Migrating South by Mercedes - Fall 2004

Our trip up the Intercoastal The Stressful Spring of 2004 was such a hassle that we decided not to do the trip by boat again. But we were still snowbirds at heart. So after our Peripatetic Summer we went south again - Driving this time instead of sailing.

Since Bob was retired military, we had available Space-Available condo rentals for very reasonable prices ($349 for the week regardless of the size of the unit). So I made reservations at various condos, week by week, to go down the coast for the rest of the winter of 2004-2005.

This is what we have booked for this winter (Condos and Military base accommodations are in Bold)

11-14-04 - embark on the Norwegian Crown at 1:00 bound for Bermuda
11-21-04 - arrive back in Baltimore 0700 and disembark. Should be off
by 10 because the ship starts re boarding for the next cruise by 1 pm.

11- 25 -04 - Daughter's in Ellicott City MD for Thanksgiving.

11-26-04 - Cape Henry Inn, Ft. Story VA (Sandpiper section)
11-27-04 - Barrier Island Station Ocean Pines Beach Resort Villa
12-04-04 Check out of Ocean Pines
From here we are traveling via Summerville to Miami.
Hoping to arrive12-09-04 in Miami at daughter's house.
12-10-04 Leave Miami on flight 849 at 11:39 am Arrive New Orleans 12:42 pm
Check in Maison Pierre Lafitte 108 University Pl. New Orleans LA 70122
12-17-04 Check out of Maison Pierre Lafitte. Pick up rental car and
visit New Iberia (where Bob was stationed in 1960)
12-20-04 Turn in rental car At 2:00 pm Take flight 1502 Arrive Miami 4:50 pm
12-20-04 to 1-6-05 Staying in Miami and possibly house sitting
The rest of the winter 2005

Bob and our granddaughter

My mother (age 95) at Thanksgiving dinner

After we got back from Thanksgiving dinner at our oldest daughter's (which was very good and a lot of fun), we started to pack and get ready. We had taken my car up to her house in Ellicott City, and when we got back we filled the fuel tank (178 miles total for the round trip and took us 2 hours on the way up and an hour and a half on the way back) and, Bob serviced it for the winter.

Bob periodically complained that we only had a car and we needed a moving van, but I tried really hard to wean down to just a couple of suitcases. I have actually three (carryon sized) small bags, plus a bag of travel materials, and two computers. Bob has his night blooming jasmine in a large pot to give to our Florida daughter,

night blooming jasmine in the back seat

a cooler of stuff from the refrigerator, plus supplies like toilet paper for the condos, a hanging bag for his suits, and two or three small bags. Plus we had the Xmas presents for two families.

November 26, 2004

Friday morning, Bob serviced the furnace (found a dead mouse), ran the dishwasher and clothes washer and dryer one last time, turned off the water and put antifreeze in the toilets, turned the furnace down, unplugged the TVs, and packed the cooler and the car. He also made a final run to the dump.

What have we forgotten? Bob again forgot something in the refrigerator - this time bacon, which won't go bad right away but will be inedible when we get back. I can't find my keys to the Mercedes - they may turn up in a pocket somewhere. I also forgot to pack a pair of black trousers (I only have blue) or a skirt or a long dress.

We shoved off from the dock (left the driveway) at 12:17.

Marina under the Maryland side of the bridge 12:52

Bridge over the Potomac

We were across the Potomac by 12:55 and decided to eat lunch at Dahlgren where there was a choice of Mickey D's, Pizza Hut, KFC/Taco Bell and Burger King or we could have gone down to Port Royal and eaten at Hornes. There's also an Arby's being built. We picked Burger King

Our Burger King Lunch

and were back on the road and down to Port Royal to turn onto US 17 by 1:35 p.m.

Road into Port Royal from the bridge

Bob had observed that fuel in the Tappahannock area was cheaper than in Leonardtown (where diesel was $2.19/gal) when we were there on the trip to Great Bridge, so he wanted to fill up there.

Approaching Tappahannock

Beale Memorial Baptist Church corner of US 17

But we didn't stop in Tappahannock. We went on to Kilmarnock. According to the Kilmarnock town website "Kilmarnock is the commercial trade center of Virginia's Northern Neck". The population is less than 1,300 people. It is a small town. There are only two traffic lights. It is named after town in Scotland. Well-known (!!) residents have included Henrietta Hall, first American woman to go to China as a missionary. Kilmarnock has a museum.

When we came to Chesapeake Bay Boat Basin by boat (Indian Creek off Fleet's Bay) we've never been able to get to the Kilmarnock Museum (in the old Steptoe's Ordinary) so on this trip we were going down VA Route 3 to Kilmarnock. The museum is about the only thing to visit IN Kilmarnock as far as I can tell. I wanted to see their film of the 1952 fire which almost burned down the town.

Front of museum-originally Steptoe's Ordinary

There are supposed to be .."Exhibits of photographs and artifacts recall the early days of the bustling town of Kilmarnock, first known as Steptoe’s Ordinary when it was settled in 1719. Open Thursday -Saturday 10 am to 4 pm."

Museum from the side

But we couldn't visit it this time either.

Parking lot and Water tower above the trees

Bob at Museum entrance at the back (parking lot side

Back porch of the museum

The sign says it is open Thursday to Saturday 10-4 and when we got there it was only about 3 p.m. on Friday But it was closed.

Street from the museum

Main Street in Kilmarnock

Route signs -road out of town

So I took what pictures I could and we drove on towards Yorktown. We continued on VA 3 across the Rappahannock and we eventually got fuel across the Rappahannock in Warsaw for $1.99/gal.

Crossing the Rappahannock

We crossed the Piankatank and joined US Rte 17 down near Gloucester. Then proceeding through a town called "Ordinary" which was so small I didn't get a picture because we were through it before I realized we were in it, we crossed the York River to Yorktown and exited off 17

York River in the dusk of a fall day

York River Bridge from south bank

to go to the Battle Monument. We can't check into the Cape Henry Inn before 4 pm, and it is less than 200 miles from Leonardtown to Virginia Beach, so I figure we can take a couple of detours.

York River Bridge from Yorktown

Water Street November 2004

- ACK - the whole of Water Street in Yorktown has been torn up and is nothing but mud studded with earth moving equipment. We turn around. Even the Waterman's museum which is on the west side of the bridge is closed. What to do?

Waterman's Museum

The Waterman's museum website says that it was founded in 1981 for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown to interpret the heritage of the Chesapeake Bay’s watermen and women who harvest the bay’s seafood from the time Native Americans fished local waters to the present.

All I had originally intended to do was to visit the Battle Monument. I had not intended to go to the actual battlefield as I thought that would take more time than we had (and I was correct).

Road leading to Yorktown Battlefield

I direct Bob to go to the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor's Center, from which I think we can get around to the Battle Monument.

Bob walking up to the Visitor's Center

Yorktown Battlefield

We get there just about 4:15 p.m. and bought a Golden Age Passport for $10. This allows the two of us a lifetime admission to all National Parks, Seashores, etc. and a reduced price on tours etc in the parks. We had just time to see last showing the 16 minute movie (at 4:30) all about how the French fleet defeated the British fleet off Hampton Roads, and about Cornwallis's surrender. This helped us to understand the information at the Cape Henry lighthouses better.

