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Outer Banks,
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I, too, grew up going to the Outer Banks with my
grandparents. AFter I graduated, I didn't return to this
wonderful area until I was in my upper 30's with 3 kids of my
own. I will never forget seeing my children wonder at all of the
beauty of the Outer Banks, as I did when I was a child. I have
ticket stubs from the Lost Colony from 1967, when it cost $2.75
for a seat. I remember KFC being the only restaurant in Nags
Head, and I remember the wonderful man who owned The Shipwreck
gift shop. He used to feed the turtles every evening out back of
his shop. I return every year now with my family, and I always
bring a picture of granny and grandaddy, who have passed away
years ago, but I bring them with me in their picture, so I'm
returning the favor they gave me as a child. We stay in Rodanthe,
and I cannot wait until we go again this year. July of 1999 will mark my 29th summer on the Outer Banks. My
first memory is sitting on the Hatteras Island Pier fishing with
my grandpa (he passed away in 1990). I can also remember being
too young to stay out late with my aunts and uncle at the game
room by the pier. That is where I first heared a Billy Joel
song. To this day "Only The Good Die Young" reminds me of Cape
Hatteras. I can't wait for the summer to come. My back yard in
Ohio has multiple wooden walkways and there is always sand
somewhere in or around my house...I was "homesick" the summer
that my son was born in 1993, because I was too pregnant to
travel so far from home. Thanks to all the wonderful people that
have let me call the Outer Banks my second home...Rondanthe I'll
be seeing you soon!!!!! "Cause I'm goin' to Carolina in my
mind....." submitted 5-99 i have lived most of my thirty years in
elizabeth city just 50-60 miles away from the outer banks.
needless to say i have had too many outer banks experiences to
mention them all. it is still one of my favorite places to
visit. i remember my parents taking my sister and i to duck to
the camp ground that is now row after row of cottages. at the
time my sister and i thought we were at the end of the earth! we
spent our days on the beach collecting star fish and shells. we
would walk the small distance to winks for candy. at that time,
winks was the only sign of life in duck. i miss those days of
solitude. i still love the outer banks and my family and i visit
often. we make a point to get the entire family together for a
week out of the summer to lay around and play on the sand. to
me, there is still nothing quite like the outer banks. sitting
on the porch early in the morning, watching the pelicans fish is
just what the doctor ordered! i'm sure i still have plenty of
outer banks memories to make! Okay, there are certain places you have to go for certain
things to eat on the Outer Banks. HURRICANE MO'S for the best
steamed oysters ever (beer and wine only)! CAPT'N FRANKS for the
best hot dogs! CLARA'S for the absolute best ever she-crab soup!
DAIRY MART for the best hamburger you will ever put in your
mouth (outside dining only!) ELIZABETH'S CAFE all around yummy!
For great tuna taco's, it's gotta be GOOMBAY'S. JOHN'S DRIVE IN
for tuna boats with fried okra and don't forget the peanut
butter milkshakes (outside dining only!) THE OASIS: you have to
go get the BELLRINGERS! Raw oyster on a saltine cracker with
horseradish, hot sauce and a jalapeno; a buck a piece. Your
nasal passages will be clear for weeks. My record is six. If
Mark makes them; I can only do three. THAI ROOM for the sauteed
soft shells. We lived on the Outer Banks for nearly 10 years but
go back at least twice a year. Just got back from our 11 days
during Easter 99. Had a wonde! rful time My family & I have been visiting the outerbanks since 1958.
An we have hundreds of wonderful memories of this beautiful
place. I think the most wonderful memory is the time when on the
spur of the moment my husband & I invited my brother & his wife
to go on a vacation with us. It was our first vacation without
our children. As they are all grown now with families of their
own. My brother hadn't been there for about twenty years & his
wife had never been there. None of us had alot of money & just a
couple small dome tents. We all camped on the same site & shared
resources & anything else we had. It was almost like being a kid
again. We now look forward to going down together each summer.
An hopefully some day our children will all start taking thier
families. This summer we will be visiting the outerbanks twice.
More if time allows. An we will be taking my younger sister &
her family. As she has not been there for twenty years. I'm sure
this will be another of those wonderful years. Maybe when my
husband & I retire we could move to this beautiful place. Hope
to see everyone this summer. Salt air. That's the first thing that tells me I'm back where
I truly belong. I stick my head out of the window as we cross
the bridge and take deep breaths. I'm home, a giddy voice inside
my head screams! I can't take it all in fast enough with my
eyes. Those old familiar sights. The weatherbeaten cottages.
