America, Coast to Coast

So one of the things I wanted to do on this trip was make it a coast to coast trip, specifically, start from the Atlantic and end at the Pacific. Now, that left us with a tough choice, where to actually 'touch' the Atlantic. DC is actually pretty close to Chesapeake Bay, that connects to the Atlantic, and we had travelled to Ocean City on a prior weekend. We also thought of heading up to Maine or one of the states beyond Boston, where we spent Christmas with extended family. But a few chatgpt and goog queries threw up a new contender – the Outer Banks. Add the fact that the kids wanted to go to Kitty Hawk and this jumped to the top of our list.

The Outer Banks (or OBX for short) itself is a fascinating geographic area. It comprises around 200 miles of barrier islands and spits. Towards the North sits Kitty Hawk, where the Wright Brothers did the world's first powered flight. The story of the Wright Brothers is also quite something. Wilbur and Orville were two of seven children born to a clergyman + homemaker combo. What I loved about their story is the self learning and self reliance. The two opened a wildly successful bike shop (the Wright Cycle Company), and used earnings from this business to fund a lot of their aviation adventures. They also famously never graduated high school and were effectively self taught. Imagine, early 1903 and the 'conventional wisdom' at the time was chasing the goal of flight but from a different starting point - motor driven flight. Inventors at the time were all building powerful engines and attaching them to airframes with untested control devices. The Wright brothers went a different way, and instead focused on control systems and surfaces, seeking inspiration from birds and insects. Well, I guess we all know which team won in the end. Anyhow, Kitty Hawk was one stop on our OBX trip.

A plaque at Kitty Hawk marking the spot of the first successful airplane flight by Orville Wright — Commemorating the first flight

Through our 2-3 days here, we blasted past Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hill, Bodie Lighthouse and Bodie Island, Pea Island, Rodanthe, Roanoke, and some of Hatteras Island. These were all connected by one long road that took us through marshes, beaches, sounds and bays.

Bodie Island Lighthouse, black and white striped, with a boy walking up the path — Bodie Island Lighthouse

On our first day, we went for a dolphin cruise at Captain Johnnys.

Sunset over the water during the dolphin cruise — Sunset cruise out of Roanoke Island

A wooden boat named Deepwater, Roanoke Island, N.C., docked at a boathouse — Sunset cruise out of Roanoke Island

On day 2, we started with Jockey Ridge, Pea Island, visited all the Kitty Hawk sites and museums, and also visited a wind powered brewery (!).

The boys sitting in the Mountains-to-Sea Trail eastern terminus marker at Jockey's Ridge — Day 2: Jockey's Ridge, Pea Island, the Kitty Hawk museums, and a wind-powered brewery

The entrance sign for Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge — Day 2: Jockey's Ridge, Pea Island, the Kitty Hawk museums, and a wind-powered brewery

Day 3 was a beautiful sunrise at Rodanthe, followed by packing up and zipping back across to Leesburg.

Sunrise over the ocean at Rodanthe with birds on the beach — Sunrise at Rodanthe

Oh, did I mention the town we stayed in? It was called Waves, NC.

A circular dock marker framing a sunset over the sound — Sunset at Waves, NC

Speedrunning the Outer Banks