We had never been to the Outer Banks, in North Carolina, before. We were pleasantly surprised by the unique beauty of these barrier islands.

We visited Kitty Hawk, where the Wright brothers started aviation history. Then we toured the famous Hatteras Lighthouse, close to where many ships were lost. From there we took a short ferry to Ocracoke Island, and then a 2 and a half hour ferry from there to Cedar Island, on the mainland of North Carolina.

Kitty Hawk:  There is a beautiful monument to the Wright Brothers on the hill where they did a lot of glider experimentation prior to their motored flights, down at ground level. In addition to a small museum and modest wooden buildings simulating what was their workshop during their experimentation, there area markers showing how long each flight traveled. The fourth flight was by far the farthest on that memorable day.

Hatteras: We stayed at an RV park right next to the ocean, in Rodanthe, a small town very close to the Hatteras Lighthouse. No wonder the Wright Brothers chose the Outer Banks for their flying. The wind was blowing strong and cold all night, as we stayed nice and toasty in our comfortable rolling home.

                                   Hatteras Lighthouse

Ferry Trip from Ocracoke to Cedar Island: Lighthouse After a short free ferry ride to Ocrakoke Island, we took a second, much longer (2 1/2 hours) ferry ride from Ocracoke to Cedar Island, on the mainland of North Carolina. We stayed at a lovely and inexpensive Driftwood Campground, where lots of kayaking and horse-riding was going on