The Outer Banks
After Florida visits to family (niece Cathy, husband Tony and two-year-old Emily in Tampa), our long-time friend, Beverly in New Smyrna Beach, and boating friends Sue & Dick Stark in Merritt Island, we made an overnight stop in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and reached Duck, North Carolina on the 29th of April.
Early May is an ideal time to visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Another favorite is September - both being slightly "off season" when the weather is beautiful but there are few tourists. The natural beauty of this 130-mile stretch of islands and landscape of natural sand dunes is what draws most people here. You can visit the site where, more than 100 years ago, the Wright Brothers flew their plane over the sand at a place called Kill Devil Hills, and even take a flight of your own across the dunes at the only hang gliding school in the country at Jockey’s Ridge. We climbed the large dune and the view from the top of the ridge is spectacular - to the east, the waves of the Atlantic break upon the beaches and to the west, the dune line slopes gradually to the open waters of Roanoke Sound. Orville and Wilbur discovered that "The image from the top is like from some other world - nothing but sand and wind and sun - no trees, no grass - just a hilly desert". The only change is that now the dune is covered in grass and a type of cactus groundcover to stop erosion. This is a great place for kite flying and you see all shapes and sizes, as there’s a constant breeze. .
Each part of the Outer Banks has its own beauty, wildlife and history. Artists have always been drawn to the Outer Banks and inspired by the natural beauty and there work can be found in the many galleries located here. The northernmost beaches, north of Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores (including where we’re staying in Duck) were the final frontier of the northern islands to be tamed and much of it remains unspoiled. There are beautiful secluded (this time of year) beaches and protected soundside land. There are also now country clubs, huge mansions, restaurants and shops; where it was not long ago very sparsely populated. The big growth began when the road was paved from Kittly Hawk north to Corolla. Prior to that you had to drive on the beach to get to these areas. We drove through Corolla, as far north as the road goes, and you can only continue on by driving on the beach with a four-wheel drive vehicle. The land actually connects with Virginia but it’s not legal to drive across the border as it is a Virginia State Park. One of the most famous attractions, at the most northern end of the islands, are the wild horses that have run free on the beaches for more than 400 years. They are decendents of Spanish mustangs and are protected in a refuge north of Corolla where you can take an off-road excursion to see them.
Along the soundside of the Outer Banks shoreline, a wide variety of marsh grasses and vegetation protect various types of waterfowl. I’ve heard you can also see deer, raccoon, fox and possum or their tracks in the early-morning sand but, not being a morning person, I’ll probably miss that experience.
I try to imagine how this area must have looked when my parents spent their honeymoon here in 1930. There were just two hotels and a sprinkling of beach cottages. My first visit was in 1965 when I brought my parents here to revisit the area for the first time in thirty five years and they were amazed at the growth. They wouldn’t recognize it at all if they saw it today - especially during the height of the summer season.
Not every visitor to the Outer Banks was lured by sun, surf and beaches. Some were victims of pirates, wreckers and privateers; others were washed ashore when nor’easters and hurricanes broke their vessels on the shoals. For over four hundred years, the waters off the Outer Banks have been among the most dangerous in the world - so many ships and lives have been lost, these waters are known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." Except for the lighthouses, all has been wiped out by hurricanes, tides, salvaging and looting. There’s a great museum that covers the history of the Outer Banks’s - exploration, transportation and commerce.
We’re enjoying our beach-front cottage here overlooking the Atlantic and falling asleep to the sound of the surf. The weather has been mixed - starting with temperatures in the 80's during the day and 70's at night and a few days later plunging to the 60's with high winds and seas, and ending with temperatures again in the 80's which allowed for a few more beach days before we leave. We love it all! We particularly enjoy the local seafood markets and preparing soft-shell crabs (as long as they clean them and "cut their faces off"), fresh shrimp and wonderful lump crab meat for homemade crab cakes.
During the first week of our visit here, we drove over to Hertford, a small town near Edenton (not a big city either) to visit our long-time friends Margi & Phil Wynn who live in a community called Albermarle Plantation. Margi and I have been friends since the early 60s when we were members of Beta Sigma Phi sorority. She’s a wonderful artist and I took my first art classes from her when we both lived in Northern Virginia. They took us on a tour of the area and their daughter, Jennifer, joined us for lunch in historic Edenton which was once the capital of colonial North Carolina. It was great being with them again.
