We took the Ferry across Hatteras Sound from Ocracoke Island to explore the Outer Banks (OBX) from Hatteras Village to where the pavement ends in Corolla and a serious four-wheel-drive vehicle is required to continue North in the deep sand. We used an Aribnb in Kill Devil Hills for a base of operation. This is the account of our adventures in the southern half of the OBX islands connected by bridges.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum overlooks the shifting sand bars caused by severe weather that contributed to more than 5,000 ships sinking off the Outer Banks. The Museum also chronicles the loss of merchant and war ships by pirates, Civil War battles and submarines during WWI and WWII. The ghostly displays are housed next to the ferry dock on the southern tip of Hatteras Island. Pieces of ship wreckage, trapped in shifting sands, still wash ashore after powerful storms.
The Cape Hatteras Light House towers 183-feet above a 12-mile long sandbar named Diamond Shoals. Just off Cape Hatteras, the Virginia Drift plows into the Gulf Stream pushing southbound ships into the shallow water.The first lighthouse was built in 1803 and replaced in 1870.
Barreling north on Highway 12 Karen pointed at a break in the woods and said, “Was that a spaceship?” We wheeled around to find the “second most photographed attraction” on Hatteras Island, after the lighthouse. It belongs to Jim Bagwell who purchased it off Hatteras beach and brought it to Frisco. According to Jim, the County Planning Department hates it and keeps him from using the alien home to sell ice cream. The Tourist Board loves it, so it’s not flying anywhere soon.
This is the third version of the Bodie Island Lighthouse. Built in 1872, it towers over Roanoke Sound at the beginning of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
You must make a reservation at www.recreation.gov to climb the 200 steps for a spectacular view. Do not wait until you are at the base of the lighthouse to make your reservation. The floating staircase is only attached at the landings. Only one person is allowed on the individual flights at a time. You must yell, “Clear” when you reach a landing to let the climber below know they can start of the next flight.
The view from the catwalk near the top of Bodie Lighthouse is worth the hassle of registering, The climb made a great morning warm up to start our day.
We detoured from Highway 12 and took 64 to Roanoke Island. Outer Banks Distilling is the first legal booze operation in the OBX. We sampled their Kill Devil Rum with owner Adam Ball. His Pecan Honey Rum was an award-winning treasure.
The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse sits atop a pier in Shallowbag Bay. This replica of the original built in 1877 replaced Manteo’s wastewater treatment plant.
The Elizabeth II is a replica of an English vessel from the Roanoke Voyage of 1585. She’s berthed across from downtown Monteo and sails with a crew dressed as 16th century sailors.
When the Wilson’s bought this property in Monteo in 1957, the Mother Vine’s twisting branches covered two acres. They trimmed it down to 30-feet by 120-feet to build their home.
Believed to be over 400-years old, the Mother Vine is regarded as North America’s oldest grape vine and the “mother” of all scuppernong grapes, which are North Carolina’s state fruit.
Nags Head Beach is crowded compared Ocracoke’s miles of isolation. The town’s name comes from ship wreckers that attached lanterns to horses’ (nags) necks and paraded them among the high dunes. Captains were fooled into thinking they saw boats at anchor and ran their ships aground, where salvagers stole their cargos.
The Outer Banks has a sordid history full of disreputable and honorable characters. Subject to the whims of nature, it’s a beautiful and fragile environment that requires tenacious inhabitants. We’ll travel north to Corolla from Kill Devil Hills in my next OBX installment.