Hello, old friends! I say this to myself with a smile. I search
for my first glimpse of the ocean. And there it is, in all it's
majesty and mystery. The water, which soothes my soul, which has
a magical way of easing all the pains I've suffered since my
last visit. We always have our first meal at the Nags Head Pier.
Because it has always been my father's favorite place, it is
special to us. It's where he reconnects with our "island." We
always laugh because while we're there, we begin to plan when we
will come back for breakfast--the best meal at the pier. Funnier
still is that I must always have a tuna salad sandwich on toast
for breakfast. We recall the many morning walks that would
eventually lead us there. We remember when there wasn't a
McDonald's, a shopping mall or even a large grocery. We used to
buy our groceries for the week at the Giant in Norfolk and hold
them on our laps all the way to the island. There were no
radios, TVs or phones to distract us from the beauty that
surrounded us. We'd call Grandma at the first and last of the
week from one of the two pay phones in Southern Shores. We'd get
glass jugs of chocolate milk at one of the mom and pop stores
and chug it all the way back to the cottage. We'd get the
world's best malts at Miller's Drug Store. We'd buy Krispy
Kremes in boxes at the store, not at drive-thrus. We'd climb the
dunes and always be stunned by the view from up top. We'd go to
the widow's peak at night to take in the moon and the stars, and
the Wright monument, lit up for all to see. We'd marvel at the
brothers' imagination and foresight. We'd drive to Manteo for a
magical visit to the Christmas Shop. Mom buys each of us an
ornament every year. We'd go to the Lost Colony and speculate on
the story's true ending. We'd walk along Manteo's waterfront and
have wonderful sundaes at the old drug store. On the way back,
we'd stop at Buck's for the best spiced crabs around. There are
a million memories here for me and my family. The breeze that
gently caresses, the roar of the surf, the hot sun, the
laughter, the waves crashing down on you, the gentle nights.
There is no other place like this on earth for me. Reading
others' recollections, I was surprised to find that we are not
alone in our love for the island. Why? I guess I believe the
magic of the Outer Banks wraps around you and makes you feel as
though it's all for you. It's one place you can truly and easily
live each day as if it were your last. It makes us better
people--most of the time, anyway! As always, I can barely stand
to count the days until I'm back where I feel the most alive.
And while it saddens me to see the continual, perhaps
unnecessary growth, it will remain the island of my memories.
The island where a little girl dreamed big dreams, loved her
family and skipped in tune with nature's beauty. 3-12-99 My memories of the Outer Banks revolve around cars... it
seems that every time I return, its in a different vehicle, and
each vehicle seems to end up with its own "Outer Banks" story
that my friends never tire of hearing (yeah, right)... It all
started with my Dad's old 1967 VW Beetle... It was the late
70's, and my sister (who was a high school senior) decided it
might be amusing to take her "little" brother along... years
later, in the mid 80's I drove the very same vehicle (after
having restored it) back to the Outer Banks, only to drive into
a hurricane (how was I to know that the Outer Banks were
closed... nobody stopped me until I got to Whalebone Junction!)
The sand blowing against the car was not the best for my fresh
paint job, but we survived... A couple of years prior to that, a
high school friend of mine and I drove his VW Thing to the Outer
Banks... ( A VW Thing being a sort of Jeep type vehicle that VW
sold inthe US briefly in 1973 and 74)... it had one drawback...
two-wheel drive... of course this did not prevent us from trying
to get out on the beach, after all, we had snow tires! And we
did succeed... it was the return trip back to the road, where we
got stuck in sand so soft, that once we were able to get
ourselves through it, (through the use of bits of carpet,
seaweed and whatever else we could scavenge and throw under the
tires) we discovered that the sand had worn our snow tires down
to slicks... Another vehicle that made the trip was my 1967 VW
camper bus (do you see a trend?)... it saw the beach from the
paved campground parking spot, but still made for a pleasant
nights stay with a icebox full of Corona and the wind blowing
through the open windows... my high school friend and I recently
returned in his Porsche Boxster for a quick blast through the
Outer Banks, although he fretted about the damage that the spray
from the ferry to Ocracoke was causing to his expensive paint
job... well, this year I am looking forward to the opportunity
to hit the beach for real... having purchased a Land Rover, I
hoping that we won't be needing the carpet bits and seaweed this
time! And I'm sure it too will end up with its own fair share of
stories... I guess what sticks in my mind about each one of
these trips is that even though the Outer Banks have become more
and more commercialized over the years, it still has that
certain charm, peace and solitude that you can't find just
everywhere... and thats what keeps me coming back, year after
year. I have many wonderful childhood memories of the Outer Banks.
