I wish I could have a cute shorthand way of referring to my absurdly long street name (West Corte Del Sol Este). That's what OBX is: shorthand for Outer Banks. We took a vacation to this popular barrier islands spot just before leaving Eastern North Carolina. Yes, yes, I know my whole life is a vacation, but going to someplace other than the initial get away spot is something of a vacation. Here's a typical beach scene at the Outer Banks.
I've never seen cleaner beaches. The beaches on the Atlantic side of the barrier islands are pounded by waves to the point that any seashells are pummeled into polished fragments. There's a quick drop off into deeper water, and the days we were there, a serious advisory about rip tides. All the beaches are public and there are numerous access points. Using any other way to get to the beach is seriously discouraged because of damage to the dunes and the special vegetation that hold the dunes in place.
A single highway runs the length of the North Carolina Outer Banks until Cape Hatteras when the barrier islands take a 90 degree turn. At that point you can catch a ferry to Ocracoke Island and continue to the 'tip' of the last island in the North Carolina chain. These pictures show the typical scenery for miles and miles and miles. The height of the dunes is five to ten feet tall. In some places on the highway, it's simply sand. Where there's no vegetation, the sand drifts over the highway. It's easy to see how quickly this two lane road could be buried. Protecting these dunes is serious business. 
The 'sound' side of the barrier islands are often refuges which are wetlands. We took a hike into the interior of the Pea Island Refuge (yes, it's one of the barrier islands), and the scenery was entirely different. According to the info, managers of these wetlands have even created artificial wetland islands. I couldn't tell the difference between the 'real' and the 'artificial'.
(If everything looks a bit hazy, this was the day of the big wildfire smoke event that billowed down even into North Carolina from Canada.) I was thrilled to see some big water birds and have a chance to take pictures of them.
There were two main attractions in the OBX which I thought were really stellar. First, this is the location of Kitty Hawk, NC, which immediately brings to mind the first engine powered airplane flight by Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1903. There's a National historical sight with a marvelous Visitor's Center which is right on the spot of the first flight. I learned lots of things about how the first engine powered flight took place. The Wright boys spent several years, and had eureka moments which preceded the famous flight. Incidentally, they flipped a coin to see who would pilot the first attempt at powered flight. Wilbur won, but they couldn't get the engine to start. Another coin flip, and Orville won. The engine started, and the first flight went all of 30 feet. Of the four attempts that day, December 17, 1903, the longest flight was just short of 900 feet.
This boulder marks the spot where the airplane 'took off' for each of the successful powered flights that December in 1903
Each of these rocks mark the spots of the flights which the farthest rock being almost 900 feet from the 'take off' boulder
The is the memorial to the event dedicated during the 1930's - attended by flight luminaries including Amelia Earhart.
(The helicopter was doing 'touch and goes' from the nearby air base.)
Of much more interest to me was the full sized replica of the Wright brothers plane. The real plane is in the Air and Space Smithsonian Museum in Washington. The plane is made out of light weight wood and canvas! The pilot doesn't 'sit' - there's no pilot seat - instead the pilot lays down in the center of the lower wing.
The replica of the Wright Brothers first plane
The Wright brothers came to Kitty Hawk for several years prior to the first powered flight. They worked out several problems initially using gliders. Orville sketched out the design for the powered air plane on a brown piece of paper!
There was one other interesting sight. It's a circular installation of metal monoliths inscribed with the important moments in the first 100 years of flight. Here's the monument, and a close up of one of the entries.
Finally, here's something that will really blow your skirt up:
There are only 66 years between the 1903 flight of Wilbur and Orville Wright to the famous picture of the Earth taken from the moon landing in 1969.
The other notable attraction on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is the 200 foot tall lighthouse at Cape Hatteras.
This gigantic lighthouse and accompanying buildings was actually moved in 1999 when it became in danger of falling into the sea. In about two years, after repairs, visitors will again be able to climb to the top of the lighthouse.
As always, there are more pictures: Look at them individually for captions
Wright Brothers:
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse & Pea Island Refuge
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