Movie - British troupes

There is also a museum, sales shop and restrooms. From here you are supposed to do the two self-guided auto tours that will allow you to enjoy and learn the history of the Siege of Yorktown at your own pace. A 7-mile Battlefield Tour Road, which takes about one hour, will give you a first-hand look at where the events of the siege took place. A second, 9-mile Encampment Tour Road, which takes about one-half hour, reveals the locations of the allied encampments during the siege, including Washington's Headquarters. Also included in the National Park are parts of the Town of York. Needless to say we did not have enough time for either tour. From here we drove over to the Yorktown Monument (about 5 p.m.) where I took a picture of it at dusk.

Battle Monument - Yorktown

Lady Victory is on top of a pedestal of Maine granite. In 1956, the original figure of liberty, damaged by lightening, was replaced. The shaft is 84 feet high and Liberty is 14 feet high Construction began a century after the battle, and it was completed in 1884.

This sign is about the establishment of Yorktown in 1691, and has a map with the Visitor's Center and the Battle Monument on it.

Yorktown sign - Yorktown

Now we have to find our way to Ft. Story. Fort Story is on Cape Henry, which is the northernmost point of the south shore of Hampton Roads It is getting dark. I was going to go down US 17 and get on I-64 E. But Bob sees a sign saying that some ramp is closed and goes off down VA route 134 and I can't figure out where we are. Eventually I turn on the computer mapping and we get back on I-64

Moonrise

and get to Fort Story. Since this is an Army fort, most visitors have to have ID and go through an inspection process, but we have a military sticker on the car and we have military ID, so entry is quick for us. We get to the Cape Henry Inn and check into our room about 6 pm. It is too dark to see much outside. The Cape Henry Inn at Ft. Story is open to anyone who has a military ID (active duty, retiree, DOD) and they take reservations up to a year in advance. The rates are on a sliding scale depending on the time of year. This time of year it is $29/night. In March when we come back I think it will be $35, and it goes way up in the summer It was fairly basic, but offered a free breakfast. They tell us that local calls are 35 cents each - they have public internet, but you have to pay for it.


We asked for recommendations from the Ft. Story Inn and got several. We decided to drive back towards Norfolk until we came to one that we liked. We went to dinner at the Beale St. BBQ,

Beale St. BBQ

and each had a wet half rack of ribs with two sides for $10.95 each (I had cole slaw and beans and rice, and Bob had cole slaw and potato salad).

And we shared a 'pig picking cake' for dessert. It had coconut icing. I ate the icing off and then decided I was full, so Bob ate the cake part so that it wouldn't go to waste. The total bill was $38.43 counting tip and two iced teas. Rachael Ray ($40/day) has nothing on us

I had a hard time logging onto the internet from the room afterwards (I was using a modem on a phone line in 2004) and used the 800# for a little while. After I did that, of course, I could log on with the regular number.

One of my teeth has been bothering me. It hurt a bit to chew at dinner.

November 27, 2004

We got up in the a.m. (the full moon was just setting) and got dressed

Saturday Nov. 27th - moonset over Hampton Roads

View from the Ft. Story Inn

From our room we could see the Bridge Tunnel and ships anchored waiting for tugs or pilots.

From Ft. Story Inn to Hampton Roads

We went up to the meeting room where they said there would be a free continental breakfast. This was coffee, orange juice or apple juice [none of which we drink], donuts, bread (and toaster), and various kinds of cold cereal and various kinds of milk. No tea or tea bags although one of the guys used the coffee maker to make hot water. So we each had a donut and some juice.

We have about 140 miles to go today from here to Duck (our first S/A condo), and we aren't supposed to check in before 4 pm, so I've figured out a time wasting route which wasted a bit more time than I intended through getting lost a couple of times. I find that the mapping program is VERY difficult to use from a moving car if you don't know where you are because if I can see the detail I can't see which direction I'm supposed to be going on the route. [At this time, we did not have a car GPS, so I was using a mapping program on a laptop which was hooked to a little yellow GPS thing which rested on the dashboard]

We checked out about 8:15, and our first destination was the lighthouses at Cape Henry on Ft. Story. There is an old brick lighthouse which is open to be climbed from 10-4 in the winter, and the new black and white checkered lighthouse which isn't open. The lighthouses are pretty easy to find. (Lighthouses tend to stand out.)

equipment on the lighthouse grounds

There were a lot of informational signs, but those proved to be about Ft. Story itself and not the lighthouses. Ft. Story has some units stationed there from the army, navy, and marines for something they call JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over The Shore).

Old Cape Henry Light

The old lighthouse is an octagonal sandstone tower with lantern and gallery. Tower unpainted; lantern is silver-colored. This is the first lighthouse built by the Federal government and one of the best preserved lighthouses of the early Federal period. Recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Congress transferred ownership of the lighthouse in 1930 to the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, now called Preservation Virginia. The interior was restored in 2002, and in 2003 the eroded sandstone foundation of the lighthouse was repaired.

Visitor's center

It was too early in the morning and the lighthouse was not open yet.

Two Lighthouses - Old and New Cape Henry lights

The NEW Cape Henry Light is the 1881 replacement for the old Cape Henry lighthouse. It is NOT open to the public. It was was built to replace the older light only 357 feet away.

New Cape Henry light

The New lighthouse is a 164-foot octagonal tower made up of cast iron plated inner and outer walls, with a masonry lining, making it the tallest such lighthouse in the U.S. To appreciate the size, look at the large two story keeper's house next to the base of the lighthouse.

Top of Cape Henry light

Bottom of Cape Henry light and lightkeeper's house

It has a first-order Fresnel lens and is painted in black and white alternating vertical stripes. In 1923 the lantern was converted to electricity. The 1,000 watt light was automated in 1984 and has an intensity of 80,000 candlepower.

Light in the new lighthouse

Overlooking the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, its 20 second flashing light can be seen for only 15 miles out to sea because of the bright city lights

New Cape Henry lighthouse reflected

Bob stayed in the car while I photographed the lighthouses. He did get out to look at the two monuments one a cross put up by the Daughters of the American Colonists commemorating the first landings of the English colonists in VA in 1609 (put up in 1935)

Monument for first colonists landings

First Landing State Park is just south of Fort Story. This cross is right on Fort Story right next to the Cape Henry Lighthouses and is apparently part of the First Landing State Park. Access to the site is free. The large granite cross put up in 1935 by the Daughters of the American Colonists is to commemorate the first landing of the English colonists in VA in 1609. The inscription on the bottom on the cross says:

"Here at Capt Henry first landed in America upon 26 April 1607 those English colonists who upon 13 May 1607 established at Jamestown, Virginia the first permanent English settlement in America"

Erected by
National Society Daughters
of the Amerian Colonists
April 26, 1935

He looked at one put up in 1976 in honor of the French Admiral deGrasse.

Bob looking at French Admiral deGrasse's monument

The plaque on the monument says:
FRANCOIS JOSEPH PAUL de GRASSE
This statue, a gift from France is placed here overlooking the waters where Admiral Comte deGrasse successfully engaged the British fleet on September 5, 1781. The battle off the capes prevented crucial reinforcements from reaching Cornwallis thus hastening his surrender.

Dedicated in grateful remembrance of the decisive conv??tion of Admiral de Grasse to the winning of American Independence October 17 1971.