On my first trip I was only five years old. My parents packed
myself, two sisters and brother in our old pick-up truck with a
camper on the back (this was legal back then!). There was a
hurricane and they wouldn't let us cross the Oregon Inlet bridge
so we went inland and "camped" at the side of the road. I will
NEVER forget the next day...The sky was clear and as we walked
up the steps and boardwalk over a dune I looked in awe and asked
my Dad "Where's the other side" (We grew up around many lakes in
Indiana) There were so many sea shells!!! We stayed for a week
at the KOA and filled our big cooler with shells. Mom still has
the conch shell my younger sister and I found...It is in perfect
shape. My family tried to get back every two or three years as
us kids were growing up. Kitty Hawk, the National Seashore, the
Okracoke Ferry, The Hatterass Lighthouse...They will stay with
me always. Married! now for many years, with three boys (15, 11,
and 5) and a new two-week old baby girl, we're planning to visit
the Outer Banks this next summer. It will be my third trip with
my own family. The last time we were there our eldest (who is
now a freshman in high school) was only in kindergarten. I'll
never forget that crazy weekend!!! It was spring break, I
baby-sat for a friends little boy all week. When my husband came
home from work on Friday night, it was 28degrees outside and we
had snow and ice everywhere. He looked at me and said "let's get
out of town for the weekend". Joking I said "let's go to the
beach". He said "OK" and we loaded up the two boys and our
cocker spaniel in our 89 Mercury Tracer. I had packed two
changes of clothes for every one. I didn't even pack my make-up.
We left out home around 7pm and drove straight through the
night. We reached Hatterass about 11:30 Saturday morning.
Checked into the hotel and had a wonderful time!!! We stayed
until ! noon Sunday and drove straight home (we arrived home at
about 10a m Monday morning). When we checked into the hotel I
didn't know we weren't allowed to have pets in the room. When we
went to walk on the beach and wade in the icy cold water, I
wrapped the dog in one of the boys sleeping bags and carried him
like a baby until we were over the sand dune. It was a
spontaneous trip that will stay in our memories forever. Just
like my childhood memories of our trips there. The scenery, the
friendly people, everything was wonderful. If we're ever ready
to retire I would dearly love to have a home there. (Or if we
ever hit the lottery!) Thank you so much for the memories. I
would dearly love to hear from someone there on the Island!!!!
The Outer Banks...what can I say. I love it there. I first
visited Kitty Hawk in 1987 with my best friend. We went there
during our spring break during our senior year of high
school..It was great!! We met a lot of people, they showed us
things that I will never forget. We saw burial grounds in the
woods at Nags Head. We slept all night under the moon and star
filled sky at the edge of Jockey's Ridge. A friend we met lived
on a side street next to the Ridge. It was basically his back
yard. We couldn't enjoy the ocean, it was much too cold for
swimming, but the sun was very warm for our beach filled days.
My best friend and I became air hockey champs among a arcade of
strangers. We spent lots of time at the bigges arcade I had ever
been in. Which I was told is no longer there. I met wonderful
people, saw beautiful scenery and promised myself that one day I
would return. I always said if I was to move south, I would move
to the Outer Banks. Well it took me 11 years to get back there,
this time with my new fiance'. I told him once he saw what life
was like there, he would never want to leave. It didn't take
long for him to agree. We recently visited there this summer,
during the last week of July and the first week of August. The
weather was by all means HOT! HOT! HOT! We spent our days at the
beach in Nags Head, we stayed at a little motel called Pebble
Beach. We were just seconds from the ocean. We got up early just
about every day to enjoy the dawn of a new and exciting day. The
temperature was about 88 at 10pm. During the day it was in the
mid 90's. As the week went on, the ocean started turning rough.
