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FORT HENRY LIGHT, OLD (1797) AND THE NEW ONE.(This is the oldest in the USA)Day 22 Currituck Light and Wright Brothers Memorial
The wind and rain started early this morning and continued all day. There were lots of “wind and rain” moments today.
But first it was “laundry day” and so that was the priority in the AM. This Park is on sand (DUH) on the Outer Banks (I will not give you a definition of the Outer Banks as there are many) so there is little need for parking pads and heavy gravel as seen in most parks. As long as the sand does not drift and has some growth on it, it keeps things in place, there is some woods here (pine) so that helps. We are on the “Back Bay”. The Laundry, swimming pool and public showers are all connected by a wooden patio deck. It was so windy today when we did the laundry, the large 8 X 4 wooden window had to be closed to keep us from blowing away. Laundry was $1.75 / load and the same for dryers. Times six (dryers and washers) =$10.50. Just in case you have to do that in an emergency.
The wind and rain started early this morning and continued all day. There were lots of “wind and rain” moments today.
But first it was “laundry day” and so that was the priority in the AM. This Park is on sand (DUH) on the Outer Banks (I will not give you a definition of the Outer Banks as there are many) so there is little need for parking pads and heavy gravel as seen in most parks. As long as the sand does not drift and has some growth on it, it keeps things in place, there is some woods here (pine) so that helps. We are on the “Back Bay”. The Laundry, swimming pool and public showers are all connected by a wooden patio deck. It was so windy today when we did the laundry, the large 8 X 4 wooden window had to be closed to keep us from blowing away. Laundry was $1.75 / load and the same for dryers. Times six (dryers and washers) =$10.50. Just in case you have to do that in an emergency.
CHESAPEAKE BAY BRIDGE AND TUNNELS
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CURRITUCK LIGHT (1873) AT COROLLA NC
The laundry was finished and it was nearing noon so we ate lunch and then headed north to the very tip of the Outer Banks to a town called Corolla (NC). The ride there was through a driving rain all the way, mostly on the 2 lane, NC 12. This was a 90 mile, one way jaunt but the lighthouse is another historic one and beautiful in its original natural brick color. (see pics).
There were many shipwrecks on this portion of the darkened coast so in 1873-1875 the lighthouse was built to save lives. After an oil wick lamp was used a 7th order Fresnel lens was installed. It was served by the lighthouse keepers until 1939 when it became automated by the US Coast Guard. The duplex keeper’s house (there were three keepers) became more deteriorated until, in 1980, The Outer Banks Conservationists society gathered funds to restore it. Today it is a magnificent site with manicured grounds and because the lighthouse itself is not up to building codes today, a waiver must be signed before climbing the 214 steps to the 156 foot high Fresnel lens. It is 28 feet across at the base and 16 feet across at the parapet (top). IT is all red brick. Remember that lighthouse on the same coast must be different in coloration.
DID YOU KNOW? The manner in which the light was “flashed” before automation, involved a series of pulleys, cables and weights powered a clockwork mechanism beneath the lantern, much like a grandfather’s clock. The keeper had to crank the weights up by hand every two and ½ hours!!!!! No wonder they had three keepers.
Adjacent to the light is the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education with displays including a 1500 gallon aquarium which is free to the public. Many wonderful animals and bird displays are present and an ongoing lecture series. (Today was photography- we couldn’t stay).
The strip of ;land from about 20 miles south on the Outer Banks where NC 158 comes in from the west and joins NC 12 and 25 miles north to Currituck (Corolla) is solid with homes that are in the $500,000 to $2,000,000 range. That’s 20 miles of homes some 8-10 blocks wide in most places. No comment! Yes, there were many for sale signs.
By this time the rain was incessant and we wanted to tour the Wilbur and Orville Wright Museum at Kill Devils Hill. We stayed indoors. The outdoors takes auto route that leads to the hill that the first flight was taken and has markers showing the first four flights. The 4tth one was the longest at 185 feet. The winds that day in 1903 (October) were like today at 27 mph. In1902 the Wrights made over 1,000 glides in a glider, (in Dayton OH) to perfect stability before they attempted to put an engine on the plane. After the success here they both demonstrated in Europe and the USA and found that their control was much superior to any others. The US Army turned them down at first, but later got “on board” with them in joint efforts. This historic day was accompanied by the visionary Wright’s who brought with them …a camera to record the events and the site. Hence much has been recorded.
There were many shipwrecks on this portion of the darkened coast so in 1873-1875 the lighthouse was built to save lives. After an oil wick lamp was used a 7th order Fresnel lens was installed. It was served by the lighthouse keepers until 1939 when it became automated by the US Coast Guard. The duplex keeper’s house (there were three keepers) became more deteriorated until, in 1980, The Outer Banks Conservationists society gathered funds to restore it. Today it is a magnificent site with manicured grounds and because the lighthouse itself is not up to building codes today, a waiver must be signed before climbing the 214 steps to the 156 foot high Fresnel lens. It is 28 feet across at the base and 16 feet across at the parapet (top). IT is all red brick. Remember that lighthouse on the same coast must be different in coloration.
DID YOU KNOW? The manner in which the light was “flashed” before automation, involved a series of pulleys, cables and weights powered a clockwork mechanism beneath the lantern, much like a grandfather’s clock. The keeper had to crank the weights up by hand every two and ½ hours!!!!! No wonder they had three keepers.
Adjacent to the light is the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education with displays including a 1500 gallon aquarium which is free to the public. Many wonderful animals and bird displays are present and an ongoing lecture series. (Today was photography- we couldn’t stay).
The strip of ;land from about 20 miles south on the Outer Banks where NC 158 comes in from the west and joins NC 12 and 25 miles north to Currituck (Corolla) is solid with homes that are in the $500,000 to $2,000,000 range. That’s 20 miles of homes some 8-10 blocks wide in most places. No comment! Yes, there were many for sale signs.
By this time the rain was incessant and we wanted to tour the Wilbur and Orville Wright Museum at Kill Devils Hill. We stayed indoors. The outdoors takes auto route that leads to the hill that the first flight was taken and has markers showing the first four flights. The 4tth one was the longest at 185 feet. The winds that day in 1903 (October) were like today at 27 mph. In1902 the Wrights made over 1,000 glides in a glider, (in Dayton OH) to perfect stability before they attempted to put an engine on the plane. After the success here they both demonstrated in Europe and the USA and found that their control was much superior to any others. The US Army turned them down at first, but later got “on board” with them in joint efforts. This historic day was accompanied by the visionary Wright’s who brought with them …a camera to record the events and the site. Hence much has been recorded.
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RECORD OF THE FIRST FLIGHT LENGTHS
MODEL OF THE FIRST WRIGHT BROTHERS PLANE (OCT 1903)
That was it and as it was now near 6:00 PM and way past our meal time, we stopped at “Tippers’ (Italian) in Avon, for supper. Ruth with chicken linguine, and Jim with home made Lasagna. They were very good.
The return trip the rest of the 70 miles was fraught with puddles on the road and at one point with many opposing cars, (thanks for the “travel mercies”) a large puddle enveloped the car in water and I had to get control and slow down. I went 40-50 feet before being able to see out the window again... Fortunately the driver behind me was alert to slow also.
We lined up some stops along the way for tomorrow when the weather will improve (sunny, too) and arrived home after a stop for groceries at the “Food Lion” a local chain in the east. The wind had broken my fibre glass “spinner pole”, and the slide out awning was threatening to come lose. I tied it down and put the pole to rest.
Tomorrow another lighthouse and some birds as we only identified 17 today but one was new…the White Ibis. Thanks for reading.
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