To Kitty Hawk

May 3, 2024

Oregon Inlet Campground wins for the dampest of the three Outer Banks campgrounds we've stayed at. It takes awhile in the morning for the sun to dry out our stuff enough to get on the road for our last day at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Two miles in we pass Bodie Island Lighthouse.

The first two lighthouses built on Bodie Island didn't last long. Construction on the first one in 1847 was overseen by a guy with no lighthouse experience. The brick foundation he ordered was unsupported, and the tower was leaning within two years. It was abandoned in 1859 after several expensive attempts to fix the problem. The second tower, built in 1859, lasted just two years before it was blown up by retreating Confederate army soldiers.

The need for a lighthouse on Bodie Island to guide southbound ships around the hazardous cape was serious enough that a third tower was built in 1872. Flocks of geese took their best shot at it by crashing into the lens. Fortunately that issue was resolved with screening and Bodie Island Lighthouse still stands.

The surviving lighthouse on Bodie Island

A mile further on we turn off on Old Oregon Inlet Road and leave the NC12 traffic behind. We are pedaling through Nag's Head, the biggest vacation destination on the Outer Banks. The wind that pushed us along for the last several days has shifted and is coming straight at us today. Barry pulls in front so I can ride in his draft. Then a smooth and wide bike path appears away from the road and the ride gets even better.

Lots of room on the shoulder here to find the least windy spot behind my draft leader.

Checking out the beach houses in Nag's Head

The Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk is our big destination today. The visitor center has fascinating displays about Wilber and Orville Wrights' drive to invent a flying machine. The brothers were cyclists who ran a bicycle repair shop in Dayton. Profits from designing and building bicycles supported their experiments with flight and helped them build skills for inventing a flying machine.

From 1900 to 1903, our heroes traveled to Kitty Hawk from Dayton to experiment with gliders and develop their flyer. Kitty Hawk had helpful features like stiff winds, soft sand for landing, and the Kill Devil Hills - a cluster of high dunes where they found a launching point.

The Wrights launched their gliders from a dolly mounted on bicycle hubs that rolled down a long wooden rail. They took turns piloting the gliders and learned how, just as with cycling, you had to lean into a turn to stay in control.

By 1902 they had succeeded in getting a glider to stay airborne for 26 seconds, sailing over 600 feet. The following year they developed the first successful powered flying machine. On December 17, 1903, Orville flew the Wright Flyer 859 feet in 59 seconds, ushering in the age of human flight.

The national memorial has a replica of Wilbur and Orville Wright's first successful powered flying machine.

The hill where the Wrights tested gliders and their powered flyer

Photo of the first powered, controlled flight in history, with Orville Wright at the controls.

Tonight we're staying with Nick and Dawn Kiousis, WarmShowers hosts in Point Harbor, on the other side of Wright Memorial Bridge from Kitty Hawk. We pitch our tents in the yard, hit the outdoor shower and spend a wonderful evening enjoying Dawn's roast chicken and talking with our hosts and their friend Dick. Nick says they were a little leery of hosting three people from our deep red state of Missouri, but it didn't take long to know that we share a more liberal view of the world.

Nick and Dawn run a breakfast restaurant called Stack 'em High Pancakes in Kitty Hawk. Nick says he tells his staff he wants to be their last employer. He believes in taking care of his employees, paying a living wage and providing benefits. We feel lucky to meet these good people.

Things are getting misty when we cross the Wright Memorial Bridge over the south end of Currituck Sound to Point Royal. We'll get to the north end tomorrow.

It's a wet and windy evening at the Kiousis home overlooking Currituck Sound. The tent is just fine for sleeping in the rain, but the evening is so much more pleasant inside with their warm welcome and good conversation.

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Today's ride: 29 miles (47 km)
Total: 1,611 miles (2,593 km)

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Suzanne GibsonJanice, I'm enjoying your narrative so much, a successful combination of your personal experience of the cycling aspect of your ride and interesting information on history and sights along the way. Thanks for your conscientous blogging and keeping us up-to-date after long and demanding days on the road.

I'm from New Jersey and now look forward to seeing your route and reading about your experience as you ride through the state where I grew up.

Wishing you all the best for the coming miles!
Suzanne
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6 months ago

Scott AndersonOregon Inlet campground is wet? Now that’s a shocker.
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6 months ago

Janice BranhamTo Suzanne GibsonOh thank you Suzanne, that means a lot to me. It is a struggle to keep up but worth it to hang on to the experience. I feel pretty lucky thst we've gotten this far on the tour without any major problems. Thanks for your good wishes.
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6 months ago