Week 42 - North Carolina and Virginia Beach - 06-03-2007

Inner thoughts from the Outer Banks,

On Tuesday we left Pawley's Island, South Carolina and settled in at Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Emerald Isle is at the southern end of the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks is a string of sandy barrier islands more than 130 miles long that bow out into the Atlantic Ocean and cup the shoreline. They stretch from Emerald Isle to Virginia Beach, Virginia, accessible by roads and ferries.

Our travels up the Outer Banks took us to Emerald Isle, Cedar Island, two ferries, Jackson Dunes, Avon and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The northern end of the Outer Banks does not have a road, so we headed to the mainland and landed on the banks again at the northern end at Virginia Beach.

The Wright Brothers National Memorial is an awesome historical site. It contains the visitor center, a historical pavilion and the memorial spire. The rest of the land is as it was in 1903. It has replicas of the hanger and cabin that Wilbur and Orville lived and worked in. However, in 1903 the area was totally sand. Today, the natural grass has grown over the sand dunes. This is a must see park.

The beach at Pawley's Island

Surf City, North Carolina

Trav-L RV Park, Emerald Isle, NC

Sunrise at Emerald Isle (not taken by Pete!)

The ferry is such a neat ride. We were in our home with all the comforts. We had cell service, Internet, refreshments and an awesome view. And we were making progress! We traveled 20 miles across the ocean in just over 2 hours.

Hatteras Island, Outer Banks

Wright Brothers National Memorial

Outdoor Resorts, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Next week we are off to Delaware, Maryland and Washington DC.

Love, Pete and Ellen

This year also marks the 104^th First Flight Celebration at Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, a tribute to Orville and Wilbur’s achievement of mankind’s first powered flight on December 17^th, 1903.

Photos from Jun 2007