There were explanations of the battle that we had seen the movie about at Yorktown the preceding day on a more recent monument which shows the

Chart of the battle

which commemorates the Battle of the Capes, which took place within visual distance of Cape Henry during the American Revolution. On September 5, 1781, nineteen British warships were surprised by an awaiting fleet of twenty-four French ships commanded by Admiral Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse. The two navies battled for four days, each sustaining heavy damage. On the 9th, another fleet of French ships arrived from Rhode Island, forcing the British to flee the area and return to New York. The outcome was instrumental in the American victory over the British at Yorktown. The British ships were loaded with supplies and reinforcements for General Charles Cornwallis. A little over a month later, Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington and French commander Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau.

The monument is made of pink granite which is very hard to read, but at the bottom are two quotes:

"I wish it was in my power to express to Congress how much I feel myself indebted to the Count deGrasse and his fleet" G. Washington, Oct 19, 1781.
"I consider myself infintely happy to have been of some service to the United States..reserve me a place in your memory"... deGrasse Nov 3, 1781

Bob also walked up to the top of the dune line where there was another display about the naval battle.

When we left there, my next objective was the Life Saving Museum because when I planned the trip, I noted on the map that the Life Saving Museum at the Old Coast Guard Station (formerly the Life-Saving Museum) was in Virginia Beach right on Atlantic Ave. We got there about 9:15, but it was not open until 10.

Admission booth

Old Life Saving Station

The U.S. Navy and the Beach

This is the only existing station in Virginia with exhibits on shipwrecks and rescues. The museum chronicles the role of the Coast Guard from the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II to the present day.

Life Saving Museum

After Bob parked, I walked back and took a picture and then we went on. I thought it was sad that it was completely overshadowed (literally) by the tall hotels on either side.

I wanted to get on I-264 from 22nd street directly. But for some reason we couldn't seem to do that, and in the bright sun it was hard to see the computer screen. We got fuel while we were wandering around trying to find I-64 Bob took a turn onto US 17 which on both the AAA map and the computer map was called VA 104. We ended up crossing the Steel Bridge over the Virginia Cut route on the ICW at 10:15.

Steel Bridge - Virginia Beach

Last time we were here, in April, we were on a boat going under this bridge.

We stopped at the NC Visitor's Center on the Dismal Swamp Canal at about 10:30 and used the bathrooms.

Visitor's Center colt

Penny at the Visitor's Center told us that in spite of what has been published, that as of last week the Corps of Engineers IS going to keep the Dismal Swamp Canal open. She also said that 104 has been renumbered as US 17. I got directions from her to the Nosay house AKA William Riley Abbott house.

I thought I had seen a house which had a Museum sign on it when we went through South Mills lock last year,

picture taken while waiting for the lock in 2003

Museum?

so we went on down to South Mills to look. I had taken a picture of the South Mills Museum, but when we went back by car, the sign had been removed (the frame for the sign was still there, and you could tell that a sign had been hung there). I haven't been able to find any information about this museum.

South Mills used to be an important port. That's why there was a South Mills battle of the Civil War. However now, it is a tiny village just north of the lock. Its population was 454 as of the 2010. It has three churches, a post office, a gas station, a nail saloon, and a small market.

From the car in 2004

South Mills Civil War Battle

On April 18, 1862, US General Burnside sent US General Reno from Roanoke Island to destroy the South Mills lock of the Dismal Swamp Canal, which connected New Bern via Norfolk to Elizabeth City. If successful Reno would prevent the rumored transfer of Confederate ironclad warships from Norfolk to Albemarle Sound. Reno's 3,000 troops disembarked from their transports near Elizabeth City that night and advanced the following morning on an exhausting march toward South Mills. CS Colonel Ambrose R. Wright posted his 900 men to command the road to the town. Reno encountered Wright's position at noon. The Confederates' determined fighting continued for four hours until their artillery commander, CS Captain W. W. McComas, was killed. To avoid being flanked, Wright retired behind Joy's Creek, two miles away. Reno did not pursue them because of his losses and his troops' exhaustion. That evening he heard a rumor that Confederate reinforcements were arriving from Norfolk and ordered a silent march back to the transports near Elizabeth City. They reached New Bern on April 22, mission defeated.Estimated Casualties: 114 US, 25 CS

We went across the South Mills drawbridge twice,

South Mills bridge going to look at the "museum"

coming back

and then headed out for Nosay Rd. Which we found. The William Riley Abbott house built in the 1840's is an unusually large Greek revival plantation house near South Mills.

House from the back across the fields

This is a private residence and isn't open to the public.The focal point of this house is its entrance with its Doric type columns, wide veranda, and balcony over the front door. This house is said to have been used as a hospital for soldiers wounded in the Battle of South Mills. Period of Significance: 1850-1874

Nosay house

Nosay House - cropped to make it look bigger

When I saw the house in person it looked much smaller and more puny than I was led to expect from Claiborne Young's website.

It is known locally as the Nosay House and is on NC rte 1224 which is known as Nosay Road. The windows are unusual looking and I suspected they had been modified to take modern storm windows or else fake shutters were added

Later, I got a letter from a former tenant who wrote: "I lived in that house in 1998 and wanted to confirm your suspicions that the windows are not original. During our year there the windows were indeed the original windows with some of the glass appearing to be original. However, because of the age they were extremely drafty in the winter time and caused our heating bills to be astronomical. The owner had refused to repair the windows so we moved. One year later the owner replaced all the windows, removing the original working shutters and install the fake shutters shown in your picture. It's unfortunate because the house looked much better previously."
Then we went the wrong direction on VA 343 and went through Camden and ended up in Elizabeth City which I totally didn't intend to visit.

Elizabeth City

We went over the Elizabeth City bridge (there were some boats at the docks but we didn't stop).

Elizabeth CIty Drawbridge road approach

We had to circle around through Elizabeth City to get going in the direction that I wanted to go in. We went north along the Pasquotank, through South Mills AGAIN, and then went north on US 17.

Wandering the roads

The mainland of Currituck County, on the western bank, has several small communities. Moyock, Point Harbor and others lie along the highway route to the famous Outer Banks. We eventually got to Mojock

Beautiful Downtown Moyock

and had lunch at Hardee's.

Hardee's in Moyock

I got a 3 piece chicken which was 2 pieces more than I could eat, and Bob got two 'slammers' which are plain hamburgers about the size of the old White Castle hamburgers. ($1.25 each).

Then I didn't start the computer up in time to get onto the road over to Knotts Island and we ended up on a toll road ($2) going north

Toll booth

and were in Virginia and almost back to Virginia Beach before we could do anything about it.

We did eventually get to the correct road and took VA 615 down to Knotts Island.

Lowering skies

Road through the wildlife refuge

Knotts Island is a marshy island and a small unincorporated community and is home to Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge. Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge was established on Knotts Island in 1960 as a winter haven for migratory birds. In the winter, the refuge focuses on marsh and water management to provide food for thousand of swans, ducks, and geese inhabitants. In the spring, the refuge opens its trail system for visitors to view the huge variety of waterbirds and songbirds.Although we drove along through the refuge, these gulls were the only birds we really saw.

Road in Knotts Island passing a cyclist

Approaching the Knotts Landing

Road to the ferry

Ferry approaching the ferry dock

The reason we were there was to take the free car ferry over to Currituck. The ferry lands at NC Route 615 at the south end of Knotts Island. This ferry is also used by the high school and middle school students to get to school.We got to the ferry stop at 1:38 and saw the ferry approaching the dock. The ferry left at 2 on schedule. I've decided ferries are a Good Thing. We've seen enough of them from our boat, so it's our turn to ride. There were only 4 or 5 other cars on the ferry with us - somewhere I read that the ferry has a capacity of 30 cars, but it was a bit difficult to figure out where they would put them..

