We trekked south on Highway 64 right into North Carolina and down state route 158 along the Outer Banks to the Wright Brothers National Memorial. The Wright Brothers, those two persistent and amazing geniuses who presented the world with the gift of flight. The Wright Monument, a granite pylon towering 60 feet above the summit of Big Kill Devil Hill – a 90 foot high sand dune, is the first thing you see as you drive into the National Monument area and is visible for nearly five miles before you get there. Dedicated in 1932, the pylon was carved in place from a single piece of granite then placed atop a five pointed star platform.
It is to me a classic example of the art nouveau style of the 1930’s art scene, especially the panels of the stainless steel doors and the soaring winged design of the pylon.
The inscription carved around the base serves to remind us of the driving spirit of these two remarkable men: “In commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright. Conceived by genius and achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith.”
Big Kill Devil Hill was the high point from which the brothers launched their gliders and prototype aircraft before succeeding with the first mechanized flight in history on December 17, 1903. That flight was a short 12 seconds and 120 feet, but by the end of the day they had attempted three additional flights with the final being 59 seconds and 852 feet. The original plane was damaged beyond repair that very night in a wind storm but the brothers telegraphed their father of their success and thus our modern aviation industry began. I found it rather terrific that there is a small plane airport right here on the grounds of the National Monument. I thought how fun it would be to fly into this special place just to see where it all began, then to fly out and look down on the history.
We did not go into the reconstructed 1903 hanger and cabin but rather right to the Visitor’s Center to see the recreated aircraft and a glider and to listen to a ranger lecture. When you see how fragile and small this plane was you are even more astounded at their achievement. I thought it an interesting footnote that when a local Mother had heard the plane was not going to be repaired she requested the unbleached muslin to make dresses for her daughters. Ah, those frugal Kitty Hawkers!
Leaving the Kitty Hawk area late in the afternoon we pretty much just ‘flew’ down NC 12 in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to Avon for an overnight adventure in a light snowstorm! Cape Hatteras stretches north to south across three islands – Bodie, Hatteras and Okracoke. This is a wild area where sea and land coexist in an uneasy alliance, where forests of cedar, oak and yaupon holly are shaped by the ceaseless wind and sand; where currents meet and defeat the ships that try to pass too near the shore. Known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” these islands have seen more than 600 ships go down and have spawned many life saving stations filled with brave and dedicated local villagers. Each island has its own lighthouse, each distinct in its design and history. In all there are five operating lights in the Outer Banks region but we could only get close to two of them. So the next day we visited the small Hatteras Island Visitor Center and took photos of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It was built in 1870 and is the tallest lighthouse in the United States as well as the tallest brick lighthouse in the world. Bet it could also be advertised as the world’s biggest barber pole!
It was on into the town of Hatteras on our way to catch the free ferry over to Okracoke Island. One gets a sense of what a madhouse these resorts must be in the spring and summer high season by just looking at the number and types of businesses that are closed. It’s a strange sort of ghost town feeling to everything but we were quite honestly grateful that the throngs were gone.
The ferry was a quick forty minutes of cold refreshing air and then on we drove in search of the wild pony pens near Okracoke. It is believed these horses are the remnants of the horses turned loose by Spanish explorers during the 1500s and possibly a few of the animals turned loose by early colonists. The herds can no longer roam freely in the National Seashore due to loss of habitat and must be managed by the NPS. Thus the only place to be assured of seeing them is to drive to the feeding pens. You can see by Cokie’s photos that they really aren’t as stunted or rough looking as you might expect, proof that regular food and some shelter from the incessant wind and storms has been pretty beneficial to them. I was intrigued by the disproportionately bigger head and larger jaw muscles. I speculated that it may have been an adaptation for grazing the tougher, more fibrous shore grasses for several centuries.
We stayed a couple of days in Okracoke, wandering around the shore and village, watching the changing weather and local fishing boats. It was a cold, quiet time in a place where life slowly folds in upon itself and prepares for the long grey of winter. Cokie photographed the lighthouse which is the oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina having been built in 1823.
Our next adventure was the 21/2 hour ferry ride across Okracoke Inlet westward to Cedar Island and on to the mainland. When we looked behind us at the receding shoreline we were met by the gazillions of gulls that were following the ferry. What masters of the air and water are these raucous birds, how utterly graceful, how suited to their world and how terrifically nasty they are to each other!
Once we disembarked we headed westward along the coast to Bogue (I don’t know, maybe Boogie?) and Cedar Point for a loverly full service campground in the Croatan National Forest. Again, we stayed about a week watching fungus grow, getting caught up on blogs and correspondence, doing shopping and planning our next adventure in the Congaree National Park in South Carolina. So we’ll see what we can find there as we head westward and southward hopefully to warmer and warmer climes.