We could tell there must of been a storm moving in. Each of our
last 3 days, the beach had washed away more and more. By the
last day we were basically sitting under the oceanfront rooms.
it didnt stop us from having a great time...lots of frozen
drinks and plenty of sunshine, and we went home with great tans
and wonderful memories. Although I must say that we planned our
trip just right because 2 weeks after we got home is when
Hurrican Bonnie rushed into the Outer Banks! It made me sad to
think that we could possibly watch on our tv the cruelty of
mother nature just devestate our favorite vacation spot. I am
very glad to see that the Outer Banks survived so well. A few
familiar spots and I still remembered where my best friends
father lived, and the dunes..oh and the dunes..we climbed
Jockey's Ridge (Mike and I) and we walked all the way down to
the sound side and waded into the water, it seemed that we
walked a mile away from the shore. We just stood there and
waited for the most beautiful sunset to happen. What wonderful
pictures we took. It was like a dream!! (and I grew up near
Oswego New York - where the sunsets are ranked in the top 5 of
the country.) If you ever get the chance to visit the Outer
Banks, please do. You will wonder why you havent done it before
now. p.s. We are planning another trip after we get married in
May of 1999. Hopefully we will do a September trip with some of
our friends this time. Thanks for the great memories!! I will
never in a life time forget the fun filled times and wonderful
people that made such an impact on my life. I hope to someday
have children of my own and share with them this wonderful
experience! My family started going to Nags Head in 1964 when I was one
year old. We have gone back every year since. We used to stay at
the Sand Dollar. Jewell Graves was the owner of the court. Every
Sunday night she would have a party for everyone so that the
atmosphere was that of family. She would bring out an old record
player and have kool-aid and the kids would all play and dance
to the music. Also, every night that it was open, we would go to
the Circus Tent (P.S. does anyone know what happened to the
Herminutics???) and get ice cream. I have the best memories from
my childhood, teenage years and adulthood of Nags Head. We
started taking my daughter when she was one year old and she
loves it too! It was a sad occasion for us when Jewell sold the
Sand Dollar. We had met many wonderful people there over the
years, and we still meet many of them down there, however, we
stay in a condominium (when everyone is there we have almost two
floors rented for all of us). Nags Head and the Outer Banks is a
wonderful place and I long to live there some day. I'm just sending this letter to express the greatness of the
OB. My family and I started coming to the outer banks in the
year 1972. We stayed at Durant motor court. After many years
staying there, in propably every room. My father bought a piece
of property in Hatteras village south . Several years later he
was able to build a house.My summers were filled with great
fishing , great sun, great times with families we met over the
years and of course the great food. Now that I am older and
married with my own son we still manage to visit the OB several
weeks a year and we still love the simple life of Hatteras. We
go deep sea fishing 4 times a year with the infamous capt. Eddie
skeckle of the SEA BEAR good times and always catch fish.. But
one thing you learn with fishing with EDDIE, Don't let him
intimadate you, he just gets so excited when a fish is hooked.
Well after sitting here in connellsville pennsylvania over the
winter ,I'm ready for the sun and fun of ! Hatteras My family has been going to Kittyhawk since my father was a
teenager. his parent's built a cottage as a Christmas present,
and it was one of very few cottages that completly survived the
Ash Wednesday Storm with no water damge at all! (There's a
picture of it in the book). It has always been a place where I
can relax, reflect, and cast my cares to the world. A couple
years ago I even got to frolick with the dolphins out in the
ocen (and Imean way out!) My girlfriends and I have been holding
the "estrogen trip" for three years now. Every September, my
girlfriends and I go down to the beach, eat lots of ice cream
and good food (la Primavera is excellent!), and have time to
catch up and talk with each other, and drink lots of Birch Beer
from the Corolla Brew-Thru1 (the guy at Kittyhawk refused to
sell us very much, weenie!) So hi to Ray and John! I love the
Beach, and now at 22 I will be having my Honeymoon there. I hope
that all the new people who go will take care of the beaches and
Corolla! It makes me sick that they had to put the Corrolla
horses in the preserve a few years ago, and I just hope that
people pick up after themselves and realize that to some, this
is the most special place in the world! We are inquiring about the "beaches" of the Outer Banks. We
will be vacationing somewhere on the Outer Banks this summer and
one of our primary concerns is the "beach". We are looking for a
wide beach where we can spread out and not be bothered by other
beach-goers (and vice-versa as we have three active
youngsters!). We also want a beach with a gradual slope into the
ocean (our children are under 10) and weak undercurrent. We
would appreciate your comments and/or recommendations. Thanks!
Mark Lynam Mount Joy, PA My parents started taking my four siblings and I to Avon in
about 1979. There was one general store and the "Froggy Dog"
burger joint. The beach was so quiet. What a perfect family
place. We made multiple trips over the years, but it has been
several years since we've been there as a family. This year, we
will be going to Nags Head in the middle of October to celebrate
my parents 35th wedding anniversary (and my second)! I can't
wait! It's been about seven long years since I've been there.
