Hatteras Island

We left Delaware and headed down the Delmarva Peninsula on our way to Hatteras Island. Our plan was to stay on the north side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and cross the next morning. We have been this way before in Opus so we knew what to expect. When we learned the weather forecast was for wind the next day, we decided to get across while the winds were calm.

The 23 mile bridge-tunnel across the mouth of Chesapeake Bay opened in 1964 with one bridge having two-way traffic. In 1999 a second southbound bridge opened so now there is no traffic coming toward you....... 

......except in the two mile long tunnels that have one lane in each direction. As of May 2018, 130 million vehicles have crossed this engineering marvel. In the RV it is a neat but intense trip, especially in the tunnels.

After an overnight stay just north of the Outer Banks, it was on the Hatteras Island. We always love seeing the Bodie Island Lighthouse because it means we are on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, our favorite beach location. 

The original Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet opened in 1963 allowing easier access to the national seashore. It was supposed to last 25 years so it was well past time for replacement. There has been major erosion under the piers and in 1990 a dredge broke loose in a storm and took out over 300 feet of the bridge, making it a necessity for replacement sooner rather that later.

Construction on a new bridge started in early 2016. As you can see, the new bridge will be higher and wider, but still only two lanes. The last of the road surface concrete was poured while we were there and the temporary platforms where the cranes worked from were being removed.

One of my favorite Hatteras things is surf fishing. It is very relaxing and usually fun catching a variety of fish. Not this year!!!! I DID NOT GET ONE FISH:(  It was so bad that on a couple days the same piece of bait lasted all day.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest in the United States. We were here in 1999 when it was picked up and moved 1,900 feet to save it from the encroaching sea. That was quite interesting to witness.

As often as we have visited here we have never toured the US Weather Bureau Station in Hatteras Village. The station was one of several the government built in the early 1900's. They were important for warning ships at sea and local residents of impending storms. If you want an inside look at how early weather stations operated, the station is worth a visit. It has been renovated and is now run by the park service. 

The surf was up so there were many surfers on the water. Maybe the rough ocean was why the catching was so bad.

There are always plenty of birds to entertain you on the beach. Grebes stuff themselves with so many fish that they can't fly until they digest them, so they just waddle down the beach. We have seen them so full they can't even walk.

A panoramic view at the beach and not one person can be seen. When we first started coming here in the 1970's you could find places like this even in the summer.

It was cool the first couple of days we were there, but as you can see it warmed up enough that no shoes, no shirt was no problem.

Nanc even held the pole to try and change my luck. It did not work and for the first time in many, many visits to Hatteras I got skunked.

The happy couple celebrating our 49th anniversary at Pangea. It was a great day and we already have plans to return next year for the BIG 50th.

There are several great restaurants on Hatteras that we support while we are here. Pangea, Oceania Bistro, Ketch 55, Sandbar, Gidgets and High Moon are our favorites. They are all locally owned and at most the owner will be there to greet you. This is Waterhigh, the house band and owners of High Moon. This time of year the bass player, Danielle, is also the cook so when someone places an order she leaves the stage and goes to the kitchen to prepare your meal. 

I'm not sure what kind of birds these are, but we saw hundreds of them heading south for the winter......

.....and that is what we did after two weeks on the island. This is the last time we will cross the old bridge as the new one will be open for our next visit. 

Thousands of birds on shore and in the water as we crossed Oregon Inlet. Maybe we will see some of them in Florida with the rest of us snowbirds.

You can't get out of this area without crossing many bridges. The one over the Alligator River has a swing bridge where we had to wait as several boats passed through. You can see the masts of two sailboats.

We are now in Georgia and will be in Jacksonville over the weekend. We will then be heading further south for a month before going to the Keys for six weeks starting the middle of December.