Edenton was a major shipping port until the early 1800s when the Dismal Swamp Canal diverted commerce north to Norfolk, Virginia. Now it’s a quaint, beautifully restored small town with beautiful old homes on tree-lined streets. We had planned to take the trolley tour around town but unfortunately the trolley driver was not working, due to a death in the family, and they had no backup driver. Back at their place, we took a pontoon boat ride around the waterway where they live. The next day, they came back with us and we stopped in Manteo to visit the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island, where we saw gorgeous azaleas, rhododendron, tulips, roses, impatiens and many more too numerous and unknown to mention.
The first Europeans to arrive at Roanoke Island were members of Sir Walter Raleigh’s expeditions of the late1500s when it was inhabited by Algonquian Indians. This is where Virginia Dare was born (the first white person born in the colonies) just a few months after her parents (members of "the lost colony") arrived here from London. I just finished reading a fascinating book entitled "Roanoke - Solving the mystery of the Lost Colony" by Lee Miller, who resurrects the events leading up to the disappearance of a group of colonists who came here in 1587.
I have been inspired by the sea, sand and flowers of this area and it’s reflected in the scarves I’ve been painting. We’ve had a couple of cool, cloudy days that are not suited for being on the beach, so we spend our time painting and reading and just enjoying the quiet beauty of this spot.
One of our last evenings here is spent with our friend, Sara Tyler, who moved here full-time and built a charming house in Southern Shores, seven years ago. We met at her house for cocktails and, in addition to meeting her two dogs Lady and Harry, we met her neighbors Carolyn and Chuck who live in northern Virginia but also own the house across the street from Sara. Chuck is retired Army and is now retiring from a DOD job at the Pentagon. Carolyn has a degree in Fine Arts from Cororan and shows her work at several galleries in Virginia and Maryland. We had a lot in common to talk about and I hope to see some of her paintings while we’re up that way. We went on to a nice dinner at the Black Pelican and by the end of the evening had exchanged phone numbers and email address and promised to keep in touch. It’s amazing how many wonderful people we’re meeting along the way this year.
After Florida visits to family (niece Cathy, husband Tony and two-year-old Emily in Tampa), our long-time friend, Beverly in New Smyrna Beach, and boating friends Sue & Dick Stark in Merritt Island, we made an overnight stop in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and reached Duck, North Carolina on the 29th of April.
Early May is an ideal time to visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Another favorite is September - both being slightly "off season" when the weather is beautiful but there are few tourists. The natural beauty of this 130-mile stretch of islands and landscape of natural sand dunes is what draws most people here. You can visit the site where, more than 100 years ago, the Wright Brothers flew their plane over the sand at a place called Kill Devil Hills, and even take a flight of your own across the dunes at the only hang gliding school in the country at Jockey’s Ridge. We climbed the large dune and the view from the top of the ridge is spectacular - to the east, the waves of the Atlantic break upon the beaches and to the west, the dune line slopes gradually to the open waters of Roanoke Sound. Orville and Wilbur discovered that "The image from the top is like from some other world - nothing but sand and wind and sun - no trees, no grass - just a hilly desert". The only change is that now the dune is covered in grass and a type of cactus groundcover to stop erosion. This is a great place for kite flying and you see all shapes and sizes, as there’s a constant breeze. .
Each part of the Outer Banks has its own beauty, wildlife and history. Artists have always been drawn to the Outer Banks and inspired by the natural beauty and there work can be found in the many galleries located here. The northernmost beaches, north of Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores (including where we’re staying in Duck) were the final frontier of the northern islands to be tamed and much of it remains unspoiled. There are beautiful secluded (this time of year) beaches and protected soundside land. There are also now country clubs, huge mansions, restaurants and shops; where it was not long ago very sparsely populated. The big growth began when the road was paved from Kittly Hawk north to Corolla. Prior to that you had to drive on the beach to get to these areas. We drove through Corolla, as far north as the road goes, and you can only continue on by driving on the beach with a four-wheel drive vehicle. The land actually connects with Virginia but it’s not legal to drive across the border as it is a Virginia State Park. One of the most famous attractions, at the most northern end of the islands, are the wild horses that have run free on the beaches for more than 400 years. They are decendents of Spanish mustangs and are protected in a refuge north of Corolla where you can take an off-road excursion to see them.