It's time to introduce a new generation to the treasures the
Outer Banks hold for all who visit. I remember going to the outer banks in the early 70's when
there was no ocean threat to the Hatteras lighthouse. When
Jeanettes Pier had small cabins for rent for 'fishermen'. SAM &
OMIE'S RESTAURANT was the only place to get breakfast one the
beach in the winter. deserted winter beaches beaches existed in
Kitty Hawk, and the beach road was straight, not curved, in
favor of some motel complex that detracts from what people come
to the Outer Banks for. I remember when the mall did not exist
on the by-pass and even when the by-pass wasn't . I guess this
is progress? So fondly remembered- the ferry to Hatteras, the home-cooked
meals at the CG Station at Buxton, the friends all called
Midgett, keeping the Loran Station on the air during the
hurricanes and during the electrical storms when the lightning
would repeatedly hit the 300' tower. I came to the Banks as a kid at the Croatan and grew up into
being dining room hostess one magic summer with all the great
beach music.I know someone remembers the Casino and the Jokers
and eating midnite breakfast at the Pier.This was before the
explosion of people. Last trip was Hugo week with our 2mo old
daughter-evacuation forced us inland more directly into the
path-she slept in a dresser drawer.Please take care of this
special place on Earth and keep it simple as a reminder of
simpler times. The first time that I went to the outer banks was in 1967. I
was very energetic and people chased me everywhere and all of
the time. My father Johnny Deweese,Mother Bonnie, brother
Johonny, cousin Junior, My Grand mother and various parental
friends made the journey. I remember eating water melon (my
favorite food of the period), running after sea shells with my
mothers mother, my beloved Maw Maw Juel. Posted 07/01/97 Year: August 1989. Went to Outer Banks on
vacation and to get married. I had been going there since
1973(Captn Franks was one of the first business on the way
in)...anyway we were married by the Magistrate in Manteo on the
day Matlock was being filmed. Met the cast. Ate breakfast with
the cast. Courthouse was to crowded to perform the ceremony so
we went across the street to the docks and with the Elizabethean
II in the background, we were properly united. Magistrate kept
all the extras away but we did get a standing ovation and an
ivitation to dinner at the Green Lantern.....wonderful day,
wonderful marriage, wonderful place to start it all. I can remember when The Lost Colony first opened and
President Roosevelt came into Elizabeth City to open the coast
guard station. I was visiting the jeannettes who had the fishing
pier. I used to come down fron New York to visit my friends in
Elizabeth City and then we would run over to Nags Head. At that
time there were no electricity only lanterns. Tomorrow I will be
down to Duck as my son has a place on Poteskeet Road near the
beach. I am going on 82 and still going strong. Hooked on the Outer Banks since first TV news assignment
there in 1977. Visited Harker's Island where the voices of the
locals sounded faintly Elizabethan, like their ancestors of 500
years before. I remember, too, when Les and Sally Moore were
removed from the store and home they built on a spit of sand at
the southern tip of Cape Lookout. They built the place
themselves and helped countess lost fishermen, hundreds of
stranded boaters, and sold the things these people needed for a
peaceful Sunday afternoon on the ocean. Les and Sally were in
their 70s, I'd suspect, and had run the store and lived next
door for about 17 years, but the National Park Service forced
them out because park policy allowed no commercial ventures,
even a small bait and beer shop built and run by two wonderful
people who just wanted to live independently on a beautiful
piece of Outer Banks near the Cape Lookout lighthouse. There is not a time of my life that has not included the
coast of North Carolina. I have grown up with summer vacations at Cape Hatteras. My
parents took the 4 of us kids camping each year at Cape Point
Campground in Buxton. It used to be so popular, that we had to
wait in line to get in. Now, it stays about half full in the
middle of July. I remember watching the first steps on the moon
from a television connected to the bathroom in the campground.
Everyone brought their lawn chairs and sat around to watch.
There was so much static on the TV you really couldn't tell what
you were watching. I also remember the surf being extremely
rough during that time and thinking the men on the moon had
something to do with it. Now we take our two children each year.
We are taking a break from the camping while our kids are small
(but I think I 'm getting spoiled). Camping in Buxton is truly
away from it all. No phones, TV, electricity. I just wonder why
camping isn't as popular any more? My extended family and I have been visiting South Nags Head
for 16 years this summer. We've seen houses we once rented
washed away. I'm eighteen now (yes, I was three when I first saw
the outer banks), in college and working, but I will still go to
nags head, even if I can't go with my family. I'll be the girl
flying the little yellow diamond kite down on the national
seashore. And say hi to my Manteo kin -- Izzy, Mollie, and
Buffalo Dyal! My family has been traveling to the outer banks now for over
thirty years. I myself have only been going there for eighteen
years. My grandma told me when she and my grandpa first visited
the outer banks, there wern't even paved roads. The roads were
made of old air plane landing mats from the war. Driving down
the main strip you would never guess that now. I love the outer
banks because of the peacefulness of the area. I'm always afraid
the tourism is going to go crazy and it will never be the same.
