Monday, August 21st

Today we retraced the steps we took back in 1981 - 1983 when we came to the Outer Banks with the kids. We used to camp in Duck, NC which was at the VERY end of hwy 12 going north from Kitty Hawk and Nags Head. There was only about 15 miles of sandy beach north of the Ocean Beach Campground where we stayed. Well, in the 23-25 years since we last camped here, development has spread 12 miles north. Upscale condos, residential communities, golf courses, small airstrip, etc. Only the last 3 or so miles is sandy beach, suitable only for 4x4's. We drove as far north as the road would take us and then traveled a bit on the beach in the Jeep. Sad in a way but such is progress.

A bit of history & geography about the Outer Banks. As you can plainly see on the map, the Outer Banks protrude out into the Atlantic Ocean and, as such, catch their fair share of hurricanes. The "Banks" (inhabited by "Bankers") are also known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic because of the hundreds of shipwrecks on their shoals. Southbound ships try to stay as close to land as possible to avoid the northbound Gulfstream. There are massive shoals off the coast where so many ships ran aground before there were lighthouses. There are three lighthouses that still provide navigation assistance to mariners. Each is painted in a unique pattern so that in daylight they may be identified.