Hatteras Island

We left Maryland and took two days to drive to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. We have been to the Outer Banks many times over the years since our first visit in 1972. We love the miles of uncrowded beach and just soaking up the sun. Since going on the road in 2007 this is our fifth visit we have made during the fall when there are even fewer people on the beach.

On leaving Maryland I was not looking forward to crossing the Nice Bridge, the narrowest bridge we have ever been over in Opus. Good news, they were working on the bridge so the oncoming traffic was stopped as we crossed. Sure made it a lot easier.  

Getting to Hatteras requires crossing many bridges. The Wright Memorial Bridge takes you from the mainland to Kitty Hawk on the Atlantic Ocean.

The last bridge to Hatteras Island is the 54 year old Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet. It is being replaced with a new wider, higher and longer $250,000,000 bridge. 

It is an impressive job with several cranes putting together the pieces of one huge puzzle. They did make one big mistake this summer when they cut the electric cable for Hatteras, leaving the island with no power for a week. All the tourists had to leave, really hurting the local economy.

We saw progress as this section with the yellow crane on top the pier was almost complete when we were leaving the island.

One thing I don't understand is the new bridge is still going ashore in the same spot as the old, so near the ocean that with the right combination of winds and high tide it is often under water. Here is the link to our experience of having to drive through the water at this spot in 2010.  Definitely a nerve racking trip.

Another small temporary metal bridge over a new inlet that was opened by a storm a few years ago is also being replaced with a new higher and longer bridge. 

A drive down Highway 12 is always an adventure into the unknown. The area just north of Rodanthe has been washed out many times. This is what the road looked like on our way south this year.

This is the same spot last Friday, one day after we left. Several cars were literally washed off the road by the crashing waves. 

On the weekend we went to Turner's High Moon to listen to some music. Turned out the guitar player knows Johnny Smooth who we heard at the Washington Jazz Society jam last month. Johnny often sits in with this duo when he is visiting the Outer Banks.

The first night we arrived the full moon was rising so we went to the Avon Pier to watch. Because of the full moon the waves were so big the pier was shaking.

Full moon over Hatteras. Check out how crooked the pier has become after the recent storms.

On Saturday we drove up to Nags Head to meet Tom and Georgie for lunch at Sam & Omies, a restaurant that has been in operation for 80 years. On the way back we stopped at the Bodie Island Lighthouse. This is the third Bodie Island light. The first had a poorly constructed foundation and became unstable. The second was blown up by the confederate army. 

We climbed to the top for a wonderful view of Oregon Inlet and the construction of the new bridge. At 170 feet it towers over the low lying coast.

Bodie Island has been repaired but the old steps are still not in the best of shape. Only eight people at a time are allowed in and they ask that only one person be on each flight of stairs between landings.

We did a beach day with Georgie, Tom and Milo. The weather was beautiful and the water was warm all week.

I fished most days and while I did not catch any keepers, I caught several different kinds of  fish; blues, pompano, croaker, mullet and spots. It is always fun fishing here because you never know what you might catch.

Here is something we have never seen on Hatteras. They are doing beach replenishment near Buxton for the first time and there was a lot of activity on the beach and also with dredgers on the water. The beach is wider than we have seen it in years.

Since Tom and Georgie had to cancel last year's October visit because of a hurricane, this was Milo's first time in the ocean. Tom took him in several times and he seemed to enjoy it.

The Cape Hatteras lighthouse has always been our favorite and we have climbed to the top many times. At nearly 200 feet it is the tallest in the United States. Built in 1870 it was the third lighthouse at this location that served as a warning for ships traveling off the coast through an area that has seen so many shipwrecks it is called the Graveyard of the Atlantic.  We were here in 1999 when they picked up and moved the lighthouse 1,900 feet back from the encroaching Atlantic Ocean. We always say that move changed the island forever as thousands who came to see the move "discovered" what a wonderful place this is and it has never been quite the same since.

Looking south from the top to the point, the most popular fishing spot on the island. This is where the south flowing Labrador Current meets the Gulf Stream causing the shoreline to constantly change. Earlier this year a small island appeared off the point, but it has already disappeared.

Looking north is the village of Buxton where we vacationed for many years. North of the village you can see why the island is so vulnerable to the many storms that come off the Atlantic. It is so narrow you could stand on the road and throw a rock into the ocean on one side and into the sound on the other.

We did it, climbed to the top of the two tallest lighthouses on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Both the Bodie Island and Hatteras lights are opened to climb for a small fee from the third Friday in April to Columbus Day, weather permitting.

This is why we love it here. There are miles of uncrowded and empty beach, plenty of sunshine, wonderful fishing and the warm water of the Atlantic, even in October. Years ago you could even find spots like this in the summer.

It was great spending time with Tom and Georgie though I'm sad to report the guys did not do so well at euchre, the girls ruled! We got to go to several of our favorite restaurants, all locally owned as there are no chains here. I got my fix of traditional Hatteras food; catch of the day with baked potato, slaw, hush puppies and the unique Hatteras chowder, always my favorite. 

The sun sets on our stay in Hatteras. A week sure was not long enough and we are already looking forward to a longer stay next fall.

We left Hatteras on Thursday and made it to Florida in three days. Very, very quick for us. We will be at Lake San Marino later this week for a month long stay. While there, we are flying to Punta Cana for vacation and to celebrate our anniversary.

Life is Good!!!!