After spending the night in Virginia Beach, we loaded up the car once again and headed south for Kill Devil Hills. This North Carolina town is located on the Outer Banks, which is composed of a 200-mile stretch of barrier islands. This long string of land is perfect for tourists (like us) to come and enjoy the beautiful beaches and warm weather. There are also several other draws to the area, which brought our group here.
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| North Carolina and its Outer Banks |
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| On the road again?? |
The real reason we headed for the Outer Banks....scuba diving. PDub, Doubles Shark-Whisperer, and Evens Tyrone are all scuba divers who enjoy going on an annual trip (this is only the second year) to dive while I lay on the beach and watch the pups. Our first trip was last year to San Diego where PDub and Evens Tyrone were convinced by Doubles Shark-Whisperer (a die-hard Divemaster) to become scuba certified. I began the class but did not finish....another story that I will share at another time. Anyway, due to the unpredictable weather, changing shallows, and needed currents, there have been over 500 shipwrecks, causing this Outer Banks region to be known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. What better place to dive?
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| The Divers....and a man with a mustache |
In addition to the diving, I was able to convince my fellow travelers to visit the Wright Brothers' Memorial and Museum, a lighthouse, and the Nights in Rodanthe (by Nicholas Sparks) house from the movie. The Wright Brothers' first powered flight took place in Kill Devil Hills, where now stands a monument and a museum with replicas of their gliders and airplanes.
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| A replica of the airplane (the real one is practically in our backyard at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in D.C.) |
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| Their perspective on "pretend like you are flying"....from airplanes to Superman |
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| The monument |
The Outer Banks are also known for their lighthouses, so we, of course, had to visit one. The Bodie Island lighthouse was first built in 1847 when after 12 years it was abandoned due to poor foundation. Another was built in 1859 which was then destroyed by Confederate troops during the Civil War. The most recent one was built in 1872, and as history may tell, it is under restoration. Therefore, we were unable to climb it.
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| Sadness |
After visiting the lighthouse, we traveled even further south to Rodanthe, which any Nicholas Sparks addict would know as the location where Paul and Adrienne fall in love and find purpose with their lives. The film-adaptation of this novel was actually filmed in Rodanthe, and the house still stands. This house was located at the entrance of Rodanthe, and this is where you might remember it from the movie. However, due to a hurricane and since it was then standing in the Atlantic Ocean, the 83,000 pound house was lifted and moved into town. It now stands as an inn (making plenty of money...I am sure of it).
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| Nights in Rodanthe house. |
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| Beach Babes.....or Bums |
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| This is what we call beachelaxing.... |
The Outer Banks were fun, and I am definitely looking forward to going back. I still need to check out the birthplace of the first English settler, the lost colony, and several national parks! BUT.....As always, I am glad to be home, and I think Maya is too!
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| Today's stage III with a snarl....or smile.... |
