Hot Beach Day

Tuesday, I woke up before sunrise and headed down to the beach.  The moon was still visible in the twilight sky.

It was a very beautiful morning on the beach.

I walked north a ways and soon the sun popped up over the horizon.

I continued a little further past the fence as the sun continued rising.

I spotted some seabeach primrose flowering along the dunes.

I turned around shortly as I didn't have time for a long hike today.

But I wanted to enjoy one last early morning on the beach.

It was already hot by the time I got back to the beach house.  We went to breakfast with Sandy's dad and then went to the beach one more time to play in the water.  The ocean was refreshing but it was hot out of the water.  We then finished packing up and said good-bye then started driving home.  In Manteo, we stopped for lunch at Carolina Barbecue then drove the rest of the way.

Fireworks at the Beach

Monday, I slept in a bit and missed sunrise.  But I still got a relatively early start and hiked south along the beach.

It was another pretty hot morning and I went as far as the Currituck County Southern Beach Access and turned around.

When I got back to the beach house, we all went to the beach and played in the water for a while.  After I had enough sun and saltwater, Sandy and I went to the Beer Garden for some drinks.  Heading back to the house, we had burgers for dinner and then I went to Historic Corolla Park to watch the sunset over the sound.

There was a great blue heron wading in the shallow waters.

The park was very pretty in the twilight, but it was very crowded.

I headed back to the house to watch the fireworks from there.

After the fireworks, we walked down to the beach to look for some ghost crabs.

Then we headed to bed as I wanted to wake up for sunrise one last time in the morning.

Independence Day in Corolla

Thursday morning, I woke up early and headed down to the beach before sunrise.  The beach was just beautiful in the early twilight and I started hiking north.

The sun rose just as I crossed the fence to where beach driving is allowed.

Not too many vehicles and few people this early in the morning.

I went north several miles, past the homes and followed a sandy path into Currituck National Wildlife Refuge.  I was hoping to spot some wild horses but no such luck.

By 730, it was already hot and humid and the flies were bad in here, so I started hiking back.  Crossing back to where beach driving is prohibited, there were a bunch of pelicans and cormorants on the posts out in the water.

The beach was really getting crowded now, but it was just another mile to Corolla Light.

I got back to the house and rested in the air conditioning for a little while and then we all headed to the beach to play in the waves.  There were some boogie boards at the house to borrow and pretty good surf to ride the waves.  After playing in the water a bit, Sandy and I had lunch and took a dip in the pool.  We grilled burgers for dinner, then I went back down to Historic Corolla Park to watch the sunset over the sound.  Too many clouds for much of a sunset, but clear enough for fireworks.  After the fireworks, we went to bed.

Outer Banks National Parks

Wednesday morning, we had breakfast in Corolla at First Light and drove south to visit some of the national parks on the Outer Banks.  We originally planned to do this on Independence Day, but were concerned about the traffic.  Driving into Kill Devil Hills, our first stop was at Wright Brothers National Memorial.  After paying admission, we parked and headed into the visitor center.  The little museum has a lot of history about the development of aviation and the challenges the brothers faced in being first in flight.  There was also a replica of the Wright flyer; the original is in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

Outside, it was a beautiful sunny day, though hot in the sun.

Heading to the Flight Line, we decided to hit this on the way back.

The paved walkway headed to Big Kill Devil Hill, with the Wright Brothers Monument at the top.  There were some trumpet creeper flowering along the way up.

We stopped for a bit at the monument to check it out and enjoy the views over the Outer Banks.

It was open, but not much inside and it was quite hot.  Then we headed back down and walked down the Flight Line.  A rock was placed the distance that the brothers' first four flights went in December 1903.  The first flight went 120 feet.

The second flight went about 12 seconds for a distance of 175 feet.

Orville flew the third flight for about 200 feet.

And Wilbur flew the fourth flight, lasting 59 seconds and going 852 feet.

Walking along the Flight Line put the distance flown in perspective.  It was getting pretty hot out in the sun and no shade at all, so it was time to take off.

Our next stop was Fort Raleigh National Historical Site on Roanoke Island.  This site is commemorates the Roanoke Colony, the first English attempt at permanent settlement of the New World.  Known as the Lost Colony, the colonists disappeared between 1587 and 1590 and their fate is still a mystery.  We toured around the visitor center to learn more about the Lost Colony then hiked around the grounds.  The 1896 Monument just outside the visitor center marks the beginning of efforts to preserve the site.

Near here was a reconstructed earthen fort, based on the one constructed by the first explorers in 1585.

The original had eroded into almost nothing, but archaeologists were able to approximate its dimensions based on soil disturbances.  The grounds of the historic site were really pretty with many live oaks.

Next, we hiked the Thomas Hariot Trail.

There was an access to a small beach here next to the Lost Colony Theater overlooking Roanoke Sound.

The evergreen maritime forest was very scenic.

Storm clouds were rolling in, but since we were here, we headed to the Elizabethan Gardens, hoping the rains would hold off.  The gardens were very scenic.

Crepe myrtle were in bloom throughout.

There was a statue of Queen Elizabeth I.

The gardens were designed like English gardens during the Elizabethan period.  There was also a statue of Virginia Dare, the first baby born to English parents in the Americas.

Who knows if she ever reached adulthood.  As we got to the Overlook Terrace near the sound, we spotted a small flock of American white ibises.

Just past here was the Sunken Garden.

It was really beautiful - geometric and symmetric.

A lot of hydrangeas were also blooming this time of year.

Next, we came to the Great Lawn, an open area with huge trees.

One live oak here was estimated to have been alive when the Lost Colony colonists arrived in the 1580s.

We continued on past the Great Lawn towards the entrance.

Some beautiful Carolina lilies were blooming.

Then we took off, managing to avoid the rain.

But it sure did rain shortly after we finished.  Our next stop was the Bodie Island Lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  Unfortunately, the lighthouse was closed due to thunderstorms, so we just got our passport stamped here.

I did get a picture of the lighthouse before we headed back north.  In Duck, we had a late lunch at Sunset Grille and then returned to Corolla.  I went for a hike up to Currituck Banks Reserve.  I first took the boardwalk trail through a maritime forest.

The trail ends at an overlook of Currituck Sound.

The evening views were really beautiful.

Then, I hiked the Maritime Forest Trail that also led out to the sound through a beautiful maritime forest of live oaks.

The view at the sound is overgrown and not the great, but the hike through the forest is well worth the walk.  I hiked back to the beach house and we had dinner, then Sandy and I went for a short walk to Historic Corolla Park to catch the sunset.  Walking over, the sun illuminated the sky in a beautiful shade of pink.

At the boat dock near the Whalehead Club, there was a great view of the sunset over the sound.

After some pictures, we started heading back.  The park and lighthouse were beautiful in the twilight.

But it had been a long day and I wanted to catch sunrise, so went to bed soon after returning.