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North Carolina’s Outer BanksBy Land, Sea and AirBy Valerie Summers
Driving from the Norfolk airport through the Outer Banks, I noticed a strange lack of hotels along the ocean. Strange, I thought, for a community which pretty much relies on tourism for their economy. What I discovered was the rental "cottages" along the 130 miles of beach were a favorite with visitors. The cottage which I ended up sharing with four friends slept 16 people comfortably. From our deck, we watched pods of dolphins cavorting and pirouetting, seemingly for our entertainment while we breakfasted.
Fishing is another popular sport in the Outer Banks and the fishing is good whether from the shore, off a pier or deep sea. Marlin, sailfish, tuna, grouper, and flounder, all in abundance. Several of the area restaurants will cook and serve the fisherman’s catch of the day for a small fee. After breakfast one morning at the Pier House Restaurant, I walked out onto the adjoining 750 foot Nags Head fishing pier where an elderly fisherman had just caught a two foot long sand shark. The warm gulf stream and cold Labrador current collide just off the Outer Banks shores, providing a rich hunting ground for both fish and fisherman. The world record Blue Marlin, caught in 1974, in the southeast Oregon Inlet, weighed 1, 142 pounds.
At the conclusion of the tour, our senior citizen guide hopped into his brand new gold jaguar convertible and chuckled "This is for my old age crises. I turn on Big Bad Voodoo Daddy real loud and troll for long legged blondes."
Curious about the name Kitty Hawk, I found that it was named for the area where the flying machine was launched. The name may have evolved from the early settlers who called with large number of mosquito hawks, "skeeter hawks" which evolved into Kitty Hawk. Another story goes that the name may have stemmed from the earlier reference to the corruption of the Native American term used to determine the white man’s year, "kill a hawk to kill a hawk" or the killing of the first goose of the following year. Four markers indicate the four flights of the Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903, the first flight lasted 12 seconds and the last, which covered 852 feet, stayed airborne for 59 seconds. This dedicated, inventive twosome beat the huge government subsidized operations, including the Smithsonian, who were, at the same time, trying to devise a machine to open up the airways to flight. Upon their success, Orville Wright commented "Isn’t it astonishing that all these secrets have been preserved for so many years just so that we could discover them" If Wilbur and Orville could only see what the fruits of their labor birthed 100 years ago with flights into space. When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, he carried a piece of the Wright Brother’s 1903 flyer with him.
More information:Full Moon Café, charming, light and airy, with an
eclectic menu includes low country shrimp and grits, quiche du jour, lump
crab burger and portabella mushroom quesadilla. Kitty Hawk Aero Tours, for sightseeing by plane. Kitty Hawk Kites, the world’s largest hang gliding
school also offers instructions for flying boats, parasailing, ultralight
training, kite surfing and kayaking. Kitty Hawk Sports, for windsurfing, kitesurfing,
sailing, kayaking. For rentals guides and knowledgable instructors. Oregon Inlet Fishing Center Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Owen’s Restaurant, the oldest family owned and
operated restaurant in the Outer Banks, serving classic southern coastal
cuisine from traditional favorites to cutting edge flavors of today like
Filet Oscar, Bouilibasse and porterhouse veal chops with seabreeze mashed
potato. Pier House Restaurant, features casual dining and
hearty meals. A locals favorite. Sam & Omies, the oldest restaurant on the Outer
Banks, great for hearty breakfasts, luncheon sandwiches and soups and full
dinners. US Airways, flies to Norfolk International Airport
(closest to the Outer Banks) Village Realty, for cottage rentals |
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Just after the 100th
anniversary of the birth of flight, I visited the Outer Banks, a delicate
strip of barrier islands fronting the North Carolina coast where the Wright
brothers made aviation history. The powdery sand and soft winds made this an
ideal location for their experiments as they launched their flying machine
from a sand dune known as Kill Devil Hill. The fine sands and soft winds
have also made the Outer Banks a mecca for many kinds of sports enthusiasts.
Number one on our agenda was
flight school…..no, not in a plane, but a hang glider. We headed up to
Jockey Ridge State Park and arrived at the Kitty Hawk Kites, the largest
hang gliding school in the country, where we filled out tons of questions on
our release forms. That was by far, the scariest part of the experience as I
read about all the catastrophes they were not responsible for. After a short
talk by Steve, our soft spoken instructor, we watched a video on the sport.
