. I would love to return and see all of the things that we did not have time to experience.

Just to update you all, I was discharged from my doctor and also from therapy. My hand is on the mend. Now the work is up to me. I hope to return to tennis soon!!