Then I return there for a visit a realize, no matter how big the
towns get, the ocean is always the same. P.S.We love to stay at
the Bucaneer in Kitty Hawk. I went to the Outer Banks to fish the pier at Rodanthe during
the second week in May almost every year fron 1977 to 1985.
Haven't been back since '85. Keep those good reports coming in.
It brings back good memories from times past. One of my favorite
stories has to do with an older guy from Ohio named Ralph. Ralph
had poor eyesight and needed help on the pier to tie on tackle
etc. We all got to know him from helping him from year to year.
One day he came on the pier laughing at himself. The night
before he had been on the screened porch on his cottage working
on his gear. He had made friends with the couple across the
street that day. Looking up from his tackle, he saw that the
woman was on the porch across the street waving at him. So he
waved back. Every time he looked up she would wave, and he would
wave back. This went on for a good while and finally Ralph
decided that the polite thing to do would be to walk across the
street and have a conversation.! He got half way across the
street and stopped in his tracks. The lady had hung a pair of
pink long johns out to dry. Ralph had spent an hour waving at a
pair of women's underwear flapping in the breeze. The wind never
stops blowing on Hatteras Island. Another story has to do with
my young daughter who finally confessed that she always wondered
each year why I would leave for a week to go visit a lady named
Kate Hatteras. I'm going back! My wife and I will be going to
Hatteras Island the first full week of October in 1997. IN 1993 I believe it was I went to the outer banks on
vacation with my family. I have not been back though. I will
always remember the beach. The only other time I had seen the
ocean was when I was 3. I am now 16 and remember both
experiences with the ocean. My parents have told me they would
take me and a friend back to the shore for a week after I
graduate. I can't wait to return. Last time we saw the wild
horses several times and I, being a extreme horse lover can not
wait to see them again especially since their was a foal with
them last time. I wonder how big the foal has gotten. Ca-ra-la with a hard "c" is the way "Northern" Corollians say
it. Ka-raw-la is the way I and the "Southern" Corollians say it.
Definately named after the flower and not the car. The Japanese
weren't even around then, so what do they know anyway. And why
is the car called a Corolla? You can e-mail Toyota for me and
find out. But, maybe it was named after us (the village). If so,
everyone is mispronouncing it. In fact, let's start that rumor
right now--the car was named after a small, quaint village on
the Outer Banks of NC. Besides, how romantic is a Toyota anyway?
Now for a little Outer Banks history and Bob White's theory on
the name. Toronto in April is not the most pleasant experience,
especially after a long Canadian winter. A group of about eight
of us had just graduated from journalism school (at Ryerson in
Toronto) and decided to take off for a week after school was
over. One of my girlfriends had spotted an add in the Globe and
Mail for a beach house in Rodanthe, available to rent for a
week. We jumped in our cars and left Toronto at 6 am, and due to
unforseen circumstances, arrived at our incredible beach house
22 hours later. It was worth it! We had the beach to ourselves
and spent the week sleeping in the sun and drinking margheritas.
We're all split up now, with jobs and such (I'm in Edmonton,
Alberta, trying to survive the winter) but maybe one day we'll
all make it back. It's a fond memory. I remember when I was a Girl Scout before 1959 and in high
school. Our troop went on a camping trip every year. About that
time we went to Cape Hatteras, before it was a National Park,
and pitched our tents in the sand just 50' or so from the cape.
