Lost Colonists, Wildlife Refuges, and Microbrews

Saturday, April 25, 2015

It's been a beautiful week in North Carolina's Outer Banks. The weather has been perfect; highs in the 70's and lows in the 50's and 60's. Bright sun, blue skies, and some wind, but great weather for walking the beach. Each day we wait until late afternoon and make the walk on the beach when the photography is better and we don't need sunscreen. Big hats and we're set to go!

Great walking beach!

Flotsam or Jetsam? Horseshoe crab shell.

Fierce wildlife - Sandpipers, Willets, and Herring Gulls

Adding in a little upper body exercise

Guess who's dead body washed up - Sponge Bob!

And this Northern Puffer that had washed up

This small Ballyhoo was still alive, so we quickly gave him a lift back to the waves.

Major timber from an old shipwreck

Today is cold, overcast and the rain is starting, so we will be content to have a quiet day in the rig. Since yesterday was the last nice day, we decided to go exploring. The temps had dropped into the high 50's and it was windy, but sunny. We hopped in the little silver egg and drove a short way north and then west over the bridge to Roanoke Island. After driving through the town of Manteo we reached Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Having read recently about the Lost Colony on Roanoke Island we were curious to see the site.

Sir Walter Raleigh sponsored the first exploration and settlement of the North American coast for England. In 1587 a colony with men, women and children was established on the northern end of Roanoke Island west of the Outer Banks. When supplies ran low, Governor John White was sent back to England. He was unable to find a ship to return for three years since England was at war with Spain. When he finally returned, the colonists, including his daughter and grand-daughter, Virginia Dare, who was born there, had vanished. Today it's called the Lost Colony because the mystery has never been solved. There is speculation that they traveled elsewhere, were killed, starved, or massacred by the native peoples, but there is no conclusive proof of any of these outcomes.


There have been archaeological digs since the 1800's, and the remains of a small earthen fort were found. It has been reconstructed on the site. A few artifacts have been found as well. The visitor's center houses a small exhibit explaining the history and displaying some of the artifacts. Nearby “The Lost Colony” drama has been performed outdoors every summer since the 1930's. I attended a performance as a child and still vividly remember Virginia Dare in her mother's arms being carried off the stage and into the wilderness to “who knew where?”

Reconstructed earthen walls of the fort

Roanoke Island also figured in Civil War history. The Union seized the strategic island from the Confederates. North Carolina was still a slave state, but when the Union took the island slaves would be free if they could make their way there. The Union established a Freedman's Colony and over 3,500 slaves lived there. After the war was over they were turned out of their cabins and the land returned to the original owners.

We walked out to the reconstructed fort and then drove back to the main road and drove a quarter mile to the regional headquarters for the wildlife refuges. They have a beautiful 3 year old visitor center with lots of good exhibits in a LEED (green) certified building. Greg looked at the exhibits while I got sidetracked talking to the work campers volunteering there. Karen and Tim are a lovely, interesting couple who started volunteering there two weeks ago for about a six month stint. We've had our eye on volunteering at one of the refuges in the area, Alligator River, Pea Island, or Pocosin Lakes, sometime in the future, and wanted to check them out. We had a great conversation, sharing experiences and work camping ideas. They hope to work next summer at the Elk Refuge outside of Jackson, Wyoming near Grand Teton National Park. How cool is that? We exchanged cards and hope to see them again somewhere down the road.

New Wildlife Refuge visitor's center on Roanoke Island

Our stomachs were growling at that point and Greg had scoped out a micro-brewery in the town of Manteo, so we drove a short distance, parked and walked the waterfront boardwalk to the Full Moon Brewery. We took a short detour to look at the restored lighthouse on the dock. Manteo appears to have renovated their waterfront and we found a lovely commercial waterfront area and residential area with pretty homes. Since the Outer Banks is becoming maxed-out for new homes and businesses, there seems to be a spillover to the nearby Manteo area.

Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse - now the centerpiece of Manteo Harbor

One of the old cast-iron screw-piles used for Pamlico Sound Lighthouses in the 1880s

We declined to sit outside in the cold wind at the brewery, so walked inside a nicely renovated brick building. It was crowded and a bit noisy, but we enjoyed a couple wraps and two microbrews; the Pale Ale for me and the IPA for Greg. Nice, ordinary microbrews, nothing special. Greg said they were brewed English style, so they were milder than we have encountered at other craft breweries. On our walk back to the car we took a quick look at the outside exhibits for their maritime museum. This area was famous for their shad boats.

