OBX

Thirteen years ago we drove from New York City to South Carolina. I looked at the map to see what route looked most interesting, and noticed that if I drove down the Outerbanks I could take a few ferries from island to island to reach Charleston. This was my route of choice, but we were restricted by time, and were forced to take the very un-scenic freeway through this picturesque region of our country. Ever since then, I have wanted to make this drive, so when I planned out our summer road trip, I made sure to fit the Outerbanks, ferries and all, into our itinerary. On Friday morning we left Virgina, crossed marshlands and bays by beautiful bridges and arrived in Kill Devils Hill. This is where the Wright Brothers flew their first airplane, so we couldn't help but stop at the monument, despite the sand and surf awaiting nearby.

The Wright Brothers made four attempts to lift off before they went far enough, over 300 yards, to be recognized as an official flight. Each landing is marked with a granite post like the one above.

We then drove through towns such as Nags Head and Hatteras, which I have always wondered about. We headed to the Cape Hatteras Light with a stop at Bodie Island Light on the way.

When we arrived at Cape Hatteras Light, the tallest lighthouse in North America, we bought tickets to climb to the top. No one was allowed to be carried up the 257 steps to the light, so Steve and Mia stayed on the ground, but I was proud of four year old Ezra who climbed around and around until he reached the top. On top we had a magnificent view of the surrounding area and we waved to Mia below, who was so excited to see us.

After, we found the closest beach, which was in the shadow of this famous lighthouse. When I asked a surfer in the parking lot if this was a good beach, he looked at me incredulously and responded, "One of the best in the world!" We were not disappointed.

I love that Ezra poses for photos now! It is fun to see what he thinks will make a great photo of himself!

"Peaches for the Beaches!" the advertisements ran. We picked up $26 dollars worth and ate the entire bag! They were the best we had ever had.

As the evening approached the light was just right, and family after family dressed in white, light blue and tan began arriving to the beach with professional photographers. Under the lighthouse they had their pictures taken in spots that had obviously been carefully chosen and probably used over and over by their photographer. When the families left, we slipped into their professionally chosen spot for a photo of our own. If only I had brought our color-coordinated outfits!

We were sad to leave this area, but looked forward to our next day on the Outerbanks.