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Sunday, January 31, 2016

Newfound Gap Road in October - Great Smoky Mountains National Park


We spent some time in mid-October 2015 auto touring along Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While the fall colors weren't yet at their peak, the potential for a spectacular season was visible everywhere one looked.

The fall colors were just beginning to appear at the Chimney Tops Overlook

View from Morton Overlook

View from Beech Flats Overlook near Newfound Gap

View from Deep Creek Overlook

More of the Deep Creek watershed from the fenced walkway near MP 17

There is no fee to enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm.

Friday, January 29, 2016

Duck Boardwalk


While located on the main thoroughfare of NC 12 north of Kitty Hawk, the Town of Duck, North Carolina has created a bicycle and pedestrian friendly environment that encourages people to stop and visit. We had driven through Duck on our way to Currituck Beach Lighthouse and decided to return with our bicycles to ride the multi-use trail through town. After riding about ten miles through town, we loaded the bikes and decided to walk the length of the Boardwalk that fronts Currituck Sound. Although it was overcast and breezy during our October 2015 visit, we had a wonderful stroll and even visited a few shops and ate dinner. While the images below were taken with a cell phone instead of my normal camera, hopefully they portray some of the charm and beauty of the Town of Duck.







The Town of Duck Town Park and Boardwalk website is http://www.townofduck.com/parks-and-recreation/town-park-boardwalk/.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Former Lighthouse Location - Cape Hatteras National Seashore


In 1999, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and associated structures were moved 2900 feet to a location 1500 feet inland from the beach. While Hatteras Island continues to shift westward, the move should protect the lighthouse from the sea for another century or more. All that remains at the previous location is a sandy mound and the remains of a groin jutting out into the sea. We visited in October 2015, just after a major storm called #NotJoaquin lashed the coast. The waves were still large for the area and several surfers made a day of riding them.

Former site of the lighthouse

A closer view of the site

One of the groins that protected the lighthouse

View inland to the lighthouse

View of the groin from down the beach

Looking down the beach

A big wave by North Carolina standards

Surfers waiting to catch the "big one"

Many attempt...

...one succeeds

Lighthouse from down the beach

Entrance to Cape Hatteras National Seashore is free. The lighthouse is normally open daily from the third Friday in April until Columbus Day, but may close due to adverse weather. A fee of $8 per adult is assessed to climb to the exterior observation deck of the lighthouse. Seniors aged 62 and older; children under age 12, but taller than 42 inches; and the disabled may climb for only $4.

The seashore website is http://www.nps.gov/caha/index.htm.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse - Cape Hatteras National Seashore


Diamond Shoals is a shifting complex of submerged sandbars located from shore up to ten miles off the coast of Hatteras Island. The shoals were formed and are constantly shifted by the interaction of the southerly flowing Labrador Current and the northern flowing Gulf Stream. It has been a hazard to mariners for centuries and has led to the area being called the "Graveyard of the Atlantic". In an attempt to warn sailors and protect shipping, the US Congress in 1791 appropriated funds for a lighthouse to be constructed on Hatteras Island. The lighthouse was completed in 1803 with 18 lights at an elevation of 112 feet. The lighting apparatus was destroyed in 1862 during the Civil War. Realizing the limited practicality of the original station, Congress appropriated funding in 1868 to build a new lighthouse further inland. The new lighthouse was first lit on December 16,1871 and was the tallest brick lighthouse in the world at the time at 187 feet with a light at 192 feet above sea level.

The Atlantic Ocean has been shifting Hatteras Island to the west for thousands of years. Although initially built 1500 feet from the beach, by the 1936 the US Coast Guard abandoned the lighthouse to the sea and built a steel tower in Buxton to house the light. When the Cape Hatteras National Seashore was established in 1937, the National Park Service assumed responsibility for the lighthouse. In 1950, the lighthouse was deemed safe again and the light was moved back to the iconic "barber pole" striped structure by the sea.

In 1999, the lighthouse and associated structures were moved 2900 feet to a location 1500 feet inland from the beach. While Hatteras Island continues to shift westward, the move should protect the lighthouse from the sea for another century or more.

The visitor center provides the typical amenities that include an information desk, bookstore and restrooms. A ticket booth for climbing the tower is located adjacent to the visitor center.

We visited in October 2015 during our trip to the Outer Banks. Due to severe storms along the east coast that flooded low lying areas, the road to Hatteras Island had been closed for several days. When it reopened, floodwaters still covered much of the parking lot and some of Lighthouse Road. Since the floodwaters also damaged the quarters for the seasonal rangers, they were sent home early and the tower climbing season ended prematurely. While we were disappointed that we couldn't climb the tower, we were also grateful for the amazing job the the staff had done to re-open the grounds for visitors to safely enjoy so quickly after access was restored.

One section of the parking lot

Lighthouse Road

Visitor Center

Visitor Center entrance

Information Desk

Bookstore

Hatteras Lighthouse

Small ponds covered the grounds

The double lightkeeper's quarters is now a museum that was also closed for the season

Seasonal rangers lived in this historic building

Lighthouse entrance

Amphitheater for ranger talks
Entrance to Cape Hatteras National Seashore is free. The lighthouse is normally open daily from the third Friday in April until Columbus Day, but may close due to adverse weather. A fee of $8 per adult is assessed to climb to the exterior observation deck of the lighthouse. Seniors aged 62 and older; children under age 12, but taller than 42 inches; and the disabled may climb for only $4.

The seashore website is http://www.nps.gov/caha/index.htm.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

The Elizabethan Gardens


The Elizabethan Gardens are located adjacent to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in Manteo, North Carolina. Construction of the Gardens by the Garden Club of North Carolina began on June 2, 1953 and the site was formally opened on August 18, 1960, the 373rd anniversary of the birth of Virginia Dare. According to its mission statement, The Elizabethan Gardens are "a tribute to the first English colonists in the New World at the site of the original settlement."

We visited during our October 2015 trip to the Outer Banks.

Entrance walk

Two varieties of Coleus

President's Walk honors past presidents of the garden club

Live Oak and Spanish moss

Due to the season, few roses were blooming in the rose garden

Sundial from the Elizabethan Age

HRH Queen Elizabeth I statue was added in 2006

Great Lawn

Mount and Well Head

Impatiens line the steps

A glimpse into the Sunken Garden

Overlook Terrace

Water Gate

Albemarle Sound

Looking across the Overlook Terrace into the Sunken Garden from the Water Gate

Replica gazebo

A variety of flowering plants line the walkway

Another glimpse of the Sunken Garden

One quarter of the Sunken Garden

16th century Italian fountain, pool and balustrade from the Whitney collection

An arched window into the Sunken Garden

Woodland Garden

This Live Oak was likely standing when the first colonists arrived

Another view of the Great Lawn

Azaleas

The Gate House also houses the gift shop

Above the gifts is a 1592 portrait of Queen Elizabeth I

An entrance fee of $9 for adults and $6 for youth ages 6 through 17 years is collected at the Gate House. North Carolina sales tax is added to the entrance fee.

The garden website is http://elizabethangardens.org/.