Historic, locally built shad boat

We decided to make one more stop before going back to Oregon Inlet. In fact, we took the bridge past our campground and over the Oregon Inlet, on the bridge we walked the beach to a few days earlier. On the other side is Hatteras Island and the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge. Stopping at the visitor center we looked at the exhibits and then walked the trail along North Pond. There were several observation platforms to observe the waterfowl. As usual we are either too early or too late to catch the main migratory bird stopovers. There were a few ducks, geese and herons, but still a nice walk in the sun. At that point we declared the day over and went back to our RV to prepare for the coming rain.

The dunes relentlessly try to swallow the main highway, NC 12

Yellow Bellied Slider

This old snapper is very attentive to people walking over the boardwalk bridge, actually following us

Standing there 5 minutes brought out 12 big turtles, looking for handouts

Looking back at the visitors center

One of several birdwatching platforms

Thistle starting to bloom

Tomorrow we leave here to head north for family visits and appointments in Maryland before we continue on to New Hampshire for our work camping. We are due at Geneva Point on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire on May 15^th. Hope the snow is gone by then!

Oregon Inlet Bridge and the Outer Banks Brewing Station

Monday, April 22, 2015

Late Saturday afternoon the fog rolled in off of the sea. We waited until then to walk on the beach so that we wouldn't need to bother with sunscreen. Once we crossed the dunes the beach got foggier and wetter. We took a brief walk and came back over the dunes where the fog was behind us and the sun in front of us, for a while at least. Until the fog started rolling through the campground and it was time to go inside.

Sunny to foggy in minutes!

Blowing fog and brief sunshine averages out to pretty nice!

Sunday morning dawned overcast. A big front was coming in so we took an early walk. We hiked the beach south and around the end of the island to the Oregon Inlet bridge. On the way we spied lots of seabirds and ducks. The Brown Pelicans were the most skittish which made them hard to get close enough to photograph with my handy pocket-sized point-and-shoot. I found two beautiful intact whelk shells and some coral which I photographed and left behind for someone or the sea to claim. When I have no extra room in the rig it makes it easier to enjoy something, take a photo and leave it behind. Experiences instead of things...

 

Sneak up close to the Brown Pelicans...Not Happening!

We walked directly next to the long bridge that spans Oregon Inlet and connects Bodie Island with Hatteras Island. Pamlico Sound stretched off to the distance on the other side. The overcast came and went and we decided that since we hadn't brought a lunch with us, (Greg suggested brie, a baguette, and wine, which just made me hungrier...), we made the long hike back to camp. It was a great beach to walk on. Firm enough to walk fast and get some good exercise. Also, firm enough for 4 wheel drive vehicles to drive. We were pretty darn hungry when we got back, salt air and it's effects you know. It started to sprinkle just as we got to camp.

Walking on the beach along Oregon Inlet

 

The viaduct to Hatteras Island

 

Pelican Tracks

Nesting area for Piping Plovers, Skimmers, and Terns

 

Our camp neighbor practicing with his new kite board, without the board.

Coming home to Lunch!

 Last night it poured and the wind shook the rig all night. I dreamed about earthquakes! Today was supposed to be rainy, but dawned sunny with clear blue skies and mild temperatures. Because we thought it would rain all day we had already decided to lunch at Outer Banks Brewing Station. Well, we decided to go anyway! First we drove across the highway to the Oregon Inlet Marina to dump tanks. The charter fishermen were enjoying the sunshine while preparing their boats for the tourist fishing season. A plastic replica of the 805.5 lb North Carolina record tuna hangs gruesomely from a cross beam as you enter the marina.

"The eye of the ...tu-na!"

 

We drove out of the quiet of the dune-filled national seashore and into the town of Nags Head, also fairly quiet now as it gears up for tourist season. We've been to the Outer Banks Brewing Station the past two Aprils and enjoy their micro-brews. They make a Lemongrass Wheat beer that I haven't found elsewhere on our travels. Greg ordered a Foxy Brown Spiced Ale and we ordered the usual; for me a salad, for Greg a grilled fish sandwich. It was a low key Monday afternoon in the brewery. Just our kind of day!

"You want me to smile when I'm Hungry?"

 

He is making ale as fast as he can!

OK, Now I will smile. Grilled Mahi with Pineapple, onion, and tomato...

It's 5 pm and the overcast is back, so we still have a chance of showers as the next system passes through. Then we should have good weather the rest of the week. April on the North Carolina coast is often rainy, so we are excited that we will have a good stretch of weather before we leave next Sunday. More beach walks with my honey!