Out To The Outer Banks - Part 2
Written: Oct 30 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Everything was a new adventure
Cons: We only found one restaurant we really liked
|
|
|
| Granniemose's Full Review: North Carolina |
Review Topic: Practical Information
My daughter and I had driven to the Outer Banks in North Carolina - Part 1. I am picking up as we left the ferry at Ocracoke Island. Ocracoke is where the infamous Edward Teach (Blackbeard) and other pirates hung out, using the place as a hide away, and where Blackbeard met his death.
The governor of Virginia, frustrated that the governor of Virginia had done nothing to expel the pirates, sent two sloops of Virginia sailors to find Blackbeard and bring him to justice.
Blackbeard put up an enormous fight, still fighting with furious energy even though his body carried five fresh bullets and twenty serious saber wounds. He had bested the leader of the group, and stood over him with his saber, poised to make the downward slash when he was struck from behind and the back of his neck received a deep saber wound. Legend said that as the downward thrust of his saber was slowed by the wound, he saw the reflection of the devil in his sword, and flung the weapon away from him in fear and disgust. Now weaponless, the sailors quickly finished him off.
Nancy Reynolds, a North Carolina historian, quotes another historian as writing "Here was the end of that courageous brute who might have been a hero had he been fighting for a good cause."
The first lighthouse we visited was at Ochacoke. This was first built in 1803 on Shell Island. It was destroyed by fire, and rebuilt in 1823. It is 76' high, and although the lens was damaged during the Civil War and replaced in 1864, the light house has been in continuous use ever since it was first lighted.
A white bearded gentleman in a sailor's cap (probably a retired plumber) told me. with the air or one who knows, that there only four or five working lighthouses left in the United States. and they are all automated. This ancient building is one of them. The keeper's house is used as a residence for Park Service personnel. While we were there Judy got some great pictures, but the building was closed to visitors.
The next lighthouse we visited took a little driving. We could see the structure through the trees, and our winding path to reach it took us past a lovely neighborhood with beautiful stilted homes and manicured lawns and gardens. We finally found it at Currituck Beach. It is a beautiful red brick conical tower, 163' tall, on a timber foundation. Visitors were permitted to climb the spiral staircase if they wished, and many of them strolled the high cat walk. I like to pretend that if I were forty years younger I would have gone up there for the view. But, in all honesty, enclosed places make me extremely uneasy, and heights present a fear problem. I don't mind heights in a plane - after all, there is about a quarter inch of aluminum between the ocean and I, but up there I could see only an iron, waist high railing. Stress time on the stairs? Panic on the cat walk? I don't think so.
It does make you think, though, about what a tough time the keepers had before the advent of radar, sonar, satalites, and such things that protect the ships at sea today. Then the keepers had to climb those stairs at least twice a day, they had to wash the windows and prisms daily, they had to carry oil for the lamps, and trim the wicks. If they were on an Island lighthouse, they were often cut off from the mainland by raging seas, unable to get help or supplies. Sometimes on the East coast, when the temperatures would drop, they were encased with ice until someone from the mainland could get to them to chip them free. The keepers were responsible for painting and maintaining the tops of the lighthouses (the Coast Guard took care of the lower part) and the only way they could reach the top was by a make shift ladder, or a chair. In rough winds, quite a number of them plunged screaming to their deaths. Sometimes children had to be tethered if they were to play outside, to keep them from falling into the ocean. The Currituck Beach lighthouse was built in 1875, and is equipped with an automated 1st order lens which is still in use today.
Our next stop was Roanoak Island where we visited the spot where a colony of early settlers disappeared and no trace of them has ever been found. This area was claimed by Sir Walter Raleigh, in the name of Queen Elizabeth. He sent back glowing reports of abundance, but didn't mention any of the hardships the colonists would have to endure. All in all he sent three groups of colonists to Roanoak Island. The first group successfully returned to England, bringing with them two native Indians to help prepare for the second group. These colonists brought along their wives, and among this group was the first child born to the settlers, a little girl they named Virginia Dare. She was named in honor of the area, which Raleigh named Virginia for Elizabeth, the "virgin" queen. Was she really, you think? Personally, I have my doubts.
Some of the male colonists moved onward in exploration, and when they returned the entire colony had disappeared - wives, children, remaining males, possessions, everything was gone. A third exposition came to Roanoak, and that one remained, but no explanation for the lost colony has ever been found. The grounds are beautiful, there is a gift shop, and for a small fee you can view a movie and listen to a lecture about the area's history.
Judith took more pictures. Among the pictures she has taken, she has already sold a half dozen enlarged ocean prints without advertising them. And we have only been back home a little over a week, which proves how beautiful the area is.
It was in this general area that Judith and I had lunch. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant. It was pretty, clean, and not crowded. (about 1:30 pm) Jude had a salad, and I had a shrimp and scampy casserole with garlic sauce. It was meager, and I suddenly had a "must have chocolate" seizure. The waitress suggested double-double chocolate chip cake, made with minerals and vitamins, and"no calories", she said with only a hint of a sardonic smile. I opted for that and convinced Judith to have the same thing. (Like I had to try very hard? -not)
Anyway, we paid for our sins because the cost of that meal was nearly thirty dollars. It spoiled my appetite for dinner. Can I help it if I'm cheap?
We went back the way we came and took the ferry again. On the ferry, from the car window we saw a man in a small boat reel in a big fish. He played it back and forth, finally bringing it to the side of the boat where a fellow boatman scooped it into a net, just like in the movies. Interesting.