After the cars are driven on, the ferry turns around for the trip across Currituck Sound. The trip takes 45 minutes. Bob sat in the car,

View from the passengers side

Back of the ferry leaving Knotts Island

and I roamed around and took pictures.

Green 3 next to ferry

Looking up at the ferry pilot house

Red marker

Life Ring - Gov. J. B. Hunt Jr. ferry

Stairs to an upper deck

Seagulls following the ferry

In case of fire close vent

Passenger Lounge and Engine Room doors

Lounge

Selfie in the ladies room on board the ferry

Our car on the ferry from above

Restricted area

Ferry pilot house

Ferry deck with black and yellow stripes where doors open

The ferry turning

The ferry then turns around again - really stirs up the water, but Bob says with 2 engines you can turn like that.

Arriving at Currituck

Currituck is also a small town (a little over 300 households). It is the unincorporated county seat. The Courthouse and Jail are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Currituck

From here it was pretty simple to get to Duck and we didn't get lost.

Bridge to the Outer Banks

It was, however, starting a fine misty rain. We got fuel again (just 5.4 gals this time but it was $2.199/gal.) We checked in at 3:45, and arrived at our unit at exactly 4 pm. The cleaners were just finishing.

My daughter came to stay in Ocean Pines condo unit in October 2000 and she liked it very much, so I decided to book the same thing for the late fall of 2004. From here, we did quite a bit of sightseeing along the Outer Banks. At this time of year the activities in Duck seem limited to beach walking, kite flying, and fishing.

Our phone number is not on the phone, but it is 252-255-2042. We look right out over the beach where the waves are really crashing down. There's no way anyone can swim out there. The complex has a pool although I haven't used it yet.

Waves on the beach at our condo

This sand is made for walkin': smooth, light gray, plenty of elbow room even at high tide. From where we were staying in Duck, we could walk across the dunes right onto the beach. In most places there are walkways and stairs that are built over the dunes so that people do not damage the grasses that hold the sand in place. There were two such walkways that we could see from the deck of our unit.

I didn't walk on the beach but I saw some few others (other than gulls) that did. People also fly kites on the beach, or fish, or sit on the deck and watch the waves. I can't give a good estimation of the cost of this condo because I don't know what the regular rental would be. Rates in the winter (November December January) for rental seem to be between $660 to $715/week for 4 to 6 people. I'm not sure if these units are available for rental during the season. The units are supplied with one roll of toilet paper and a package of dishwasher detergent in a welcome pack, and after that you supply your own. You also are to leave the dishes and the kitchen clean when you leave. Housekeeping does not come in during the week.

No pets are allowed. Camping vehicles are not permitted on the property. A deposit of US$100 (Visa, MC, Amex, Discover or check) is required. You must be at least 25 years of age to rent between Feb and April. Our unit faced the ocean, but others face the court or the swimming pool. We didn't use the air- conditioning or the fireplace (you have to bring your own wood). We did use the televisions (there was one in the bedroom and one in the living room, but only one controller worked to access the menu), the dishwasher and the microwave.

There was another couple in the unit over ours. They are really heavy footed. Our unit has 17 steps to get up to it but it's over the garage and laundry room so we don't have to worry about walking lightly. We got the car unloaded before it really started to rain.

A website on the Outer Banks says: "Located on the north end of the Banks, Duck remained undeveloped until the 1970's. Commercial development has been limited along Highway 12 and the community has considerable ''old beach'' charm.

"Named for the sheer numbers of waterfowl that once flocked here during migratory seasons, Duck has experienced exponential growth over the past ten years. Duck is a thriving year-round town as well as vacation destination. Characterized by quaint boutiques, fine dining, and a variety of water sports both on the sound and in the ocean, Duck is rapidly becoming one of the most popular beach destinations in the country."

Staying in Duck off-season means that the beach is not so much of an attraction. But there are various sights and attractions near to Duck so we are not just restricted to the beach. These are the ones we visited this week (in alphabetical order).

1. Bodie Island Lighthouse
2. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
3. Cape Hatteras National Seashore
4. Currituck Beach Lighthouse (in Corolla north of Duck)
5. Ocracoke Lighthouse
6. Old Corolla Village and The Whalehead Club
7. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
8. Roanoke Island attractions including the Elizabethan Gardens, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, the North Carolina Aquarium and North Carolina Maritime Museum (and The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse replica)
9. Roanoke Island Festival Park, the Settlement Site at Festival Park, and the Adventure Museum at Festival Park,
10. Wanchese Seafood Industrial Park
11. Wright Brothers Memorial including Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center Page and the First Flight Centennial Exhibit Buildings,

After Checking In on Saturday 27 November

Sunset over the other units

About 6, we went back down to Duck to Fishbones Sunset Grille and Raw Bar for dinner. This place is on the water on the sound side.

Sunset on Currituck Bay

Sometimes they have music, and there are a number of TVs around the room.

Part of Appetizer_menu

Restaurant inside with TVs and Xmas decorations

Bob had a nice

Crab salad ($8.95)

and I had

Crabmeat augratin ($19.95

.
My tooth which started to hurt last night now makes it painful to chew on that side, so I didn't eat dessert. My whole jaw aches even though it is a top tooth.

Sunset over the Bay side

I try to use the number that I have for the internet and can't get it to work and all the other numbers are apparently long distance. It is supposed to rain tomorrow too, so I try to figure out something to do indoors.

Sunday, 28 November, 2004

Bob was tired and slept in. My tooth really hurts now - I drank a glass of juice but the cold makes my tooth ache. So I got up and tried to call my ISP mindspring. They gave me some more numbers but they didn't work either. The phones here are under Starlink and I can't get through to them. I called the Barrier Sales office and they said they didn't know of any dentists.

View from the condo

I unpacked and panicked when I couldn't find the box with my prescriptions, but when I was consolidating it ended up in a bag of stuff that I didn't bring into the unit. I find that I've only got two pair of trousers and one pair of Bermudas. Plenty of tops though. I panicked (again) when I couldn't find any of the 700 pictures I took in Bermuda, but the folder had just been moved. So I formatted a CD and copied them all to it.

Eventually Bob got up and made himself breakfast (scrambled eggs and toast). Then we went up towards Corolla to the Food Lion. He got Reynolds wrap, peanut butter, tuna fish, dish washing detergent, turkey bacon, cream cheese, scrapple, trash bags, pepper, mustard, salt, and Pam. All the essentials. He also got Ambesol for me. While he shopped, and I was sitting in the car trying not to think about my tooth hurting, I took some pictures of stores.

I also got the messages from my cell phone and find that I don't have dental insurance with Dental Benefit Providers - it is with United Concordia instead. There was also two wrong number calls from the Fairfax traffic division to a Mr. Singh.

Water tower

Route 12 in Corolla

Rental House

Then we drove all the way up to the end as far as we could go.

These signs are apparently for the 4WD vehicles that go on the beach. There is no charge for driving on the beach like there is in some other locations like Daytona Beach. We drove up to this point and then turned around because our Mercedes is NOT a 4WD. We took seriously the warning signs against driving farther without one.

