First stop was The Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. No, not in Kitty Hawk, which is not actually where the first flight occurred. The Memorial is actually pretty imposing.
I'd seen it several times at night from the bypass, when it is lit up and even more imposing. This photo is taken from the visitor's center and museum, which did have a pretty interesting exhibit as well as a aeronautics portrait hall of fame. Pres. Bush (the elder) was included as the first military pilot to become President. There was actually a second memorial next to the visitor's center.
This is the actual site where the first flight took place. The stone in the foreground is the actual take off point and beyond that are the markers for the distance of the first four flights. The first three were less than 15 seconds each. The one the Wright Brothers considered the successful test is the tiny one in the distance there that lasted over 90 seconds.
I then hauled my happy ass up to the memorial on top of the hill (actually a large sand dune) where I found it to be even more impressive up close. Then it was down and around to the other side..
Where there was a life size sculpture of the actual moment. It was actually a lot bigger than this. There were more figures back behind this, including a statue of the actual photographer who captured this moment on film. It was pretty cool.
Speaking of cool...
This is a piece of the wood and a piece of fabric from the wing of that actual first airplane that Neil Armstrong took with him to the surface of the moon on the first moon landing. I was at the memorial most of the morning.
After I was done exploring the memorial area, I hit the road to the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. Over the causeway and into Manteo, I found another spot in this coastal area. The aquarium is situated on the waterfront next to the airport.
You can identify it as a North Carolina Aquarium from this sculpture out front. Although I don't remember the other two having blue water in the fountain...blech. I got the impression that this one is a bit smaller than the other two that I've been to (Fort Fischer and Pine Knoll Shores), but there are some nice exhibits nonetheless.
There were several snapping turtles in this tank...some swimming, some sunning. They had another area with a box turtle, but he was half buried in a corner. It is the time for them to start their hibernation soon and he's burrowing.
I got up close and personal with this loggerhead sea turtle. Doesn't he look grumpy? He should, he's endangered. There was actually a nice kid's exhibit teaching them all about sea turtles and the rescue efforts of the NC Aquariums. He had a good sized tank that he shared with some fish. If I remember correctly, the majority of the rehab efforts go on in a lab in the Pine Knoll Shores location, which is home to Nimbus the rare white sea turtle. I hope Nimbus has a better habitat than when I saw him last year...a tiny tank and we watched him eat his own excrement...blech!
I was totally surprised that I managed to get such a good shot of these colorful fish in the low light.
This aquarium, like the other NC aquariums, has a touch tank. This one had rays and skate with one lone enormous horseshoe crab. The rays were pretty friendly and would actually come up to be petted. There was a smaller tank where you could touch sea stars and sea urchins too.
Outside, there was a lovely view and a large picnic area. There were also some nature paths for bird watching and a bit of an exhibit of fossils.
I believe this is a whale skull fossil. Not 100% sure as the sign was gone. This area was not kept up very well.
Exiting the aquarium, I headed back to Manteo to check it out. I didn't have time to see some of the historical exhibits...you know...stuff about the Lost Colony and stuff, but I did have time to wander around in the shops down by the waterfront. First stop was for ice cream. then I wandered to the waterfront while I ate it.
That's when I happened upon the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. Well, actually a replica of the last of the three actual lighthouses that had that name. The one this is designed to look like is at the bottom of the sound. When it was decommissioned, it was cut from it's pilings and was to be moved. It fell off of the barge it was on and sank in 1955. This one was built to be a part of the Manteo waterfront in 2004. I didn't go out to it as it appeared that they were preparing for a wedding there.
Across from the Manteo waterfront at the Roanoke Island Festival Park, the Elizabeth II is docked. Another replica it seems...this time of the original Elizabeth that transported Sir Walter Raleigh's doomed settlers to what became the Lost Colony. As part of the exhibit, they also shoot the cannon and startle shoppers across the water in Manteo. I wandered in and out of shops and galleries...spoke to a potter named Donna for a bit, then decided to head back.
Before I went to dinner, I decided to hit the beach one last time. I got my camera, put on my beach shoes, and toddled my way across the street. It was crazy windy and I only walked about a third of a mile before heading back.
I did see many, many dead starfish on the way. This is almost as strange as the multiple horseshoe crab shell bits I've been seeing all weeks (one seen here with the starfish.
Surprisingly, these guys let me get pretty close. They are so cute when they all run in unison either toward the receding surf or away from a wave.
I walked over to I Got Your Crabs for my anticipated freshly caught and steamed blue crabs. First, I had a dozen fried shrimp for an appetizer. It was served with this amazing remoulade sauce that had *just* enough kick. Then...they arrived...
My half dozen #10 male crabs...covered in the shop's signature spice blend. LOOK! One still has his eye and he's looking at meeeeeeeeeeeee!!
I know I was slow, but I had fun. The very nice staff offered to help and I know I was taking forever to crack all those puppies open, but it was a slow night and I wasn't keeping anyone from being seated at the bar, so it was all good.
In the end, with the aid of two Yuengling Lagers, I demolished those six crabs. And they were gooooooood!
Tomorrow, I will try to get up early and catch the sunrise. I did a little packing, but stuff is still in the dryer and I have to clean out the fridge. I hope to hit the road early enough to get breakfast at The Virginia Diner on the way home. We'll see. There is always lunch.
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