Our day started at the Bodie Lighthouse on Bodie Island. It has recently been opened to climbing, but they take groups of 25 to the top so the climbing is not as relaxed as it is at Hatteras. The lighthouse today is the third one to be so named. The first was so poorly built that it started cracking and sinking into the sand and is referenced as looking like the leaning tower of Pisa. Just eleven years after it was built it was razed.
The second lighthouse was built a mile and a half north of the first in 1859, but was taken over by the confederate army and eventually according to a report the lighthouse was still standing in 1862 but the Fresnel lens had been removed to hinder the Union Army and at the end of the war the lighthouse had been destroyed.
The one standing today was built between 1870 and 1872. It is 162 feet tall with the latest restoration
being done in 2012. It has 214 stairs which we chose not to climb this day.
From there we went north to Jockey's Ridge which is the largest natural sand dune on the eastern seaboard.
About a third the way up the dune. It looks flat but that is definitely not the case. Sarah has been creating challenges for me this week that I could accept or not depending on the activity, but I have happily accepted each one with grace. Was not aware off how big a one this would be until I topped the first part of the dune. It was a beautiful day for a walk in the barefoot in the sand with nice breezes of the ocean and the sound.
Ridges made by the wind over the sand. It really does look like the desert, but sand is really fine not that I have any knowledge of desert sand. It was really a fun walk.
Below there is a class learning to hang glide.
The class is way in the background as we had walked to the next high spot on the dune.
From here we headed to lunch at a local restaurant that Sarah knew from years of family summer vacations at the beaches in this area of the Outer Banks.
She said we had to get the Backyard Wings and she had fried shrimp that were the best ever to cross your lips. I opted for a burger and salad which was also amazing.
Burger done just right and a major mess to eat.
Next stop of the day was the Wright Brothers Memorial. Will break this off and start a new post as there are a number of pictures from there as well.
Until Next Time........
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