Warning signs

The closest sign says "State Maintenance Ends"
The next one says: "No Parking Next to Dune Line or Ocean". I'm not sure what that means about where you can park.
The last sign says: "No Parking for Next 1/2 Mile. Towing Enforced"

Sign on the beach access

Although this sign warns that you cannot launch PWCs (personal water craft) from the beach into the Atlantic, I can't find that there is any prohibition on PWCs except in the Hatteras National Seashore and at Oregon Inlet

Old Corolla Village

Corolla is the northernmost town on the Outer Banks that is accessible by road. Until 1984, Corolla was a sleepy little village, with wild ponies roaming through the streets. There is also a bird sanctuary (the Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary) which is between Duck (the next village south) and Corolla. But for me Corolla is really about the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.

The Currituck Lighthouse pokes its top up above the surrounding vegetation and sand dunes. But if you look at the foreground of the picture you can see bike trails along the sides of the road. There are also off-road trails, and sometimes you can ride on the packed sand at low tide.

Currituck Light from road in Corolla

Entrance Sign - admission $6.00

We walked around the Currituck Light but neither of us felt like climbing it. The historic light station at Corolla village is known as the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. Technically it is NOT the Corolla Lighthouse even though it is in the village of Corolla.

Currituck Beach Light in November

Bottom of the lighthouse from the grounds

Another picture - bricks look a bit more yellow

The same with the brick a more bricklike color

It is one of eight lighthouses positioned along the Outer Banks and was built after the Civil War to fill in the remaining darkness between Bodie Island and Cape Henry, Virginia. Construction was begun in 1873, at the Whaleshead settlement adjacent to Currituck Sound and was completed in 1875. It stands 163 feet high and is constructed of more than one million bricks. The Currituck Beach Lighthouse was left unpainted in order to distinguish it from the other lighthouses along the Outer Banks. The lighthouse grounds provide many opportunities for photos, even if you do not want to climb the tower.

Lighthouse door

The 158 foot lighthouse was automated in 1939 and still flashes at 20-second intervals. According to the NPS, "The lighthouse remains today an active aid to navigation and for a number of years was the only lighthouse along the Outer Banks open to the public. It is the only lighthouse in North Carolina still housed in its original structure. It is one of only a dozen lighthouses nationwide with an original Fresnel lens still in use.

Top of the lighthouse with people walking around

In 1973, the lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places." The non-profit Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. had a 20 year lease on the lighthouse, and has now been awarded ownership of the historic structure for education, park, recreation, cultural, or historic preservation purposes from 2003

Restored Keeper's House on the lighthouse grounds

The Lighthouse Keepers' House, a Victorian "stick style" dwelling, was pre-cut and labeled, shipped by barge and then assembled on site. In 1876, when the Keepers' House was completed, two keepers and their families shared the duplex. The house was abandoned in 1939 when the lighthouse was automated, and served for a time as storage for hay. After the Lighthouse was automated the attendants were no longer needed to clean the lenses, trim the wicks, fuel the lamp, and wind the clockwork mechanism which rotated the beacon, so by the late 1970s, the Lighthouse Keepers' House stood open to the elements with no windows or doors; porches had decayed and vines invaded the north side. Much of the interior millwork had been vandalized. Restoration of the Keeper's house is an on-going project

Third Keeper's House

The smaller (and possibly older) little keepers' house was probably moved to the site around 1920 as a residence for a third keeper and his family. In 1995 this house on the north side of the complex was returned to service as a Museum Shop

Lighthouse Museum Shop

offering visitors models of lighthouses, books and other lighthouse and wild horse-related items.

Sign showing buildings on the grounds

Other historic structures located within the lighthouse compound include an outhouse and a storage building. The two-hole privy has been repaired and the storage building with its four sharp finials has been restored and now serves as the lighthouse staff office. The two louvered structures flanking the Keepers' House are cisterns which store rain water. I talked to the lady at the gift shop. She said the wild horses had been corralled and taken up towards the Virginia end because the home owners kept shooting and killing them.

Sign about the Whalehead Club

Gatehouse from the back

We drove around the Whalehead Club which was built by northern millionaires as a 'hunting lodge' in the 1920s - a big art deco house that was built for 30 of their dearest friends to come and hunt during the season. It is now being restored as a waterfowl museum. Most things say they are closed after Thanksgiving, but since Thanksgiving was so early this year, some of them are still open. I don't think the Whalehead Club is one of them - I called them this morning and they said they would not be open until December 12th.

Whalehead Sign

Whalehead

Mr. and Mrs. E. C. Knight, Jr., a socially prominent couple residing on Newport, Philadelphia, and Manhattan, completed construction of their winter retreat in 1925 (near the end of America's "Gilded Age") and originally named it Corolla Island. The Knights enjoyed winters on Corolla Island until 1934. They both died in 1936.

From the other side of the car

Their magnificent 21,000 square foot residence featured an outdoor swimming pool, two elevators, a 6,000 foot square basement, hot and cold running fresh and salt water baths and was accented with elegant Tiffany lighting. The estate originally stretched from ocean to sound and southward 4 1/2 miles.

Main house

In 1940, new owner Ray Adams, a meat packer from Washington, renamed the property the Whalehead Club and used it primarily to entertain hunting guests.

Another view (too big to get all into one frame)

During its history, the club/retreat/property has been used for a variety of purposes such as a United States Coast Guard base during World War II, a hunting lodge for the wealthy, a static rocket testing site and a boy's school. Currituck County purchased the Whalehead Club in 1992. The restoration is being directed by the volunteers who make up the Whalehead Preservation Trust and is made possible through a combination of generous private donations and public funding.

The Currituck Heritage Park, located at the Whalehead Club, has the original boathouse and pedestrian footbridge, both of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There is also the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education

Currituck Heritage Park

There is a new designated parking area for visitors with over 200 parking spaces at the picnic shelter and public restroom areas in the Northeast corner of the park. Park visitors can now park their vehicles in the new areas and walk within the park by sidewalks and boardwalks. The old parking area behind the Whalehead Club has been removed; however, the boat ramp remains open to the public.

Boathouse

Whalehead Club public boat ramp

Currituck Heritage Park is a popular destination for weddings, family reunions, or just a day of leisurely fun on Currituck Sound. Whether you enjoy crabbing, picnicking with family and friends or enjoying a quiet sunset over the Sound, Currituck Heritage Park is the place to be! Learn local history and heritage along self-guided walkways or signup for an educational program that will be offered daily. Currituck Heritage Park is open from sunrise to dusk

Pedestrian bridge

We also drove around Old Corella Village. Technically Corolla is the small village center on the unpaved road behind the lighthouse, while the area around this village (including the lighthouse) is Currituck.

Unpaved street

The village of Corolla was a thriving community that began to grow in 1875 after the lighthouse was built. The area was popular for waterfowl hunts (Duck is just down the road), and in 1890, at the peak of the market, 200 residents lived in the village.

Lighthouse_through_the_trees

After WWII, the population declined until the 1980s when a paved public road was opened to the area. Then, the development of the Currituck Outer Banks began.

Old and decripit in Old Corolla Village

You can still get a sense of the old village by walking in the shade of the oaks and pines on the dirt road on the west side of NC 12 behind the lighthouse.

shade under the trees

A few of the historic buildings from the old village remain and have been restored to look as they did when they were built. Several restored historic homes that have been converted into shops, so you can go inside, including the Lewark and Parker residences. A new building was built to look like Callie Parker's store.

A walking-tour map is available at many of the shops in the area or at Twiddy & Company Realtors, whose owners took charge of restoring the buildings.

Restored bookshop

Island Bookstore at Historic Village: According to the Twiddy & Company website: "Island Bookstore is your friendly village bookshop with the knowledge and resources of your favorite university bookstore. Full service, all subjects. It was built in the footprint of what was the general store."

