Virtual Vacation: Northern Beaches

When I say "Northern Beaches" I mean the collective towns of Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and Nags Head, none of which are on Hatteras Island but further north on Bodie Island.
When I was a kid, lots of people would tell me they were heading to Nags Head on vacation. I had absolutely no idea where that was. Just thought it was on the coast of North Carolina somewhere.
Like I previously stated, I did not know where the Outer Banks were.

But I've been educated, and then some. After ten years of vacations down there, I can safely say I pretty much know where everything is at and certainly how to get there. I think our car can get there on its own - without a GPS and just about sans map. (But those exits can be a bitch around D.C.).

When we travel down, we always cross over to the literal Outer Banks via the bridge at Kitty Hawk, aptly named The Wright Memorial Bridge.

While nowhere near as scary as the Bonner Bridge crossing over to Hatteras Island, the Wright Memorial still packs a punch if for nothing else but the major crosswinds.

Anyway, we pass through several of these towns on on voyage down to Avon. But on another day, we make the trek back up north to visit the towns I can pretty much guarantee we will never stay at. Not because they aren't beautiful, but because they are BUSY. The roads aren't just roads, they are highways - 4 lanes. Completely unlike the charm and nostalgia of driving on a sand-covered two lane Route 12 on Hatteras Island.

Even though we pass the Bodie Island Lighthouse on the way, we'll take that trip another day and throw in Manteo on that excursion. For now, we'll drive all the way to Corolla - the very last town on the island, and home to the Bankers Ponies - which we've never seen!
But we haven't really tried, either.

When you drive to the end of the road in Corolla, that's it. I mean it literally turns to sand, and you can't drive further unless you let air out of your tires and drive on the beach. The view at right is obviously not a picture I took, as I keep forgetting to bring my private plane when we take these trips! But you can see how the road just ends in the ocean. Shazzam...the end of North Carolina.

The hubby and I have every intention of driving on the sand there someday...but haven't yet. If we were to do that, we'd be rewarded with the view at left. At least I hope so!

Luckily we've seen the ponies at Ocracoke, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the horses in Corolla look pretty much the same!

In Corolla, also known as Currituck, it's a must to check out the Corolla Light. This natural brick, never painted, lighthouse is in the most gorgeous setting of all the lights on the Outer Banks.
It's impeccably kept up, beautiful, and open for climbing.
Some pics:



So many trees make it different than other lighthouses here.




The view inside on the way up:



And finally, the view from the top:



Simply stunning!



All over the Outer Banks, north and south, there are these horse statues. The deal with them is this - In 2003 it was the Centennial Celebration of the Wright Brothers historic flight, and 99 fiberglass horses were placed all over OBX in honor of the first flight.



A third of these statues were auctioned off, but a lot of them still remain. Here are a few more:









There are several cool places to eat up north, we've ate at many different spots.
A few favorites:

Duck Diner (in Duck, natch!) -



Red Drum Grill & Taphouse in Nags Head -


And by FAR my favorite place and the best on Bodie Island is The Black Pelican. -



The Black Pelican is on old beach road (Route 12) in Kitty Hawk.
It used to be an old lifesaving station, and with the ocean encroaching on the shore in Kitty Hawk, there are no cottages on the beach across the road from it anymore, so the ocean is all you see.



Here is where I had the BEST scallops of my entire existence. Every year I come back, and will continue to do so. They also have the best desserts in the entire Outer Banks. And I mean that.

On the sound side of Bodie Island, you'll find a few major attractions that draw tourists far and wide. First off is the Wright Brothers Memorial and Museum.



For heavens sake if you don't know by now who the Wright Brothers are, google it - I can't bear to think anyone is that inept about American History, okay?



Inside the museum...



Also close by in Nags Head -
The biggest damn sand dune you're ever bound to see...



And no, we've never climbed it. Maybe someday...

Well, that's the northern beaches in a nutshell.
Next up... Bodie Island Lighthouse, Manteo, and southern villages.

Virtual Vacation: Buxton / Cape Hatteras

Falling a bit behind on my vacation posts - yikes!

So here we are in Buxton. Plenty to do, so let's go.

First stop: The Orange Blossom Cafe. Without a doubt the best breakfast on the Outer Banks.
And no....I'm not talking greasy bacon and runny eggs here -



I'm talkin' APPLE UGLIES!



Yes, they look like a dissected heart, but they taste like heaven. The hubby is addicted to them. I'm more of a Cranberry-Orange muffin person myself, and by God they are the BEST I've ever had and I yearn for them year-round.
They also have the best glazed doughnuts this side of my hometown's. Seriously.

Then it's just a little stretch of road to the world famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.




I'll admit that when I was younger and became enamoured with lighthouses, I recognized this beauty, because it was always in paintings and such, and seemed pretty famous.
But I didn't know it was on the Outer Banks. I'll even go as far as to say I had no idea where the hell the Outer Banks were, and I really didn't know they were way out in the Atlantic Ocean like they are.



