North Carolina

There’s a beautiful area in the country known for being shared between two states ( Tennessee and North Carolina ) and for the bluish colors of the mountains particularly at dawn and dusk. The Smoky Mountains get their signature “smoke” from a natural chemical process. Millions of trees and plants exhale harmless vapors called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). When these naturally released gases mix with the air and humidity, they reflect sunlight, creating a dreamy blue haze that hangs over the peaks.

We’ve got a good glimpse of them as we were enjoying Pigeon Forge and Chattanooga in Tennessee but of course we wanted to see the NC part of it, but…. surprise!! if we wanted to cross from the west to the east towards NC, the roads are not suitable for big buses like our motorhome as it’s a winding up and down road. You have two options: either go north – east direction bypassing the mountains headed to West Virginia, or south in search for North Carolina.

Since WV was also in the list of states to visit, this is when we decided to go safe and visit WV and approach North Carolina from the north, from Virginia.

For an avid enthusiast in aviation as I am, it was of course obvious that I wanted to take Claudia to the place proper aviation started; Kitty Hawk being the site where the first flight of a machine heavier than air and operated by a human took place on Dec 17, 1903.

On that particular date after several attempts they managed to fly 4 different times

All 4 flights departed from the same spot, easily identified by a rock placed right there as a historical monument

The first flight lasted only for 12 seconds and the final flight, the only they said “we did it!!” lasted for 59 seconds and flew a record 852 ft ( or 260 mt)

The whole site is well presented and well kept; a museum, a replica of the aircraft is also shown as well as replicas of the workshop they used, and others.

Workshops and hut to live in while hundres of models / gliders were used previous to the moment they achieved what others tried unsuccessfully elsewhere. Even some died in the attemp, for instance Otto Lilienthal, german inventor who actually managed to fly gliders. He died back in 1896 while in command of a glider that crashed ( 50 ft fall).

View from the Kill Devil Hill where they flew many gliders from.

Me playing “silly” here 😂

Okay, enough of airplanes and time to head to the coast!!

I always heard about the Outer Banks of NC, places like Cape Hatteras, Cedar Point, Cedar Island and Ocracoke Island. I chose a campground right at the end of Route 12, just a mile from the port where the ferry to Ocracoke departs.

Outer Banks are referred to a 175 mile corridor of narrow barrier islands. People move around via ferries or conventional roads / bridges.

I wanted to go for a swim but it was way too windy!!

May I translate what I just said? ” No way!!! it’s too windyyyyyy””

The next day was a pleasant 75 deg F almost no wind day conditions

Every time we come to a place, we look for trails, nice paths to walk 10, 15, 20K steps!. We drove then to Beaufort and found a nice park (Cedar Point Tideland Trail)

On the way back to Cedar Island, we stopped by a Rest Area next to the ICW. Judging by the number of pick up trucks + trailers you can tell how much people over here love boats!!!

Tree number 49 was planed at the campground at Cedar Island

Standing next to Sherman, campground owner. To me, he looks like the twin brother of Sam Elliot, the Hollywood actor ( latest performance being Landman’s father )

3 more states and the adventure comes to an end…