Cape Hatteras | Ocracoke Island

Friday - 18 October 2002: Outer Banks, North Carolina - We had such a wonderful day! We left Goldie this morning with a picnic to see a lighthouse - ended up on a different island - and didn't return until after dark! Last night, after we went to bed, the wind picked up and I heard a few sprinkles on the roof. I was so disappointed - because we had the picnic planned and the weather was just so beautiful Thursday. But when we woke - it was clear and really warm! I took Snickers for a walk on the beach and DT ran ovals in the campground - the tide was too high to run on the beach. I put the lunch together and we loaded up the Honda with things for a day trip - including a sweet, old beagle. Snickers has no idea when he hops in the back of the car if he is going to the vet or going to the park, yet he is always anxious and exited to go.

We headed south on Highway 12 - the only road on the Outer Banks! Our first stop was a beach on the sound-side of this island (Hatteras Island) to watch kite boarders. There were about five people out in the water - they ride on a small surf-type-board, between 5 or 7 feet long, with clampy-things to hold their feet on the boards. Then they have a big, arched kite - controlled with strings. The kite is held in shape by blowing-up the frame with air. The kite sails 50 or more feet above the rider, and it pulls the board and rider along the top of the water - and occasionally - UP IN THE AIR. It was awesome to watch and I took several minutes of video tape. I hope this photo explains the kite better than my words.

The man in the blue hat in the photo was an instructor, giving four men lessons. I was shocked to see a man I had been video taping come in to shore and remove his wet-suit cap - he was about 65 years old! He was obviously in excellent shape and had incredible upper-body strength. Snickers was again very popular and was cooed-over by many boarders and spectators - including honeymooners! Snickers was a bit unsure with all the activity and wouldn't get more than 2 feet from me. So, he was "on a leash" - but no one was actually holding the leash. A FIRST. As we were leaving, a group of men arrived to begin "boarding". They were from Oregon and I teased them about the "Columbia Gorge not being good enough for them" - a joke as the Gorge is the premier wind-surfing and kite-boarding Mecca. They laughed and said they had to come out for meetings, so decided to try the Outer Banks. Why not! (Oregonians are everywhere!)

Our next stop was the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Called "America's Lighthouse" because it is the tallest (208 feet) brick lighthouse and one of the oldest in the United States (1870), the Hatteras Lighthouse was moved in 1999 because the original site was being washed away by the sea. They moved it UPRIGHT! The Light keepers house is now the Visitor's Center. During the summer, you can climb the stairs inside to the top. It flashes every 7.5 seconds and can been seen 24 nautical miles away.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

We continued driving south, through the towns of Frisco and Hatteras. In Hatteras we stopped to look through a few shops and found an absolutely gourmet bakery and purchased a yummy loaf of 7-grain sourdough bread. The bakery is new and features a wood-fired oven where they bake their breads and delicious-looking pizzas. The road "ends" in Hatteras - but it does continue - on the next (inhabited) island - via a free car ferry. So, we took it! The 14-mile-long island of Ocracoke is the bottom of the line. From Ocracoke you can take a ferry to two different mainland points, or take a ferry back to Hatteras Island. People live only on the southern-most point of the island; most of the island is a National Seashore.

And how would someone pronounce this island? I asked a local and he said, "It's like the vegetable, plus the drink."  The ferry ride was quite nice - Snickers first boat ride - as the weather was so nice and we had nice travelers on the ferry. We chatted with a large group of bikers - a group of middle-aged yuppies on their BMW motorbikes on a weekend trip from Raleigh, NC. We ate our picnic lunch on the boat. Funny thing, everyone seemed to be doing the same thing! The ferry took just over 30 minutes and held about 40 cars. There were 4 ferries in operation today, running back and forth. The crowds are thin in the off-season, so we only had to wait a few minutes both ways. It was a very exciting adventure!

Ocracoke is just beautiful and is full of history. Our first stop was to see the Bankers Ponies. It is believed the Bankers Ponies are descendants from Spanish horses left here by pirates after a ship wreck in 1565! They were too far away to take a photo... but they looked exactly like horses to me. Blackbeard the Pirate lived here, and was killed on Ocracoke in 1718. The island was cut-off from the world for so long that locals still speak in quasi-Elizabethan accents. The island is also sometimes called "Pony Island". The pace is slower here. There are beautiful old homes and little beach shacks - next door to each other. Art galleries next to bait shops. About half of the restaurants, shops and hotels are "closed for the season".

  
Ocracoke Light House and advertising - Ocracoke style

The Ocracoke Lighthouse is one of the prettiest I have seen - short and fat - and for some reason I liked it. Built in 1823, it is the state's oldest and at 75 feet, it is the shortest operating lighthouse. You can easily get around the village on foot, or as the locals do - on a bicycle. The harbor is really pretty - with fishing boats and many nice pleasure yachts. Look at the color of the sky! Perfect weather! We stopped at a famous pub - Howard's Pub - for a beer. Howard's is decorated with hundreds of pennants from colleges and hundreds of license plates. They claim to offer over 200 different beers. They also have a long explanation of local NC liquor laws which do not allow them to serve a "single" mixed drink. On Ocracoke, one must purchase an entire bottle of liquor, like in a "drinking club". So... after relaying all of this on the menu - they claim to by-pass all the fuss by simply serving beer and wine! They offer games and crayons for the kiddies, a screened porch, complete with rocking chairs for your pleasure and upstairs - a great view to either the Atlantic Ocean or the sound from their top deck. Howard serves their beer in plastic logo cups. You get to keep the cup as a souvenir. (And don't you worry, Howard, we found a perfect souvenir for YOU!) I am thinking several locals may have thousands and thousands of plastic cups in their kitchens.

After our afternoon in Ocracoke Village, it was time to get back to the ferry. Our return ride was just as pleasant - chatting with friendly tourists. Most tourists were from North Carolina, but we did meet a few people from Maryland and Virginia. A family in a minivan had a KIX cereal emergency - the box spilled all over the deck of the ferry. Snickers to the rescue! He quickly vacuumed the deck and the little boys (2 & 4) from the van squealed with laughter watching our Amazing Beagle.

KIX is for KIDS??? Snickers don't think so.

My boys on the ferry

We arrived home after dark, and had salads for dinner. Truly a wonderful day in a beautiful part of America.

RV Park: Camp Hatteras, near Wave, North Carolina