Church

Corolla Schoolhouse c 1890

I took this picture of the schoolhouse through the window across Bob, but when I saw it after the trip I thought it looked like a church. That's a hazard of taking a lot of pictures and not being able to label them right away.

Corolla Schoolhouse from car

At the time of the schoolhouse construction (the mid- to late 1890s), there was no public school. The children of government employees went to the privateGovernment School whose teachers were paid by their parents. This school was originally built on land donated by Edward Knight (who built the building now known as the Whalehead Club).

In 1999, retired Corolla postmaster, Norris Austin, was the only surviving Corolla resident who is a former student. Norris was the fourth member of his family to attend the school, when he entered it in 1944. By 1955, when he graduated, the enrollment had dwindled to fifteen and finally just five students, according to records. It finally closed in 1958. The school was moved to its current location in 1999. With the underpinnings of the old school exposed, it was revealed that the 19th century watermen who originally built the school, apparently used everything they could find - including large timbers from shipwrecks that were plentiful along the shores at that time.

"You can see the old wooden pegs, and there's no mistaking these support beams were once part of a ship," said Contractor Jim Andrews of Kitty Hawk. "They even used old iron nails that were obviously salvaged off of the beach." Other exciting finds have been an old chalkboard and the original beadboard, dating back to the late 1800's. "We've found old doors in recesses behind walls and some of the original shingles," said Andrews. The schoolhouse was returned to its original white color with cedar shingles.

This structure is listed on the walking tour of the old village, but it is a private office and not open to the public. "The walking tour will also take you past the 1878 U.S. Lifesaving Station that was moved to the village, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse and Lightkeeper's Residence, and the historic Whalehead Club."

Old Corolla Village

Spry Creek Dry Goods is named after the deep water creek just north of the village center. It looked like an interesting place but, we didn't go shopping in there. The building used to be the owner's father's auto repair shop.

We got back to the unit about 4:00 pm

Someone was sitting in a lawn chair on the beach out front flying a kite.

Kite from our balcony

There were also people fishing in the surf and walking on the beach.

Walkway from the condo

Looking sideways

Bob was totally not interested in any of those things. We watched TV and then he cooked dinner (complaining that there was no kitchen fan). The Ambesol has taken some of the pain out but I think I'm going to try to see a dentist tomorrow. I guess this is one way to lose weight.

November 29, 2004 - Monday

Early view of the beach

Sunrise over the Atlantic

I got up and took a photo of the sunrise over the still restless ocean, and then worked on editing my photos until I thought people would be in their offices. I looked at the dentists in the phone book and picked the local one that was last in the alphabet. They said they could see me at 2:30 pm, and gave me directions to get there. I also called the HMO and they said emergency care would only have $50 authorized, and gave me the directions for putting in a claim. They also confirmed that there are no providers down here.

I took one of the pills Dr. J gave me for pain from shingles, and also put some more amubusol on my gum and my tooth doesn't hurt except if I forget and bite on it. When I was flossing this morning, I did notice that the tooth has turned black and I don't remember it being black before.. Sometimes that means that the tooth is dead.

About 10:20, I finally got myself together, and we started going south on highway 12 (the island is too narrow here in Duck to have more than one north-south road). My intention was to visit the Wright Brother's National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, but I looked at the map and saw that it was just a little farther to Bodie Island, so we went there.

Highway approaching the lighthouse

The name Bodie was originally spelled Body and is still pronounced "body" (as in "a body of water"). No one really knows the origin of the name. Maybe it was because so many bodies washed ashore from shipwrecks. Others believe it was the name of someone who helped build the light or was stationed there.

Entrance to Parking Lot

The building of the lighthouse was supervised by Dexter Stetson, who supervised the construction of Cape Hatteras. He used many of the same construction techniques that made the Hatteras lighthouse so strong. The method of "Stacking" was used where timber pilings below the ground were placed and granite blocks were built above the base. After the construction of Hatteras, there were many unused materials. Many of these were used during the construction of Bodie Island Lighthouse

Bodie Island Light

The first keeper of Bodie Island Lighthouse was paid an annual salary of $400. Bodie Island was really an island and the only access to schools for the keeper's children was by boat. There are extensive nature trails in the park which cover a great distance. Most of the area around the lighthouse is marsh, so there are plenty of biting insects to make you uncomfortable during the summer and fall.

The area in general hosts thousands of wintering snow geese, tundra swans, and shore birds during both spring and fall migrations.
This is a another lighthouse where I have a post card from my grandfather from 1903 (I also have one of Hatteras)

Antique postcard of Bodie Island Lighthouse

Bodie Island is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The 150 ft tall Bodie Island Light is 4 miles north of Oregon Inlet, and is encircled by two black and three white bands. It is an active lighthouse which is equipped with the original first-order Fresnel lens (which is treated as a separate property from the tower itself). The 160,000 candlepower beacon flashes 19 miles over the ocean in the on for 2.5 seconds and then off for the same period pattern.

Map of the outer banks with lighthouses

Originally built on Pea Island in 1847, and rebuilt with improvements in 1859, the 80 foot tower was blown up in 1862 by Confederate troops to prevent its use as a position marker by the Union forces.

Bodie Island diagram

On October 1, 1872, the present tower was put into operation and is the third lighthouse built here. According to a lightkeeper on duty at the time, shortly after this light was activated, a flock of wild geese flew into the lantern, causing severe damage to the lens. It was quickly repaired, and a wire screen was placed around the light to prevent further mishap. It was also necessary to put a lightening rod on the tower.

Another picture

Bodie Island was completely undeveloped, and the closest school was in Manteo on neighboring Roanoke Island (accessible only by boat). This meant that the keeper’s wife and children lived away from the lighthouse except during the summer month.

Pump and cistern

Eventually, school buses were able to reach the island, and the families were able to live with the keepers. The light was electrified in 1932, which ended the need for an on-site keeper. Finally, all of the light station’s property except the tower itself were transferred to the National Park Service in 1953. Still a functioning U.S. Coast Guard navigational aid, the tower is closed to the public.

Closeup of the oil house

One of the attractions of this lighthouse is that it isn't open to be climbed, so I don't have to feel guilty about not climbing it. Although the tower is not open for climbing, the lighthouse keeper cottage is now a museum, and there are accessible restrooms,

Bathrooms and restoration sign - Bodie Island

a visitor center, walking paths, and a unique bookstore. As with a number of other stations, the keeper's quarters was built as a duplex and was home to as many as three families (head keeper and two assistants) during its use. The back view is the same as the front, except that the handicapped accessible ramp is not at the back

Front view of Keepers Quarters- lighthouse in back

Side view of the Keeper's House

Bodie Island Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters

Since 1953, the Keeper’s duplex has since undergone two historic restorations, the last having been completed in May 1992. The building now serves as a ranger office and visitor center for Cape Hatteras National Seashore

The bottom floor of the double keeper's quarters is open to the public as a 2 room visitors' center. One room is a museum

Display in museum

Under the top lighthouse picture "Routine heavy weather for the sea-swept lighthouse at St. George Reef, California one of the most exposed stations in the country" Under the photo of the man: "Establishing this full dress keeper's uniform was one measure taken by the U.S. Lighthouse Board to help professionalize the service."