Along the soundside of the Outer Banks shoreline, a wide variety of marsh grasses and vegetation protect various types of waterfowl. I’ve heard you can also see deer, raccoon, fox and possum or their tracks in the early-morning sand but, not being a morning person, I’ll probably miss that experience.
I try to imagine how this area must have looked when my parents spent their honeymoon here in 1930. There were just two hotels and a sprinkling of beach cottages. My first visit was in 1965 when I brought my parents here to revisit the area for the first time in thirty five years and they were amazed at the growth. They wouldn’t recognize it at all if they saw it today - especially during the height of the summer season.
Not every visitor to the Outer Banks was lured by sun, surf and beaches. Some were victims of pirates, wreckers and privateers; others were washed ashore when nor’easters and hurricanes broke their vessels on the shoals. For over four hundred years, the waters off the Outer Banks have been among the most dangerous in the world - so many ships and lives have been lost, these waters are known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." Except for the lighthouses, all has been wiped out by hurricanes, tides, salvaging and looting. There’s a great museum that covers the history of the Outer Banks’s - exploration, transportation and commerce.
We’re enjoying our beach-front cottage here overlooking the Atlantic and falling asleep to the sound of the surf. The weather has been mixed - starting with temperatures in the 80's during the day and 70's at night and a few days later plunging to the 60's with high winds and seas, and ending with temperatures again in the 80's which allowed for a few more beach days before we leave. We love it all! We particularly enjoy the local seafood markets and preparing soft-shell crabs (as long as they clean them and "cut their faces off"), fresh shrimp and wonderful lump crab meat for homemade crab cakes.
During the first week of our visit here, we drove over to Hertford, a small town near Edenton (not a big city either) to visit our long-time friends Margi & Phil Wynn who live in a community called Albermarle Plantation. Margi and I have been friends since the early 60s when we were members of Beta Sigma Phi sorority. She’s a wonderful artist and I took my first art classes from her when we both lived in Northern Virginia. They took us on a tour of the area and their daughter, Jennifer, joined us for lunch in historic Edenton which was once the capital of colonial North Carolina. It was great being with them again.
Edenton was a major shipping port until the early 1800s when the Dismal Swamp Canal diverted commerce north to Norfolk, Virginia. Now it’s a quaint, beautifully restored small town with beautiful old homes on tree-lined streets. We had planned to take the trolley tour around town but unfortunately the trolley driver was not working, due to a death in the family, and they had no backup driver. Back at their place, we took a pontoon boat ride around the waterway where they live. The next day, they came back with us and we stopped in Manteo to visit the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island, where we saw gorgeous azaleas, rhododendron, tulips, roses, impatiens and many more too numerous and unknown to mention.
The first Europeans to arrive at Roanoke Island were members of Sir Walter Raleigh’s expeditions of the late1500s when it was inhabited by Algonquian Indians. This is where Virginia Dare was born (the first white person born in the colonies) just a few months after her parents (members of "the lost colony") arrived here from London. I just finished reading a fascinating book entitled "Roanoke - Solving the mystery of the Lost Colony" by Lee Miller, who resurrects the events leading up to the disappearance of a group of colonists who came here in 1587.
I have been inspired by the sea, sand and flowers of this area and it’s reflected in the scarves I’ve been painting. We’ve had a couple of cool, cloudy days that are not suited for being on the beach, so we spend our time painting and reading and just enjoying the quiet beauty of this spot.
One of our last evenings here is spent with our friend, Sara Tyler, who moved here full-time and built a charming house in Southern Shores, seven years ago. We met at her house for cocktails and, in addition to meeting her two dogs Lady and Harry, we met her neighbors Carolyn and Chuck who live in northern Virginia but also own the house across the street from Sara. Chuck is retired Army and is now retiring from a DOD job at the Pentagon. Carolyn has a degree in Fine Arts from Cororan and shows her work at several galleries in Virginia and Maryland. We had a lot in common to talk about and I hope to see some of her paintings while we’re up that way. We went on to a nice dinner at the Black Pelican and by the end of the evening had exchanged phone numbers and email address and promised to keep in touch. It’s amazing how many wonderful people we’re meeting along the way this year.
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