On departing the ferry we went to see the lighthouse at Cape Hatteras.
The Outer Banks are like a spiders arm, reaching out, then bending at the elbow back in. At the tip of this point is the Hatteras light house. This is the point that congress named the "graveyard of the Atlantic." Warm currents from the Gulf stream meet the cold waters of the Labrador current, causing heavy fogs, combined with turbulent wind and water over shallow shoals. There is also one sandy finger of land called "Diamond Shoals" which extends eight miles outward from the cape, and narrows the passage to only a few miles. This point is not only exposed to the forces of the elements, but has also suffered the pains of several wars and raids of pirates and buccaneers.
The first lighthouse was inadequate for the area, being only 90' feet high and using only 18 kerosene lamps. They decided to raise it to l50' and install a 1st order lens. The work was completed in 1854. The Confederats dismantled it at the beginning of the Civil War. In 1862 Federal Troops restored it to operation. However, just a few months later the first ironclad ship, the Monitor, who had been engaged in combat with the Merrimac, was being towed around the point when the weather suddenly turned fowl. The Monitor took on water, and sank, drowning her entire crew.
The old lighthouse, by this time, was beyond repair, and a new conical brick lighthouse, painted white with black spiral stripes was built. This tower is 195' tall, and is North Carolina's most famous landmark. or should I say seamark? However, erosion has threatened the structure, washing away at the beach. It has been decided to move the tower inland to a new, solid site. It is open and operating as an educational tool.
I wanted to get down to the beach, which Jude says is beautiful, but the way was blocked by numerous RVs. There is probably an easier way to get to the beach, but we didn't find it. Maybe next time?
Now it was getting late and time to look for lodging. This time we chose the COMFORT INN. Again, Jude asked for an ocean view room and got one. The charge was $60 this time, although the desk attendant assured her it was only because the hotel was running an anniversary special. Ordinarily, she said, the room cost more than $100 a night. This room was somewhat like the one we had at Quality Inn, but not as clean and not as nice. Many of the little additives we enjoyed at Quality were missing at Comfort; ie. powdered coffee creamer, extra towels, plastic bags for soiled clothing, etc. There was a balcony attached to our second floor room, but the chairs were of canvas strips, and extremely low. I knew it would be hard to get up if I sat down, so I didn't. The beach was rocky and unswept along this stretch, although people still strolled along the wet sand. Where the sand had washed up over the rocky knolls, it was streaked with black, which Judith said was tar. Is that where the name "tar heels" originated? If you walk barefoot on the beach, you wind up with tar heels? Neither of us were hungry, so we skipped dinner. In the morning, though, we were ready for breakfast.
We got up fairly early, and stopped at a place called MILLERS. Finally a restaurant I can say nice things about. It was clean, friendly and had a big menu choice. We ordered big breakfasts, orange juice, two eggs, English muffins, and Judith had hot cakes as part of her package. I had the same, except that I chose grits. The morning sea air must have made me hungry, for I enjoyed every bite. The whole meal, including a large carafe of coffee, cost less than $12. It was a good place, I thought.
We continued our ride, and saw the Bodie Island lighthouse from the road, but decided not to stop.
Of course, we had to visit Kitty Hawk where Wilbur and Orville launched the first power driven flying machine in the year 1903. Those of you who have three year olds, take a deep breath. In the last hundred years man has gone from a canvas and wood strutted plane, operated by an engine made from bicycle parts, to rockets capable of reaching Mars, and maintain a space station in company with Russia. If your three year old makes it to 100 (and he/she just might) what do you think he/she will find?I was born in 1922, and I am amazed.
The place was windy, probably necessary for flying. There is a big museum housing a full size duplicate of the first plane. Dummy statues depict the brothers and their helpers holding down the plane to keep the wind from tumbling it before it could be launched. I was told there is a small charge for viewing the museum, but there was no one to take the money. A lecture was going on in the auditorium which I would have liked to hear, but the speaker spoke in low conversational tones, and it was impossible with all the background noise to hear what was said. I suspect there is a charge for that during tourist season.
Outside we could visit the small hill, or rise, from where the plane was launched. There is a monument there, as well as two huts where the plane was built. All while we were there small barnstorming planes circled the monument as people purchased rides. They are taken low over the monument and flown several miles down the beach. I think it is about a half hour ride, and the cost is probably in the neighborhood of $10.00
Now it was time to turn our faces toward home. Judith decided to take HW264 back, which is a straight run to Greenville. That ride could be a story in itself. It followed a black river called Alligator River, and we went on this long ride where we saw nothing but swamp and twice a dispirited road crew. There were no houses, gas stations, or food places - just nothing but road crews (probably aliens up from the swamp who were in reality body snatchers, or creatures from another dimension).
Judith, we have got to quit watching that SciFi channel. I was very glad we did not run out of gas, or need to use a comfort station. It seemed like forever before we saw some farm houses, and even they looked spooky. I think the area must have been part of the Dismal Swamp. We finally passed a trailer park, so we knew we were coming into civilization. Our next debate was whether to stop and eat, or make it home before 6:00pm so we could pick up the dogs. We decided to get the dogs who were so happy to see us that we were glad we hadn't stopped.
Once home, Judith went out again and picked up Chinese food for our supper, which was a nice end for a near perfect three days.
Thanks for reading.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Granniemose
|
|
Member: Virginia
Location: Greenest spot in the land of the free
Reviews written: 207
Trusted by: 312 members
About Me:
I'm back. Waiting for Lorace to give me another piece of poetry
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.