Right photo: "Though designed in the days of oil lamps and lighthouse keepers, this small order Fresnel Lens now magnifies and electric light tended by the U.S. Coast Guard.The US Congress assigned control of the nation's lighthouses to the Treasury Department in 1789. As coastal shipping increased in the 19th century, mariners began to protest that the light from most American lighthouses was poor, if visible at all. Though the revolutionary Fresnel Lense was invented in France in 1822, this expensive "foreign device" was shunned by the Treasury's miserly administration for years. Loss of property and lives continued along America's coast."

"In response to this and other concerns, the U.S. Lighthouse Board was created in 1852. The Board improved equipment distribution and maintenance, replaced ineffective workers with experienced ones, and installed Fresnel Lens in as many lighthouses as possible. Under the Board's guidance the U.S. Lighthouse Service soon rose to international prominence. The U.S. Coast Guard continues that legacy today, having absorbed the Lighthouse Service in 1939."

Picture of Thomas Point mislabeled

Under this is the photo of Thomas Point. Bob is looking at another display. This picture is labeled as a Sombrero Light. It is not. It is Thomas Point Light. It IS a screwpile lighthouse like the caption says - the only problem is that Sombrero Light is NOT a screwpile lighthouse.

This box which is somewhat like the Bodie Island lighthouse. The sign behind it says

Donation box

"Your donations support the preservation and protection of the unique and fragile natural and cultural resources of Cape Hatteras National Seashore"

Apparently the NPS cannot raise enough money to really preserve and protect the lighthouse against the ravages of weather and time. "U.S. General Services Administration officially transferred the Bodie Island Lighthouse from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to the National Park Service (NPS) on July 13, 2000. The USCG will maintain the lighting apparatus, as Bodie Island remains an active aid to navigation."

This lighthouse is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (which is a bit confusing because Cape Hatteras also has a very famous lighthouse.)

The tower is in need of complete restoration. The orange fence was there when we visited in November 2004.

Oil House and Base of the Tower

One of the websites says:
"At a passing glance, one would think that the lighthouse is in good condition, but that is not the case. In June of 2004, the lighthouse and oil house received a new paint job after a lead abatement project was completed to remove old lead paint from the interior... The lighthouse is in such need of restoration, that on August 9, 2004, several chuncks of the exterior ironwork fell from the tower. Some of these pieces, weighting as much as 40 lbs, forced the closing of the oil house and base as a safety precaution until inspections are completed."

Up until August 2004, volunteers could open the lower portion of the lighthouse for visitors to step inside and look up the magnificent 214 stairs that wind their way to the top of the tower. The old oil house now houses a generator.

We drove all the way back from Bodie Island to Southern Shores looking for a place which had soft food so I could eat something. I finally decided on Chilli Peppers in Kill Devil Hills. There was a fiberglass Pegasus out front (like London had cows, and Calvert County had sea horses, and Norfolk has mermaids and D.C. has pandas). This one was red. We've also seen one that is painted like a zebra These fiberglass statues are painted and then used for fundraising in the local area (Pegasus was chosen to represent both the OBX wild ponies and the connection with aviation)

Reel Pegasus

I had the $6.95 pasta special (bowties with chicken) and Bob had 2 chicken tacos for $7.00. We both got enormous plates of food. The total bill was $18.85 which is more than we usually spend for lunch, but Bob could only eat one of his tacos (the taco was dinner plate size) and I didn't eat all mine either. So we got the rest boxed up to go. Bob had the foresight to put the cooler in the trunk in case we got some food.

There were interesting metal sculptures outside, so while Bob was paying, I went out and photographed them.

Then we drove back to the Wright Bros Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. Kill Devil Hills is the actual site where the Wright Brothers made their first powered flight. It is the location of the Wright Brothers National Memorial and the original Visitor's Center.

Visitor's Center from the Parking Lot

We circled the 60-foot granite monument atop 90-foot tall Kill Devil Hill

Shady side of the Memorial Tower

Wright Brothers Memorial

The Kill Devil Hills Memorial Association, a national and local support group was founded August 27, 1927 to approving the design of a monument that was called for under the Wright Brothers Memorial Act.

The Coast Guard and local citizens partially stabilized the large hill at Kill Devil Hills to help prepare it for the monument. The War Department (now called the Department of Defense) planted shrubs and trees, and sodded the ground, preventing the continued southwest migration of Big Kill Devil Hill and altered the once barren scene of the first flight.

After a lot of disagreement about the design (Should it be a beacon? Should it be a Greek temple?), finally on February 14, 1930, the firm of Rodgers and Poor were awarded the $10,000 prize for their design and told that they were to proceed as architects for the construction of the monument.

The Rodgers and Poor design had strong ties to the then popular Art Deco movement — a movement traced to the 1925 Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels in Paris and the design gave expression to the "aesthetics of the machine." Essentially a masonry shaft, about 60 feet high, the monument was embellished with highly stylized sculpted wings on each side to symbolize the ideas of flight and motion. The design implied ancient Egyptian motifs, an important source for Art Deco designs, which also drew upon Native-American and Asian precedents.

Dedication day (November 19, 1932) arrived with heavy rains and high winds which cut down on attendance and partcipitation. Orville later confided that he felt the monument was "distinctive, without being freakish." At the end of the ceremony, aviator Ruth Nichols pulled a cord to officially mark the dedication of the monument. The cord released a well-drenched American flag concealing the word GENIUS in the inscription along the base of the monument:

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR
BY THE BROTHERS WILBUR AND ORVILLE WRIGHT
CONCEIVED BY GENIUS
ACHIEVED BY DAUNTLESS RESOLUTION AND UNCONQUERABLE FAITH

Orville and Wilber's Portraits in the visitor's center

Sculpture of the plane

Portrait Wall and seating for Ranger talks

Aviation Pioneers

Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine. Each year, one or more individuals who have been pioneers of aviation are honored by having their portraits hung in the Visitor's Center. These portraits are added annually by the First FLight Society to the Paul E. Garber First Flight gallery. However, they are not added in any kind of sequence which would enable someone to walk down a kind of timeline.
Top Row:
1) Amelia Earhart 1898 - 1937 First Woman To Fly Solo Across The Atlantic, 1932 First Pilot To Fly Solo Hawaii To California, 1935 Inducted in 1968
2) General James H. Doolittle 1896 - 1993 First To Make An All-Blind Instrument Flight From Take Off to Landing, 1929. Inducted in 1969
3) Jacqueline Cochran 1906 - 1980 First Woman To Pilot An Aircraft Supersonically, 1953 Inducted in 1968
4) Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd 1888 - 1957 First To Fly Over The North Pole, 1926 First To Fly Over The South Pole, 1929. Inducted in 1968
5) General Charles E. Yeager 1923 -First Person To Pilot An Aircraft At Supersonic Speed, 1947 Inducted in 1968
6) Captain Henry T. Merrill 1894 - 1982 First Pilot To Make A Commercial Round-trip Flight Over The Atlantic, 1937 Inducted in 1976
7) Grover C. Loening 1888 - 1976 Army’s First Civilian Aeronautical Engineer, 1914 Inducted in 1972

Wall of Fame and seating

Bottom row
1) Alberto Santos-Dumont (in the funny white hat) 1873 - 1932 First To Fly A Heavier-Than-Air Machine In Europe, 1906 Inducted in 1981
2) Bessie Coleman 1893-1926 First Black Woman Licensed Pilot Inducted in 1989
3) Lieutenant Thomas E. Selfridge 1882 - 1908 First Military Officer To Pilot An Airplane, 1908 First Fatality In Powered Aviation, 1908 Inducted in1971
4) Major General Benjamin D. Foulois 1879 - 1967 First United States Military Aviator Inducted in 1980

Four Aviation Pioneers

Top right inducted in 1971 Robert White First astronaut designee in a winged aircraft.Bottom left inducted in 1976 is Alford Williams the Navy's first chief test pilot; father of dive bombingThe top left picture was a 1991 inductee Hans Von Ohain who developed the engine powering the world’s first jet plane Bottom right inducted in 1997 is Tom Davis Pioneer in commercial aviation

We went out to see the flight path

Prickly Pear Cactus

The national park service warns that there are sand spurs and prickly pear cactus off the path that you will want to avoid. They also want to avoid having people damaging the plantings by tramping around off the paths.

