More from The Outer Banks

Hey Everybody,

I left Ocracoke - won't forget that stop anytime soon!- this morning, but not before a return visit to the Ocracoke Coffee Co. for one last mocha mint smoothie for the ferry ride to Hatteras. This ferry is free (and always will be) because the islanders need a free way to leave the island. It runs from 5am to midnight and is about a 40 min trip. We were surrounded by very shallow water the entire time and it was easy to understand why the area is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Hopefully the pic will give you an idea...

The weirdest thing I saw in the water though we're duck blinds. I never heard of such a thing! Of course, I'm not a hunter. What makes it so odd at first is that they're 20+ miles out to sea, but the water is really shallow. In the pic, there are about 8 duck blinds. They were all over the place.

Have I mentioned that the wind NEVER stops blowing here? Never! I don't mean a breeze...I mean wind. There are spots along the way that have been identified as some of the best kiteboarding places on the east coast. And, how can you go wrong when you can just pull up your truck and set up? This was taken in Hatteras; second pic is same beach in other direction. And pretty much the entire way north today this is how the beachfront looked. Nag's Head is very developed - guess that's what happens when you get a bridge to the mainland - Walmart's, Lowes, fast food chains, etc. It reminded me of Myrtle Beach.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (1870) is my favorite one on any coast to date. It's so pretty. It's also the tallest in the US. And it was recently relocated nearly 3,000 feet due to beach erosion at the original sight.

Next is the 1872 Bodie Island Lighthouse (originally "Body") which is undergoing construction so I couldn't get very close. You decide: it is either named after the family who owned the land or after all the shipwrecked bodies that washed ashore. Interestingly, it is the third Bodie Lighthouse. The first one collapsed and the second one was blown up by Confederate soldiers trying to foil the Union Navy.

One of the most environmentally interesting places I saw heading over the Oregon Inlet Bridge. So, after I stopped at the Bodie Lighthouse I went back over the bridge to check it out. What I most wanted to do was take photos from the bridge, but that's not really an option, especially on a day when there's only one traffic lane. Oh well...maybe next time.

This is the beach on the south side of Oregon Inlet as seen from the dunes. And that house is the one I want in my next life....it looks amazing from the bridge! It is the only house around....

As today is Wilbur Wright's 145th birthday (who knew!) the Wright Brothers Memorial was free; love that! This large boulder marks the spot where the first plane left the ground on 12-17-1903. The smaller stone markers indicate the distance & landings of those first four flights that day. The first four flights: (1) 12 seconds, 120 ft; (2) 12 seconds, 175 ft; (3) 15 seconds, 200 ft; and (4) 59 seconds, 852 feet. I learned that on the 100th anniversary of flight an original piece of the wing was carried to space for the first lunar landing. That piece now hangs in the visitor center.

This is the Currituck Beach Lighthouse (1875). If you want to climb the Ligthouse stairs you have to sign a waiver...because "construction predates modern building codes and regulations."

Not sure of tomorrow's plan or direction....yet. But I'll know soon...for now, I'm just glad I got the laundry finished tonight. More soon.