There were no showers or facilities of any kind there, just the
framework of structures to be constructed later. We had a
wonderful time there. One day we took the mail ferry to Ocracoke
and when there, drove with the mailman down the hard sand crest
of the island. When evening came, he took us back to the ferry
landing by way of the wet sand on the shore. I will never forget
that trip. When I returned I told my parents about Ocracoke and
Hatteras. Within a few weeks they took a trip there and
eventually bought property on Ocracoke from Myra Wahab. I
believe that is the way it is spelled. That has been a part of
our family's story for almost 40 years. They still return for
the Fourth of July weekend and have a reunion. I have not been
able to return for a long time, but my heart remembers the
wonderful camping trip, the ponies, the fiddler crabs, the
community store and much more. Thanks . MANTEO, KITTY HAWK, OUTER BANKS AND RESTAURANTS, ETC. I HAVE
NOT VISITED THIS AREA SINCE 1945 WHEN IT WAS ALMOST NOTHING MORE
THAN SAND, WATER OPEN SKY AND A GREAT NAVAL AIR STATION ON
RONOAKE ISLAND.WE FLEW OVER THIS AREA WITH OUR TORPEDO BOMBERS
AND FIGHTER PLANES MANY TIMES I've been chasing a long time dream for the most of my adult
live. I rember hooking up with my frist blue . how my heart felt
like it was racing a maraton I didn't know what a blue fish was
at the time i didn't care , I was hooked. I didn't know who was
more excited me or my dad .he was a great man, fishing was a
passion that he handed down to and every day i get to look out
at the waves Ithank him for my experiences . I have three great
kids myself and like my dad i dream that one day that they to
will look at me like i smiled at my dad so proud . I'm heading
to the outer banks in november it been a long time ,but if i
keep the memory with me i will be a great day of fishing. In the 60's, we visited Ocracoke {actually my mother not
having a real understanding of time and ferry travel stranded us
there} we stayed in a place called ???Boons' Sound Inn, ???
Booth's Sound Inn, very close to the light house. Does anyone
remember it??? What is the proper name? Is it still there? We
slept {so hot you couldn't sleep} on a screened in poarch with
the bugs hitting on the screen so hard you thought they would
bust through at any moment. At supper [an original B And B]
evenyone at fresh catch. I can still see that large fish being
brought out from the kitchen. I've been going to the Outer Banks since 1953. I've got
pictures of me standing next to my father - holding on to his
knees - with all the family - getting ready to to get in our
Mercury and drive those many miles from Huntington, WVA to
Nagshead - 4 children, a colie-dog, and 2 parents, in a 1953
Station Wagon - one would call the car a "woody" today. I am a 39 year old surfer/fisherman from Atlantic City, NJ. I
have been going to the Outer Banks for 24 years. This year will
be my 25th year. I started out by going down with my friends in
beat up old station wagons in the early 70's. We would leave New
Jersey at 1100 pm or 12 midnight and drive all night longan
reach your beautiful island sometimes by sunrise, or a little
after. We stayed in the lighthouse campgrounds in Buxton many,
many times. We then advanced to staying at the Frisco
campgrounds with Ward and Betty Barnett several times. My family has a long history on the Outer Banks. My father
has been visiting ever since the late 1940s, and his parents
started visiting in the 1920s. Things have certainly changed in
my lifetime not to mention what has happened in theirs. I love
the peacful and relaxing pace of the Banks. I have spent the
last year trying to locate employment on the beach. Not an easy
task - be forewarned. I am very anxious to leave the rat race of
my federal job behind, and move to a more tranquil setting. I
always hear from prospective employers about how "dead" the
banks are in the winter or the "off' season as most put it.
Personally, as much as I have always loved my summers on the
banks (for the last 27 years) I enjoy the "off' season even
more. My parents have always owned a home somewhere on the
Banks, and we have had 2 houses at a time for many years. Now
they are down to one in Duck. I guess with age comes the
inability to keep up with more than one home at the beach. But
we all enjoy it!! I have converted all of my friends to Outer
Banks junkies. They are all holding their breath while waiting
to see if I land a new job there. I KNOW that I will see them
more than I do now, as everyone loves a good excuse to run off
to the beach even if its only for the weekend. The people of the
Banks have always been the friendliest that I have known. One of
my favorite days was spent down at Avon, when we still had a
house there. My girlfriend was on her first trip to the Banks
and enjoying every minute of it. Since the house needed
supplies, as they often walk off, we went to Ace hardware. I had
purchased numerous items including clocks for the bedrooms. An
old-timer was at the counter just killing time, and he told us
that we did not need the clocks. My girlfriend - Casey - asked
him why not. He said that if she knew what time it was she know
how little of it she had left at the beach and would not enjoy
herself. He told her that the tides, the sun, the moon and stars
would tell her what time it was. Hopefully something will come
out of my job search as my soul yearns for the tranquil breezes,
lazy days or nights and the occasional good old hurricane ( I
love a good storm ). I will be going back down soon - I am sure
- because with me it is always a spur of the moment thing to do.
