The Velo Hobo

About thirty miles south of Corolla was our next destination, the Wright Brothers Memorial.  The bicycle Gods took pity on us and aimed their winds at our backsides.  Still cold and wet, but at least the wind gave us a fast downhill run back to Kill Devil Hills.  It’s still unclear what provoked these two accomplished bicycle mechanics to abandon a lucrative career wrenching bikes and pursue the silliness of flight, but what they did on this sandy field in 1903 changed humankind forever.  There is no telling what wonderful innovations in bicyclery were lost due to the misguided path these two chose.  As it happened aviation took off like a, well rocket and bicycles remain almost frozen in time.  How many of you are still riding steel A-framed bikes?  You know we should all be on hover-bikes by now, right?  Oh well.  Before bailing out on biking, these two invented the self-oiling hub and a crank arm that the pedal screws on backwards (if you’ve ever gotten pissed off trying to take a pedal off a crank, blame Orville).

I find the whole thing a bit unbelievable.  We went hundreds of thousands of years walking or riding on the backs of animals; then about sixty years after the first flight we land on the moon.  Does anyone else suspect the tinkering of aliens or is it just me?

There’s plenty to see here and it’s one of my favorite places to visit on the coast. Walk the actual field where their first four flights were made, see replicas of the Wright Flyer and glider, climb Kill Devil Hill and look over the many exhibits.  My favorite is the life-size bronze recreation of the first flight.

Arriving on a loaded touring bike, especially one with a retro look will garner appreciative glances from the Park Rangers.  Getting there is a breeze if you follow well marked bike paths.  Before heading out to tour the northern Outer Banks stop at the visitor’s center and ask for the Dare County bicycle map.  This will keep you off the deadly 158 (a mistake we made) and on well-maintained bike routes.

End Note: Flexibility and “Roll with the Punches”ness is important when bike touring hurricane ravaged coastlines.  Our route south of Kill Devil Hills was washed away so we lingered in Kitty Hawk and enjoyed the hospitality of our Warm Showers hosts.  We finished our tour back on Roanoke Island in miserable weather.  Still a wonderful short tour and we can’t wait to come back to the coast.

Thanks for reading, Jack

Ride as far as the pavement will allow on Route 12 and you’ll find (at risk of not sounding as manly and macho as I obviously am, I’m going to use the adjective ‘charming’) charming Corolla.  Marking the northern tip of the Outer Banks is a tall brick stanchion rising far above other buildings in town.  This beacon is the most beautiful, in my opinion, of all the North   Carolina coastal lighthouses.  All others are plastered and uniquely painted.  In contrast, this one was left bare and weathered showing the thousands upon thousands of bricks laid back in the days of rickety scaffolding, before hard hats, safety harnesses and OSHA regulations.  Still in great shape after 137 years of tolerating the harshest of weather, the true craftsmanship of her construction is obvious.

The top of the Currituck Beach Light Station makes a great touring destination.  Climb the 214 steps of the ornate iron spiral staircase up this 162 foot tower for an awe inspiring view.  To the north you’ll see the undeveloped and protected estuary.  Look directly down and view Historic Corolla.  Winds were gusting to 40 miles per hour on our visit, so we clung close together as we took a wind reading for the keeper.  This and all the other lighthouses on the Outer Banks are not just historical artifacts; they still work to ‘fill the dark spaces’ and warn sailors navigating the hazardous Carolina coast.

Once back on ground level, after your knees have stopped shaking, visit the Currituck Banks North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve (part of the larger North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve).  You’ll find a long boardwalk trail twisting through a maritime forest.  The Boston Globe describes this as one of the ‘most beautiful nature preserves’.  If you’re lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the wild ponies that live here on the Currituck Banks.  Like the dingo of the Australian outback, these vicious animals have been known to carry away small children.  Okay, that’s not true, but this trip report was getting a bit boring.

(To be continued.  Next stop the WrightBrothersMuseum!!!!)

Standing guard over the mainland of coastal North Carolina is a thin chain of ever shifting barrier islands known as the Outer Banks.  This sandy vanguard has been hammered by countless hurricanes and lesser storms and is in constant flux.  The Outer Banks of today is not the Outer Banks of a century ago and years from now they will have morphed into another version.  As testament to the ferociousness of the weather the surrounding waters are littered with shipwrecks, some dating back to pre-colonial days. Both pilgrims and pirates have peopled these shores. History buffs have plenty to explore in the Outer Banks

As much as I love the mountains of the Smokies, I am equally drawn to the wind swept dunes on the opposite end of the state. Every year my wife and I head out to reconnoiter another corner of the North Carolina coast.  This year’s tour held some challenges as our visit followed hurricane Sandy’s.  But despite the mountain of sand dumped on the road to Corolla and the destruction of our planned route south of Kitty Hawk, we pieced together a pretty decent excursion.

We began and ended on Roanoke Island, site of the “Lost Colony”.  Swept away by the hellacious wind, eaten by animals, carried away by the indigenous people or teleported into space; no one knows. From Roanoke we crossed the sound to Nags Head and from there we meandered north avoiding the buried sections of route 12 and made our way to Duck; buried neck deep in sand from hurricane Sandy.

With plenty of good places to eat and a cool greenway known as the Duck Trail, Duck is a neat little town.  It marks the ‘about half way’ point between Nags Head and Corolla.  We lunched and Guinnessed ourselves to stave off the cold before leaving Duck and plowed into the headwind towards Corolla.  I have lots of respect for coastal riders in these parts.  Although lacking the long steep climbs, the wind here blows with a hateful vengeance. We fought a wet and frigid headwind the whole ride from our first turn north in Nags Head all the way up the coast to Corolla.  But after a long hard day in the saddle we reward ourselves with luxury accommodations at The Inn at Corolla Light.

We awoke the next day to more of the same, cold and wet, and headed out to poke around in the old lighthouse.  (To Be Continued…)