| North Carolina |
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| North Carolina is one of the states I traveled to most when I was growing up; I have family in the Wilmington area and used to go almost every summer. I've never visited any other part of the state, such as the capital Raleigh, their largest city of Charlotte, the great smoky mountains in the west. North Carolina's best and beaches and some of their most historic areas are located along a 42 mile barrier island known as the outer banks. I made a trip to the outer banks to visit Kitty Hawk, Roanoke Island and of course, the beach. |
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| For dozens of miles along the outer banks you will come across several beaches and small towns, almost all of them packed with colorful beach houses such as the ones above seen in Nags head. |
| Outer banks has a country reputation with no large cities and only small towns and a few beach resorts. Still, the area was larger than I thought with all the typical stores and restaurants you would find in any suburban area. On the left is a plaza with several beach themed shops, on the right is a menu at a restaurant showing redneck specials. |
| Surprisingly though, one of the most important breakthroughs in the history of mankind comes from the outer banks. In December 1903 the first airplane was successfully flown in Kitty Hawk, NC. In various other countries, experimental planes had glided or achieved short periods of lift, but never had a power drive plane capable of maintaining flight been created. Above is a photo of photo that shows the Wright brothers and their first aircraft. On the right is the first aircraft hangar ever made and still standing. |
| At Kitty Hawk North Carolina where the first flight was made, there is a small museum and a complete replica of the original aircraft. A ranger also gives a lecture about aviation and the Wright brothers. Above on the left is a marker for the exact spot where the flight was made, on the right is a memorial for the Wright brothers and their achievement. |
| England's first attempt to colonize the new world was here at Roanoke Island. The colonists arrived in 1585 and were to be visited each year, but after delays new ships arrived 3 years later to find the entire colony to be abandoned, a mystery which was never solved. Most believe that the colonists suffered without new supplies in a new land |
| and therefore joined the local indian tribes. Others believe Spanish settlers or the Powhatan confederacy attacked the colonists and massacred them. One of America's most famous plays, the lost colony is performed on Roanoke island to this day that mixes fact and legend to tell the story of the colony. Above is a poster and photo of the theater itself. I went on a holiday weekend so I could not watch the play. On the right is a memorial to the England's first colonists. |
| After you're done visiting the historic areas of outer banks, the only thing left is to go to the beach and soak up some sun. The outer banks are never very crowded, and with 40 miles even if you find a place that has to many people you can simply drive down a short distance to a more remote area. Above are some photos of the small beaches. |
| One more interesting place to visit in the outer banks is Jockey's Ridge state park. The park boasts the highest sand dunes in the east coast, with some of them piling up to 90 feet in height. This makes an excellent place to try some sports such as handgliding or sandboarding. Many people also enjoy just hiking up the dunes or building sand castles. Above is one of the largest sand dunes seen on the left, on the right is some sort of large castle made out of wood that was abandoned and now buried under two feet of sand. |
| Because the outer banks are more remote, you can find lots of places to see wildlife. Scuba diving and dolphin tours are also available, but just by walking along the beach or swimming you're likely to see a lot. Above is a laughing gull on the left and a pelican in the middle of a dive as it tries to catch a fish in the ocean. |
| I did a walk along the beach at night and saw dozens of huge crabs that were unseen in the day time. In the morning I did get a photo of the crab on the upper left, almost camouflaged with the sand. The nasty creature on the right is a sand flea. Sand fleas burrow in the sand and are usually only found if you dig for them. |
| Farther inland you will also see wildlife such as other species of birds such as the tiny one on the left or the large rabbit on the right. Southern parts of North Carolina are even home to alligators! |