I knew I was hooked when I made my first trip to Ocracoke
before the hard-road was built on the island & they shut down
the generator at night. I have returned every year except for
two years in the Army. See you in September!!!!! I have been going to the Outer Banks since 1978 as a small
child. The first year I went with my family and we camped in a
pop up camper on the beach in Avon. After that year my family
has vacationed there every year for my entire life. A few weeks
ago I turned 28 years old, and as I write this my family is on
vacation for 3 weeks at the Outer Banks. I grew up on this
beautiful island and consider my second home. If you have not
exprienced the beauty and pristine beaches of the outer banks,
you have to before it grows commercially anymore. When we first
started vacationing on the island, it was very desolate. You
could drive for many miles and see only a few beach houses. Now
they are scattered everywhere, and are as large as mansions. You
can now stay in condos, and big resorts that once never existed.
My family almost always stay in one of the small towns past
oregon Inlet called Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo. We prefer these
areas as they are not as populated as other areas such as Kitty
Hawk, Nags Head. My friend says I'm arrogant. not really.... I've been to the
O.B. since 1951... So...sorry for being whatever...but is there
anyone who shares the same timeline? My family has been going to the Outer Banks since the early
1950's. I remember the only way to Hatteras Island was by ferry.
When I was young the captain played his banjo and I danced on
his bridge! Nagshead not the same...over built...I was there
when the only night life was bingo and going to "rec" centre by
the pier. My parents would have cocktails and dinner at the
Carolinian hotel - memories... My basement is decorated with
beach stuff....my desk faces laminated photos of the sunrise and
the sunset at Buxton... My dad retired and built a house on
Cottage Ave in Buxton...a nice walk from the Light House. I love
the place. Am going back July 6th...with my son and good friend.
It's an 18 hour drive from Quebec...but worth every mile of it!
A good place to stop for a good snack and great view is the
restaurant at the pier in Rodanthe... The smell of fresh sea air assailed my senses first. The wind coming through the open upstairs window,causing the curtains to brush my face, carried the cry of seagulls. This was a typical morning on Ocracoke 25 years ago. My cousins and I eagerly looked out the window at the bright new day, seeing the sun reflected in millions of diamonds on Silver Lake. The smell of frying bacon and freshly brewed coffee wound their way up the stairs. Dressing quickly we rushed downstairs eager to begin another enchanted day. What would be have done without our bikes? We rode from one end of the island to another..13 miles didn't seem so far back then. We'd detour at sand paths to the sound and discover marvelous treasures of hermit crabs, giant wading birds, blue crabs and occasional flounder we'd disturb. We'd spend endless hours scouring the north end of the island for shells. Always we'd find something we hadn't found before. I remember the night my cousins and I became offical "adults". We were around 12 or 13. This particular evening my parents loaded the 3 of us, 2 aunts, my sister and a younger cousin in the car. My father wanted to fish the south end at the incoming tide change and we kids had excellent luck earlier in the day finding sand dollars in that area. Dark takes on a new meaning on the outerbanks as it does when your out on the water at night. This particular night seem darker then any underground cave I can imagine. There was no moon. The fish were biting so we couldn't get Daddy to leave. He finally quit and we all piled in the car. Well guess what. The road was gone. The tide had come in. The "road" back then was tire tracks in the sand. I guess there was about 2 inches of water over the flats and the car got stuck. The hardest driest sand can turn slick as oil when it gets wet I discovered. Daddy went off looking for boards and an aunt paniced, wandered off in the direction of the sound and started yelling into a strong wind for help.3 steps and she vanished into the blackness. The 3 of us thought it was funny and cool until the terns decided we were disturbing their nesting area and began to dive bomb us. It made the movie "The Birds" very real for us. Dad finally came back with the boards, placed them under the tires, sat down behind the driver seat and said "You kids get in the car." All 5 of us moved to get in but then he said, Except you 3..you push!! Which we did and got sprayed from heat to toe with wet sand. We weren't considerd kids anymore! Its something I'll remember forever. I visited the outerbanks again last September. The house we
stayed in is now the local museum. Its been moved to another
spot. The flats now have a nice graded road going them. There
are many more buildings around the lake and lots more traffic
but the place is still lost in time. Hatteras seems to be more
like the Ocracoke of my youth. Now I visit the south end of
Hatteras via 4-wheel drive. Still I find my self wandering down
sand paths,searching the shore for treasures and I still find
them. Suddenly 25 years melts away and I'm a little kid again,
amazed and excited at what I've discovered. Yelling for my
husband to come see. And there I am, lost in time, thats the
magic of it all.
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