Wright Brothers

Wright Bros. camp

Camp reconstruction

The Camp

I intend to be comfortable while I am here

The park services has reconstructed the buildings of the Wright Brother's camp so visitors can see what life was like for them.

When the Wright brothers first came to the Outer Banks in the autumn of 1900, they stayed with local resident William Tate and his family. In 1901, they pitched a tent about 1,000 feet east of the higher hill and building a rudimentary shed to use as a workshop. But during their initial time living in a tent, they would have to hold the tent down during the night to keep it from blowing away. They sent home letters that described the conditions they faced. In particular, they hated the mosquitoes. In a letter from Orville to his sister Katharine, he wrote, “Lumps began swelling up all over my body like hen’s eggs.” They would cover themselves with blankets, but when they got too hot, they had to unwrap for a minute, exposing themselves to the ubiquitous mosquito swarms

They again returned to the workshop for the 1902 season and, rebuilt the dilapidated shed, adding an additional 10 feet to use as a quarters, the brothers being tired of tent living. Orville penned, “Trying to camp down here reminds me constantly of those poor arctic explorers.”

Plaque at the first flight location

When they wanted to identify the exact place where the first flight took place, "Houston we have a problem" .. dunes of sand shift - that is their job.

How did they pinpoint the place? On November 4, 1928, under the direction of the NAA, Captain William Tate, three of the four surviving witnesses (Will Dough, Adam Etheridge, and Johnny Moore) to the first flight met to determine the point of takeoff.

"Dough, Etheridge, Moore, and I assembled here and I explained to them the importance of arriving at a definite conclusion with respect to the spot where the Wright brothers' airplane, in making its first successful flight, first began to move along the ground. We located the four corners of the building in which the machine was housed…. We took into consideration what Mr. Orville Wright said about it in his article How We Made Our First Flight. We had a compass with us and we were sure of our compass course. After considering all these things and talking it over these other three men proceeded by themselves to come out here on this point and select the spot on which this magnificent boulder stands and said that this was the spot where the Wright airplane started its first successful flight…. After agreeing upon this exact spot we signed a paper to that effect…. "

The 4 x 6 granite boulder which cost $2500.00 was dedicated on December 17, 1928 and has a plaque on it which reads:

THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT
- OF AN AIRPLANE -
WAS MADE FROM THIS SPOT BY
+ ORVILLE WRIGHT +
DECEMBER 17,1903 IN A MACHINE DESIGNED AND BUILT BY
WILBUR AND ORVILLE WRIGHT.
____________________
THIS TABLET WAS ERECTED BY THE
NATIONAL AERONAUTIC ASSOCIATON
OF THE USA DECEMBER 17, 1928
TO COMMEMORATE THE 25TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THIS EVENT.

100th Anniversary Flight Path marker

Where the first flight took place

Bob walking along the original flight path

We went out to the place where the first flight took place and walked along the fight path as it is marked out on the sand.

At 10:35am, he released the restraining wire. The flyer moved down the rail as Wilbur steadied the wings. Just as Orville left the ground, John Daniels, a member of the lifesaving station, snapped the shutter on a preset camera, capturing the iconic image of the airborne aircraft with Wilbur running alongside. Again the flyer was unruly, pitching up and down as Orville overcompensated with the controls. But he kept it aloft until it hit the sand about 120 feet from the rail. Into the 27-mph wind, the groundspeed had been 6.8 mph, for a total airspeed of 34 mph. The flight lasted only 12 seconds, and the distance covered was less than the total length of a modern passenger airliner. But for the first time, a manned, heavier-than-air machine left the ground by its own power, moved forward under control without losing speed, and landed on a point as high as that from which it started. The brothers took turns flying three more times that day, getting a feel for the controls and increasing their distance with each flight. Wilbur's second flight - the fourth and last of the day – was an impressive 852 feet in 59 seconds.

Diorama of the first flight

Last year (2003) was the 100th anniversary of the first flight so they had a whole exhibit including recreation of those original photos

Original photo and recreation in 2003

After an interesting visit at the Wright Bros. Memorial,

Bob walking back along the path to the visitor's center

I went for my dentist appointment. He took an X-ray and told me that there was an infection of the nerve and I would need a root canal. He gave me a prescription for antibiotic and said to take Motrin if I needed additional pain relief (although he said I was taking quite a bit already). He charged me $100 for this.

Bob got the prescription filled at Kmart (they take the Tricare card) and then we came on home.

Visitor's Center at the intersection NC 12 -US 64

Bob is trying to find landmarks that will let him know where he is - of course when he gets that organized, it will be time to move on. I called our daughter in Miami and asked her to make me an appointment to have a root canal done down there - hopefully with someone who is under United Concordia.

Dunes near Jockey Ridge State Park

There was to be a ranger talk at the main auditorium at 4. So we drove back over for that. It was totally worth it. The Wrights thought that the information on lift had already been documented; that they could use a rudder like a boat rudder; and a propeller like a boat propeller. All wrong. The lift data was flawed, the boat rudder won't work on a plane, and all the work on props had been trial and error.

Sewing machine use by Wilber to modify the fabric of the first glider

Model in Visitor's Center with mannequin

Bob had said that he didn't understand the way that the Wrights controlled their airplane, and the ranger at the visitor's center explained it. Pitch was controlled with the left hand (the engine throttle was in the right hand), and there was a hip cradle which controlled the yaw and roll. One of the Wright's breakthrough's was to link the roll and yaw into one control.He said that the Wright Bros only patented one item and that was the control system for flying, and that all airplanes today use that system. They didn't bother to patent the prop design which is 81% efficient - modern ones are only 85% efficient. Wilbur died in NYC in 1912 of typhoid, but Orville lived until 1948, and became wealthy

We also visited the Centennial of Flight exhibits.

Centennial Exhibition Hall and Memorial

At the time of the Centennial of Flight celebration, the original visitor's center at the Wright Brother's National Monument was judged as "inadequate". So funds were raised by commericial firms and the Centennial Pavilion was built. Content partners (which means organizations who have exhibits here) include NASA, the United States Air Force, The Wright Experience, Outer Banks History Center, General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission and others.

The Pavilion houses interpretive and educational exhibits. It will continue for five years or more, as part of a long-term improvement plan for the park, serving at least 5 million visitors in total.

There was a 70 minute presentation about the Wright's experience on the island - including the first boat trip from Elizabeth City where the dinghy to get out to the big boat was leaking and the big boat was leaking and the sails were worn and the lines were frayed. Wilbur was afraid to eat any of the food on the ship. He got to Kitty Hawk 36 hours later - hungry.

Bob walking through the exhibits

Specs of the plane

Display in the Centennial Building

Memorial at sunset

Sunset

We ate our leftover lunch for dinner.