Outer Banks No Carolina to St. Augustine Florida

The Outer Banks of North Carolina truly grab your spirit. We started our tour at Kitty Hawk, the site of the first airplane ride by the Wright Brothers. To go back to 1900 and imagine how they felt when they successfully flew for the first time, even if it was only a few hundred yards. Incredible!! The monument and visitors center are filled with great detail about the perseverence and ingenuity necessary to successfully fly. They overcame so many obstacles to achieve their goal. To think the experiments were done in a bicycle shop back in Ohio - who knows what ideas will come out of Brian's My Bike store?? A kite fest was happening that weekend, so lots of cool and unusual kites were aloft.
We drove to the north end of the island to Currituck where we climbed the lighthouse stairs to the top. There are not too many light houses that you can climb any more so it's a thrill to get to the top, view the landscape, and imagine what it was like to be the keeper. Back in the day the keeper had to carry the oil for the lamp up in a bucket those 200 plus stairs and stay awake all night to keep the fire burning. The road ended at the north end of the island where we could drive on the beach. We saw a sign that said " Wedding" and pointed to the direction of the wilderness beach. If someone wants a perfect spot for a wedding, this is it. There is a great nature trail in Nag's Head that climbs over sand dunes and in dense forest. Our campsite here was accross the road from the Atlantic Ocean. The surf was wild and waves were huge. It was very windy so the sound of crashing waves could be heard day and night not to mention the incredible view.
Moving south on the Outer Banks, we camped at Rodanthe. What a quaint town! No wonder they made a movie here with Richard Gere, "Nights in Rodanthe". A women working at the Lifesaving Museum was an extra in the film and she related the stories of the filming and how nice and down to earth Richard Gere is. She was slightly upset that he decided to make his next film, "Amelia", without her. The lifesaving Museum was filled with implements to save people on stranded ships: life boats, life capsules and heroic stories of rescues in storms.
Surfers, both board and wind, and kite boarders filled the ocean and the sound where the huge waves and warm, shallow waters gave them a great ride. The sound is only waist deep so its a great place for beginning boarders. Geri enjoyed a peaceful kayak trip when the winds died down in the sound.
Pea Island NWR is another highlight of the Rodanthe area. It covers 10 miles and host a multitude of birds and ducks in its ponds. The snow geese had just arrived and they were expecting the swans any day. One of the most beautiful birds there is the marbled godwit, with its pink beak and multicolored feathers. (See pics)
Another day was spent going south on the island to Cape Hatteras, another lighthouse(can only climb in the summer), and then on the free ferry to Okracoke Island. Riding in our jeep was mild compared to the other vehicles on the ferry. We were next to 2 dump trucks. The ferry would also have taken our RV. We passed many small islands filled with birds. The gulls followed us all the way and the cormorants filled the sky as they migrated. Okracoke is a tiny town with island flavor, only a couple of restaurants and another group of wild horses.
It was sad to leave Rodanthe as we could see the sunrise from our RV as we faced the ocean and the sunset from the sound side accross the street. No wonder people visit Rodanthe after seeing the movie. It's even more natural and wild than the movie portrays.
Our next stop was Cary, North Carolina, a town near Raleigh- Durham. Our nephew Rick and his wife Lisa and their children, Kennedy, Kelcie, Khloe, and Kristopher opened their driveway for our RV and their home for the laughter and fun for a wonderful visit. My sister Rene(Rick's mom)and her husband Jim arrived the same day we did for a great family visit. The children loved having 2 Nanas and Papas to play with. What a treat! We enjoyed Aurilio's pizza from home that Rene & Jim brought as well as smoked duck and turkey that Rick made. Another food highlight was the "low country boil" that Lisa prepared. The combination of shrimp, potatoes, sausage, and corn on the cob as well as mussels delighted us all. We enjoyed the nature park down the street as well as golfing a par 3 with the children, their first time on a course. There are some future golfers in this group. It is amazing to watch Kristopher smack that ball at 4 years old. What a great visit we had!!
Leaving North Carolina, we returned to the coast to another favorite town, Savannah, Georgia. We had been here 5 years ago, but couldn't wait to go back for the beautiful streets that go around each square, the live oaks draped in moss, and their wonderful food. We enjoyed a great lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant, "The Lady & Sons". There is no chicken as delicious as hers not to mention the cheese biscuits and the sweet potatoes. We saw a film in the making which is produced by Robert Redford. No we didn't see him, unfortunately. Just to see the streets lined with RV's, trucks, costumed ladies, props, and food trucks was exciting. It was being filmed in the most beautiful square.
From there we drove to Tybee Island and enjoyed the scenery and Fort Pulaski NM. This fort was built to protect the city of Savannah. It was designed by a French military engineer, requiring 25 million bricks and 18 years to finish at the cost of 1 million dollars. Many considered it as strong as the Rocky Mountains. During the Civil War, this Fort was held by the Confederate soldiers and was defeated by the Union army with the use of newly developed rifled cannons. These canons opened wide gaps in the walls of the fort and threatened the powder magazine. The Confederate Col. Olmstead surrendered only 30 hours after the bombardment began. The holes made by the rifle canons are still visible today.
We had lunch at Paula Deen's brother's Oyster bar "Uncle Bubba's". It was on the water and the food was fantastic. The highlight was the Grilled Oysters. A charcoal grill cooked them and the chef topped them with garlic butter and parmesean cheese. We'll have to try to make some in Florida this winter.
Driving south down the Georgia coast, we stopped at Brunswick to visit Jekyll and St. Simons Islands. Jekyll Island's land is wild and protected. So much of it is saved for preserves and nature centers. There is a sea turtle rescue center, huge fishing pier, and numerous nature trails. On one beach walk, we saw people netting large shrimp, a wood stork flew in, and a bald eagle flew overhead. A bicycle trail runs throughout the island. We found a campground on the island that will be our stop on a future visit.
St. Simons island is an upscale island that hosted the leaders of the world at the G8 Conference held in 2004. The leaders were helicoptered to the island to meet. We climbed the lighthouse on the island and walked the battlefield at Ft.Frederica NM. 200 British soldiers were stationed here in 1742 when they were attacked by the Spanish. It was the southernmost British fort established to hold off Spanish invasion.
We finally arrived in Florida to visit St. Augustine, the oldest city in the US. This historical town was founded in 1565 and has the "Fountain of Youth" landmark. We visited it last time and it didn't make us any younger, so we skipped it this time. A bird rookery at the Alligator Farm provided many photo opportunities for Geri. Another lighthouse was climbed and a museum visited. A walk down old St. George street to enjoy the tiny shops and restaurants was next. A dinner at the Columbia, an authentic Spanish restaurant capped our day. While driving down the main street, Jim noticed the "Our Lady of La Leche" shrine. Since Dr. Karen counsels new nursing mothers each day, this is her patron. There was a tiny chapel with a beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother nursing Jesus. The towering Great Cross on the grounds is the 2nd tallest in the western hemisphere and was erected to mark the 400th anniversary of St. Augustine. People were leaving written petitions on the altar. Beauty and peace surrounded one there. Fort Mose, the first free African-American settlement in North America is in St.Augustine. These people had fled slavery in the Carolinas to come to Florida to be free long before Lincoln freed the slaves. Another fort was on the agenda. Fort Matanzas NM is the site of a watchtower that the Spanish built to guard the entance to St.Augustine. A free ferry took us out to see the watchtower and a ranger told us the story of the Spanish killing 245 French Huguenots in a struggle over the control of Florida.The view from the top of the watchtower was spectacular. St.Augustine is an interesting city to visit.