Caching on the Outer Banks 9/11/2008

We left this morning about 9:00 with a few caches to do in the Whalebone, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills area which is about 20 miles north of the campgrounds. Our first cache was in Whalebone and was a cache hidden on a large power box and was a large magnetic strip with the log on the back of the strip. Next it was on to a cache between Whalebone and Nags Head and was in the parking lot of Tanger Outlet and was a magnetic switch plate with the log inside. Then it was a multi cache in the parking lot of a water sports store with the first stage in the front parking lot and the final stage back by the store under a boardwalk. Next was a cache in a beach access hidden on the guy wire of a power pole and that was a silver bison tube. Our next cache was located at a popular surf shop and we had looked for the cache for awhile and couldn't find it and as we were still looking a car drove up and asked us if we were "hunting", as they were local cachers OBXWaMi a husband and wife team. We chatted awhile about caching and they gave us a clue as to where the cache was. We looked, using the clue, and sure enough there it was inside a fake water spigot on a plastic pipe. Then we were off to a cache at a in-line skating hockey rink at a lovely park, then it was on to a cache hidden on a ice cream shop sign and our last cache was hidden near the Wilbur Bros Memorial in the woods under a pine tree.
There were a couple of caches we wish we could have done but because of my back we didn't feel I could do the walking to the cache location at this time. First cache would have been at Jockey Ridge State Park which is the tallest natural sand dune system in the Eastern United States. Located in Nags Head, it is one of the most significant landmarks on the Outer Banks, North Carolina. It is the most striking of the remaining dunes on the OBX's and the shifting winds are constantly reshaping them.Because the Ridge is always changing, it is often referred to as "The Living Dune." The dunes consist of three peaks and are an example of a Medaño, shifting sand that lacks vegetation. No plants or animals make their home on the dune due to the harsh conditions here. The area around the base of the dunes hosts a variety of grasses and small plants. One such plant is the American Beach Grass which anchors itself in the sand with help from its 40-foot long root system. The grasses create habitats for small animals and insects. Heavy rains sometimes create temporary pools (below) around the base of the dunes, providing wildlife with fresh water. Some other facts about the sand are: The amount of sand making up the 420 acres of Jockey's Ridge is equal to about 6,000,000 dump truck loads, the Sand is mostly quartz rock which came from the mountains millions of years ago, and the dunes never blow away because Northeast and Southwest winds blow the sand back and forth. Another feature of the park is the Maritime Thicket which is a thicket of live oaks, persimmons, red cedar, wax myrtle, bayberry, sweet gum, red oaks, and pines grows best in areas protected by the large dune. The height of the dune provides protection from both wind and salt blown off the ocean. The effects of the wind and salt stunts the growth of trees, causing them to look like shrubs. Larger animals such as foxes, deer, and raccoon find protection in this environment. Some of the birds and animals you might find in the park are: brown pelican, osprey, sandpiper, blue heron, snowy egret, Luna moth, deer, gray & red fox, squirrels, rabbits, opossum, raccoon, hognose snake and the Six-Lined Racerunner which is the fastest lizard in North America. It really was disappointing that we couldn't have walked to the top of the dunes and taken pictures.
The other site we couldn't take advantage of was the Orville and Wilbur Wright National Memorial located in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, which commemorates the first successful, sustained, powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine. The park consisted of a 60-foot (18 m) granite monument, dedicated in 1932, and is perched atop 90-foot-tall (27 m) Kill Devil Hill, commemorating the achievement of the Wright brothers. They conducted many of their glider tests on the massive shifting dune that was later stabilized to form Kill Devil Hill. Inscribed in capital letters along the base of the memorial tower is the phrase "In commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright conceived by genius achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith." Atop the tower is a marine beacon, similar to one found in a lighthouse, that was installed to make the monument more "functional". The Wrights made four flights from level ground near the base of the hill on December 17, 1903, following three years of gliding experiments from atop this and other nearby sand dunes. It is possible to walk along the actual routes of the four flights, with small monuments marking their starts and finishes. Two wooden sheds, based on historic photographs, recreate the world's first airplane hangar and the brothers' living quarters. You can also stand on the same spot where the brothers made their first flights. A large granite boulder marks the spot where the first plane left the ground. Again we were disappointed that we couldn't visit this site but maybe next week if I am feeling better we might give it a go.
It was on back to the coach by way of the Bonner Bridge and the dunes on Pea Island. We took a walk to the beach and came back and made dinner and watched TV for awhile until it was time for bed. Well time to say until tomorrow and we love you all. Mom & Dad


Picture List:1-Everything is "Hunky Dory", 2,3,4,5-Wright Bros National Memorial, 6,7-Jockey Ridge SP, 8,9,10,11-A small cemetery we found back off the road deep in the woods in a Eco-Park....the grave markers date from the early to mid 1800's, 12- Mirlo Beach..."Dare to dream the impossible dream", 13-Bear in a well...this was in front of a house in Kitty Hawk, 14,15,16,17,18,19,20-Dunes along the road on Pea Island, 21-Bonner Bridge, 22-View from Bonner Bridge, 23,24,25,26-Beach & dunes in front of the campgrounds.