There is something special about this lighthouse. Besides it being the tallest in the USA at nearly 200 feet, and the fact that it is still quite functional and helpful to seafarers by warning them of the dangerous Diamond Shoals (the area isn't called the Graveyard of the Atlantic for nothing), but it's just downright beautiful.



You can climb to the top, which we've done several times, but it is quite a challenge to your legs - the equivalent of 12 stories and a rather claustrophobic stroll at best. But sooo worth it.




I have a view of the ocean from up top, but cannot find it at the moment.



Above is a pic of the lighthouse keeper's houses - one is turned into a museum and the other is a Coast Guard-run office of some sort. They were relocated in 1999/2000 when the lighthouse was moved.



This is the old location of the lighthouse. From there you can see how far they actually moved the lighthouse (2870 feet) to protect it from the encroaching sea.



These trees were damaged in Hurricane Isabel in September 2003. There is a stark beauty in their sad existence. They are on the grounds of the lighthouse.




There are beach flowers everywhere. Most are this purple color or yellow.

Ah... on to the Turtle Pond!




The turtle pond is on the road to the lighthouse, but we almost always stop after seeing the light.
And yes, there really are this many turtles!



It used to be you could feed them bread, and believe me, everyone would come to do it.
But the National Park Service put an end to it not too long ago because too many turtles were getting hit on the road - it's quite close.






There are also always Canadian Geese down there, and we always go in the spring so we get to see the new babies. So adorable.

Time for lunch!




A great little place, The Fish House, is right down the road, almost into Frisco.
It is literally a former fish house right on the harbor. It's awesome not only for the (very) fresh seafood, but for the sloping floors that were common in a place where fish were unloaded every day with every catch.

Then it's on to The Old Gray House.



A quaint little shoppe owned by Dewey and Mary Parr, it is famous for its shells. You can even buy them online (here). Every time we've been there (and that's every time we go) the owners have been there and are so incredibly kind and friendly.
They always have stories to tell about living in Buxton and "the old days" - it's a great piece of nostalgia we wouldn't miss. The Parr's are retired and have the shoppe for fun.



While the inside is a shoppe, the best part is the outside grounds where they have a fantastic shell-garden. Seriously awesome.



Pictures really can't express how cool it is.



And you can buy pretty much any kind of shell you'd ever want, as well as crafts with shells - in particular wind chimes.



I love the spanish moss, which Dewey said he bought and trained to grow here.



Pine and roses. What a great smell.

Okay - enough shopping. Time to hit the beach.



The beach at Buxton is unlike the other beaches up and down the coast. It's more cut up and not quite as wide. For here in Buxton is where the Labrador Current in the north and the Gulf Stream from the south converge and create a nasty, nasty section of waters known as Diamond Shoals. It is extremely dangerous here at times, but it never deters surfers, and as a matter of fact the East Coast National Surfing Association holds championships here.



It is also an unbelievably fantastic place to fish.
No, I don't know the dude above (not even my pic, truth be told), but I have seen people reel this kind of thing in or unload it at one of the docks. Great fishing here.



Here's the hubby chillaxin' on the beach.




Baby pelican. What a cutie.



The view of Hatteras Light from Buxton beach.

After an afternoon spent on the beach, it's pretty tiring to do anything except relax at the cottage in the evening. Watch a bit of tv, sit outside on the deck...hit the sack early. The sun can really do you in - exhaust you.
And we want to be rested up for whatever the next day has in store!

Virtual Vacation: Ocracoke

Since this is a virtual vacation, we can make the weather any way we want, and so I say it was absolutely gorgeous out today - a perfect day for a day-trip over to Ocracoke.

We'll just do pics.
Naturally, these pics were all taken on different days, in different years - so the sky will look different shades of blue for every shot.


On the ferry. This is looking back at Hatteras Landing as we left.



Literal proof of us being on the ferry.



I told you - uncrowded beaches abound on the Outer Banks.
This is the beach at Ocracoke.



Lunch at Howard's Pub is not only a tradition, but a necessity.



Then it's a walk through town and to the Ocracoke lighthouse.



Oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina. (1823)



Bit of history. (Fort Ocracoke)



In the village, we spot a juvenile seagull.



Another lengthy walk on the beach does prove that other life exists.
A lone fisherman.



Ocracoke is one of the best places on the Outer Banks to collect seashells.



On the way back to the ferry, we pull off Route 12, where the Ocracoke ponies greet you. They used to roam wild on the island but too many were getting hurt/killed on the road - hence the fence.


While waiting for the return ferry, you can make a lot of new friends.



Usually you will pass a ferry or two coming to and fro.



The ferry ride back, with vast views of the bluer than blue Atlantic.



And after a day like that, we're beat. So it's probably hot dogs for supper - and a piece of incredibly delicious fudge (I'm thinking German Chocolate, Todd will have peanut butter of course) from 'Sweet & Simple Pleasures' in Avon will do the trick....

So what will the rest of the week bring - will it rain? Or more nice weather? Will we stay around Avon or head up north?
Perhaps a trip north to Kitty Hawk to one of my favorite restaurants on the entire island chain - The Black Pelican...