Day 7 - Outer Banks, NC

A trip to the Atlantic coast means you MUST get up early to watch the sunrise over the water.  Fortunately for us, the clouds cooperated and gave us a great show.  Our hotel is located on the beach so we headed out at 5:50 am and the sun rose 20 minutes later.  Besides marveling at the sun and surf, beachcombing/shelling hunting commenced too.

A quick nap back in the room and then we headed to Duck Donuts to grab some famous sugary treats.  These donuts are made to order and are served warm...VERY nice!  Our next stop was the Bodie (pronounced Body) Lighthouse on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  We really wanted to see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, but the power outage is still affecting that area and visitors aren't allowed that far south.  Timed passes are given out for the lighthouse, so we ended up getting tickets for 4:10 pm.  We walked around the lighthouse and went out on a boardwalk to an overlook before heading back to the car.

We spent our last afternoon at the beach.  The tide was out a bit and the surf not quite as high.  It made standing in it easier along with boogie boarding, but the rides to the beach were shorter.  Unfortunately it appears my sunscreen application wasn't as good today as it was yesterday as I'm a little tender.

After a shower, we loaded back in the car and headed back down to the lighthouse.  There are approximately 200 steps up to the platform and you have to climb in a way that only one person is on the section of spiral staircase between landings at one time.  You kind of push each other along from a distance.  This is the third lighthouse to be built at this spot and has been here since 1871.  It was never designed to warn ships about the shore (it's located too inland for that), but rather it served (still does) as a navigational marker.  The view from the top (and the breeze) was stunning and we could easily see the bridge construction where the power outage accident occurred.  The staircase affords the opportunity for some really interested shots which can be dizzying to some extent.

We scooted over to Manteo for a quick bite of dinner before our sunset dolphin cruise on the Roanoke Sound.  We boarded a jumbo pontoon boat with our captain and his assistant and off we went.  After about a 45 minute journey, we came upon a pod of dolphins swimming and playing in the shallow water (2-5 feet deep).  They gave us great opportunities for watching and photographing as they frolicked.  One of our fellow passengers even had a drone he used to get some shots himself.  As the sun began to set, we headed back towards Manteo and as we approached we were treated to THE best sunset all week, according to our captain.  The sun appeared to melt right into the water and a perfectly placed sailboat gave us some great photographs.  After returning to the dock, our group ventured over to a local ice cream shop for some evening treats.  Tomorrow is Franklin's 9th birthday so once the kiddos were asleep crepe paper and balloons got hung up in our room so he'd have a surprise in the morning.  We leave the Outer Banks tomorrow and head north to Washington DC.  Have really enjoyed our time here, but the road is calling.

Day 6 - Outer Banks, NC

Today was jam-packed with excitement.  After a quick in-the-room breakfast, we headed across the main highway to play some miniature golf.  There are several courses on the island and this one seemed the most well-cared for.  We even got to ride a mine train, which seemed a lot like a tractor pulling a wagon, to hole 1.  Unfortunately, my putting game was off today and I lost to the other adults, but we all had a great time!

We next ventured down the road a bit to the Wright Brothers National Memorial.  Here we traced the four flights the Wrights made in December 1903; the first lasting only 12 seconds and flying only about 120 feet.  3 attempts later and they were at 59 seconds and 852 feet.  Until today, I hadn't realized that they had conducted previous gliding flights at this spot as well.  I also didn't remember that they did four flights that fateful day in 1903.  25 years after the initial flights, a memorial was built on top of Kill Devil Hill where they had performed their gliding tests.  From the base of the memorial, you can see the Atlantic and the sound along with the development that has taken place over then last 114 years.

Caroline found a great little sandwich shop for lunch (I had a wonderful Cuban sandwich) and then we came back to the hotel as the Atlantic was calling our name again.  2 minutes in, I saw a jellyfish (maybe the size of a restaurant drink lid), but other than that, no other marine life.  We rented some boogie boards from the hotel (great price and convenient) and I'm proud to say that this 43 year old can still use the board and ride some waves.  I caught about 3 really good waves, but tried several others.  I can also attest that swimming in the Atlantic is a full body workout.  The sand is constantly shifting and eroding under your feet; the surf is rough; and when you're boogie boarding, you are on the look out for "the right wave."  We spent about 2 1/2 hours relaxing, having fun, getting beaten up by the water, but enjoying every minute.

The Jockey Ridge State Park is in Nag's Head, south of our hotel, and it's home to the tallest sand dunes east of the Mississippi.  It's known as a place where folks hang glide and fly kites due to the constant wind.  The sand has also been known to be about 30 degrees hotter than the air temperature, especially during the height of the afternoon.  We purchased two kites on the way to the park and Caroline had brought a mega bubble wand and liquid from home.  The dunes are a bit of a hike from the parking lot, through very soft sand.  The view from the top is amazing and there were tons of people, and it's not even a weekend night!  We reached the tallest dune and got the two kites up in the air; one was superior to the other.  The kids got the bubble wand out and we very soon attracted a crowd.  Other kids were gathering to try to be the one who popped the bubbles.  Older kids and adults gathered to take pictures and videos.  I'm fairly certain Lena has ended up in several Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat posts!  As the sun began to set, clouds built off to the west, so we knew we wouldn't see the sun meet the water, but we still wanted to get one dune closer to the west to capture what we could.  The colors tonight were mainly blue and orange with some pink mixed in by the end.  All in all, today was outstanding, albeit jam-packed with adventures.  Tomorrow we are getting up to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic.  One more day here on the Outer Banks and then we finally head north.