The emphasis was on relaxation…hence the term "hang loose." After receiving
our helmets and trunk covering harnesses, we made our way across the sand
and up the 90 foot high dune to the launch area. One by one, Steve and his
assistant reiterated the very uncomplicated rules of hang gliding to each of
us as we hooked in to the red, white and blue Eaglet 191 glider. The rules
were simple…relax, look ahead to where you want to go and "flare" when you
want the glider to stall and gently float you down to terra firma. Then,
flanked by the two, we ran several steps until I was airborne, flying just
about the same amount of time as did the Wright Brothers on the first
attempts…12 seconds. Each time I tried, I flew further and instead of a
belly landing as on my first try , I glided to a stop standing up. The sand
was so soft, like landing in freshly fallen snow. My friends and I were all
hooked by the high flying pastime, but it was time for the next challenge.
Wind surfing, now giving way to
the more popular kite surfing, took us to Roanoke Sound. Although the water
was relatively warm and quite shallow, we donned wetsuits at the Kitty Hawk
Water Sports where Karen, our no-nonsense blond tomboy instructor talked us
through the nuances of wind surfing. Meanwhile, the sky above the sound
around us was filled with brightly colored four line foil kites manned by
muscular young men and women balancing on special surfboards, some
performing acrobatic feats for the onlookers. Two of my friends hopped on
the windsurfer and were off into the breezes. I, on the other hand,
struggled to get my balance, but finally managed to sail around the area for
several minutes with my friends urging me on. Unlike hang gliding, I found
this much more complicated. Maybe next time, I’ll give kite surfing a whirl.
Kayaking, a familiar leisure activity
was already part of my repertoire, so no lessons were needed. My friends and
I made our way to the town of Manteo and headed for the bridge which crossed
into Festival Park where we were to meet our guide. We paddled out alongside
of the Elizabeth II, a 69-foot sailing vessel representative of those which
sailed to the New World in 1585, docked at Festival Park. We learned the pre
Revolutionary history of the area as we skimmed along the water funneling
into tall grassy banks as the waterway became narrower and narrower. Along
the way, our guide continued with information on the history of the area,
pointing out the wildlife and plant life which we spotted. A relaxing way to
spend some time.
Back on land, we headed for the
maritime oasis at Nags Head Woods where dapper, 80-something, 15 year
veteran volunteer, Con Wellman, guided us through part of its 1,400 acres.
When traipsing through these woods and several other places in the swamp
type areas, we learned mosquito repellent was a must. We walked along the
Roanoke Trail to the Albemarle Sound overlooking Roanoke Island, passing the
graveyard of the Tillet family, who farmed this land beginning in the
1700’s. Con pointed out the variety of plant life including dogwoods, oaks,
magnolia and sassafras trees and told us of ongoing projects of the Nature
Conservancy.
We cruised over to the Dare County
airport where we boarded a four seater Cessna 172 for a overview of the
Outer Banks. I thought how strange it was that there are no scheduled
commercial flights into the birthplace of flight. From high above, it was
easy to see why the Outer Banks was the site of hundreds of shipwrecks
before the days of navigational instruments and was called the Graveyard of
the Atlantic. The dreaded Diamond Shoals and sandbars came from out of
nowhere and unsuspecting ships often plowed into them, unable to get back to
sea. Sometimes the wrecks came with a little help from the shore as
unscrupulous land bound pirates lured unsuspecting ships onto the shoals and
beaches by parading horses, with lanterns hung from their necks, back and
forth along the beaches, simulating ships at sea in the darkness of night.
The name of the town where we stayed, Nags Head, was so named because of
this lucrative practice. We circled over the appropriately towering Wright
Brothers National Memorial and decided that it would be the next stop on our
exploration of the Outer Banks.
As we approached the
memorial, I realized how little I knew about the Wright brothers, but I soon
had the opportunity to speak with ranger Jennifer Savedge, in the very cabin
that Orville and Wilbur called home during the many months they figured out
the concept of flight and worked on perfecting their flying machine. The day
that I visited, April 16, was Wilbur Wright’s birthday. Next to the crude
cabin was a small three sided wooden structure which served as the hanger
for the Kitty Hawk. Several yards away, a sand dune known as Kill Devil Hill
provided the launch site for the flying machine. The winds have moved the
dune 450 feet over the years, but it has been planted with grass to
stabilize it. On its top rests the 60-foot high granite memorial to the
Wright brothers. An inscription circling the monument reads "In
Commemoration of the Conquest of the Air by the Brothers Wilbur and Orville
Wright Conceived by Genius - Achieved by Dauntless Resolution and
Unconquerable Faith."
Earth, water and air..I explored them all
on my visit to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a very special place.