Day Trip To The Outer Banks

It is Wednesday morning (7/25/12), and I am writing this about our trip yesterday.  It was a long day, but we had a good time.  Our plan was to see the Outer Banks and see some of what we saw when we were here in 2004.  During that trip the kids were four and six so there wasn't too much they could remember.

The day had to be planned around a couple of ferry boat schedules.  We needed to take a ferry from the main land to Ocracoke Island and then from Ocracoke Island to Cape Hatteras.  To hit the ferry schedules and have enough time to fit in all we wanted and make it back to the condo before midnight, we had to leave about 7:45 a.m.  (The map shows the overall route, but you would have to tighten it down to get a better perspective.  We from just above Havelock, where the green and the yellow road from Kinston meet.)

We wanted to stop for a short time in Beaufort, NC, which was on the way.  This is where Blackbeard, the pirate, spent considerable time and where he ran his ship, the Queen Ann's Revenge, aground.  There was a lot of pirate activity in the Caribbean and south eastern sea board of what was then the British colonies in America.  This was in the years surrounding 1700.  Beaufort has many tourist-type things to do, but we were just passing through.  We did take time to go to the North Carolina Maritime Museum.  Actually, there are three of them, but one is in Beaufort.  There were many sea-related exhibits, but they were noted for their exhibits regarding Blackbeard.  In 1996, a commercial salvage company found remains of what they believe is Black Beard's ship. It had been undiscovered for 300 years.  Archeologists and historian are still working on the site but many believe this really is the remains of Queen Ann's Revenge.  The museum is worth a stop.  It is free, but there is a suggested donation to see the exhibits. 

 

For more information about the museums you can go to http://www.ncmaritimemuseums.com/.  If you want more information about the one in Beaufort specifically, there is a link to it on the main page.  I would also really recommend visiting http://www.qaronline.org/.   This site has specific information about Blackbeard, the Queen Ann's Revenge and the archeological work that is being done on the site.  We also saw the house where Blackbeard spent a lot of his time.  He came and went from the this area so it is unclear if he really owned the property or just stayed there when he was in the area.  This house is now called the Hammock House.     

We had just short of an hour drive to Beaufort, and to keep our day on schedule, we needed to catch the 11:00 Cedar Island Ferry to Ocracoke Island.  We planned it out well and arrived with ten minutes to spare.  This brought back memories of when we were here in 2004.  We remembered the pictures we had taken of the kids back then.  It was much the same, but we were much different!  We look forward to going through the pictures when we get home so we can compare.  We know we have one of Adri that is similar to the one posted here.  The ferry trip was about two and half hours, start to finish.  There is a ferry schedule for this area if you are ever planning a trip.  You will want to make sure you check that out or it can mess up your plans.  This link (http://www.ncdot.gov/download/transit/ferry/ferryschedule.pdf) gets you to the schedule for 2012, but they probably just update the contents each year. 

There is not a lot on Ocracoke Island.  It is only about 14 miles long and has a road that runs the length of it with very little land on either side.  There is a lot of beach areas and a few business that provide water sport activities.  There are a few places to stay and there are several restaurants.  It is definitely a place for tourists.  We arrived shortly after 1:00 so it was time for some food.  Kristi was able to find some recommendations online.  One place that was recommended was the Flying Melon. About the time we were running through the list of possibilities, there it was. So, we stopped for lunch.  

They do not seem to have a website, but you can look at the menu at the following link, http://www.ocracokeisland.com/flying_melon.htm.   It was very good, and everyone was satisfied!  We drove the length of the island to get to the other end for the 3:00 ferry to Cape Hatteras.  We did visit the beach for a few minutes to dip our toes in the water and see the beautiful sea and beach.

The ferry to Cape Hatteras was only about 40 minutes so we were there by 4:00.  The kids were immediately struck by the size and design of the homes/condos, etc.  We have discovered that many of these houses can be rented for periods of time and can hold 12 to 20 people.  Alex said this is something we should definitely do.  

We stopped at the Cape Hatteras Light House.  The kids and I walked the 12 stories worth of steps to get to the top.  The heat index was in the upper 90s, but it was worth it to feel the breeze and see the sites at the top.  I have seen so many beautiful landscapes.  There are so many that take your breath away, and this was one of them.  After a hot walk around and up the Cape Hatteras Light House, we needed ice cream - of course!  So, we looked for an ice cream shop.  There were lots, but we settled on a place with hand-dipped, real ice cream, no whippy dip.  We traveled  from the south end of Cape Hatteras and worked our way north to where a bridge takes you west to Roanoke Island and another takes you back to the main land.  Along the way, we found the KOA campground we stayed at in 2004.  This KAO is right on the beach, of course, because there isn't much room between the road and the beach.  We drove to the back of the campground and the kids and I recreated walking over the sand hill that led to the beach that we had visited eight years earlier.  Adri and I went to the beach so she could write her name in the sand like she had done when she was four.

From there, we just drove and watched the scenery.  We knew we had a long drive home.  Just as we were heading back to the main land and to our home for the week, there was a tremendous storm.  There have been thunderstorms almost daily since we have been here, but none have interfered with our plans.  There was a time when I thought the wind would blow us off the road.  The trees swayed more than I have ever seen.  We drove through the storm, but saw the effects and actually had to be detoured at one point.  A tree had blown over and pulled power lines down over the road we were traveling.  We arrived back at the condo about 9:00 p.m., so it was a long day, but it was a good day!