What the beach?

What to do after a long, windy and cold winter in Floyd, Virginia? Why travel to the beach, of course! As luck would have it, our dil's parents live at a particularly beautiful beach just a few hours east of Roanoke/Floyd, in Kill Devil Hills. You may be more familiar with KDH's neighbor, Kitty Hawk. Yes, the "official" site of the first flight courtesy of the Wright Brothers. The spit of land which houses both communities, along with Nags Head and other smaller towns, is called the Outer Banks or, for locals, OBX. It's beautiful - we were lucky to spend a week here after Brian and Meredith's wedding a few years ago and vowed to return. Timing was perfect since Brian was

going away for a few weeks and Meredith and little Ben were going to OBX to visit her parents. We were itching to go "on the road" again since we had plans to reach Louisville before Derby weekend and nothing to do in-between. When visiting earlier in the year, the kids scoped out a terrific rv park close to the Sound, just a few blocks from the family house and a short drive to the miles-long beach along the Atlantic Ocean. It was certainly early in the season which suits Mr. Meier well (not that he is anti-"people" ...) and we had only a few units in the really nice park. Flat space and warm weather was perfect for the inaugural awning opening since windy weather all winter meant it was rolled up tight and lawn chairs quickly were set up (with cocktail table between!).

First trip was to the beach which was "angry that day, my friends" (Seinfeld reference here, my favorite episode!). Shell-searching was perfect and I had just the spot for the smooth, water-worn shells we found. The beach in OBX is so accessible - public entries to the beach are abundant and the piers (Nags Head and Jennette's) also provide views of the ocean that are hard to beat. We did follow along with Ben one afternoon, which was great until he wanted to be IN the water. Ocean waves that day were not meant for a 18 month old.

Seasonally, there are a plethora of shops, eateries and adventures to be had in OBX. We chose just a few things that suited our tastes (and budget). The Wright Brothers National Memorial was literally steps away from us and we spent a very nice day there touring the museum (recently renovated) and walking the grounds, including the sand dune where supposedly their rudimentary plane took its first flight. Yes, I know, Kitty Hawk is all in the history books - there was no "town" of Kill Devil Hills at the time but the flights were all done from the great sand dune called Kill Devil Hill. Either/or - I'm sure there are arguments on each side. The dune was used because of the ease of landing afforded by the soft sand. We walked the length of the fourth (and final) historic flight, all 852 feet, and then walked up to the monument placed on the dune itself. Great 360 degree views from the top, even while sitting down ...

Other day trips around the area included Jockey's Ridge State Park, the home of the largest and tallest active sand dune in the eastern U.S. At 462 acres, we walked up and through soft sand in only a small portion of it. The topography of the dune changes every day due to the location between the ocean and the Sound. Activities there include kite flying, hang gliding and dune sledding. Very cool. We walked on Jennette's Pier, had fresh fish at Wanchese Fish Company, walked the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island (those are the photos of the manicured grounds and flowering bush), had rum samples at Kill Devil Rum distillery and beer samples at Weeping Radish Brewery as well as a "behind the scenes tour" since

the owner is a personal friend of Meredith's family. One of my favorite memories was little Ben on a tractor ride with Mr. Uli - Ben was in heaven!!

Of course, there was not a lack of lighthouses to view - entry to some is available later in the "season" but we were able to see many of them up close and personal. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse is the most photographed site in OBX and has the distinctive black and white spiral.

One whole day was spent driving south of KDH toward Ocracoke Island - similar to Juneau, AK, it is only accessible by ferry or plane. We drove toward the ferry terminal stopping at light houses and beach entries along the way. The ferry crossing is free and takes about 40 minutes, after which you can drive to Ocracoke to visit museums, shops, eateries and another lighthouse. One maritime museum had an interesting display (photo included) of the opportunity of a lifetime - a
barge load of Doritos was lost to the waters and bags of it floated to shore where the locals gathered enough for generations. Or at least a good party! We followed the recommendation of others to use the rental golf carts to drive around the small town which was much better than a very big diesel truck. Plus, we got to stop for ice cream! Our favorite part was visiting Teach's Hole, a

museum dedicated to Blackbeard, the infamous pirate. So informative - Bill was then on the hunt for a t-shirt with a pirate on it, so shopping was in the cards! We spent all day there, finally driving back to the ferry terminal along a narrow road almost completely covered with blowing sand from the wild ocean winds on either side of us. One photo shows the parking lot with handicapped parking space completely obliterated by a sand dune!! A bit eerie in the dusk, listening to the breaking waves without seeing them due to the height of the sand.

A great time - the Outer Banks is a perfect place for a vacation. You should go. Really!