Corolla to Kitty Hawk, NC

After 20-something years of coming to the Outer Banks with the Vaughns, I finally had a chance to ride from Corolla to Kitty Hawk. Riding in the Outer Banks is nothing short of hellishly boring, especially when you've been doing the same winding through the neighborhoods then out-and-back ride over and over--alone. And it's even worse when there's a big wind to negotiate--which there often is at Thanksgiving. So it was a real treat to ride to John's with Laurie today.

We took off at 7am to try to beat the traffic for what we planned would be a 40 mile ride past John's into Nags Head and back to John's. Mike and Steve agreed to come meet us for lunch, so no backtracking!

The sun was just coming up over the dunes when we left.

We took the beach road for the first three miles, knowing our chances to ride two abreast would be few and far between.

One of the less savory moments: passing what must be a waste treatment plant just 4 miles in. It truly smells like poop.  And rotten fish. Mixed together.

We stopped for a view of the bay while passing through Duck.

A mile up the road, this beautiful bike lane will disappear and traffic will start to pick up as we leave Duck and head into Southern Shores.

In Southern Shores, Laurie and I took a detour down memory lane and found the first house we ever stayed in on Circle Drive. It was a mere 34 years ago!

The view from the old beach access we used to use in Southern Shores. We stopped here to eat our PB&Js before moving on. This is about mile 20.

Here are the houses the Melansons and Hansens stayed in when the whole neighborhood used to go together.

And here is the house Steve and I rented with mom and dad when Connor was just 2. They added a garage, I think, because I remember it on stilts.

And we arrive in Kitty Hawk - which I have always thought was Nags Head proper until I saw a sign for Nags Head further south!

The beach in Kitty Hawk.

The houses here are right on the water, with no protection from a storm. As they fall into the ocean, one by one, they are not replaced. So the beach has big holes where there are no houses, like the one where I am standing. These folks have such prime real estate, but they also live with knowing any day could be the last.

If you look in the distance on the left, you can see huge pipes where they are connecting to the industrial looking boats out in the ocean. Laurie and I thought they were setting up to drill for oil (I saw a No Drilling in NC sign earlier), but were relieved when Mike told us they are dredging boats, pulling sand from the ocean floor to make a berm that stretches in front of all these houses.

I just thought this view was cool. It shows how there is nothing between the houses and the water.

More pictures of town.

John's--where we'll come back for fried dolphin boats and milkshakes in about an hour.

Happy to see an old fave is still up and running!

Here's a sentimental stop for Laurie who used to come here with the Riddles back in the day.

We thought it would be fun to ride up to the Wright brothers memorial (and get in one hill!).

 But it cost $7 just to go up to the monument, so we took in the view instead--pathetic!

This is the road after we turned around and headed back North to go to John's. So the ocean is on the right, just over that dune. We could hear the water when the cars weren't passing.

After 42 miles, we arrive a John's!

And everyone else arrives soon after.

On the way out, we showed the kids the Blarney, the "shack" we stayed in one summer with the kids. Claire was 9mos. old, Connor was 4. We could walk to John's and I think those milkshakes were the highlight of the week (it rained almost every day).

And that's it! A great day for riding! 82 degrees, no clouds, no wind, and a car ride home! Can't ask for better--esp. at the beach!